Britons Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans and Heather Watson lost to qualifiers in the Miami Open first round, while Aljaz Bedene retired in his match.

Edmund had three match points but lost 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 to Jared Donaldson.
World number 43 Evans was given a point penalty for swearing midway through the final set of his 7-5 0-6 6-3 loss to American qualifier Ernesto Escobedo.
Watson, who reached the fourth round last year, was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 by Romania's Patricia Maria Tig.
The defeat means the Briton will drop from her current world ranking of 108 and is in danger of having to qualify for the French Open in May, with the entry deadline for the main draw on 17 April.
American Donaldson was serving at 0-40, 4-5 in the second set against Edmund, but the 20-year-old American held on to take the tie-break and dominated the decider.
Bedene was trailing Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5 4-0 when he was forced to retire from his match.
The British number four was playing his seventh match in as many days after winning a Challenger title in Irving last week.


An artist has been chosen to design a statue of singer David Bowie in a town the star considered his musical home.

Bowie unveiled two albums and his Ziggy Stardust persona during a series of gigs at Aylesbury's Friars music venue in the early 1970s.
Sculptor Andrew Sinclair has promised that the Buckinghamshire memorial will be "something special".
Fundraising for the statue is still under way and it is not yet known when designs will be revealed.
Mr Sinclair has admitted he is under a lot of pressure to get his Bowie design right. He said: "He was there all my life. He was like a friend.
"I wanted to create something that encompasses his career and his life, with Ziggy Stardust as the main focus. But, at the same time, he's too big a character to just make him Ziggy.
"Historically the design itself has to resonate through the ages."
Mr Sinclair added: "There's an opportunity to use colour in the sculpture. He'll be holding a microphone but his actual position will be unusual. I want to produce something special, that's unique to Aylesbury and something people can be proud of."
Bowie, one of the most influential musicians of the modern era, died of cancer in January at the age of 69.
His style changed through the decades and was well known for creating his flamboyant, glam rock alter ego Ziggy Stardust, which he unveiled at Aylesbury Friars.
Tracks from two of his most iconic albums, "Hunky Dory" and "The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" were also given their debuts at the venue.
The local council has already given the go-ahead for the monument to be built under the Market Square arches.
But it said that no taxpayers' money was available for the project so organisers will have to raise the Â£150,000 needed through grants and an online petition.


A German 32-year-old special forces officer has died of his wounds after being shot during a raid on the home of a man linked to a far-right movement.

Four police were wounded as they tried to arrest a man in the Bavarian town of Georgensgmuend, south of Nuremberg.
The suspect, described as a member of the extremist Reichsbuerger movement, opened fire on the officers before he was eventually detained.
Officials said a permit had been revoked for the 31 guns he owned.
Local authorities had called in the police after the man repeatedly refused to co-operate with them. When a special forces team moved in early on Wednesday he began shooting through his door, officials said.
Police confirmed the officer's death on Thursday, having announced it prematurely late on Wednesday. Another policeman is being treated for serious gunshot wounds. Two others were lightly wounded.
The gunman was lightly injured in the exchange.
The Reichsbuerger ("Reich Citizens") group does not recognise the authority of the post-war German federal republic, seeing it merely as some sort of private company. It believes in the continued existence of a German empire, or Reich, dating back to 1937 or even earlier.
Its roots are said to go back some three decades.
Bavarian officials said the group's ideology was "nationalist and anti-Semitic.... clearly extreme right". Their circle had grown in recently years, they said, and included "whingers, nutcases, conspiracy theorists, but also the far-right".
The diversity of beliefs and views within the group militates against a simple hierarchical structure or clear leadership.
But the group should not be dismissed simply as an "association of crackpots", said Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann. Some of its members were obviously capable of brutal violence, particularly targeting representatives of the German state, he warned. Others use their rejection in the authority of the German state as grounds to refuse to pay taxes or creditors.


Two people - including a teenager - have been killed during anti-government protests in Venezuela.

Yeison Mora Castillo, 17, was killed during demonstrations in central Barinas state, while Diego Arellano, 31, died on the operating table after being shot in Miranda state.
Since near-daily demonstrations began seven weeks ago, 42 people have died.
Protesters are demanding early elections and an end to the country's deep economic crisis.
Luis Almagro, head of the Organization of American States and one of President Nicolas Maduro's harshest international critics, called for the government to be held to account over the deaths.
He told news agency AFP: "They cannot go on killing and torturing people, and getting away with it."
The authorities earlier announced the deaths of Luis Alviarez, 17, and Diego HÃ©rnandez, 33, who were fatally injured on Monday.
A 27-year-old police officer is being charged in connection with Mr HÃ©rnandez's death, the prosecutors' office announced on its Twitter account.
The crisis in Venezuela is due to be discussed by the United Nations Security Council at a meeting in New York later on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, President Maduro extended the nationwide state of economic emergency.
The decree gives Mr Maduro extra powers for another 60 days, from Saturday, including an ability to impose tougher security measures.
He has already extended the measures multiple times since they were first introduced in early 2016.
The extension is needed to "preserve order", said the government newspaper.
The opposition denounced the move as an ongoing rights grab.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles responded by urging his supporters to take to the streets and protest "more than ever".
Despite having the world's largest known oil reserves, Venezuela is facing a shortage of many basic items, including food and medicines.
Its economy has collapsed, with inflation expected to top 700% this year, and crime is rampant.
The opposition is calling for early elections and the released of opposition politicians jailed in recent years, saying the socialist governments of Mr Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, have mismanaged the economy since coming to power in 1999.
Mr Maduro accuses the country's business elite of boycotting the economy to create unrest and topple his democratically elected government. His term ends in January 2019.


A man has appeared in court charged with murder after the death of a man in Peterhead.

Kestutis Butkevicius, 44, is accused of killing Martynas Krasauskas, 36, at an address in King Street.
Officers were called out at about 08:00 on Sunday.
Mr Butkevicius made no plea at the town's sheriff court and was remanded in custody.


Ghana's President John Atta Mills, who was suffering from throat cancer, has died in hospital in the capital, Accra.

A statement from his office said the 68-year-old died a few hours after being taken ill, but did not give details.
John Dramani Mahama, his vice-president, has been sworn in as his replacement in a ceremony in the capital.
Mr Atta Mills had ruled the West African country since 2009.
"It is with a heavy heart... that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana," the president's office statement said.
He died in a hospital in Accra on Tuesday afternoon while receiving treatment, his office said.
While Mr Atta Mills' illness had always been a subject of great debate, it was never officially confirmed, correspondents say. He had always insisted he was well, and planned to seek re-election in December's poll.
According to a presidential aide, the leader had complained of pains on Monday evening and his condition had deteriorated.
By Thomas FessyBBC West Africa correspondent
This is the first time that a president has died while in office in Ghana. In a country hailed as a solid democracy, John Atta Mills' sudden death should not spark a political crisis but will certainly test the country's democratic institutions.
As Vice-President John Dramani Mahama steps in as interim head of state, the question people are asking in the Ghanaian capital Accra is: "Who is going to run for president with the ruling party in December?"
Mr Atta Mills had just been nominated by the National Democratic Congress to stand for a second term. But his nomination had illustrated a split within the ruling party with Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, the wife of former ruler Jerry Rawlings, who leads a faction critical of Atta Mills' management.
Mr Atta Mills' health has always been a subject of great debate in Ghana, even before he took office in 2009. But his illness was never officially confirmed and Mr Atta Mills himself insisted he was doing well.
He had recently returned to Ghana after visiting the US for medical checks.
The BBC's Sammy Darko, in Accra, says Mr Atta Mills' voice had been degenerating in the last few months.
Elizabeth Ohene, a journalist and member of Ghana's former government, said she had not believed the news at first, as there had been a number of false reports about his death.
"For the past three or four years there's been news he's been unwell and rumours of his death - twice - and he appeared with grim humour to say they were exaggerated, insisting he was well," she told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf extended her condolences to Ghanaians, saying the news had come as a surprise.
"On a personal level his moderation and integrity stood out," Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf said, adding that Mr Atta Mills had played a strong role at the regional meetings they both attended.
US President Barack Obama also paid tribute, praising Mr Atta Mills as a "strong advocate for human rights and for the fair treatment of all Ghanaians", according to a White House statement.
Hours after the announcement, Mr Mahama was sworn in by the country's chief justice at an emergency session of parliament, in line with Ghana's constitution.
He will serve out the rest of Mr Atta-Mills' term, before elections which are scheduled for December.
Mr Atta Mills served as vice-president to former Ghanaian military ruler Jerry Rawlings between 1997 and January 2001.
He came to power after narrowly winning against a candidate from the then governing New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, in polls in December 2008.
His predecessor, John Kufuor, stepped down after having served the maximum permitted two four-year terms.
Under Mr Atta Mills' leadership, Ghana joined the ranks of the world's large-scale oil producers.


US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has met Iraqi leaders in Baghdad, where he was briefed on the fight against the Islamic State group.

Mr Kushner, 36, the president's senior adviser, joined US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Joseph Dunford.
The Marine general said he invited Mr Kushner to hear about the situation on the ground "first-hand and unfiltered".
But some questioned why the 36-year-old went to Iraq before the US secretary of state or national security adviser.
"Totally normal," tweeted former Obama foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes in an apparently sarcastic comment.
According to a Trump administration spokesman, Mr Kushner - a real estate heir with no prior diplomatic or political experience - was acting as an emissary for the president to express his support for Iraq's government.
Navy Captain Greg Hicks, Mr Dunford's spokesman, said during meetings with Iraqi officials that Mr Kushner would affirm US commitment to the fight against IS.
The Jared Kushner show has hit the road with a surprise visit to Iraq. It's the kind of unannounced trip that presidents and senior officials often make to show support for US troops overseas. This is something different, however.
Donald Trump hasn't been to Iraq yet. Neither has Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Mr Kushner clearly has become the president's trusted eyes and ears in Washington and around the world.
He is a man with a nearly limitless portfolio. Delicate foreign affairs matters, business-friendly government reform, improving services for veterans and solving the opioid addiction crises are all items on his to-do list.
Is Mr Kushner up to such a tall task, given that his public office experience can be measured in weeks? The president seems to think so - which sheds light Mr Trump's governing philosophy.
The problems facing the nation are easy to solve, he seems to believe. The only reason they haven't been fixed yet is because the political establishment is either too corrupt or too incompetent. With Donald Trump overseeing the operation, however, a bright young man like Mr Kushner can parachute in and set things right.
We'll soon find out if the president right.
Follow @awzurcher
Gen Dunford on Monday also said he extended the invite weeks ago to Mr Kushner and Tom Bossert, the president's homeland security adviser, to help them gain insight into the war.
"I said, 'Hey, next time I go to Iraq, if you're interested, come and it'd be good,'" Gen Dunford said.
"The more appreciation you could have for what's actually happening on the ground, the more informed you are when you start talking about the strategic issues."
Mr Kushner, who is married to Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, declined to speak to reporters on the plane before his arrival in Iraq on Monday, Reuters news agency reported.
His trip came as Iraqi security forces work to recapture Mosul, the last key IS stronghold in Iraq.
Nearly 290,000 people have fled the city in the wake of fighting, according to the United Nations.
Mr Kushner is expected later this week to attend meetings with Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The son-in-law has a busy schedule in the Trump administration.
The president last week picked him to lead a task force with a remit as wide-ranging as reforming federal bureaucracy and tackling opioid abuse.
Mr Kushner also serves as a shadow diplomat on US relations with the Middle East, Canada and Mexico.
Furthermore, Mr Trump assigned him the role of brokering a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.


Police are investigating reports of a bank robbery in Dumbarton.

Officers were called to the Royal Bank of Scotland branch in the town's High Street at about 09:30.
A spokeswoman for the force said officers were at the scene and inquiries were continuing.
It has not yet been established if any cash was taken or if anyone was injured in the incident.


China's securities regulator will investigate suspected manipulation of the stock market, state news agency Xinhua reports.

The regulator said late on Thursday that it would be looking into whether parties were mis-selling financial products.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite index has slumped about 30% since mid-June, wiping out most of this year's gains.
Any criminal cases will be transferred to the police, the regulator said.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said it would base its investigation on reports of abnormal market movements from the stock market and futures exchanges.
The Shanghai exchange, one of the best performing in the world, more than doubled its value in the last 12 months. But the recent losses have wiped out trillions of dollars of share value, said the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.
Some reports have accused overseas investors of driving prices down by short-selling stocks on Chinese bourses, meaning they were betting on stocks falling.
The China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) has suspended 19 accounts from short-selling for a month, reports Reuters news agency, citing unnamed sources.
However, analysts say the slump was triggered by concerns over inflated valuations and is a correction in the market, which had risen by 150% in the last year.
An editorial in the state-run Global Times has denied that overseas investors, who have limited access to Chinese markets, were manipulating stocks.
"Foreign capital has only a small part of the Chinese stock market," it said. "Large-scale short selling by foreign investors in the Chinese stock market has not appeared and is an unlikely scenario."
The sharp drop in the Shanghai Composite has already triggered policy moves over the past week, including a cut in the cost of borrowing and easing of margin lending rules, making it easier for brokerages to lend money.
However, these moves have failed to stop the sell-off, which is now starting to spill into commodity markets such as iron ore and steel.


Serial killer Levi Bellfield has admitted abducting, raping and killing 13-year-old Milly Dowler for the first time, according to Surrey Police.

Bellfield, 47, was given a whole-life prison sentence in June 2011 for murdering the schoolgirl.
He made the admission during an investigation into whether he had an accomplice, police said.
Milly's family described the news as "devastating for a family which has already had to endure so much".
Surrey Police revealed it had arrested a man in his 40s who has since been released without charge.
Detectives from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team made the arrest following new information regarding an accomplice being involved in the abduction and rape, but not murder, of Milly Dowler.
They said no evidence had been found to support that claim.
In a statement issued through solicitors, Milly's family said they had been made aware of the recent arrest and Bellfield's admission.
Milly was kidnapped while on her way from school to her home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.
Tom Symonds, BBC home affairs correspondent
Bellfield wasn't arrested and charged until detectives connected him with two other horrific murders - those of Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange and the attempted murder of a young woman called Kate Sheedy.
But this admission today makes little difference.
Despite admitting what he's done, he is serving what is called a whole life tariff - so he will never be released.
Milly's body was later found 25 miles away in Yateley Heath, Hampshire. Experts could not say how she died.
Bellfield was found guilty of abducting and murdering the teenager following a trial at the Old Bailey where a judge described him as a "cruel and pitiless killer".
He was already in jail for the murders of Amelie Delagrange, 22, and Marsha McDonnell, 19, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, 18, when he went on trial accused of killing Milly.
Bellfield, who now calls himself Yusuf Rahim, lived 50 yards from where Milly vanished but did not become a suspect until he was arrested by police in London for the other crimes in 2004.


More than 900 motorists have been arrested on suspicion of drug-driving since a new offence was introduced in March, figures suggest.

The figures, which cover most police forces in England and Wales, are the first to be released since the new laws came into force.
The Met Police had the most arrests, with 214 between 2 March and 11 May.
Home Office Minister Mike Penning said the government was "determined to tackle the menace of drug-driving".
The statistics - obtained by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) under the Freedom of Information Act - showed there had been 902 drug-driving arrests in total.
Northumbria Police recorded the second highest number of arrests with 97, followed by Cheshire, which recorded 70 arrests, and Sussex, which recorded 58.
According to the figures, forces in Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Gwent have yet to make any arrests.
Six forces did not provide figures.
The new laws, which were introduced in England and Wales, set limits at very low levels for eight drugs, including cannabis and cocaine.
Police are able to use a roadside "drugalyser" to screen for illegal substances.
"People who drive under the influence not only put their own lives at risk, but also those of innocent motorists, pedestrians and their passengers," Mr Penning said.
"That's why we introduced a new drug-driving offence which came into force in March.
"And why we approved two mobile drug-testing devices for use by police forces and encouraged chief constables to use them to help identify drug-drivers."


Henrik Stenson has a three-stroke lead over American Jordan Spieth after a rain-hit second round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The Swede, 39, shot a steady two-under 68 to record a sixth straight round under par at the East Lake course.
Stenson is one of five players for whom victory would mean he would win the FedEx Cup, and with it a £6.6m bonus.
Masters and US Open champion Spieth is another, and his 66 was the best score of the day.
World number one Jason Day is also in contention for the FedEx Cup and is one-over after a level-par second round.
Making up the quintet are American's Rickie Fowler (one under) and Bubba Watson (one over), who shot rounds of 69 and 71 respectively.
Englishman Paul Casey is handily placed in third on five-under after a level-par round, while Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy is tied fifth on three-under after a 71.
Former US Open winner Justin Rose remains in contention after a 68 left him two under.


A road has been closed in Bridgend county after a fire broke out in a gun shop.

Fire crews were called to Keen's Tackle and Guns, Aberkenfig, at 19:40 GMT.
Due to the presence of shotgun cartridges and other materials, neighbouring properties were evacuated as a precaution and Bridgend Road was closed.
Crews from Bridgend, Ogmore Vale and Pencoed took about 30 minutes to extinguish the fire.
Three senior fire officers were sent to the incident and a full safety inspection has begun.
A spokeswoman for South Wales Police said the incident was "well under control and there is no danger".
The road remained closed late on Tuesday night while investigations were carried out.


A Jamie Vardy lookalike was mobbed in his car outside Leicester City's ground when ecstatic Foxes fans mistook him for the star striker.

Ian Haughey, a car salesman from Derby, went to the King Power stadium to celebrate the Foxes' first Premier League title on Monday night.
But fans thought they recognised him and surrounded his car asking for pictures and autographs.
When he called police for help they queried if he was not Mr Vardy.
Mr Haughey, who was only recently told he bears a resemblance to the striker, was driving his work BMW and wearing a shirt and blazer.
More on this and other stories in Leicestershire
He agreed to have his photograph taken with several fans but when he was approached for autographs he confessed that he was not the star they were looking for.
"It was funny, I joined in on a few photos but that gathered the attention. I thought I better escape," he said.
"I kind of got bombarded... everybody started crowding round, people climbing on the bonnet. I had to lock the doors and bring up the windows.
"I had mixed emotions. I was thinking 'I'm never going to experience this again. This is quite funny.' I was looking around and then when the car started shaking it was slightly scary."
How well do you know Leicester?
360-degree video of Leicester fans' title win reaction
City's fairytale comes true
The morning after title triumph
Mr Haughey filmed the moment he was surrounded which has since been watched thousands of times on Facebook.
After about an hour trapped in his car with friends, police helped him make his escape.
He has no plans to become a professional lookalike - but has offered his help to the Leicester legend.
"If the real Jamie Vardy wants to have a night out and needs to be in two places at once, he can just message me," he joked.
Another Jamie Vardy doppelganger was "dragged" on to the team bus during Tuesday's celebrations and was pictured with the real Jamie Vardy.


Childcare providers in England say the system is at "breaking point" as plans to double free provision for three and four-year-olds in England are sped up.

The warning from one industry body, the Pre-School Learning Alliance, comes as ministers say trials of the new scheme are being brought forward to 2016.
The current allowance of 570 hours a year for three and four-year-olds will be doubled for working parents.
David Cameron said it would "take time" to get the policy right.
The Pre-School Learning Alliance - which represents 14,000 private, voluntary and independent groups - is warning of "meltdown" in the system because of a shortfall in government funding.
It says the grant for the existing 15 hours falls, on average, around 20% short of the true cost of providing care - £3.88 per hour compared with £4.53.
Employment Minister Priti Patel told the BBC the government accepted "funding rates need to increase" and is launching a consultation on how the policy will work in practice.
Currently, all three and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 570 hours of free early education or childcare a year, which works out as 15 hours each week for 38 weeks of the year.
The Childcare Bill, announced in last week's Queen's Speech, would double this for working parents - although it is not clear yet how many hours they will have to work in order to qualify.
Ministers say up to 600,000 families could benefit, saving as much as £5,000 a year.
The change had been due to come into force from September 2017, but some working parents will be entitled to the extra help when pilots begin in September next year.
However, the alliance said many groups were already having to charge parents extra for hours of childcare not included in the scheme to make ends meet, and would struggle to deal with the changes.
"I think this is crunch time," said chief executive Neil Leitch.
"While we of course welcome the drive to improve the availability of childcare in this country, these figures clearly show the government's plan to extend funded childcare hours simply cannot work without a substantial increase in sector funding.
"The so-called 'free' childcare scheme is nothing of the sort. For years now, the initiative has been subsidised by providers and parents because of a lack of adequate government funding."
Fiona Weir, chief executive of single-parent charity Gingerbread, said 30 free hours of childcare a week was "really good news" for those who will get it.
"The cost of childcare is one of the biggest barriers the UK's two million single parents face to finding and staying in work. As the primary carers for their children, they can't do the kind of 'shift parenting' couple parents often do.
"However, we look forward to seeing more detail on how parents will qualify for this extra support, and the way in which the extra hours will work."
Following the announcement, the prime minister visited Buttercups Nursery in Teddington, south-west London.
Kate Thomas, 49, whose three-year-old daughter attends the nursery, said it was worrying that any shortfall in funding for the extra hours might be passed on to parents.
"Most mothers I know don't work full time and if they are lucky they will have a job that covers their childcare and have a bit extra," she said.
"But if that bit extra then ends up being what funds the extra cost of the nursery, what is the point of working?"
The National Day Nurseries Association welcomed the doubling of provision, but also said its members were "struggling with current levels of investment".
"Funding is critical and it's vital that the increase pledged by the government is meaningful," chief executive Purnima Tanuku said.
Jill Rutter, from the Family and Childcare Trust, which campaigns for quality childcare that is affordable and accessible, said there was "no proper funding formula".
"The money local authorities get from government to pass on to providers is very varied," she said.
The short answer is - from parents.
But as extra hourly fees are not legal, nurseries have worked out canny ways to get round this.
The most common technique is requiring parents to take more than the total number of free hours and charging a set fee for the extra time.
Read more on childcare funding
Extra free childcare: Who benefits?
Labour's shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said the Conservative Party "failed to explain how it would fund its childcare offer before the general election", and added: "It remains unclear how they propose to fill the funding gaps in their plans now."
Mr Cameron told ITV's This Morning it would "take time" to get the policy right "because obviously we need an expansion of the childcare sector, we need more nurseries, more of these places to open, so we're working with them to expand".
He said the government would start talking to childcare providers immediately "about what's the best way of making sure that they're being properly paid for the childcare that they provide so we can expand the number of places".
The cost to the Treasury was initially estimated at £350 million a year, but Ms Patel said the sums involved were yet to be finalised.
Asked why households with a relatively high income would receive help, she added: "This isn't about subsidising well-off people at all. This is about providing affordable childcare and increasing childcare provision for working families."
In Scotland, three and four-year-olds are entitled to up to 600 hours of free early years education or childcare a year, while in Wales, provision is for a minimum of 10 hours a week.
In Northern Ireland, it is limited to four-year-olds only, for up to 12.5 hours a week.
England average
Nursery 25 hrs (aged 2+) £111.64
Childminder 25 hrs (aged 2+) £104.15
Scotland average
Nursery 25 hrs (aged 2+) £99.93
Childminder 25 hrs (aged 2+) £99.30
Wales average
Nursery 25 hrs (aged 2+) £103.44
Childminder 25 hrs (aged 2+) £96.81
Source: Family and Childcare Trust


Workers in Northern Ireland factories operated by US firm Caterpillar will be given details of job cuts later.

Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of heavy construction equipment.
The firm has operations in Larne, Newtownabbey and west Belfast.
Caterpillar's Northern Ireland business employs 1,800 people and mainly makes diesel generators.
The firm has been hit by a global downturn in mining and oil exploration which has reduced demand for its products.
It is understood that the company may announce cuts across its global operations beyond Northern Ireland.
It has already axed thousands of jobs worldwide since last year as part of a major restructuring programme.
Since 2011 it has shed more than 1,000 posts in Northern Ireland and moved some work to factories in China.
It is understood night-shifts have been cancelled, with staff told to expect official news on Thursday.
Caterpillar refused to comment on any jobs announcement yesterday.
But a spokesman added:  "Caterpillar is committed to communicating regularly and directly with our employees about the business environment and any resulting changes".
Sinn FÃ©in MP for West Belfast Paul Maskey said yesterday: "Uncertainty over the future of Caterpillar's operations in the north will be no doubt distressing for workers and their families."
"It is vitally important that management keep all employees up to date with the latest information as soon as possible," he added.
The American company bought FG Wilson in 1999.
There have been significant manufacturing job losses in Northern Ireland over the past year, including Michelin, JTI Gallahers and Bombardier.


Sir Chris Woodhead, England's former chief inspector of schools, has died.

Sir Chris, who was aged 68, was a high-profile head of the Ofsted education watchdog between 1994 and 2000. He had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2006.
His criticisms of classroom standards and "incompetent teachers" had made him a controversial figure.
But the Ofsted chief had argued: "I am paid to challenge mediocrity, failure and complacency."
Prime Minister David Cameron has tweeted: "Chris Woodhead started a crucial debate on school standards and reform. Meetings with him were never dull. My thoughts are with his family."
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan described him as an "immense figure in the world of education".
"His determination to ensure that every child had the best education possible raised aspirations and changed lives. He was someone unafraid to speak his mind or challenge established orthodoxies and our education system is the better for it," said Mrs Morgan.
The current Ofsted chief, Sir Michael Wilshaw said that when he was working as a head teacher, during Sir Chris's time running Ofsted, he had "greatly appreciated the courage and bravery he showed in confronting a complacent education establishment. He said the uncomfortable things that needed to be said".
Sir Chris was one of the most high-profile figures in education in the 1990s, identified with opposing progressive teaching methods.
He had influential roles in shaping the national curriculum and England's exam system.
He came to public prominence as head of Ofsted, where he warned about the standard of teaching. Sir Chris was Ofsted's second chief inspector, but he came to define the role of the challenging watchdog of education.
This included the controversial claim that there were 15,000 "incompetent teachers" in England's classrooms.
But when accused in 1999 by MPs of being too confrontational, Sir Chris said: "There's no point at all in having a school inspection system if it gives praise where it isn't due."
In 1999 he was also caught up in a controversy about when he had begun a relationship with a student he had taught while he had been a teacher in the 1970s. He had insisted that it had developed only after they had both left the school.
David Blunkett, education secretary during Sir Chris's last years as head of Ofsted, commended his "bravery".
"He wasn't just brave in these latter years with motor neurone disease which is a horrendous illness, but also he was brave in taking on vested interests."
Mr Blunkett said: "Occasionally we clashed, actually more often behind the scenes we agreed."
After resigning from Ofsted in 2000, Sir Chris became a professor of education at the University of Buckingham. He was awarded a knighthood in 2011.
He had spoken of the frustrations that led to his stepping down as chief inspector.
Sir Chris was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and later became patron of the campaign group Dignity in Dying.
Sarah Wootton, the group's chief executive, said Sir Chris had been "a powerful voice for an assisted dying law in his last years. Sir Chris was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, and later liver cancer and he faced both illnesses with his trademark no-nonsense courage".
Brian Lightman, general Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, described Sir Chris as a "controversial figure, with forthright views, and his time as chief inspector of schools frequently brought him into conflict with the teaching profession".
The leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, Russell Hobby, said: "Without doubt, Sir Chris was a significant force in education for many years."


Snow has been falling in some parts of the UK with roads closed and drivers urged to extra care on icy routes.

On Friday, the Met Office updated a yellow "be aware" warning to cover most of the country.
In Aberdeenshire, heavy snow closed the A93 Braemar to Spittal of Glenshee road and the A939 Cockbridge to Tommintoul.
Traffic Scotland warned drivers of difficult conditions and North Yorkshire Police tweeted that snow was "falling and settling".
There have also been some snowfalls in Wales and as far south as Eastbourne, East Sussex, with downland at Beachy Head seeing a light dusting on Saturday morning.
Forecasters had also warned of icy stretches forming on untreated roads and pavements and the potential for blizzards in gale-force winds affecting upland areas.
Snow was largely unexpected for Saturday night but there was an ice risk for Sunday morning as a result of the night's frosty conditions.
The Met Office said Sunday would be another cold but sunny day and added that there will be further showers on the coastal areas throughout the day.
A spokesman said: "It will still be cold tomorrow but perhaps not as cold as it feels on Saturday because the winds will be just that little bit lighter."


Truro City chairman Peter Masters says the developers of the club's proposed new Silver Bow stadium have told him it is "no longer financially viable".

The National League South side do not own their current Treyew Road home and must leave at the end of the season.
Silver Bow's planning permission runs out on 28 July and Masters is trying to find them a place to play next term.
"I've got to say it is very worrying off-field and it is a distraction," he told BBC Radio Cornwall.
"I've been working with them [developers] to try and make it viable and we've been working very hard over the last six weeks to find a solution.
"We are now into the end game of everything, it's got to be sorted out. We must have a football ground in Truro to get the infrastructure in place."
Treyew Road is owned by Helical, who plan to build a retail park on the site when the club moves to the outskirts of the city.
Truro, only two points above the drop zone, again have the option of ground sharing with Devon side Torquay next season, but Masters says this not their preferred route.
"By the end of next week I'm hoping to release something which will us the place where we are playing [next season]," Masters added.
"The developers at this time are telling me that the whole project at Silver Bow is no longer financially viable, which is a massive statement to make.
"If the decisions are not made in the favour of Truro City, there won't be any Truro City around."


The price of Afghan opium rose dramatically in 2011, the UN has said.

Opium poppy farmers in Afghanistan probably earned more than $1.4bn (Â£910m) last year - equivalent to 9% of the country's GDP, it estimates.
Prices started to rise in 2010 after the poppy crop was hit by a fungal disease.
The head of the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime said opium helped fund the Taliban insurgency and fuelled corruption in Afghanistan.
"Opium is a significant part of the Afghan economy," Yury Fedotov said.
Around 90% of the world's opium comes from Afghanistan, according to the office, which carries out an annual survey of production there.
The Afghan Opium Survey for 2011 found that the value of opium in the country had increased by 133%.
Areas of poppy cultivation which had been affected by the fungal disease in 2010 recovered and yields went back up.
Last year's survey had predicted a rise in poppy planting as farmers responded to higher market prices.
Three provinces which had been declared "poppy-free" (estimated to have less than 100 hectares of opium cultivation) are now affected by poppy cultivation once again - Kapisa in the east, and Baghlan and Faryab in the north.
Opium derives from the sap produced by poppy seed heads after flowering. This can be refined into morphine - which can then be further processed to make heroin for the illegal drugs trade.


A Chelsea footballer who is buried in a cemetery next to the Premier League club's Stamford Bridge stadium does not have a marked grave, it has emerged.

Jack Whitley was The Blues' goalkeeper during their first season in the top flight, playing for Chelsea between 1907 and 1914.
Before he died, he asked to be buried in Brompton Cemetery even though he no longer lived in London.
Chelsea Supporters' Trust is now crowdfunding to pay for a gravestone.
It is believed that Whitley's widow could not afford a marked grave.
Chelsea's official historian Rick Glanvill said to have a headstone for Whitley would "mean a huge amount".
"I'd been exploring connections between the club and the cemetery, as it's unique to have one next to a football ground.
"The club's first owner and first director are buried there but what was missing was a player, so the significance of finding Whitley was huge."
Mr Glanvill said he found out about Whitley when a neighbour - a keen Manchester United fan - bought him Albert Sewell's book Chelsea Champions! at a flea market for 50p.
With the help of Friends of Brompton Cemetery, he discovered where the grave was and although it was unmarked, the goalkeeper was the only person buried there and so the plot can be acquired and a headstone erected.
The supporters want to raise Â£5,500 from fans and have not asked the club for money.
"He'd served the club for 32 years as a trainer and player. As he specifically asked to be buried near the club, we feel that loyalty should be supported and we should return the loyalty," said Mr Glanvill.
He wants to track down a descendant of Whitley to invite to a special ceremony on the 110th anniversary of the goalkeeper's debut for Chelsea, 23 September.


The UK did not attempt to conceal complicity in the mistreatment of detainees by requesting redactions from a US Senate report, a report says.

The Intelligence and Security Committee said it found no evidence to support such claims after being given access to relevant files by M15 and M16.
Redactions made only related to general matters of national security, it said.
The Senate report found there had been "brutal" treatment of al-Qaeda suspects in the wake of 9/11.
December's report, which claimed that the CIA had misled the US public about its alleged use of torture, contained no reference to UK agencies.
Ministers have insisted they did not ask for any details about the UK security services to be removed from the report.
Speaking in December, Home Secretary Theresa May said she had not personally asked for any information to be blacked out and "any such request will only have been in relation to the need to ensure that nothing damages our national security".
The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), made up of MPs and peers and reporting to the prime minister, said it believed this was correct, based on its examination of relevant documents held by the UK's security services and interviews with intelligence chiefs.
However, it made clear this did not have any bearing on the wider question of whether the UK's security and intelligence agencies had been in any way complicit in the mistreatment of detainees, which is the subject of an ongoing inquiry.
"It has been alleged that the UK may have requested redactions to the Senate report to conceal evidence of UK complicity in the mistreatment of detainees," the committee said in a statement.
"From the evidence we have seen and heard, we conclude that these allegations are unfounded."
It added: "The UK agencies did request redactions to the primary material which was used by the Senate Committee when drafting its full report.
"We have seen these requests and can confirm that all were directly related to national security interests. They do not concern UK involvement or complicity in, or awareness of, the mistreatment of detainees."
The CIA sought redactions relating to UK intelligence material from the executive summary of the Senate report, the committee stated.
While it believed these concerned general security matters, it said details were "limited" and the UK had only been shown "heavily-edited extracts" from the report prior to publication rather than the draft report in full.
The committee said it had not sought any information so far from the US authorities as part of its inquiry but may do so in the future.
Amnesty International said the committee's assurances "were far from satisfactory".
"Instead of the ISC doing ad hoc reviews and talking privately to intelligence chiefs, the question of possible collusion over redactions between the UK and the USA should form part of a fully independent, judge-led inquiry," said campaign manager Tom Davies.
"The ISC is a body without teeth, which shouldn't have been entrusted with the vital job of investigating allegations of the UK's complicity in kidnap, detention and torture overseas."


The first trial of a pioneering therapy to retrain the immune system and slow the advance of type 1 diabetes has shown it is safe.

The disease is caused by the body destroying cells in the pancreas that control blood sugar levels.
The immunotherapy - tested on 27 people in the UK - also showed signs of slowing the disease, but this needs confirming in larger trials.
Experts said the advance could one day free people from daily injections.
Aleix Rowlandson, from Lancashire, was diagnosed in 2015 aged 18.
"Your blood sugars affect how much energy you have," she told the BBC.
"If they're high, they can make you feel tired. If they're low, you can feel shaky.
"I'm more optimistic knowing that the study has gone well and they can use that to find further treatments.
"Even if it doesn't help me, myself, and it might help other people in the future, I'm very happy."
Aleix's immune system is attacking her beta cells, which release the hormone insulin to keep blood sugar levels stable.
As a result, she has to inject insulin several times a day.
Aleix is taking part in the trials of immunotherapy at the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas'.
It is an attempt to stop her diabetes by tapping into the immune system's natural checks and balances.
The body's defence system is primed to attack hostile invaders.
But it also has "regulatory T cells", which calm the immune response and prevent it attacking the body's own tissues.
Immunotherapies try to get regulatory T cells on-side by exposing them to fragments of proteins found in beta cells.
Prof Mark Peakman, from King's College London, told the BBC News website: "This is a landmark in the sense it's the first time it has been done.
"Importantly, [the trial] shows the overall safety is good and there is some evidence we're restoring the balance and getting some regulatory T cells activated."
Patients given the therapy did not need to increase their dose of insulin during the trial.
However, it is too soon to say this therapy stops type 1 diabetes and larger clinical trials will be needed.
And further types of immunotherapy that should deliver an even stronger reaction are already underway.
The trial focused on patients newly diagnosed with type 1 as they still have about a fifth of their beta cells left.
Even retaining these cells would make it easier to manage the condition, but the ultimate goal is to intervene even earlier to hopefully prevent the disease starting.
However, it is not likely to help people diagnosed with type 1 years ago.
Prof Peakman added: "At that stage, most of the beta cells have gone and we don't find, with any therapies tried, any evidence of regeneration so it seems unlikely to help someone who has had the disease for a while."
All the volunteers were injected either every two or four weeks for six months.
Karen Addington, the UK chief executive of the type 1 diabetes charity JDRF, said: "Exciting immunotherapy research like this increases the likelihood that one day insulin-producing cells can be protected and preserved.
"That would mean people at risk of type 1 diabetes might one day need to take less insulin, and perhaps see a future where no-one would ever face daily injections to stay alive."
Follow James on Twitter.
There are two main types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, but usually appears before the age of 40, particularly in childhood.
About 10% of all diabetes is type 1, but it is the most common type of childhood diabetes, so it is sometimes called juvenile diabetes or early onset diabetes
Type 2 diabetes tends to develop later in life and is linked to lifestyle and being overweight.
Source: NHS Choices


Some Welsh farmers could see EU cash cut after upland farmers won a legal challenge, the deputy farming minister has warned.

Those farming the highest hills in Wales were being offered ten times less in subsidy payments than those on lower slopes and moors.
But as subsidy budgets are fixed "some redistribution" of the money is now inevitable, warned Rebecca Evans.
She said options were being drawn up for debate later in January.
The Welsh government's stance was formally quashed by the courts in December following a challenge by a Welsh farmers' campaign group, Fairness for the Uplands (FFTU).
While the farming money comes from the EU, the rules on how it is allocated in Wales were drawn up by the Welsh government.
Under the original agreement, the Welsh government ruled that land above the 400m (1,300ft) line was worth £16-a-hectare or €20 in EU subsidies to farmers, while below the line land was worth £160 or €200 a hectare.
According to FFTU, about 300 hill farmers out of 15,000 in Wales were affected by the ruling.
Ms Evans said in a statement on Monday that it was "inevitable that this revised situation will result in change to the payments that farmers might have expected in the years ahead".
Options will be presented to union leaders and countryside organisations later in January.


National Museums Scotland has voiced disappointment at a council's stance over their bids to house a Viking treasure hoard.

The Dumfries and Galloway authority said this week it was no closer to agreement over the items' future.
A spokeswoman for NMS said it believed it had put forward a "mutually beneficial and positive proposal".
The Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP) is to meet to discuss the hoard's future on 23 March.
The treasure was discovered by a metal detectorist in Galloway in 2014.
Dumfries and Galloway Council wants to house it in a new art gallery being built in Kirkcudbright.
NMS is also bidding for the artefacts and a spokeswoman said it had been in talks with the local authority since last summer.
"We have proposed a collaborative approach which guarantees the long-term display of a significant and representative portion, and, for specific periods of time, all of the Galloway hoard in Kirkcudbright Art Gallery," she said.
"It is disappointing that the council has not accepted what we believe is a mutually-beneficial and positive proposal."
She said the hoard was of "considerable national and international significance" and they had applied to acquire it "on behalf of the nation".
"As part of our proposals, NMS would take on the significant obligations of ensuring it is conserved, fully researched and appropriately cared for in the long term," she said.
"The hoard would also be shared widely with the public through display in Dumfries and Galloway, across Scotland and the rest of the UK and internationally."
South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has urged the Scottish government to intervene to allow the hoard to be housed in Kirkcudbright.
"The council are right to be sceptical over any offer from NMS," he said.
"When they closed the Museum of Costume at Shambellie House we were promised all sorts from them in terms of local exhibitions and that hasn't really materialised."
He said it was up to the government to show that NMS was interested in "more than the central belt".
"Having a display of such international importance permanently on display in the region will allow us to market the exhibition properly, which you won't be able to do if it is left up to NMS to decide if and when any part of the hoard is displayed locally," he said.
"Displaying the hoard in Kirkcudbright would also be a huge boost to the local economy by attracting more visitors which you simply wouldn't get if the hoard is on display in Edinburgh, lost among the many other displays".


The family of a man who was found dead in his home in Glenrothes at the weekend have said he "lived life to the full" and had a "heart of pure gold".

The body of Ian Goodall, 54, was discovered at a property in Minto Cresent at 09:40 on Saturday.
A 25-year-old man appeared in court on Monday charged with murder.
Mr Goodall's relatives have urged anyone who can help police with their inquiries to get in touch.
In a statement, they said: "We are devastated by the sudden loss of Ian who was a loving father, grandfather and brother.
"We will miss him and didn't expect him to be taken from us so soon."
Det Insp Stuart Wilson, of Police Scotland's major investigation team, said: "An investigation is still ongoing to establish the full circumstances leading up to Ian's death.
"We're appealing for those with any information that may help with our inquiries to contact us."


Central banks must improve the way they communicate if they are to regain society's trust, the Bank of England's chief economist says.

Andy Haldane said central banks wielded considerable power and their responsibilities "may never have been greater".
But mounting criticism and calls to reverse their independence also posed risks to their legitimacy, he said.
As such, banks had to rethink "how and with whom" they engaged.
In a speech at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Mr Haldane said: "Trust is the lifeblood of all things monetary and financial, including central banks.
"And incredulity is Kryptonite for central banking Supermen (and the odd Superwoman), rendering ineffective their policies and unaccountable their actions.
"Building trust and legitimacy is among the most pressing issues facing central banks today."
According to Mr Haldane, there had been a revolution in central bank communications in recent years, with much wider and deeper engagement with society.
He cited the Bank's decision to give "forward guidance" on its policy actions from 2013, and its move to publish full transcripts of Monetary Policy Committee meetings from 2015.
He also noted that last year, the Bank visited nearly 5,000 companies and charities, and hosted a conference at which it "openly" engaged with a wide cross section of the public.
But he said recent developments meant banks' engagement strategies needed to go further.
"First, the global financial crisis has dealt a trust-busting blow to many institutions, including central banks," he said.
"Second, the way trust is built has been fundamentally reconfigured. Where once trust was anonymised, institutionalised and centralised, today it is increasingly personalised, socialised and distributed."
He said central banks now needed to find new ways to engage with social groups "currently out of reach" - adapting to "new social norms and technological possibilities".
He suggested they should communicate using "simpler language" that engaged a wider audience and cut out complex jargon.
He also said they could make better use of new technologies, such as educational online games and polling apps, to understand the views of society - particularly the young.
"It is an irony, and not one lost on me, that this speech is a classic example of one-way central bank communications," Mr Haldane concluded.
"Worse still, it comes in at around 11,500 words."
"Perhaps central bankers, like this one, have always been better at preaching than practising. If so, that needs to change."


Exam boards analysed more than 2,000 GCSE and A-level papers in the wake of the Manchester attack in May to check for potentially distressing content.

At least two exams had to be changed at short notice after the Ariana Grande concert bombing, reports the Times Educational Supplement.
The boards wanted to ensure questions did not add to pupils' distress, the magazine says.
One Edexcel general studies GCSE paper referred directly to terrorism.
It was changed as it was felt to be "an unnecessary distraction" in the circumstances, Edexcel said.
The other GCSE changed was an AQA religious studies paper.
The bomb attack, as thousands left the Manchester Arena after the concert, came in the middle of the exam season, and the four biggest exam boards had to check the 2,144 papers still to be taken.
AQA also contacted schools about an AS-level French paper that included a reference to Ariana Grande and an A-level French paper that mentioned terrorism in source material, in case they wanted to warn pupils ahead of sitting the exams.
The Manchester attack, coupled with that on London Bridge and the Grenfell Tower fire in west London, all within a month, prompted continued checks on papers during this year's exam season.
Exam boards also told schools directly affected by the Manchester attack that they could decide whether to go ahead with GCSE and A-level exams.
The schedule went ahead as planned but schools could apply for "special consideration" for individual pupils who had to miss them.
Some students directly involved in the Grenfell Tower fire sat their GCSE and A-level  exams the day after the blaze.
"The events of the summer shocked everyone, so we all felt that it was our duty to make sure that our exams didn't add to anyone's distress," said Philip Bridgehouse, customer engagement manager at AQA.
"It was a massive task to review all our exam papers in a short time, but it was a really important thing to do."
Michael Turner, director general of the Joint Council for Qualifications, told the magazine that exam papers "are written nearly a year in advance and changing questions is not something they are going to do lightly".


Northern Ireland's parties need to reach a deal in the next 10 days or "there will be no agreement", First Minister Peter Robinson has said.

The five biggest parties have been in negotiations for almost six weeks about the budget, welfare reform as well as past and present paramilitary activity.
"We are coming to the vital stage, the endgame," said the DUP leader.
"It is my view that if we cannot reach agreement then the process itself will be terminated."
Mr Robinson said there was a "very significant responsibility on all those who are in leadership in Northern Ireland".
On Wednesday, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin said he believed a deal was "achievable", within a timeframe of "days, not weeks".
His colleague, North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly, said on Thursday that his party had concerns about the government's plans on dealing with the past.
"The British and Irish governments agreed at Stormont House on the need to provide justice and truth recovery mechanisms that would give disclosure to families of victims of the conflict," he added.
"The British government's legislation on dealing with the legacy of the past is in clear breach of that agreement."
Mr Kelly said Sinn Féin would not sign up to the proposed legislation "as it stands".
"Victims across the board deserve the truth and they deserve full disclosure," he added.
Earlier, Mr Robinson said there was a range of outstanding issues that were not yet resolved.
"I don't see any of them as being insurmountable, if there is goodwill on the part of the parties," he said.
"I believe it is possible for us to get a deal, but it does require leadership, it does require commitment and it does require all of the parties to stretch themselves."
The DUP leader described his critics as "the whingers, the wreckers, the political snipers who hope for failure" for their own benefit.
"It will not benefit anybody if in aggrandising themselves, they destroy our process here in Northern Ireland," he said.
"I look to all of those who genuinely want to get a way forward to ensure the next few days are meaningful in this talks process and that we try and close issues."
UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said criticism of his party by Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness showed that its "firm and principled stand is irritating the two biggest parties who are clearly busting to do a side-deal at Stormont Castle".
Mr Nesbitt said his party would remain in the talks, "but we will not support handing out the begging bowl to London again".
He said the UUP would focus on the "greater good," adding: "We will stick in and do what is right for the people of Northern Ireland."
Secretary of State Theresa Villiers said she was "encouraged that the parties are continuing to engage intensively, but difficult issues remain".
"It is essential a successful conclusion is reached very soon - next week could be crucial to the success or failure of this process." she said.


Crawley Town have signed Guinea-Bissau international midfielder Aliu Djalo on a two-year contract.

The 24-year-old played under current Crawley head coach Dermot Drummy in Chelsea's youth setup.
He has most recently been playing for Finnish top-flight outfit PS Kemi, for whom played 27 times this season.
"He's been playing at a good standard in Finland and we think he is more than capable of doing very well for us," Drummy told the club website.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A baby gorilla is "doing well" after being delivered by Caesarean section in a rare operation at Bristol Zoo.

23 February 2016 Last updated at 12:57 GMT
The Western lowland gorilla was born early, weighing 2lbs 10oz, after her mother showed signs of the potentially dangerous condition pre-eclampsia.
She needed help to breathe on her own, but staff are now "cautiously optimistic" for mother Kera and her baby daughter, who has not yet been named.
There have only been a few gorilla C-sections in the world - most recently at San Diego Safari Park in 2014.


A Nigerian judge has criticised a lawyer facing criminal charges after he turned up to court in Lagos with a defence team of more than 90 people.

Justice Aishat Opesanwo described the approach as tantamount to "harassment and intimidation", a statement by Nigeria's anti-corruption agency says.
Prominent lawyer Rickey Tarfa is charged with the obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
He denies both sets of charges.
Mr Tarfa is accused of blocking the arrest of two suspects wanted in a corruption case by keeping them in his car for nearly six hours on 5 February when they were due to be picked up by the authorities, according to a statement from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which brought the case.
In the second charge, he is accused of perverting the course of justice by communicating through his personal mobile phone with a judge overseeing a trial between the EFCC and two private companies which he was representing.
Mr Tarfa was granted bail at the hearing and the case has been adjourned until March.


A 77-year-old woman has died after falling and hitting her head on a bus in west London.

The woman fell on the E3 bus in Chiswick High Road, near to the junction with Duke Road, at about 13:30 BST on Tuesday.
She died in hospital after suffering a head injury, the Met Police said.
The bus driver is assisting police with inquiries and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to contact the force.
The woman's next of kin have been informed.


Up to £600m is to be spent on a new metro for south east Wales within five years, it has been announced.

It is likely to be a mix of light rail, trams, improved trains and faster buses by 2020 in Cardiff and the valleys.
It is in addition to planned rail electrification and will run as a "not-for-dividend" part of the next all-Wales rail franchise from 2018.
The economy minister said it could be "chaos" on roads unless the issue of transport infrastructure is sorted out.
Edwina Hart has tasked rail and business experts to finalise plans before work starts in 2017.
She wants to learn lessons from Transport for London in how it will operate.
Mrs Hart envisages a partnership with private developers but operating for the minimum profit, with money being reinvested in the network to "leave more money to run a vital public service".
Mrs Hart told AMs it would deliver "frequent, reliable and rapid rail services" as well as fast bus services.
But she was also cautious that people should not expect an "all singing and all dancing" Metro by 2020.
"We will have the start of the system for the Metro [for 2020], we'll be modernising lines and doing further work," she said.
"But it's going to take a long time to put in place in terms of its delivery."
Opposition parties welcomed the announcement, but said the metro needed to be well planned and affordable, and called for more details about the route.
The Welsh government has already committed £77m to a first phase, which includes a new station for Ebbw Vale.
The funding for this second phase - a landmark for the new Cardiff Capital Region - will come from a mix of Welsh and UK government money and EU funding.
Ministers want to spend money on making as big a difference to people's travel times, as quickly as possible.
Mrs Hart said "innovative solutions" were needed and an open mind would be kept on the detail of what it would look like in practice.
Improved trains and coaches were a "red line" but it was important to look at how it could work across south east Wales.
"Can I make it clear this scheme isn't for the benefit of Cardiff, it's for the benefit of the wider city capital region," she told AMs.
"It's important everybody looks at what benefits can be gained, it's up to local authorities to look at what they require in terms of stations. It will be a dark day if it's just for Cardiff - it's about ensuring it goes right across the region."
Mrs Hart said with housing expansions it would be "absolute chaos" on the roads unless the transport infrastructure was sorted out and an integrated system was the way forward.
Eventually, it has been estimated the improvements for the whole region could cost £2bn.
A faster and integrated metro network - stretching across 10 council areas - has been looked at for the last three years.
Various light rail links between Cardiff city centre and Cardiff Bay developments have also been suggested over the last 30 years but have not got off the drawing board.
Meanwhile, cities including Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham have forged ahead.
Chris Gibb, one of the newly-appointed advisers to the project, said the Welsh government had some challenging decisions to make.
"There are lots of choices and the Welsh government is taking an ambitious line on this and wants a great deal from it," said Mr Gibb,  a former managing director of Wales and Border Trains and Virgin Trains.
Mr Gibb added: "Everybody wants faster journey times, higher quality services, improved reliability, less overcrowding and don't want to pay more if they can afford it - either through taxes or train fares. There's a balance to strike between what can be delivered and how technology can apply."
He said a tram-train hybrid - with both running on the same type of tracks - could be one of the answers and examples of urban networks such as the one in Lyon, France, need to be looked at.
The £600m will involve £125m promised from the Department of Transport, £150 in European regional development funding.
Mr Gibb also said new technologies could be a factor.
"People can see limitations of the current system - you only have to catch a train between Cardiff Queen St and Cardiff Central to realise you're in a queue of trains determined by the signalling system," he said.
"But rail signalling technology is moving on and in other parts of Europe trains can in effect run at slow speed, more or less bumper to bumper, in complete safety. There is technology out there we can use in Wales."
The other two advisers are insurance firm Admiral's chief operating officer David Stevens - who has been a supporter of the metro for years as thousands of his employees commute daily - and Andrew Haines, boss of the Civil Aviation Authority, who has a background in railways.


A man shot by police officers in Hull has died in hospital, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) watchdog has said.

The man, who was 31, was shot by police on Francis Street at around 09:35 GMT. A Taser was also used.
The IPCC said officers had fired more than one shot at the man.
Humberside Police said armed officers had been sent to the Holderness Road area at about 09:20 GMT following reports of a man carrying an axe.
More on this and other Hull stories
The IPCC, which is investigating the shooting, said: "At this stage, the IPCC understands that officers fired more than one shot at the man, at around 09:35 on Francis Street.
"During the incident a Taser was also discharged by police."
The dead man has not been named but his family have been informed, it added.
Earlier Humberside Police confirmed it had been responding to calls from members of the public and confirmed the force was not looking for any other individuals in connection with the incident.
One builder working nearby said he heard gunshots.
"I heard two fires, that's all I heard really," he said.
"It was scary, a scary situation."
Rachael, who was attending a training course in a nearby building, said she heard two "loud bangs and screaming".
"Then we looked out the window and he was laid on the floor," she said.
"He had what looked like two large sort of cuts, slashes things low down and there was blood coming out of them.
"There were about four or six (police officers) with him on the floor and he was trying to sit up, obviously he was bleeding quite a lot."


Going through my sock draw and throwing out the ones with holes - ready for the conference season - I thought back to a moment when I felt I'd arrived in an alternate reality.

Jeremy Corbyn turned up for his coronation at the QE2 Conference Centre in London, entirely hidden from view, and borne along by a crowd of very young Corbynistas in red T-shirts, bearing the slogan "JezWeCan".
They sang The Red Flag. Next to me, a Labour MP of about Corbyn's own age smiled the least-amused smile I've ever seen.
"Look at them," he said. "So young, so white, so middle class. They're all like that!"
Seemed harsh. True, they didn't look much like the crowd of workers, peasants and intellectuals in that famous picture, meeting Lenin off his sealed train in Petrograd.
And, anyway, Jeremy Corbyn has always knocked around with a corps of grizzled left-wing veterans - some of them may have been on the platform in Petrograd, for all I know.
Corbynmania was swelled by those fed up with the same-old, same-old Labour politics - all politics -  the evasive answers, the compromises, the failure above all to deliver change, however defined.
When those young, singing zealots put their hero down and headed into the hall, I caught a glimpse of Jeremy Corbyn's face. He looked bewildered. Perhaps he should have foreseen this moment. Perhaps we all should have.
In Brighton, at the Labour conference, they'll greet Jeremy Corbyn rapturously, and a lot of them will actually mean it. Some, like me, remember the most chaotic days during the 1980s of Labour's close combat between its left and, well, not-quite-so-left-wing leadership
Just now, Labour's rival wings are circling each other, warily. A lot of Labourites will demand unity, which is impossible.
They may get a sort of armed truce, but who knows how long that'll last? It's fascinating to watch. As a lover of political spectacle, I have to admit at least part of me feels like a 10-year-old at a funfair.
These conferences are shorter nowadays. The Conservatives, in Manchester, that's a four-sets-of-socks job. Will David Cameron try to occupy the centre-ground that's come up for grabs?
I can't help feeling one of his biggest tasks may be trying not to laugh out loud at his good luck - as he sees it - in Labour's choice of leader.
The polls say many people see Cameron as most prime ministerial. He's also sometimes seen as a bit of a public school bully, and he'd do well to avoid encouraging that perception.
As for George Osborne - we'll watch him  through the lens of future leadership contender. Cameron won't fight another election, and suddenly his chancellor rather looks the part.
Until recently, he seemed too cold, sounded even posher than he is - and as heir to a 17th-Century baronetcy he's pretty posh already.
He drops his "aitches" from time to time, his suits seem sharper, he's slimmed down and worked out. He somehow looks a lot more like Special Agent Bodie, from the old TV cop show The Professionals and less like Lord Fauntleroy's older brother.
Other contenders? Boris Johnson connects with people like no-one else can. He never says he's dreaming of the top job. But he is. And he's competitive.
A few years back, a TV producer tried to arrange a celebrity boxing match: me in one corner, Boris in the other.
It never happened, thankfully: but close your eyes, and picture him: with his stocky build and mop of white hair, he might almost be a negative transparency of Smokin' Joe Frazier.
In Bournemouth, the Liberal Democrats will be daring to dream a Labour lurch to the left might help them reoccupy some ground in the centre.
Their leader, Tim Farron, is a nice guy and an old-style Liberal. A man after the activists' own hearts.
Some coalition veterans doubt his fitness for the harsh realities of government. But that problem - if it is one - is a long way off.
And like him, they seem to love a scrap against heavy odds - which is just as well. I suspect history will be kinder to the Lib Dems than the voters were in May. It could scarcely be harsher.
Woolly socks for the SNP in Aberdeen, I suppose. Not even the chilly winds gusting off the North Sea will cool the passion of a party riding high.
At the general election, the single dot of Labour red left on the Scottish map looked like a fleck of blood on the carpet at a murder scene. Their leader, Nicola Sturgeon, owns Scottish politics just now.
Jeremy Corbyn's encouraged people to judge his impact on next May's Scottish elections. Not sure that's wise.
I need to go sock shopping. The UK Independence Party, in Doncaster, will be well worth a visit. It always is.
The backdrop to all of this has changed. The yearning for something different is strong, and it goes beyond the Labour Party.
Could Corbynmania last longer than a lot of pundits think - even catch on? If it does, it'll defy all conventional wisdom, given Corbyn's pure-left ideas, the headwind of a hostile media, and the ideological chasm that separates him from so many of those he'd call "comrade" if only they'd let him.
Will Labour, and with it the effective opposition good government and democracy needs - will all politics as we've known it -  be torn to pieces while we find out?
I'll admit the thought makes me a little queasy. I've said I love funfairs. And I do. But I was always sick on the roller-coaster.


Paralympic champion Aled Davies and Commonwealth gold medal winners Kirsty Wade and Michaela Breeze have been named as bearers for the Commonwealth Games' Queen's Baton Relay.

They will be taking part in the Wales leg of the route ahead of the games in Glasgow which start on 23 July.
A former miner who survived the 1960 Six Bells pit disaster is one of the community representatives involved.
The baton relay will be visiting Wales from 24 until 30 May.
In a similar way to the Olympic torch relay in 2012, the baton will be carried on its Welsh leg by a mixture of athletes past and present and people representing their communities.
One of those will be 82-year-old Joseph Price from Abertillery, a former miner who is the last surviving deputy from the Six Bells colliery disaster, which killed 45 men.
He played a pivotal role in rescuing those trapped underground and has spent 40 years raising money for charities in his community.
Mr Price said: "I am honoured to carry the baton on behalf of all the miners that lost their lives in the 1960 disaster, and those that formed part of the rescue effort.
"I love all sports and it is great to be a part of the Commonwealth Games here in Wales."
The baton is visiting 70 countries and territories on its journey through the Commonwealth of Nations.
Mr Price will be one of the first to carry the baton as it makes its way into Wales through Blaenau Gwent to Merthyr on the first day.
Along the route that day, London 2012 Paralympic gold medal winning cyclist Mark Colbourne, from Tredegar, will take over.
The 43-year-old took up para-cycling after breaking his back in an accident at Rhossili beach near Swansea.
On Day 2, weightlifter Michaela Breeze, who won two Commonwealth gold medals in Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006 and captained the Wales team in Delhi 2010, takes the baton through Aberdare, where she and a partner have opened a gym.
Paralympic table tennis player and London 2012 bronze medallist Sara Head will take over through her home town of Beddau in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Rhondda swimmer Nyree Kindred, who has scooped 10 Paralympic medals including two golds over four Games, ends the relay for the day.
Triple Commonwealth gold medallist distance runner Kirsty Wade takes over the baton in Llandrindod Wells on Day 3, along with bronze medal-winning bowler Joanna Weale.
The baton will spend Day 3 at the Urdd National Eisteddfod in Bala, Gwynedd, before moving to Carmarthenshire on Day 4 where Scarlets rugby star Lee Williams joins the relay in Carmarthen.
Day 5 sees the baton visit Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion before it crosses to Anglesey and Gwynedd on Day 6, where Paralympic gold medal discus thrower Aled Davies takes over.
Four times Commonwealth medallist Ieuan Owen, 73, from Caernarfon, who also held six British weightlifting titles and was the Welsh champion for 10 years from 1960 to 1970, takes the baton through his home town.
The last day sees the baton go through Denbighshire before leaving Wales.
Chris Jenkins, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales, said: "By linking athletes and coaches from past and present back to the communities they came from through the Queen's Baton Relay, we hope that it will inspire the next generation to believe that anything is possible, and that one day they could be a Commonwealth champion bringing their medals home."


An Edwardian cliff railway that was damaged during a landslip in Bournemouth will not reopen for at least two years, a council has said.

Rubble fell down the 30m-high (100ft) rock face in East Cliff last April.
The carriages of the funicular railway - known as East Cliff Lift - were partially engulfed by the landslip, crushing a block of toilets.
Clear-up work has been carried out and inspections are due to take place ahead of repairs.
Bournemouth Borough Council said 100 rock-filled wire cages, with a total weight of 140 tonnes (140,000 kg), have been removed from the area, and matting has been fitted to the exposed cliff face as protection from wind and rain.
"Over the next two weeks specialist rope access teams will be descending from the cliff top to undertake detailed inspections of its condition, together with some minor repairs to the protective matting," said Larry Austin, the council's director of environment.
"These inspections will help to establish the scale of works to repair the cliff, costs for which are likely to be significant and will be undertaken within an area designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)."
The lift and toilets "are not expected to be reinstated for at least a further two years", the authority added. The area remains fenced off.


The story of a sniffer dog who was retired from the front line in Afghanistan after becoming scared of loud noises will be used to inspire those who struggle to read.

Vidar, a Belgian Malinois, hunted out roadside bombs and weapons with the Army in Helmand Province.
Medic Angie McDonnell, from the Vale of Glamorgan, adopted him and wrote Gun Shy about his exploits.
It was launched on Tuesday as part of the Welsh Book Council's quick reads.
After two years of service, five-year-old Vidar suddenly became "gun shy" - a term used in the Army to describe dogs who are scared of loud noises.
Ms McDonnell of 3 Medical Regiment described sniffer dogs as "the real heroes, they do the job of several soldiers".
After finding Vidar cowering, she said: "I couldn't bear to think of him being left in the kennels.
"He is such a big, frightened dog, I was worried that he might not get re-homed, that he would get overlooked and might end up being put down."
The story launched at the Senedd as part of the quick reads initiative, aims to encourage adults who struggle to read to pick up a book.


Workers at a now closed smokeless fuel plant were made ill by their place of work, the High Court has ruled.

The men said making the fuel at the Phurnacite plant at Abercwmboi, Rhondda Cynon Taf, left them with lung cancer and respiratory disease.
Four of 183 ex-workers with claims won compensation between Â£120,000 and Â£4,500 after claiming British Coal failed to provide necessary protection.
Lawyers say the judgement could affect hundreds of workers throughout the UK.
The workers had put forward claims for lung, skin and bladder cancers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Eight former staff brought a test case to the High Court on behalf of 183 workers who submitted a joint claim. The judgement will now be applied to the other claims in the group to see if they fit the criteria for payouts.
Kathryn Singh, a partner at Hugh James solicitors who represented the claimants, said: "Cancer cases are always emotive but, sadly, difficult to prove to the standard required by law.
"This is largely due to cancer being a disease of the general population, and proving that it has been caused by specific circumstances, such as working conditions, is extremely difficult."
The ruling by Mrs Justice Swift found there was convincing evidence that diseases of the lung, namely COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer could be caused by the processes at the plant, near Mountain Ash.
However, there was insufficient evidence for the court to find that, on a balance of probabilities, bladder cancer and certain types of skin cancers were caused by these processes.
The site, which shut in 1991, produced smokeless fuel in the form of briquettes for 50 years. At its peak over 1m briquettes were produced a year.
The judge found there had been serious concerns about the dust and fumes produced by the manufacturing process and emitted from the plant into the surrounding atmosphere.
She said: "In the pitch bay where, until the late 1970s, solid pitch was broken up by hand, the conditions were described by a former member of management as 'pretty dreadful', an assessment with which I agree.
"The dust and fumes to which men were regularly exposed contained substances which were known to be harmful, indeed carcinogenic.
"Conditions in most parts of the Phurnacite plant remained very poor right up to the time of its closure in 1990.
"Some improvements were made over the years and I have no doubt that there were individual managers who did their best to effect changes to the working conditions at the plant.
"However, overall, I found that the attitude of the management to the safety of its workforce appears to have been reactive, rather than proactive."
Mrs Justice Swift found the plant to be in breach of its statutory duties towards its workforce.
Bleddyn Hancock of the mining deputies' union Nacods, which supported the claimants, said: "The people of the Aberdare valley have long known that the filth of the Phurnacite plant damaged health.
"This is the seventh and only successful attempt to hold British Coal who owned the plant to account.
"Now many men and their families will be compensated for the devastating effects of respiratory disease and lung cancer."


England's recent performances have shown they can go far in the World Cup, says former captain Michael Vaughan.

Eoin Morgan's side beat India twice on their way to reaching the Tri-series final in Australia, and also thrashed West Indies by nine wickets on Monday.
They open their World Cup campaign against Australia on Saturday.
"England are starting to look like they might have a chance in this World Cup - they have got a bit of momentum," Vaughan told BBC Radio 5 live.
"They've got a settled team which is starting to play more consistently. I really believe that they believe they can cause a few shocks in this World Cup."
On his BBC Radio 5 live Tuffers and Vaughan show, the ex-Yorkshire batsman was joined by Lancashire coach Ashley Giles and former Australia bowler Jason Gillespie in previewing the forthcoming World Cup, and specifically that opening game at the MCG on Saturday.
Michael Vaughan: "I look at the first two games - against Australia and New Zealand, they are two teams who I think have got everything. They have got quality in the batting power, they have got excellent captains, good options with the ball and if England can win one of those first two games, it will give them a massive boost.
"If England stagger into fourth place in their group and finish playing the top team from the other group - it looks like it might be South Africa - I don't think they can compete. They need confidence from the group stages, they need to beat one of the big teams just to give themselves that feelgood factor."
Jason Gillespie: "The key for England is that first game. They need to go out there and take it to the Aussies. When teams go out there with a positive, aggressive body language and attitude and don't back down, the Aussies start looking for fights on the field just to psyche themselves up and get them going.
"If you do that to the Aussies, you have half a sniff of taking the momentum away. England need to get under the skin of the Aussies."
Ashley Giles: "If England come out and play positively and play with a bit of courage - to win World Cups you have to play that way - they could put the Aussies under pressure in that first game in Melbourne."
Michael Vaughan: "England's big decision at the start of the tri-series was who was going to open. They went with Ian Bell and he's been brilliant. He has come out of the blocks and played expansively but with that control. He's got all the shots, he's been a revelation at the top of the order.
"He and Moeen Ali complement each other quite nicely, while James Taylor has played two crucial innings so he's established himself in that number three spot.
"I also think Eoin Morgan, as captain, has done really well tactically. I like the way he has manoeuvred the bowlers and the field but I think he'd like a few more runs.
"He really needs a knock in the last warm-up game to give himself that bit of confidence. Getting that hundred in the first game out in Australia was a massive boost for the team."
Jason Gillespie: "I think the Aussies are under a little bit of pressure. There's a lot of expectation at this World Cup on them and New Zealand, but England don't have much pressure on them. I don't think anyone in world cricket is really expecting them to win the World Cup. It's the most settled they have looked in quite a while.
"They need to go out there and play with freedom, take the attack to the Aussies and see what happens."
"If you look at Clarke's one-day record, it's exceptional. And I also put him and Brendon McCullum as the top two tactical captains out there who can make a difference with a field setting. They are very proactive and positive. Australia will be better for Michael Clarke being there."


A former butcher accused of murdering a woman in a sexually motivated attack carried her head through Pontypridd and hid it in a storm drain, a court heard.

Tracey Woodford, 47, was found dead in the Rhondda Cynon Taff town in April after being reported missing.
Christopher Nathan May, 50, from the Graig area of the town, denies murder.
Cardiff Crown Court heard on Wednesday he may have used his butchery skills to dismember Ms Woodford's body.
Her severed head was found on a ledge in an "underground chamber" 138m (453ft) inside a storm drain near Pontypridd Rugby Club.
Part of her lower torso was also discovered in the drain.
"The defendant carried a body part and the head from his flat, through part of Pontypridd, entering a dark tunnel and walking into it for 138m - a significant distance," Roger Thomas QC, prosecuting, told the jury.
"You may want to ask: What is going on in this man's mind?"
"What's the purpose of displaying the head in that manner?" he added. "It's a very strange thing to have done with it."
An expert said the way the body had been dismembered showed whoever had done it, had some "skill and knowledge".
The prosecution claimed a witness said Mr May instructed him on how to cut and bone animal carcasses when he had worked in a butcher's shop 30 years ago.
"It seems that his experience in butcher shops has been put to use on a human body," Mr Thomas said.
He said the cause of Ms Woodford's death was pressure to her neck.
However, she suffered many of her injuries while putting up a "desperate but ultimately unsuccessful struggle to save her life", he added.
The jury has been told some of the evidence during the two-week case would be "distressing", after hearing how police found remains of Ms Woodford in a bathroom at the flat where the accused lived.
She had been reported missing for three days by her family, after last being seen drinking at the Skinny Dog pub in Pontypridd.
The jury was told there was a "sexual motivation" for the killing and the dismemberment.
It also heard claims Mr May had mentioned in the pub that he "loved redheads" in the days before the killing, and that his affection stemmed from his sincere love for his daughter.
Skinny Dog barmaid Rebecca Williams told the court she knew Mr May and had often given him lifts home from the pub.
Ms Williams said: "He was a polite gentleman. I never had to say bad words to him at the pub. I never had to stop his drink."
She said those at the pub used to call Mr May "little legs" due to his short height.
Mr Thomas told the jury earlier in the trial the defendant claimed he either acted in self-defence, it was an accident or he lost self-control.
But addressing the court on Wednesday, he said there could only be one conclusion about the killing, and that it was "a perverted sexual desire that manifested itself violently that night".
The trial is continuing.


Recorded crime in Scotland has dropped by 4% to its lowest levels since 1974 but there has been an increase in the number of sex crimes reported.

The official Scottish government statistics showed a total of 246,243 crimes were recorded by Police Scotland last year - a drop of 4% since 2014/15.
However, the figures showed a 7% increase in sex crimes, the highest number since 1971.
Ministers said this included a significant number of historical cases.
Senior officers said the statistics also partly reflected an increased level of confidence in reporting sex crime.
Police Scotland recorded more than 10,000 sexual crimes last year - 53% more than in 2006/07.
The police clear-up rate for all crimes stood at 51.6% - an increase of 1.2 percentage points on the previous year
The National Statistics publication for the Scottish government also found:
Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson said the increased number of sexual crimes included a "significant number" of historical cases.
He said he was pleased with the statistics and grateful for the "excellent work" of Scotland's police officers and their colleagues in other agencies.
He added: "While higher levels of recorded sexual crime are broadly in line with UK trends, include a significant number of historical cases and may reflect greater willingness by victims to come forward, such incidents are completely unacceptable.
"This is why we have taken tough action to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
"Since 2006-07 we have also invested more than £10.5m in a range of violence reduction programmes during which time violent crime has more than halved (down 52%) and is at its second lowest level since 1974.
"Today's report also indicates that female victims of common assault were far more likely than men to be assaulted by a partner or ex-partner - underlining why the Scottish government has committed an additional £20m over three years to tackle violence against women, alongside our plan to strengthen legislation against all forms of domestic abuse."
246,243
Total number of crimes recorded
51.6%
Police clear-up rate
53% Increase in the number of reported sex crimes over 10 years.
52% drop in violent crime since 2006/07.
58% fall in fire-raising, vandalism, etc in last decade.
Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said the overall recorded "crime picture" was largely positive.
But he added: "The increase in the report of sexual crime is in part a reflection of the increased level of confidence the public has in reporting this type of crime to the police with the knowledge that every complaint will be handled sensitively and professionally. This equally applies to reports of historical abuse.
"We recognise the increase in crimes of violence and although this remains low in a historical context, we continue to work with partners in communities to tackle violence and address the influence that alcohol plays in many of these crimes.
"The recorded crime statistics are an important barometer on the level of service that the public get from Police Scotland, but they are only part of the picture.
"On a daily basis officers and staff provide help, advice and assistance on many different subjects ranging from anti-social behaviour, missing persons and mental health issues.
"In addition, we are developing a better understanding of the demands on modern policing in relation to issues such as cybercrime and online child exploitation which will be a focus for us in the future.
"Police Scotland will continue to engage with the public to identify issues in local communities across Scotland that will direct and inform the shape of policing for the future."
Matt Forde, national head of service for NSPCC Scotland, said: "While overall recorded crime is falling in Scotland it is extremely concerning that the level of sexual crimes against children continues to rise.
"The figures will partially reflect the improved reporting by police, historical offences and the confidence in victims of coming forward but we know from our own research that the number of child sex offences reported to police continues to rise.
"It is vital that the Scottish government, Police Scotland and others tackle this very real problem with the urgency it needs."


Millions more people should be put on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to protect them against heart attacks and strokes, according to draft guidelines for the NHS in England.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says the scope for offering this treatment should be widened to save more lives.
Death rates have been decreasing in recent years, but cardiovascular disease remains the leading UK killer.
It claims about 180,000 lives a year.
Currently, doctors are meant to offer statin tablets to the estimated seven million people who have a 20% chance of developing cardiovascular disease over 10 years, based on risk factors such as their age, sex, whether they smoke and what they weigh.
QRisk2
NICE is now suggesting that people with as low as a one in 10 or 10% risk should be offered statins.
Doctors will need to "make a judgement" about the risks to people who have a less than 10% risk of developing cardiovascular disease and advise them appropriately, say the draft guidelines.
The NHS currently spends about Â£450m a year on statins. If the draft recommendations go ahead, this bill will increase substantially, although the drugs have become significantly cheaper over the years.
It is not clear precisely how many more people would be eligible for statin therapy than now, but NICE says it could be many hundreds of thousands or millions.
Prof Peter Weissberg, of the British Heart Foundation, said the guidelines did need updating and agreed that more people stood to benefit from taking statins.
Cardiovascular disease develops when fatty substances build up in the arteries and narrow them, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke.
Too much cholesterol in the blood can lead to these fatty deposits. Statin drugs work by lowering cholesterol.
Eating a healthy diet, doing regular exercise and keeping slim will also help lower cholesterol.
Like all medicines, statins have potential side-effects.
They have been linked to muscle, liver and kidney problems, but only in a very small number of cases.
Prof Simon Maxwell, of the British Pharmacological Society, said: "Patients should be helped to make a truly informed decision about the benefits and risks of taking long-term preventative therapy that will not make them feel any better in the short term.
"We should avoid misapplication of such a recommendation without proper individual patient counselling."


The coach of the women's 1,500m world record holder and reigning world champion has been arrested in Spain as part of an anti-doping operation.

Jama Aden, who is Somali, was held after police raided his hotel room in Sabadell, north of Barcelona.
The coach and an unnamed Moroccan physiotherapist who worked with him have been charged with administering banned substances to athletes.
Mr Aden coaches Ethiopian star Genzebe Dibaba. Neither has commented yet.
Dibaba, 25, is female world athlete of the year and a hot favourite to win gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics later this year.
Other athletes who have been coached by Mr Aden include two-time world indoor 800m champion Abubaker Kaki Khamis and 2008 Beijing Olympics 800m silver medallist Ismael Ahmed Ismael, both from Sudan, and 2012 London Olympics 1,500m champion Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria.
The Spanish anti-doping agency, AEPSAD, said Spanish reports that blood-boosting drug EPO had been found in the physio's hotel room were correct.
It also said it had drug-tested more than 20 athletes at the hotel, in conjunction with governing body the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
The athletes have not been named and none has yet commented on the raid.