The government's surprise announcement to delay a final decision on Hinkley Point has left the Chinese company investing in it 'bemused' and "frustrated" according to a source.

French firm EDF, which is financing most of the Â£18bn project in Somerset, approved its funding at a board meeting on Thursday.
China General Nuclear Power Corporation is contributing a third of the money.
Contracts were due to be signed by all the parties on Friday.
But in a surprise move, the government said it was "only right" to review such a significant project and would make a decision by the autumn.
According to the BBC's Newsnight programme it was security concerns over Chinese ownership of British nuclear power stations that were the primary reason why Prime Minister Theresa May postponed a final decision on the deal until later in the year.
Meanwhile, EDF's UK boss Vincent de Rivaz has written to staff, saying: "The new prime minister has been in post for just 16 days. Her full cabinet has been in post even fewer.
"We can understand their need to take a little time. We fully respect the prime minister's method."
He added: "The very good news is that we are ready. The [EDF] board's decision means that when the government is ready to go ahead, we are ready too."
The delay decision has been described as "bewildering and bonkers" by the GMB union national secretary for energy Justin Bowden, who fear it could jeopardise 25,000 jobs.
"After years of procrastination, what is required is decisive action not dithering and more delay," he said.
How much would Hinkley C cost bill payers?
Carrie Gracie: Is China the hitch for Hinkley Point?
Simon Jack: Hinkley delay is a high stakes bet
Kamal Ahmed: Why did the chancellor tell me Hinkley 'will go ahead' five days ago?
Hinkley delay reactions from Somerset
What now for Hinkley Point?
Delay at new nuclear plant 'bonkers'
Both EDF and CGN have reiterated their support for the scheme.
Jean-Bernard Levy, EDF Group chief executive said he remained confident the project would go ahead.
But a source close to CGN has told the BBC that everyone in the company was "bemused" by the sudden nature of the government's announcement and had been given no real insight into the reason for the delay other than being informed it was something the prime minister wanted.
It was also frustrated that the government had allowed speculation about national security concerns to continue.
Nick Timothy, who is a close adviser to Mrs May, has previously raised serious concerns about Chinese investment in areas that could threaten Britain's security.
Last year, the chancellor at the time, George Osborne, said investment in Hinkley Point could lead to the Chinese designing and constructing a new nuclear reactor at Bradwell in Essex.
At the time Mr Timothy wrote on the Conservativehome website that if that happened experts feared China could "build weaknesses into computer systems which will allow them to shut down Britain's energy production at will".
The BBC's industry correspondent, John Moylan said a senior delegation from China had flown in specially to attend the signing and they were now having to return home.
5,600
workers on site at peak
4,000km electrical cabling
230,000 tonnes of steel
5.6m cubic metres of earth to be moved
Prime Minister Theresa May is stamping her authority on government policy even it it means ruffling the feathers of foreign investors.
The government thinks this project has huge implications not just for energy policy but national security and foreign relations.
Therefore it remains unapologetic about giving it this level of scrutiny.
I have heard Mrs May will not be hurried into any decision. Remember, we have got a new government in Number 10. The business department is being completely restructured.
The last government under David Cameron and George Osborne might have taken a very particular attitude towards the Hinkley project.
Theresa May's government will not be a mirror image of the last government.
As for the timing of that now infamous announcement on Thursday, the PM's team believed it was not for them to say in advance of the EDF board meeting what their thinking was.
The company might have wanted the UK government to make its position clear first but Mrs May was not going to be bounced into that.
What does this look like to potential foreign investors and the question of whether Britain is still open for business?
I am being told we should not over interpret the review - there is a sense of reassurance rather than policy being ripped up to start all over again.
Hinkley Point C is expected to provide 7% of the UK's total electricity requirement.
Mace, which was appointed by EDF to oversee the contract management at the site and provide project and programme management services said: "We need to show that the UK is open for business.
"This decision to delay yet another project of national importance sends completely the wrong signal to investors and the world."
Labour's shadow energy secretary, Barry Gardiner, said there was a role for nuclear power as part of a low carbon future, but the government's handling of the situation had been "absolute chaos".
"At a day's notice they have cancelled the final signing of the agreement that they told the press and everyone they were going to do.
Critics of the plan have warned of environmental damage and potential escalating costs.
Britain has committed to pay a price more than twice the current market levels for the power generated by the plant over 35 years.
Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said: "Theresa May now has a chance to stop this radioactive white elephant in its tracks.
"She should look at the evidence and see that this deal would be a monumental disaster for taxpayers and bill payers.
"The UK needs to invest in safe, reliable renewable power."
During afternoon trading on the Paris stock exchange, EDF's share price was up 6% .
Jan 2006 - Government proposes nuclear as part of future energy mix
Mar 2013 - Construction of Hinkley Point approved
Oct 2013 - UK government agrees Â£92.50 per megawatt-hour will be paid for electricity produced at the Somerset site - around double the current market rate at the time
Oct 2015 - EDF signs investment agreement with China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN)
July 2016 - EDF board approves final investment decision, but the UK Government postpones a final decision on the project until autumn.


Leyton Orient have signed former Aston Villa and Oxford United striker Jordan Bowery on a two-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.

Bowery, 25, was released by Oxford at the end of last season.
He started his career at Chesterfield and later had a two-year spell at Villa, where he made 22 appearances, 15 of them as a substitute.
In 2014. he was signed by Rotherham before moving on to Oxford in the January transfer window.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Iran says it has successfully sent a monkey into space.

The primate travelled in a Pishgam rocket, which reached an altitude of some 120km (75 miles) for a sub-orbital flight before "returning its shipment intact", the defence ministry said.
Iranian state TV showed images of the monkey, which was strapped into a harness, being taken to the rocket.
Western nations have expressed concern that Iran's space programme is being used to develop long-range missiles.
Such missiles could potentially be used to carry nuclear warheads.
Iran denies it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
Satellite technology expert Pat Norris told the BBC that Iran's claim to have sent a monkey into space was not a major advance on what its space programme had already achieved.
The achievement was similar to launching a missile at 4,828km/h (3,000mph) and having its warhead survive the flight - something Iran had done in several tests in recent years, he noted.
However, the survival of the monkey, without incurring any injuries, would demonstrate that the acceleration and deceleration of the rocket were not too severe, Mr Norris added.
In 2010, Iran successfully sent a rat, turtle and worms into space. But an attempt to send a monkey up in a rocket failed in 2011.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced in 2010 that the country planned to send a man into space by 2019.
A domestically-made satellite was sent into orbit for the first time in 2009.


In Case You Missed It: a round-up of interesting technology-related links shared over the weekend.

Gun fired from a moving car during a live broadcast on Periscope
A live broadcast on Periscope, the Twitter-owned video app, showed two men driving to a house apparently in search of one of their girlfriends. Encouraged by online comments, one of them fired a gun from a moving car. The two men were later arrested.
Burning Man 2015 begins with some live tweeting
The Burning Man festival takes place this week, and in what is seen by some as an unwelcome recent addition, full mobile phone signal is available at the Black Rock site in Nevada. It's an event open for people from all walks of life. Tickets $390.
Swans help create smoother camera drone videos
Researchers at Stanford University have taken inspiration from the graceful flight of swans to develop new techniques for ultra-stable video recording from drones.
Pokemon's copyright lawyers wipe out themed PAX pre-party
A Pokemon-themed party night, due to take place ahead of last week's Pax gaming conference in Seattle, was cancelled after a copyright claim from The Pokemon Company. The event was promoted with posters featuring Pokemon characters.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC


Some 22 million Americans could lose their health insurance over the next decade under a Senate bill to replace Obamacare, a congressional report says.

However, the bill would reduce the budget deficit, the non-partisan Congressional Budgetary Office said.
Similar legislation passed by the House was also said to leave millions uninsured. Some Republicans have voiced reservations about the plan.
But the White House disputed the CBO's figures.
Responding to Monday's report, it said: "The CBO has consistently proven it cannot accurately predict how healthcare legislation will impact insurance coverage."
The report is a review of draft legislation unveiled by the Republican party last week.
It is unlikely to be approved by Democrats, who see the proposals as cruel and unfair.
The CBO said that 15 million more people would be uninsured by 2018 under the proposed legislation than under current law, largely because the penalty for not having insurance would be eliminated.
Donald Trump called the House healthcare bill that resulted in 23 million additional uninsured by 2026 "mean". How might he describe a Senate version that only reduces those numbers to 22 million?
Less affluent Americans currently on government-managed Medicaid insurance, many of whom supported the president, will see a 26% reduction in their programmes funding over the next decade, resulting in fewer covered and skimpier benefits.
That is a tough pill for moderate Republicans, who will be under enormous pressure from their constituents to vote against the bill.
There is some good news in the CBO report, of course. Thanks to the cuts, the Senate measure would reduce the budget deficit by a total of $321bn (Â£252bn) in 2017-2026 - even with Obama-era tax cuts rolled back. The personal health insurance marketplace is estimated to remain largely stable, and premiums will go down (after a spike next year).
The bottom line, however, is that the CBO report is a blow to the Senate bill's chances of success. House Republicans weathered a similar beating and rallied to pass their version, so it is much too early to write a political epitaph. That assumes, of course, that their efforts are not undermined by the man in the Oval Office.
President Donald Trump's Republican party is struggling to secure the 50 votes it needs to get its bill through the Senate when it comes to the floor.
On Thursday, Republicans Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee and Rand Paul said they were "not ready to vote for this bill", but were "open to negotiation".
Their concerns about the measure include its rollback of the expansion of Medicaid, the public health program for the poor and disabled.
Mr Johnson said on Sunday there was "no way" there should be a vote on the legislation this week.
The Senate bill would slash taxes for the wealthy offering less help for working families to buy medical insurance.
Top Democrat Nancy Pelosi earlier warned that "hundreds of thousands" of Americans would die if congressional Republicans pass their healthcare legislation.
Republicans have rejected the notion that anyone will die as a result of their healthcare plan.


A Moscow court has sentenced two protest leaders to four-and-a-half years in jail for inciting "mass riots" against President Vladimir Putin.

Sergei Udaltsov and Leonid Razvozzhayev were found guilty of co-ordinating protests which turned violent on the eve of Mr Putin's inauguration for a third presidential term in May 2012.
Prosecutors had sought eight years.
The pair deny the charges and say Russian police provoked the clashes at Moscow's Bolotnaya Square.
Razvozzhayev was also ordered to pay a 150,000-rouble fine (Â£2,520; $4,286).
Lawyers for both activists - who denied the charges - said they would appeal against the sentences, including to the European Court of Human Rights.
Udaltsov, a radical leftist, also announced he would go on a hunger strike. He and his supporters shouted "Freedom!" in court on Thursday.
"Udaltsov, Razvozzhayev... agreed between themselves repeatedly on the organisation of mass disorder," the judge said.
Before his arrest in October 2012 Razvozzhayev was an aide to opposition MP Ilya Ponomarev.
Razvozzhayev said he was abducted in Ukraine, smuggled into Russia and forced into signing a confession, which he later disavowed.
The case against them was based on a documentary broadcast by the pro-Kremlin television channel NTV, which purported to show them discussing efforts to topple the Russian government with an official from neighbouring Georgia - Givi Targamadze - and seeking financial support.
Udaltsov said the footage was a sham and the documentary "dirt and lies".
Anti-government protests erupted in December 2011 amid allegations that the parliamentary elections that month were rigged.
In the Bolotnaya Square investigation seven other protesters have been jailed and 11 acquitted. Eight others are still held on remand or under investigation. An arrest warrant has been issued in Russia for Givi Targamadze.


British artist Richard Smith has died at the age of 84.

Best-known as a painter and print-maker of the 1960s avant-garde movement, Smith died in New York, his representatives said in a statement.
Among his most famous works were large-scale sculptural canvases featuring a "protruding" 3D effect, with names such as Panatella and Revlon.
Smith pushed the boundaries of painting and had an "abstract painterly style very much his own", said the statement.
His works are currently on display at Tate Modern and Tate Britain in London.
There are also pieces on show at Downing College in Cambridge, until 22 May, and in his hometown of Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, until 5 June.
Smith studied at the Royal College of Art and soon after graduation was awarded the prestigious Harkness Fellowship, which allowed him to move to  New York and hold his first one-man show.
On returning in 1963, he made a name for himself with giant canvases, which would seem to overtake a gallery space.
As well as the "synthetic" names he gave his works, he chose to paint in loud, vibrant colours, inspired by the consumerism he encountered during his time in the US.
Later works for which he became renowned were his Kite paintings. They stood out for replacing the traditional wooden supports used for canvases with aluminium rods and strings.
This allowed the paintings to be hung freely in most environments and in a way which complemented the surrounding architecture.
Art historian Marco Livingstone said Smith "was at the forefront of a development in painting that took its cues not from the natural world but from visual stimuli already processed through culture".
"Smith's joyful embrace of glamour and prismatic colour after the grey decade-and-a-half of post-war austerity, brought him within the orbit of Pop Art at its very inception and assured him an important place in its early history," Livingstone added.
Smith continued in the subsequent decades to construct site-specific works in public and private spaces, often hanging from the ceilings or architectural supports.
Smith was chosen to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1970.  He also won many prizes for his work, including the Grand Prize at the Sao Paulo Biennial. He was made a CBE in 1971.
Permanent collections of his works are held by various organisations and galleries in the UK and the US, including the British Museum, the Tate, the V&A and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Smith is survived by his wife Betsy and his two sons Edward and Harry and their families.


The Oscar-winning director of a new film about the 1967 Detroit riots says talking about race in the US is "more vital than ever".

Kathryn Bigelow was speaking as Detroit is released in the wake of the violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia.
She said she wanted to meet racism "head-on", adding: "To do nothing is not an option".
John Boyega, who stars in the film, said: "We all have a voice and we all have a responsibility to speak out."
The London-born actor has shared footage of the clashes on Twitter, in which one person died and 19 others were injured, when a car rammed a crowd of people opposing a far-right rally.
"It's so weird, the timing of everything - but now it makes this movie very necessary, for perspective and also to see just how little has been done, and to hopefully spark a positive conversation."
Talking about Charlottesville, Bigelow said: "It's just a horrific tragedy and I feel the urgency to have a conversation about race in America is even more vital than ever."
She added: "Even though this story takes place 50 years ago, it feels, sadly, very much like today and therefore tomorrow. Until there's a meaningful conversation about race in America, I'm worried these events will keep happening."
She said she did not see the film, starring John Boyega and Will Poulter, as being "entertainment", but rather "a dramatisation of true events".
To that end, the film mixes in news footage from the riots - and people who were there, including Melvin Dismukes, played by Boyega, and Julie Hysell, portrayed in the film by Skins' Hannah Murray.
Bigelow - the first woman to win a best director Oscar, for The Hurt Locker - added: "If there's the chance for the film to generate a dialogue that's meaningful and positive and can generate some transformation, that would of course be my greatest aspiration.
"Any opportunity to meet head-on with the pervasiveness of racism is really important."
Boyega said at the Detroit premiere that the racism portrayed in the film felt worryingly contemporary.
He said: "It's crazy - I find it hard to even gather my thoughts on it, it's so unexpected and unfortunate. It's mad, the world is changing."
Boyega, perhaps best known as Finn in Star Wars, plays a security guard tasked with protecting a grocery shop from looters, who then becomes embroiled in the Algiers Motel incident, which left three young men dead.
Asked whether it was a departure from the sci-fi franchise, he said: "The best sci-fi has social commentary. And I have the same commitment for Star Wars as I would for Detroit. I only appear in things I would want to watch."
Will Poulter, who plays a Detroit police officer central to the violence inflicted on residents of the motel, said of the current situation in the US: "I think for a lot of people it's hard to believe it's even happening.  It feels like a true regression as far as the human race is concerned."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk


Jose Holebas' fine strike settled a poor game as Watford's victory left Middlesbrough still looking for a first home win of the Premier League season.

The Greece defender drove past Victor Valdes from 20 yards to provide some inspiration for a forgettable match generally devoid of quality.
Boro - who remain above the bottom three on goal difference only - failed to properly test Hornets goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes at all during the game.
The result moves Watford up to 10th.
Middlesbrough have now lost three home games in a row for the first time in seven years - and have not won in the top flight at the Riverside since April 2009.
Middlesbrough won promotion back to the Premier League after seven seasons on the back of a formidable defence and strong home record - which they have so far failed to bring to the top flight.
Aitor Karanka's side conceded just 31 times last season - eight at home - but have already let in six at the Riverside in a run which has seen them take just a point in front of their own fans.
But while they still looked untroubled by Watford for large periods, it will be their lack of attacking threat that should most concern Karanka.
They managed just three tame efforts on target, Adam Forshaw wasting their best opening with little more than a backpass from the edge of the area.
Striker Alvaro Negredo - who scored 23 times in his first 33 appearances for Manchester City, and then none in his final 16 - now has just a goal on the opening day to his name in Boro colours and never looked like adding to it.
And with trips to Arsenal, Manchester City and Leicester in their next three away games, Boro must find goals from somewhere if they are to compete.
Watford captain Troy Deeney had complained that his players were "bullied to a man all over the pitch" in the 2-0 loss at Burnley in their previous away match, but the Hornets rarely looked troubled by a toothless Boro side.
Walter Mazzarri deployed Deeney as a lone striker, while record signing Isaac Success made his first start for the club wide on the left - and the Nigerian was responsible for most of the game's sparse moments of promise.
The match may have opened up had Middlesbrough right-back Antonio Barragan seen a second yellow card on the half-hour mark for tripping Success, but referee Roger East gave the defender a reprieve.
And Success was involved in the build-up to the winning goal, going down after a typically direct run into the area. While he protested and claimed for a penalty, Holebas nipped in front of Cristhian Stuani to control a poor clearance, take a touch and then fire a swerving shot that former Barcelona keeper Valdes could only help into the top corner.
It was Watford's first shot on target but enough to give them the points.
BBC Radio 5 live pundit Chris Sutton:
"Middlesbrough were pitiful going forward. Well - there wasn't any forward play.
"It looks like it's going to be a tough season for them. They are going to have to start winning at home. I have to say Alvaro Negredo didn't look like he wanted to be on the pitch."
BBC Radio 5 live commentator Alan Green:
"I actually haven't seen anyone worse than Middlesbrough this season."
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"When they scored it was impossible to play. Watford have really experienced players. We need to learn and keep going.
"The only way we know how to play is the way we played the first 35 minutes."
Watford boss Walter Mazzarri:
"I'm very satisfied because we won an away game in such a difficult stadium. I'm mainly (satisfied) with the character of the team but I'm less satisfied on the overall performance.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I'm happy. It's going very well. We could've had one or two points more at this stage. We've been playing all the games well with the exception of Burnley away."
Middlesbrough travel to second-placed Arsenal next Saturday (15:00 BST kick-off), while Watford take on Swansea at the Liberty Stadium at the same time.
Match ends, Middlesbrough 0, Watford 1.
Second Half ends, Middlesbrough 0, Watford 1.
Foul by George Friend (Middlesbrough).
Roberto Pereyra (Watford) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Hand ball by Etienne Capoue (Watford).
Corner,  Watford. Conceded by Calum Chambers.
Gastón Ramírez (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by José Holebas (Watford).
Foul by Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough).
José Holebas (Watford) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Watford. Ben Watson replaces Isaac Success.
Substitution, Middlesbrough. Jordan Rhodes replaces Marten de Roon.
Corner,  Middlesbrough. Conceded by Juan Zuñiga.
Substitution, Watford. Christian Kabasele replaces Miguel Britos because of an injury.
Foul by Marten de Roon (Middlesbrough).
Isaac Success (Watford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Miguel Britos (Watford) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Marten de Roon (Middlesbrough) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Stewart Downing with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Middlesbrough. Conceded by Juan Zuñiga.
Attempt saved. Isaac Success (Watford) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Miguel Britos.
Marten de Roon (Middlesbrough) is shown the yellow card.
Adam Forshaw (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Juan Zuñiga (Watford).
Substitution, Watford. Juan Zuñiga replaces Nordin Amrabat.
Attempt missed. Etienne Capoue (Watford) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Sebastian Prödl following a corner.
Corner,  Watford. Conceded by Calum Chambers.
Substitution, Middlesbrough. Daniel Ayala replaces Antonio Barragán.
Substitution, Middlesbrough. Adama Traoré replaces Cristhian Stuani.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match José Holebas (Watford) because of an injury.
Attempt saved. Álvaro Negredo (Middlesbrough) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by George Friend with a cross.
Corner,  Middlesbrough. Conceded by Nordin Amrabat.
Foul by Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough).
Etienne Capoue (Watford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Nordin Amrabat (Watford) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
George Friend (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Nordin Amrabat (Watford).
Foul by Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough).
Nordin Amrabat (Watford) wins a free kick on the right wing.


The US prefers to talk about engaging with China, but it is clear its navy is now also practising for a potential conflict, reports the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes.

You don't get invited out on a US nuclear aircraft carrier all that often, and after writing this I might not get invited back for a while.
On the flight deck of the USS George Washington the noise is like nothing I've ever experienced. A few feet from where I am standing, 11 F/A-18 Super Hornets are lining up to be launched.
The first one is hooked on to the catapult; there is a massive crescendo as its engines roar to full re-heat. Then, in a cloud of white steam, the 15-tonne jet is thrown down the deck and off the end of the ship like a toy.
Seconds later, the deck crew in their multi-coloured smocks are calmly lining up the next one.
Watching the US Navy close up like this, it is hard not to be slightly awed. No other navy in the world has quite the same toys, or shows them off with the same easy charm.
But as I stand on the deck filming my report on how "the US is practising for war with China", I can see my host from the Navy public affairs office wincing.
You get used to hearing the PR rhetoric: the US Navy "is not practising for war with any specific country". But the US Navy has not assembled two whole carrier battle groups and 200 aircraft off the coast of Guam for a jolly, either. This is about practising what the Pentagon now calls "Air Sea Battle".
It is a concept first put forward in 2009, and it is specifically designed to counter the rising threat from China.
A few minutes later I am standing on the bridge of the George Washington with Rear Adm Mark Montgomery, the commander of Carrier Strike Group Five. The forces under his command are practising for what he calls an "anti-access, area denial" scenario.
"When we talk about our capabilities," he says, "we are talking about our capabilities to operate in unrestricted way in the waters of our choice".
"As some countries have been developing increasingly complex anti-access weapons, we have to develop our tactics, techniques and procedures to continue to operate in an unfettered manner."
Rear Adm Montgomery won't discuss the specifics of the exercise. But his ships and aircraft face an increasingly complex web of threats, from beneath the water, from air, land, from cyberspace and from space.
"It's generally understood that some countries have the ability to remove satellites or to limit satellite communications," he says, "so we have to practise working in a communications-denied environment."
China's People's Liberation Army Navy is still no match for the US Navy, and won't be for a very long time. Instead, China has been developing other weapons designed to keep America's precious carriers far away from China's shores.
These include new quieter submarines, long-range hypersonic anti-ship missiles and, perhaps most worrying, very accurate medium range ballistic missiles that have been dubbed "carrier killers".
As if on cue, an alarm bell starts ringing. A voice comes on the public address system:
"This is a drill, this is a drill! Black smoke, black smoke!"
The George Washington is under simulated attack. Part of the ship is reported to be on fire. Teams rush to contain the damage.
For the last 10 years, China's most important, and oft-repeated, political slogan has been "peaceful rise". It is designed to reassure Beijing's neighbours its growing military might is no threat.
But since President Xi Jinping came to power last year, there has been a distinct change. China is now asserting claims well beyond its own coastline.
Its ships are aggressively patrolling the Senkaku, or Diaoyu, islands in the East China Sea, long controlled by Japan. It is spending billions building new islands in the South China Sea.
Spratly/Paracel islands
A flashpoint with global consequences
Senkaku/Diaoyu islands
How uninhabited islands soured China-Japan ties
In August a Chinese fighter jet confronted a US surveillance plane in international airspace over the South China Sea, repeatedly buzzing it and, according to the US Navy, closing to within 20ft (6m).
According to Rear Adm Montgomery, all this makes the US Navy's role in the region even more vital.
"The US Navy is one of the single greatest contributors to the security and stability of the Asia Pacific region," he says. "We have been for nearly 70 years".
"I think the US Navy plays a good role whether it is in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Philippine Sea, stabilising things, assuring partners and dissuading adversaries from taking actions that are non-transparent or illegal."
China's leaders would no doubt disagree. Beijing's long-term aim is to dominate the waters close to its shores. If the US Navy tries to stop it, might that not make conflict more likely?
But from Tokyo to Taipei, Manila to Hanoi, there are governments that are very happy to see America's great carrier battle groups sailing these waters.


A muntjac deer had to be rescued after it got stuck in the wheel of a watermill inside a restaurant.

The small doe got trapped between two paddles on the traditional feature at the Moor Mill Beefeater in Bricket Wood, St Albans.
It was freed by the RSPCA which said the frightened animal most likely fell into the river outside.
Kate Wright, who rescued the deer, said: "It was quite a sight for the diners having their lunch."
The animal collections officer said the muntjac was probably drawn under the building by the current and became caught up in the water wheel.
In struggling to climb out to get out of the water, the deer became stuck in the paddles.
Source: British Deer Society
"This poor muntjac was in a real fix. She was really frightened. She was thrashing about and loudly barking," said Ms Wright.
"It would have been very distressing for such a timid wild animal to find herself stuck like that, so I knew I'd have to work fast to free her."
The deer has been released back into the wild.


Oxford United captain Jake Wright is set to be out for three to four games with a hamstring tear.

Wright picked up the injury against League Two leaders Northampton Town on Tuesday and was replaced by Chey Dunkley for the final 14 minutes.
"It looks like a grade one tear to his hamstring, which rules him out for around 10 days to start with," manager Michael Appleton told BBC Radio Oxford.
"It's a blow from a playing point of view and also because he's a leader."
Wright, 29, has made 30 appearances in all competitions for Oxford this season.
On Saturday they host fourth-placed Accrington, who are six points behind Appleton's side with two games in hand.


The UK economy grew by 0.3% in the three months to June, driven in part by a booming film industry, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The initial estimate showed growth picking up from the first quarter of the year, when it was 0.2%.
The ONS said the growth was driven by services, particularly retail, which more than offset falls in output in the manufacturing and construction sectors.
It added there had been a "notable slowdown" in growth from last year.
However, the figure for the second quarter was in line with economists' expectations.
Analysts said the rise in growth was unlikely to change expectations that the Bank of England will keep interest rates at their current record low next week.
ONS head of national accounts Darren Morgan said: "The economy has experienced a notable slowdown in the first half of this year."
Film production in the UK, plus box-office receipts from cinemas, was one of the best performing parts of the economy during the period.
"While services such as retail, and film production and distribution showed some improvement in the second quarter, a weaker performance from construction and manufacturing pulled down overall growth," Mr Morgan said.
On Monday, the International Monetary Fund downgraded its forecast for UK economic growth this year because of the weak first-quarter figure.
The IMF said it expects UK GDP to grow by 1.7% instead of its previous projection of 2%.
Chancellor Philip Hammond said the UK economy had now grown consistently for four-and-a-half years.
"We can be proud of that, but we are not complacent," he added.
"We need to focus on restoring productivity growth to deliver higher wages and living standards for people across the country."
Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: "Today's GDP figures reveal weak growth under a weak government, and expose the last seven years of Tory economic failure.
"Growth for the first half of 2017 is below expectations, and it follows continued data showing working families are being squeezed with wages not keeping up with prices."
Aberdeen Asset Management chief economist Lucy O'Carroll said: "This pick-up will be taken as good news, but it really doesn't amount to much.
"The figures are the first estimate of growth, based on very patchy data. They always get revised over time, and often substantially so.
"It's the underlying trends that matter. They don't look favourable at the moment, given the uncertainties around Brexit and the pressure on household budgets from higher inflation."


Humberside Police is to recruit 51 new officers to tackle crime in five "high demand" areas.

The force will take on 17 new PCs, 30 police community support officers (PCSOs) and four sergeants.
Funding for the recruitment, said to cost Â£8.1m over the next five years, will come from the force's reserves, Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Keith Hunter said.
The new officers are expected to be appointed within six months
Two of the new sergeants, ten PCs and 20 PCSOs will be appointed to work across the East and West Marsh wards in Grimsby, the Bridlington South ward in East Yorkshire and the Scunthorpe Town ward.
The remaining officers will join the Hull city centre neighbourhood team.
Humberside Police currently employs 1,525 police officers and 228 PCSOs.
Chief Constable Justine Curran said: "We have done a lot of work to identify exactly where these officers are most needed, according to the demand across the whole force area, and the new officers will go directly to the neighbourhoods where they are most needed and where they will make the most difference."
Mr Hunter, who was appointed in May, said he believed the amount held in police reserves was "too high".
"My job is to help residents get the best police service possible and ensure taxpayers' money is spent wisely to do that," he said.
"This is the first step in that process and I will be carefully monitoring the effect these new officers and PCSOs will have, and look for other opportunities in the future to add further value."


Great Britain have named a 12-strong team for this summer's Rio Olympics, their biggest since Los Angeles 1984.

London 2012 flyweight champion Nicola Adams, 33, is one of two women included, while British men qualified in all 10 weight divisions.
Britain topped the boxing medal table in London with three golds, one silver and a bronze.
GB Boxing performance director Rob McCracken described the qualification success as a "historic achievement".
Find out how to get into boxing with our special guide.
He said: "It was a very gruelling qualification campaign and to get to the end of it with 12 boxers going to the Olympics is a great reward for the hard work and efforts of everyone connected."
Adams is aiming to become Britain's first two-time Olympic boxing champion.
Her fellow gold medallists in London, Anthony Joshua and Luke Campbell, have since turned professional.
Joshua is the IBF heavyweight world champion - he defended his title for the first time on 25 June - while Campbell is the lightweight Commonwealth belt holder.
Professionals will be eligible to compete in the Olympics for the first time in Rio, a decision that has been widely criticised.
However, as Team GB secured 10 amateur male qualifiers, they were unable to take any professionals.
The Olympics run from 5 to 21 August.
Great Britain team
Men: Galal Yafai (light-flyweight), Muhammad Ali (flyweight), Qais Ashfaq (bantamweight), Joe Cordina (lightweight), Pat McCormack (light-welterweight), Josh Kelly (welterweight), Antony Fowler (middleweight), Joshua Buatsi (light-heavyweight), Lawrence Okolie (heavyweight), Joe Joyce (super-heavyweight).
Women: Nicola Adams (flyweight), Savannah Marshall (middleweight).


Strippers, online escort agencies and adult club owners have been told to reveal all when it comes to their tax affairs.

The industry is being targeted in a UK-wide campaign by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) aimed at recouping unpaid tax.
Officials say a big increase in online escort agencies has helped create an industry worth £5bn.
The UK tax authority said many of these businesses were paying the tax they owed but others hid from payments.
The HMRC taskforce will investigate both traders and entertainers, some earning thousands of pounds a day, who do not register for VAT, income tax and PAYE.
"The people being targeted by this taskforce have no intention of playing by the rules, and we won't tolerate this," said Jim Stevenson, head of HMRC taskforces.
"No industry is safe where tax evasion is concerned - we won't stop tracking people down and taking back what they owe."
The campaign follows a case in November in which a 43-year-old woman, who ran an escort agency, was jailed for three years after fraudulently claiming £118,000 in benefits and avoiding paying £230,772 in income tax and national insurance.
Janine Adeleke ran the business from her home in Bexhill-On-Sea, in East Sussex. During her trial at Canterbury Crown Court, the jury heard Adeleke lived in a house with eight bedrooms and sent her five children to private school.
At the trial, HMRC described her lifestyle as "lavish".
HMRC said that more than 140 taskforces have been launched since 2011 - targeting industries ranging from dentists to lawyers - which have collected more than £404m in unpaid tax.


Japan's economy contracted by an annualised 6.8% in the second quarter of the year, the biggest fall since 2011 when it was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami.

The official gross domestic product (GDP) figure though was smaller than the 7.1% drop economists expected.
The shrinkage was largely in response to a government sales tax, which held back consumer spending.
Japan's sales tax rose from 5% to 8% in April.
On a quarterly basis, the economy contracted 1.7% in the second quarter after a 1.5% rise in the first three months.
Private consumption, which makes up 60% of economic activity, was 5% down on the previous quarter.
The economy grew at an annualised rate of 6.1% in the first quarter of this year.
Recent retail sales and factory output figures both indicated a negative impact from the sales tax rise.
Marcel Thieliant, Japan economist at Capital Economics, said a rebound was expected in the coming months: "The collapse in economic activity last quarter was largely a result of the higher sales tax, and we still believe that the recovery will resume in the second half of the year.
"Consumers had brought forward spending ahead of April's increase in the consumption tax."
The Japanese government appears confident that its economy, the world's third largest, will pick up the pace later in the year.
In a statement issued after the GDP release, Economics Minister Akira Amari said: "Looking at monthly data during April-June, sales of electronics goods and those at department stores are picking up after falling sharply in April.
"The job market is also improving steadily. Taking these into account, Japan's economy continues to recover moderately as a trend and the effect of the sales tax hike is subsiding."


Singer George Michael has been airlifted to hospital with a head injury following a crash on the M1.

The former Wham! star, 49, remains in hospital after the crash at junction 6A, near St Albans, Hertfordshire,
A spokesman for Michael confirmed he had been involved in an accident on Thursday but said the singer only had "superficial cuts" and was "fine".
Michael was a passenger in a Range Rover and no other vehicles were involved, the spokesman added.
Connie Filippello, spokesman for Michael, said: "George Michael was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic accident yesterday evening. No third party was involved.
"We have no further comment at this time."
Ambulance spokesman Gary Sanderson said: "The man who we believe to be in his 40s sustained a head injury and following treatment, stabilisation and immobilisation by land and air ambulance crews, he was flown to hospital for further care."
Hertfordshire Police said the northbound carriageway of the road was closed for an hour while emergency services dealt with the incident.
Two people were in the car at the time of the crash  at about 17:50 BST. No arrests have been made.
A police spokesman said: "The exact circumstances of what happened are unclear at this time and until further investigations have been carried out it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."
In September 2010, Michael was given an eight-week sentence for crashing his car while under the influence of cannabis.
He was also fined Â£1,250 at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court in London and given a five-year driving ban.
The singer was arrested in Hampstead, north London, after driving his Range Rover into a branch of photographic store Snappy Snaps.


The number of young people referred to England's only gender identity clinic for under-18s has doubled in the past year to nearly 1,400, figures show.

The data also shows that nearly twice as many biological girls than boys were referred to London's Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust last year.
Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Bernadette Wren said young people now had more freedom to define themselves.
She told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour a "social revolution" was happening.
The statistics show that there were a total of 1,398 referrals to the clinic last year, 913 of whom were female and 485 male.
In 2009/10, the first year for which figures are available, there were a total of 97 referrals - 40 were female, 56 were male and there was one referral for counselling for the child of a transsexual parent.
The number of referrals increased by 50% in ever subsequent year until 2015/16, when there was a 100% rise in referrals, from 697 in 2014/15.
Asked if boys were being unrepresented in the figures and not getting referred, Dr Polly Carmichael, a fellow consultant clinical psychologist at the clinic, said: "I think the sheer number of young people being referred to the service, a 100% increase this year, it's hard to think there would be a gender difference in terms of who is being referred.
"Particularly because some of the hypothesis in the past around more natal males to natal females being referred was around the way in which the natal male body developed and how that perhaps made it more difficult for them socially if they identified as a female gender. And so I can't see that's changed in any way so it seems unlikely there is under-representation."
Dr Wren said in the past, more boys tended to come forward than girls, because girls found it easier to be "boyish" in what they wore or how they styled their hair, but that society was now more accepting.
She added: "We live in a world where people alter their bodies, surgically or otherwise, and this freedom is available for people as they get older.
"Maybe we just have to be acknowledging that that is a liberty that people have, that these things are possible, technologically, and people will avail themselves of those things.
"It's not really for us to approve or disapprove.  What matters is what they make of their lives in the end and whether they lead rewarding lives.
"We're trying to make sure that nothing happens too precipitately. But in the end, we maybe have to see through this social revolution and see how it transpires."
Sasha, who was born a girl, was treated at the Tavistock Clinic as a teenager and now refers to themselves as being of non-binary gender.
In their early teenage years, Sasha began to feel it would be easier to become a boy and was eventually referred to the Tavistock Clinic.
"For most of my life, I felt as though I didn't fit in and I was never entirely sure what that was about. But when I began thinking about my sexuality and gender identity, I felt as though there were certain paths that would be more suited to the way I felt.
"I anticipated being a man as feeling happier within myself. That was probably the key thing that drove me forward in terms of pursuing treatment. I felt it the right thing to do on a very instinctual level."
Sasha, not their real name, started hormone blocking treatment at the age of 18, and went onto testosterone a year later. They had a double mastectomy and felt at that stage they had achieved what they wanted to "surgically and physically".
Now, Sasha says they do not fit in "with the traditional binary discourse of being male or being female".
"It's quite a difference as to when I was referred to the Tavistock," added Sasha, but said they did not regret anything that happened.
"The decisions I made were absolutely right for what I needed then. I believe now, on looking back, that there may have been more options to be a bit more flexible in thinking about my gender identity that I didn't quite pick up on at the time," they said.
While Sasha is happy with the physical changes to their body, they said sometimes they wished they had "taken things a little bit slower or waited until I was a little bit older".
She said one of the most difficult things for the clinic was to persuade young people to get on with their lives "without necessarily jumping into physical intervention in ways that we might feel is a bit premature given the state of their thinking".
"That's the tough thing because I think there's a lot of pressure out there to help them believe that physical intervention will sort all of their difficulties out.
"We think that for some young people, physical intervention really, really helps them and is what they were always going to do at some point or other, and I think for others, we feel they need to take more time over it."
There is also a small number of girls who come forward because they have a "hatred" of the sexual characteristics of the female body, she added.
"I don't think the explanation is that we're suddenly flooded with these young people," she said. "I don't think there are any grounds for saying that.
"It's quite hard work to come to our clinic. We put them through an assessment process and none of these young people are doing this lightly.
"But we do need to consider whether there are some ways in which being male and having a male body is particularly attractive in 2016, the beginning of the 21st Century, whether there are any ways in which the social landscape shapes and influences how people feel about their role in life, their body and how they're going to live in that body for the rest of their lives."


Formula 1 bosses have agreed to ditch the controversial double points rule.

It was introduced for the final race of 2014 to keep the championship alive for as long as possible but was criticised by drivers, teams and fans.
The agreement needs ratifying at a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, but F1's legislative body is expected to rubber stamp it.
The idea of F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, the double points rule was criticised for being unfair and artificial.
As it turned out, the outcome of the 2014 championship would have rested on the final race even if double points had not been in force.
Lewis Hamilton was 17 points ahead of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg going into the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but made sure of the title by winning at Yas Marina.
That gave the Briton a further 50 points, leaving him 67 in front of Rosberg, who came home 14th after suffering car trouble.
Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt met with representatives of the teams, circuits and sponsors to discuss a number of proposals at this week's meeting, not just the double points rule.
The BBC has learned that they abandoned plans to introduce standing re-starts following the deployment of the safety car but failed to come up with any formal proposals aimed at keeping costs under control.
The issue of costs remains a hot topic following the financial collapse of the Marussia and Caterham teams.
Force India, Lotus and Sauber have also complained that they are struggling financially because the split of prize money is not equitable.
There was also no agreement on allowing limited in-season engine development.
Currently, the rules allow a specified amount of development between seasons but none during the championship.
Red Bull and Ferrari have been pushing to allow an extra stage of development in the summer.
Mercedes are against the idea but have offered to accept a limited amount of development.
However, their compromise proposal has been rejected by their rivals on the basis that it does not go far enough.
Unanimous agreement is required to change the rules for next season.
The World Motor Sport Council, which meets in Qatar on 3 December, will also hear from the investigation into the accident at the Japanese Grand Prix that left Marussia driver Jules Bianchi with severe head injuries.
The investigation was charged with establishing what happened and coming up with new measures to reinforce safety at circuits.


Paul Givan has rejected claims made by Sinn Féin that a £1.9m community hall grant scheme "appears to be directed to one side of the community".

The DUP communities minister launched the scheme at an Orange Hall in October alongside Arlene Foster.
The funding was originally £500,000, but that figure has nearly quadrupled to £1.9m since the autumn.
On Sunday MLA Alex Maskey claimed its recipients were primarily from the unionist community.
"This looks like yet another example of blatant discrimination and the DUP's contempt for the wider public," he said.
Mr Givan denied the claims saying the "scheme was open to all and made no distinction based on the community identity of the organisation."
He said the programme was "hugely oversubscribed" with more than 850 applications.
He confirmed that 90 organisations would be funded, but said there would be "many disappointed applicants".
"At no point was I involved in the assessment process and was only advised of the successful organisations after they had been notified."
He described the the comments as "disgraceful attempts by political opponents to assassinate my character will be seen for the narrow-minded sectarianism that it is."
"I refuse to be drawn into a political battle fought by republicans and nationalists as though it was 1690, but will continue to put our people first and act on behalf of everyone," he added.
The deputy district master of Sixmilewater Orange Lodge, William Strange, told the BBC that his Orange Hall - Tildarg, near Ballyclare - would receive £24,700 under the scheme.
He was quoted in a government press release, saying the funding was "a great boost for our hall and the local community".
He said the money would be used to install new disabled access toilets, a new kitchen, a new heating system and insulation at the site which dates back to 1873.
"Mr Maskey said, "There was mounting concern about why the community hall grants scheme had soared from £500,000 to almost £2m.
"This is a shameful abuse of public money and this minister's contempt for the public knows no bounds."
A department for communities spokesperson said: "A robust, transparent and accountable assessment process was followed, with all applications being scored against the stated criteria.
"Additional capital was identified in the department's budget for this financial year which enabled the allocation to be increased to £1.9m. This was a prudent approach."
On Saturday, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said a public breakdown of recipients was "imperative", given that the scheme risked excluding sporting organisations, including the GAA.
Mr Eastwood said his party had concerns from the time that the fund was opened.
"It seemed, at that stage, that the criteria meant that GAA clubs could not apply," he said.
"We were worried that the minister was trying to look after one community, rather than the whole community."
When it was originally launched, Mrs Foster said the money would be used to improve halls that were in disrepair or had been damaged - with priority given to those targeted in attacks.
At Christmas, Mr Givan cut funds to a scheme offering Irish language scholarships to young people.  Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said the £50,000 cut was part of the reason for his resignation as deputy first minister.
Last week, Mr Givan said he had "identified the necessary funding to advance" the Líofa Gaeltacht Bursary Scheme. He also claimed his original decision was not "political".
However, the SDLP leader said: "He appears to be a minister for half of the community, he has not done much to illustrate that he is a minister for everyone."


A deal to save Tata Steel's Scunthorpe plant could be signed as soon as Monday, the BBC understands.

The steelworks has been on the market since 2014 and the sale to UK-based investment firm Greybull Capital, would involve a £400m investment package.
It would secure about 4,800 jobs and thousands more in supply chains and the local economy.
Tata Steel has said it plans to sell the rest of its UK steel business, putting thousands of jobs at risk.
The Scunthorpe steelworks is a key part of Tata Steel's long products division, which was put up for sale in 2014.
Greybull Capital has been in talks to buy the division for nine months and entered into exclusive negotiations with Tata in December.
Greybull describes itself as "a family office which makes long-term investments in private companies".
The London-based investment firm is run by financiers Marc and Nathaniel Meyohas and Richard Perlhagen.
Greybull is backing a turnaround plan, which aims to return the loss-making business to profitability within one to two years.
Greybull plans to invest £400m in the business but the plan involves significant cost savings.
Staff are being asked to accept a 3% pay cut for one year and reductions to company pension contributions.  Workers are being balloted on the changes.
The firm has been in discussion with the government for a loan of between £70m and £100m.
Those discussions are thought to be continuing but it is understood the sale is not dependent upon the loan.
The turnaround plan was drawn up by management at Scunthorpe with input from unions and refined by the management consultants McKinsey & Co.
It is understood Greybull is not envisaging further restructuring beyond the 1,200 job losses announced last October.
That involved the closure of one of the two coke ovens at Scunthorpe and the mothballing of three plate mills, reducing annual production capacity to 2.8m tonnes.
Two of those Mills, in Lanarkshire in Scotland, have been sold to Liberty House, the commodities company which has expressed an interest in buying Tata's other UK steel operations, including the Port Talbot steelworks.
The sale could also see the business rebranded as "British Steel", as it is understood Greybull is seeking to buy the brand as part of the deal.
"British Steel" was the name of Britain's privatised steel industry.  It disappeared in 1999 when the industry was merged with a Dutch rival to create the Corus Group.
The new business would include the Scunthorpe works, two mills in Teesside, an engineering workshop in Workington, a design consultancy in York and distribution facilities.
About 3,400 employees are based in Scunthorpe with a further thousand spread across the other sites. The business also has a mill in northern France employing 400 workers.
The business makes products for the transport and construction sectors with customers including the equipment giant Caterpillar and Network Rail.
It is thought to have a 90% share of the market for new rails used across Britain's railways.
The mill in northern France also produces rails for the national railway operator SNCF and for customers in Western Europe.
Greybull specialises in turning around struggling firms by taking controlling stakes and backing management teams.
In 2014 it rescued the holiday airline Monarch, buying a 90% stake. The airline returned to profitability the following year.
Last September it bought 140 Morrisons convenience stores, rebranding them as My Local.
It also owns Plessey, another name from Britain's industrial past, and is seeking to turn it into a leader in LED technology.
But its purchase of Tata's loss-making long products division is its most high profile deal yet.
But this sale, which could come as early as Monday, is not yet a done deal.
It is expected to be subject to some outstanding conditions, thought to include financing and supplier agreements, which may mean it will not be formally completed for weeks.
Greybull has made it clear that its focus at this time is on the long products purchase.
You can follow John on twitter on @JohnMoylanBBC


Chief Constable, George Hamilton, says he would like to see catholic police officers making up half of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

He was speaking at the 100th passing out parade of new officers at Garnerville on Friday.
Mr Hamilton said: "We want the police service to be as representative as it possibly can be."
He said he wanted to go over and above the Patten recommendations.
The Patten Commission, established in 1998 as part of the Belfast Agreement, suggested at least 30% of police officers should be catholic.
Now about 32% of the PSNI is catholic, but Mr Hamilton told BBC News he wanted to go further.
"I'd like to see it at 50%", he said.
The 47 student officers who graduated at the milestone event will now complete a two-year probationary period.


A citizen science project suggests climate change really has increased the risk of flooding in the UK.

The issue has been highlighted by the recent floods, amid a January that saw double the normal monthly rainfall in parts of England.
Prof Myles Allen presented evidence of a link between floods and climate change at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) meeting in Vienna.
It indicates climate change is increasing the risk of extreme weather.
It also suggests that insurance costs are likely to grow.
UK Met Office data showed that the prolonged and heavy rain was an extreme outlier in the context of their records of 20th Century rainfall. But scientists can go back further to judge just how extreme this wet winter was.
It turns out that it was the wettest January and wettest winter in the world's longest daily rainfall record, collected in Oxford from 1767 to the present day.
At the time, many people suspected a link to climate change, but any such claim has been treated with caution.
Plenty of studies assessed in the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report suggest that extreme weather events should be expected in a warming world, but even there, the assessment was that the link could only be made modestly, with "medium" certainty.
In just two months following the flooding, perhaps spurred on by the local impacts on the Thames Valley, the team at the University of Oxford has carried out an "attribution experiment" to attempt to test what, if any, links can be made between the world's changing climate and local events like the UK winter floods.
Dr Nathalie Schaller and Dr Friederike Otto, together with others from Oxford's Environmental Change Institute, compared rainfall results from climate models based on the current global (warmed) climate with results predicted for the world we would be in today had fossil fuels never been burned.
They had to run 12,842 simulations using today's actual climate with 25,893 computer calculations of a non-warmed world to be able to get enough data to draw out the differences.
The data was analysed through a citizen science project that is still active, at climateprediction.net, the world's largest climate modelling experiment.
The results showed a small, but significant, difference between the two scenarios. They reveal that the probability of extremely wet English winters has increased with global warming.
Climate change means that the chance of extreme weather like the January 2014 floods has increased by a small, but measurable, amount.
The group's results imply that any weather fluctuation that would previously have been thought of as a "one in 100-year event" has now risen in probability to one in 80 years, due to climate change.
Speaking about the results at the EGU General Assembly, a gathering of 12,000 researchers here in Vienna, Prof Allen, from the University of Oxford, pointed out that this was the first quantitative study of the role of climate change on the 2014 floods.
Commenting on the results, Prof Thomas Stocker of the University of Bern, Switzerland (and Co-Chair of Working Group 1 of the IPCC), said: "The risk [of extreme weather] has increased. It has shown movement in one direction only - to greater risk."
Quoted in a press release, Dr Otto stated: "Past greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution have 'loaded the weather dice', so the probability of the south of England experiencing extremely wet winters again has slightly increased.
"We are working with collaborators, such as at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, to explore the implications of our results for river flows, flooding, and ultimately property damage."
Insurance companies are very interested to understand how weather is changing compared with historic records, which is exactly the type of information that Prof Allen's team has obtained.
Dr Schaller notes that the results must be understood in context, and are specific to the UK in winter. "It all depends on the region and season considered. Climate change might increase, decrease or have no effect at all on flood events," she told the BBC.
"Hirabayashi and co-workers, for example, showed that floods are expected to decrease with climate change in Central Europe. So our results are only valid for the southern UK and for winter months."
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An inquiry has been held into whether or not a wind farm can be built at a beauty spot in Swansea.

The proposed Mynydd y Gwair development is on common land so the inquiry will decide whether the land can be exchanged and used to generate energy.
There have already been two previous inquiries into the proposals for 16 turbines.
Swansea council granted planning permission to RWE Innogy UK for the wind farm in 2013.
But the company needed to deregister the common land near Felindre and provide alternative space.
That was refused last year by deputy minister Rebecca Evans after considering a planning inspector's report.


Tata Steel is set to invest £7m in a new generation of steel coating equipment at its Shotton works in Flintshire, BBC Wales understands.

The decision comes despite uncertainty over the long-term future of the company's UK business.
The company said Shotton would be spearheading a drive to create the next generation of products, but described the £7m figure as "speculative".
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said it was "very welcome news" for the area.
The steel finishing and coating works at Shotton employs 700 people producing a range of metal products for the construction industry, including cladding and insulation panels.
The plant, which uses steel produced at Port Talbot, has been described as one of Tata's only profitable sites in the UK.
In March, the Indian-owned company revealed it was considering the sale of its entire UK operations, prompting fears for the future of thousands of jobs.
A Tata Steel spokesman said: "The Shotton works will be spearheading a drive to create and bring to market the next generation of building envelope products.
"These will meet all current and planned future legislation and continue to provide our customers with the products they need."
A formal announcement confirming details of the investment is expected shortly.
Reacting for the Welsh Government, Mr Skates said: "This investment, and the commitment it shows the plant and its workforce, is very welcome news for the area.
He said it "follows the proactive action that Welsh Government has been taking with Tata over many months to help secure a sustainable future for steel making and steel jobs in Wales".
"We continue to hold constructive discussions with Tata management about the future of their UK operations and remain focused on doing all we can to support our plants, steelworkers and the communities that rely on them," he added.
Officials from the local branch of the Unite union said the investment "clearly demonstrates that the commitment and hard work the employees continually put into Shotton Works is noted at the highest level within the wider Tata company".
"It also reinforces Shotton's position as a world leader in our market, and demonstrates that through a modern differentiated products business model. with a dedicated and skilled workforce, historic steel plants can have a successful and viable future even during extremely challenging times," they added in a statement.


A wildlife trust has said it is "very worried" about proposals to build 135 homes on a site near an ancient meadow.

The plans for 135 homes at Aylestone Hill, near Lugg Meadow, will be decided at a public inquiry, on 28 April, after being rejected by Herefordshire Council.
Herefordshire Wildlife Trust said Lugg Meadow was the largest surviving land of its kind in the country.
Bovis Homes said the council had recommended the plan for approval.
The trust said Lugg Meadow was known as a "lammas meadow" - a historic form of land management which is still practised.
Helen Stace, from the trust, said: "We are seriously concerned about the impact of these buildings on the meadow.
"The proposed site is very close - it's about 20m [65ft] away.
"The main problem would be the run-off from the houses...that could include petrol residues, road salts, garden chemicals - anything else that gets into the water.
"The bottom part of the land floods and that water will go all over the meadow.
"I think you will lose an area of old pasture which is part of the historic landscape. This area hasn't been ploughed for many years. It should be protected."
She said the trust was currently preparing evidence to present at the inquiry.
Bovis Homes said the council's ecologist, Natural England and the Environment Agency, had not objected to the plans.
They said the site was not within the meadow and could even improve the biodiversity of the area because it incorporates "attractive areas of public open space".
"There is a huge need for new homes in the area, with the council identifying a requirement to plan for 6,500 new properties in and around Hereford," it said.


A man convicted of illegal teeth whitening is still running a clinic in Belfast, the BBC has learned.

Samuel Irvine-Madine was convicted in April of illegally impersonating a dental practitioner and carrying out teeth whitening.
He was taken to court by the General Dental Council and fined Â£500.
The BBC has discovered he has continued to treat hundreds of people since then at the HD Smile Clinic on the Shankill Road.
The clinic advertises itself as professionally run and specialises in teeth-whitening.
Mr Irvine-Madine is not a registered dental practitioner and so there is no regulation over the chemicals and treatments he uses.
The BBC was told by Mr Irvine-Madine that he has treated thousands of people since setting up his business and he was more than happy to talk us through the teeth-whitening treatments he offers.
The BBC asked Mr Irvine-Madine to respond to the allegation that he is still illegally practising teeth-whitening, but he did not respond to our requests.
The General Dental Council (GDC) regulates dental professionals working in the UK.
It states that: "By law, only dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and clinical dental technicians (working to the prescription of a dentist) can carry out tooth whitening."
Since 2001, the GDC has prosecuted four cases of illegal tooth whitening in Northern Ireland, including Mr Irvine-Madine's.
Francesca Keen from the GDC said the prosecutions are a deterrent, but the level of fines imposed by the magistrate's courts are disappointing.
"The harm that we have seen is damage to the face, burns to the lips and gums, and irreparable damage to the teeth," she said.
"In some severe cases we've seen some patients who've been hospitalised as a result of consuming the products that have been applied to their teeth."
The HD Smile Clinic was closed on Tuesday after the BBC confronted Mr Irvine-Madine as he opened the shop.
He told his Facebook followers it was closed because of "a flood" and would open the clinic again as soon as possible.


A key player on the world stage and a country at the political heart of Europe, France paid a high price in both economic and human terms during the two world wars.

The years which followed saw protracted conflicts culminating in independence for Algeria and most other French colonies in Africa as well as decolonisation in south-east Asia.
France was one of the founding fathers of European integration as the continent sought to rebuild after the devastation of World War II.
In the 1990s Franco-German cooperation was central to European economic integration. The bond between the two countries was again to the fore in the new millennium when their leaders voiced strong opposition as the US-led campaign in Iraq began.
Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring
But France sent shockwaves through European Union capitals when its voters rejected the proposed EU constitution in a referendum in May 2005.
France's colonial past is a major contributing factor in the presence of a diverse multicultural population. It is home to more than five million people of Arab and African descent.
It has a number of territories overseas which, together with mainland France and Corsica, go to make up the 26 regions which the country comprises. It is further divided into 100 departments, five of which - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion and Mayotte - are geographically distant from Europe.
Government in France is known for its high degree of centralisation but in March 2003 parliament approved amendments to the constitution allowing for the devolution of quite wide-ranging powers to the regions and departments.
In the light of low election turnout, the move was widely seen as a bid to re-engage in the political process French people disillusioned by the ubiquitous influence of what is often perceived as the Paris elite.
France has produced some of the continent's most influential writers and thinkers from Descartes and Pascal in the 17th century, Voltaire in the 18th, Baudelaire and Flaubert in the 19th to Sartre and Camus in the 20th.
In the last two centuries it has given the art world the works of Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse and Braque, to name but a few.
It is also famous for its strong culinary tradition. France produces more than 250 cheeses and some of the world's best-loved wines.


Manchester United manager David Moyes has again insisted Wayne Rooney is not for sale after Chelsea said the England striker is their sole transfer target.

Speaking at a news conference in Sydney, the United boss said: "The club's position has not changed."
Moyes is also keen to discover how the bid to lure Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas to United is progressing.
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He said: "I'm in contact with our chief executive who is dealing with the issue and hope to know more in a day or so."
Chelsea have already had one bid for Rooney rejected.
The 27-year-old has been left "angered and confused" by suggestions he is viewed as back-up to Robin Van Persie at United.
Blues boss Jose Mourinho has exploited the situation by issuing a World Cup warning to players who are "second choice" at their club, a statement widely viewed as a message aimed at Rooney.
The striker was at United's training complex on Thursday for ongoing treatment on his hamstring injury after flying home from the club's pre-season tour.
Manchester United are currently in Australia preparing for a match against the A-League All Stars in Sydney on Saturday.
The Premier League champions have yet to make any major summer signings, having missed out on Barcelona's Thiago Alcantara, although they continue to be linked with Everton duo Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines.
United have had a formal offer for Fabregas rejected by Barcelona, but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has left United's pre-season tour to continue negotiations.
When asked what the latest position is, Moyes said: "I couldn't tell you exactly, the chief executive [Woodward] is dealing with it. Hopefully we'll know more in the next few days.
"We are trying very hard to make some additions. Hopefully there will be some good news in the not too distant future."


Vaginal mesh implants are as dangerous as asbestos, MSPs on Holyrood's petitions committee have been told.

They are holding an inquiry into the procedure, used to ease incontinence, after some women experienced painful complications.
Last year, the then Scottish health secretary Alex Neil urged health boards to suspend use of the implants.
Adam Slater, a US compensation lawyer, said "women are not told the truth" about the devices.
He was lead trial counsel in the first pelvic mesh trial against Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon, resulting in a compensatory and punitive damages verdict of $11.1m.
Giving evidence to members of the Scottish Parliament committee via videoconference, Mr Slater said the closest comparison to the mesh implant situation he could think of was asbestos.
He said: "Something that was thought to be a wonderful invention for a long time and now everybody in the world knows it's something you wouldn't want to go near.
"It's the closest analogy I can find to these horrible devices that are now in so many women."
The committee is considering calls to suspend mesh implant operations. Operations continue to be carried out by some health boards despite the health secretary's call to stop using them.
Mr Slater has worked almost exclusively on mesh cases in the US since 2007 and is currently the lead counsel for more than 7,000 cases in New Jersey.
He said some doctors are now refusing to use the devices, with one even branding them a "social cancer".
He told MSPs that studies into the safety of mesh have been influenced by manufacturers, who enjoy a "close relationship" with regulators of the products.
The lawyer said thousands of women in the US are suing both manufacturers and doctors on the grounds that mesh devices are defective or that there was a failure to warn them about the dangers and complications.
The US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), indicated last April that it plans to reclassify mesh for pelvic organ prolapse as "high risk", but is yet to do so.
Mr Slater urged UK regulator the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to "look at the studies that are relied on by the mesh manufacturers".
"Most of the studies they rely on are written or investigated by paid consultants," he said.
"I would throw those in the garbage immediately because if somebody is being paid by the manufacturer, there is a financial bias."
He added: "There has never been a high-level study...that has ever been done that has proven the mesh to be safe and effective."


Scientists have discovered evidence of a massive ancient undersea landslide next to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The Gloria Knolls Slide is at least 300,000 years old and 32 cubic km in volume, or 30 times the size of Uluru, a  rock landmark in central Australia.
The landslide could also have triggered a tsunami, the international team says.
The scientists said debris from the landslide, found as deep as 1,350m (4,430ft) below the sea, also provided clues about hidden marine life.
The team made the discovery while conducting three-dimensional mapping of ancient reefs in the Queensland Trough, a vast basin adjoining the Great Barrier Reef.
Dr Robin Beaman, from Queensland's James Cook University, said the researchers located a cluster of hills, or knolls, more than 1,100m beneath the surface.
"What we discovered was the smoking gun," he told the BBC.
"It was quite clear that those knolls were the remains of a very large undersea landslide that had occurred some time ago."
That time was at least 300,000 years ago, he said, because coral fossils collected from the knolls went back that far, and the landslide would have predated them.
He described it as "catastrophic collapse" because the knolls - as long as 3.6km (2.2 miles) - were found 30km from their original location.
Other evidence of the landslide would have been buried over time, he said.
The research, published in the journal Marine Geology, said the landslide had the potential to cause a large tsunami.
Although modelling had put its elevation as high as 27m, the impact of a tsunami would have been significantly offset by the presence of coral reefs.
"The Great Barrier Reef acts like a giant porous breakwater to reduce the energy [of ocean swell]," said Dr Beaman. "If it was in existence at the time of this landslide, it would have done a similar job."
He said future risk to the Queensland coast appeared unlikely because it was a "a very old event", but it was a worthy topic for future research.
The researchers found deep marine life including cold-water corals, molluscs and barnacles were thriving on the knolls.
The corals, unlike their shallow reef counterparts, could survive in 4C temperatures with no sunlight, Dr Beaman said.
He said possibilities for future research were exciting.
"That really is the next frontier," he said.
"We probably have a bit of an idea of what's living up to 200m or 300m [deep], but beyond that, very few people have done much work in this area."
The research was a collaboration between James Cook University, University of Sydney, University of Granada, University of Edinburgh and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.


The sister of a man who died in the RideLondon event after surviving cancer as a child has said the family is "touched" after a huge spike in donations towards his charity appeal.

Robin Chard, 48, from Bicester, suffered a cardiac arrest after about 25 miles (40km) in Sunday's cycling event and died in hospital.
He hoped to raise £400 for Cancer Research UK but funds have hit £50,000.
Andrea Day, 43, said the family was "very touched by the kind messages".
"As you can imagine, we are all very shocked and saddened by the news of his passing," she said.
"He was a beloved son, husband, father, brother and friend to so many and will be sorely missed."
Mr Chard was taking part in the 100-mile (160km) event as a "personal crusade" after his father and stepfather died from lung cancer.
He himself had survived Hodgkin Lymphoma as a child.
Ed Aspel, executive director of fundraising at Cancer Research UK, said: "We are very grateful that he chose to cycle in RideLondon to support Cancer Research UK, and would like to express our deepest sympathy to his loved ones at this difficult time."
RideLondon said Mr Chard suffered a cardiac arrest at Kingston Bridge "and although he received immediate treatment from fellow riders and medical personnel at the scene, he died later in Kingston Hospital".
More than 29,000 riders took part in the event. Of these, 33 were taken to hospital, three had serious injuries, the organisers said.
What is RideLondon?


Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has backed Anthony O'Connor to step up to the plate after failing to add a new defender before the start of their Europa League campaign.

The Dons entertain Bosnia and Herzegovina cup winners Siroki Brijeg.
And they are still seeking a replacement for Ash Taylor, the central defender who joined Northampton Town.
"Both Mark Reynolds and Anthony will see it as a real opportunity to get ahead of others," said McInnes.
Aberdeen had space for one "wild card" signing ahead of the first leg of the second qualifying round tie at Pittodrie, but that has been confirmed as winger Gary Mackay-Steven from Celtic.
O'Connor arrived from Burton Albion last summer and McInnes admits that the 24-year-old "was possibly disappointed" that many of his 40 appearances were not in his favoured position in central defence.
"It is clear I've been trying to bring in another defender because we are light in those areas," said the manager.
"But I'm confident we've got the experience and the understanding between the back four that we've got here.
"We will be signing another defender, but Shay Logan and Andrew Considine have been my full-backs for the last few years now and I'm comfortable we've got the experience, ability and understanding there to stop their threat."
Logan, who signed after leaving Brentford in 2014, this week agreed a three-year contract extension, with McInnes revealing that the £1.3m received from Celtic for winger Jonny Hayes helped smooth the negotiations with the right-back and goalkeeper Joe Lewis.
"We said when we lost Jonny it was important that we used the money wisely and important to try to reinvest into the squad and to identify resigning players currently with us," said the manager.
"By and large, I've been really pleased with what the new players have gave us and delighted to get Shay and Joe Lewis signed for longer."
While Republic of Ireland winger Hayes had gone in the other direction and Northern Ireland forward Niall McGinn had also opted to leave, midfielder Greg Tansey has arrived from Inverness Caledonian Thistle, while strikers Nicky Maynard and Greg Stewart have been recruited from MK Dons and Birmingham City respectively.
Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie has also stuck around for a second season on loan and Logan, speaking before the arrival of Mackay-Steven was confirmed, revealed he was also pleased with the way the squad is shaping up.
"I am more than happy with the games we've had and we go into this game confident and hopefully progress to the next round," added the 29-year-old while admitting he does not know very much about the Bosnian visitors.
"It is a division that not many people probably watch, but we've had a few scouts at games and watched a few videos, but we won't know more until we play them.
"Hopefully we can get a good result and hopefully know more about them going to their ground.
"We have to give them the utmost respect and go into this in a professional manner.
"They are probably going to be underdogs, but sometimes underdogs win."


Prince Charles has begun his annual summer tour of Wales with a visit to a Carmarthenshire village.

The Prince of Wales unveiled a new stained glass window in Myddfai, near Llandovery, on Sunday.
The window has been created on the theme of Welsh legends at Myddfai Community Hall.
The five-day tour will see him visit the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taff, and RAF Valley on Anglesey.
Every summer, the prince spends a week at Llwynywermod, his farmhouse home in Carmarthenshire, and make a series of visits around Wales.
His tour this year aims to "celebrate enterprise", recognising Wales' "unique heritage" and promote sustainability.
A Clarence House spokesman said: "The Prince of Wales is very much looking forward to a busy few days of engagements, visiting eight Welsh counties, and meeting people working in a huge variety of different roles, including in the military, in enterprise and in the heritage sector."
Prince Charles will also:


Military officials from 17 countries are to meet in Geneva to discuss how to secure a cessation of hostilities in Syria, as a deadline they set expires.

Representatives of the US and Russia, which back opposing sides in the conflict, held talks earlier in an effort to agree a joint position.
The continuing fighting on the ground in Syria has dimmed hopes for a truce.
Meanwhile, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura conceded hopes of resuming peace talks on 25 February were not realistic.
But he also insisted the talks could be successful "if emergency aid continues and we get a ceasefire".
On Wednesday, the UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent were able to deliver desperately-needed supplies of food and medicine for 80,000 people in three besieged towns around Damascus and two in Idlib province.
The UN is also planning a "high-altitude" airdrop of aid for 200,000 people trapped in government-controlled areas of the eastern city of Deir al-Zour that are surrounded by Islamic State militants.
Last week, members of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) agreed that humanitarian access to besieged areas in Syria would be stepped up and that a taskforce would by Friday "elaborate modalities" for a cessation of hostilities.
They said it should apply to any of the warring parties other than so-called IS and al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate that is part of a major rebel alliance.
The military officials meeting in Geneva on Friday afternoon are expected discuss which areas of Syria will be covered and which groups should be included, according to the Associated Press. They will also seek agreement on what actions would constitute violations and appropriate responses.
Ahead of the talks, Mr de Mistura was quoted by the Swedish newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet, as saying: "The Americans and Russians must sit down and agree on a concrete plan on a cessation of hostilities."
The US, which backs the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad and is carrying out air strikes on IS positions in Syria as part of a multinational coalition, has criticised Russia's decision to continue its air campaign in support of government offensives in northern and southern Syria in the past week.
Washington suspects Moscow is delaying the start of the cessation of hostilities for as long as possible to give Mr Assad time to crush rebel forces around the divided northern city of Aleppo.
However, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the BBC: "We are absolutely for and support everything which goes in the direction of a peace agreement."
There was no sign of a ceasefire taking force inside Syria on Friday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group that has a network of sources on the ground, reported clashes and air strikes in the western outskirts of Damascus, the countryside north of the city of Homs and in the northern provinces of Hama and Idlib.
Turkey, which opposes Mr Assad, was also continuing to shell a Syrian Kurdish militia across the border near the rebel-held town of Azaz, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
It comes after the Turkish government blamed the Popular Protection Units (YPG), which is aligned to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), for a bomb attack in Ankara on Wednesday.
YPG fighters have taken advantage of the Syrian government offensive and accompanying Russian air strikes in Aleppo province to capture several towns and an airbase from rebel groups.
Mr de Mistura said the Turkish bombardment was "complicating" the situation in Syria, and warned: "Any type of further conflict along the border of Syria has the potential to spin out of control."


David Cameron and Ed Miliband's clash at Prime Minister's Questions over MPs second jobs is reviewed by Andrew Neil, of the Daily Politics, and BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson.

25 February 2015 Last updated at 14:27 GMT
They were joined by culture minister Ed Vaizey and shadow international development secretary Mary Creagh.
Nick Robinson says he is not aware of any Labour MPs who are also working as trade union activists - a matter frequently raised by David Cameron - saying this is rather different from MPs who are "sponsored" by unions.


Every other day seems to bring a fresh house price survey, but they often appear to move in different directions.

The surveys take data from different times in the house buying process and also have different parameters.
So how do house price surveys work and which ones should you trust?
The Land Registry, which records all completed property sales in England and Wales, has been recording the price of all property sales since April 2000, although the data now goes back to January 1995.
The survey features the end of the buying process when a transaction is registered.
The Land Registry is using something called Repeat Sales Regression to measure the change in prices over time.
This means it only measures the change in the price of properties that have been sold before, to ensure a proper comparison.
Most sales are included, except for commercial properties and a small number of residential sales, such as those of council houses and council flats sold at a discount.
Repossessions and property transfers following a divorce are excluded to avoid skewing the sample.
The Land Registry produces a monthly survey, and also provides a quarterly survey to the BBC News website.
The proceeds of all the transactions are totted up, and then divided by the total number of sales to reach an average sale price.
Because it takes virtually all residential property sales into account, the Land Registry's figures can provide a unique insight into not only national but local prices.
In fact, the Registry can provide an accurate picture of prices down to postcode level.
A similar survey is produced in Scotland by the Registers of Scotland.
The government has its own monthly house price index, issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
It covers the whole of the UK and is based on data supplied by the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
This covers a large sample of completed sales which have gone through with a mortgage, which means that cash sales are not included.
The DCLG says that in the first half of 2010 there were an average of 42,000 loans per month to house buyers, and the sample amounted to about 24,000 sales each month, involving 32 lenders.
Thus the DCLG survey has been covering about 60% of UK sales involving a mortgage.
Unlike the Nationwide and Halifax surveys which are weighted according to transactions, the government's survey depends much more on the total amount of money spent.
Relying on expenditure in this way will mean that London and the South East, where house prices are highest, will have a greater influence on the government's index.
It takes figures from when a transaction is completed.
Perhaps the best known snapshots of the property market are provided by two of the UK's biggest mortgage lenders - the Halifax, now part of Lloyds Banking Group, and the Nationwide.
Both surveys cover the entire UK, but are based on a sample of each lender's own loans each month.
The prices measured are those agreed at the point when the mortgage is approved, not at the later point when the sale is completed.
The Nationwide and Halifax surveys use identical statistical methods.
However, because they use different samples the figures sometimes diverge, in terms of both the monthly price changes and annual trends.
Like the DCLG survey, they are based only on property sales financed by mortgage lending, ignoring sales which are transacted on a cash basis.
Put simply, this survey reflects confidence in the property market rather than what is actually happening to house prices.
About 250 estate agents in the UK, who are members of Rics, are asked if they feel prices in their own areas have been rising or falling in the preceding three months.
Although this appears to be a subjective way of measuring property price changes, generally speaking, the Rics survey is the first to show any sea change in the market.
Respondents are also quizzed on a host of other related issues, such as whether the number of buyers and sellers are rising or falling.
Both of these property industry businesses also produce their own house price surveys.
Hometrack was first in on the act in 1999.
Data is collected from 3,500 estate agent offices from all 2,200 postcode districts in England and Wales. The estate agents report whether asking prices are rising or falling.
They are asked to report the "achievable selling price" for each of four standard property types in their area,
Rightmove's survey operates in a completely different way, by collating asking prices for houses placed on its own website over the previous month.
The firm says its website now displays 90% of all homes for sale in the UK although its monthly survey covers just England and Wales.
However, it obviously does not reflect the prices at which properties actually sell.


A robot lifeguard is to go into service off the Gwynedd coast to help if someone gets into difficulty in the sea.

The remote controlled device can be deployed from the shore to provide a buoyancy aid until rescuers arrive.
Known as E.M.I.L.Y (Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard), it will be used by campsite staff on Shell Island from Thursday.
Workers have rescued three adults and three children in incidents this year.
Boss Richard Workman, who has had training to use the device, said such incidents put rescuers in danger as well as the person in difficulty so he wanted to find a way to reduce risks to all concerned.
"It can provide buoyancy until helps arrives," said Mr Workman.
The equipment has been used in the USA for several years.
Mr Workman said it could be deployed while waiting for crews from nearby RNLI lifeboat stations at Barmouth and Criccieth to arrive at an incident.
He said the device, which cost Â£8,000, has a speed of 20mph (32km) so it could reach someone 200m (656ft) off shore in seconds.
"If we can show the potential then there may be more [put into use] in the UK," he said.