Wales is doing as well as, and in some areas better than, other UK nations in a range of health quality indicators.

Figures directly comparing the NHS in the four UK nations have been released for the first time.
Stroke mortality rates and asthma hospital admissions are particularly encouraging for Wales.
Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: "Most importantly it helps us know where we can do better for the people of Wales."
The comparable figures have been put together at the recommendation of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)  following a review of how health services were performing a year ago.
The OECD normally only receives health statistics on a UK-wide basis but wants to see in future how the devolved NHS is performing.
Altogether, 13 different indicators have been published.
On the figures involving deaths in hospital from strokes from a bleed in the brain, Wales is at a lower rate than the UK average.
Health officials believe this could be due to the focus in improving stroke care in Wales since 2009 - after it was found to be faring badly - which led last week to a new stroke action plan being published.
There is also an improving picture across the UK of patients surviving in hospital after being admitted with heart attacks. Wales is similar to the UK's 30-day mortality rate [the number dying within 30 days] and better than Scotland's figure.
The use of balloon angioplasty and better drugs when patients are admitted have been suggested as factors.
Male heart patients in Wales had the lowest mortality rate of the home nations in this measure, although the drop in the mortality rate among women in Wales was the smallest.
The figures also show Wales is:
Mr Gething said it was "good news" Wales was performing better than average in some areas.
"These figures provide us with a useful way of measuring and comparing, where appropriate, the quality of health service provision in the UK," he said.
"As the numbers of indicators increase over time we look forward to seeing how our innovative health policies are having an impact against the other home nations."
It is being stressed that this first set of figures is only experimental.
They only involve statistics up to 2013 and do not include waiting times, although the OECD as part of its work does look at how long patients wait to see a specialist.
But it is hoped they will help give a more rounded picture of healthcare between Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.


Middlesbrough winger Mustapha Carayol has joined Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until the end of the season.

The 26-year-old Gambian only recently returned from a year-long knee injury by playing for Boro's reserves, but is yet to make a first-team comeback.
He joins a Seagulls side who are 16th in the Championship table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
Carayol joined Middlesbrough from Bristol Rovers in 2012 and has scored 12 goals in 54 appearances for Boro.
"Mustapha is an exciting, dynamic player," said Brighton manager Chris Hughton.
"He is quick and direct, and he gives us a different option alongside our other attacking players.
"While he has played for Boro's Under-21s and has recovered from the injury, he is yet to feature in the Championship so it will be a case of reintroducing him to the rigours of first-team football."
Meanwhile Emmanuel Ledesma has returned to Middlesbrough after his loan deal at Brighton expired.
The 26-year-old winger failed to score in four games during his one-month stay at The Amex.


UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has hinted that he may shortly run for the presidency of his native South Korea.

Mr Ban's term as the world's top diplomat expires at the end of December.
In his final press conference as UN chief, Mr Ban said that after some rest he will return to South Korea and consider how best to help his country.
South Korea's next presidential election is scheduled to be held in December 2017.
However, a poll could take place within two months after the country's parliament voted to impeach current President Park Geun-hye over an influence-peddling scandal.
Ms Park is accused of allowing a close friend to profit from her connections with the presidency.
If the country's constitutional court upholds last week's impeachment vote, she will become the first sitting South Korean president to be deposed in the country's democratic era - and a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.
The constitutional court has 180 days to make a final ruling.
Mr Ban's comments come amid ongoing protests in the South Korean capital, Seoul.
Large crowds are expected to gather this weekend to demand that Ms Park resigns immediately, and to urge the constitutional court to formally remove her from office.
This will be the eighth consecutive week of protests against Ms Park.
While the rallies have been largely peaceful, there are fears that demonstrators could clash with thousands of the president's supporters who have planned their own protest near the court.
Ms Park's lawyer, Lee Joong-hwan, has said the court should restore the president's powers because there is insufficient evidence to justify her removal.
The case against Ms Park rests on her relationship with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, who faces charges of coercion and abuse of power.
It is alleged that after Ms Park became president in 2013, Ms Choi, 60, used their friendship to pressure powerful corporations into donating to foundations she controlled and then siphoned off funds for her personal use.
Prosecutors say Ms Park had a "considerable" role in the alleged corruption. The president has denied that, but apologised for putting her trust in her jailed friend.
Ms Choi's criminal trial will begin on 20 December.


A probe into the political use of private data has been opened by the information commissioner.

Elizabeth Denham announced the review amid concerns over allegations involving an analytics firm linked to a Brexit campaign.
It follows calls for an investigation into claims that Leave.EU had not declared the role of Cambridge Analytica (CA) in its campaign.
The Electoral Commission says its powers do not extend beyond the UK.
But Ms Denham said: "Having considered the evidence we have already gathered, I have decided to open a formal investigation into the use of data analytics for political purposes.
"This will involve deepening our current activity to explore practices deployed during the UK's EU referendum campaign, but potentially also in other campaigns."
The probe was sparked by Labour's Stephen Kinnock, a remain campaigner, who called on the Electoral Commission to look into links between Leave.EU and CA.
Claire Bassett, the commission's chief executive, said, while it had "very clear rules" governing the permissibility of donations and printed materials, such as campaign leaflets, it has no power to stop overseas individuals or governments using social media to influence British elections.
"At the moment the rules apply to print media - so if you get a leaflet through your door, that should have an imprint on it which makes it clear who's produced that leaflet and where it's come from so you know who's campaigning for your vote," she said.
"At the moment those rules don't extend to social media and we've recommended that that should happen."
But quizzed about how far the electoral watchdog could go to prevent individuals or governments attempting to influence British elections via data analytic companies which target voters, Ms Bassett said: "If something is happening outside of the borders of this country and is not part of any of the regime we're responsible for, it's not something we can cover within our regulation."
Ms Denham said it was "understandable" that "political campaigns are exploring the potential of advanced data analysis tools to help win votes", but said the "public have the right to expect that this takes place in accordance with the law".
"This is a complex and rapidly evolving area of activity and the level of awareness among the public about how data analytics works, and how their personal data is collected, shared and used through such tools is low," she said.
"What is clear is that these tools have a significant potential impact on individuals' privacy.
"It is important that there is a greater and genuine transparency about the use of such techniques to ensure that people have control over their own data and the law is upheld."
Ms Denham said the investigation was a "high priority for her team" and that she was "conscious" that it coincides with the general election campaign.
The probe follows an Observer investigation suggesting there were links between data analytics firms, a US billionaire and the Leave campaign in last year's EU referendum.
A Cambridge Analytica spokesman said the firm was happy to help the watchdog with any inquiry into the use of data analytics in politics but that it had had "no involvement" in the EU referendum.
The Electoral Commission found the Tories spent £1.2m on Facebook campaigns during the 2015 election - more than seven times the £160,000 spent by Labour. The Liberal Democrats spent just over £22,000.
Leave campaigners spent £3.5m with a technology company called Aggregate IQ. Vote Leave said it allowed them to target swing voters online much more effectively and efficiently.
But BBC media editor Amol Rajan said that while huge amounts of money were being spent by political parties online, not everyone was "transparent about their ambitions online".
"We know that millions and millions of pounds have been spent by various people - foreign forces, sometimes extremists - who are politically advertising online trying to influence elections and they are not regulated," he said.
"The fact is the technology is changing very fast but the law hasn't kept pace.
"When it comes to broadcast advertising, we tend to know who's advertising, how much money they are spending and they tend to do it within certain social norms, but when it comes to political advertising online, it's very unclear who is spending the money and to what end....
"The point is we simply don't have clear regulations that require people to be transparent. The implication is that they might be foreign forces; they might be very wealthy individuals who are having a material impact on elections in western or non-Western democracies and we simply don't know about it.
"It seems pretty obvious if we regulate political advertising in other spheres we need to think very hard about the impact of political advertising online too."


At a press conference last week, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was asked for her assessment of Myanmar's reform process.

"Stalled," she said, before challenging anyone in the room to name a significant change that had taken place in the last two years.
So is she right? Has the much vaunted Burmese reform project ground to a halt?
The answer depends on how narrowly you define reform. When she speaks, Ms Suu Kyi is thinking politics.
The pace of political change has certainly slowed.  In part that's because the easiest reforms took place in the first 18 months of Thein Sein's presidency.
In the Burmese context, "easy" means decisions that don't upset the army.
Political prisoners were released, censorship of newspapers and the internet lifted and a (flawed) law passed allowing public demonstrations.
In a short period of time, one of the world's most tightly controlled societies opened up in a way few had thought possible.
Stories critical of ministers were suddenly on the front page of private newspapers, and demonstrations, mostly connected to land rights, have become almost daily events.
But the early pace of those changes hasn't been sustained. There was no way it could.
So did the reformers run out of steam? Did Thein Sein's project reach a roadblock manned by hardliners in the Burmese army? Or perhaps we're close to the final destination - that is, with sanctions lifted and the army still really in charge.
Ms Suu Kyi's main frustration is that the constitution remains unchanged.
Drafted in 2008, it entrenches the military's control of political life, guaranteeing it a quarter of the seats in the Hluttaw (the Burmese parliament), and a veto over any changes to the constitution.
This is what its architects proudly call a "disciplined democracy".
The opposition have focused on the two parts they want changed most.
They are: the clause barring anyone who has foreign family members from becoming president, which effectively prevents Ms Suu Kyi from taking power (because of her British sons) and Article 436, which gives the army a veto on constitutional changes.
Much of Ms Suu Kyi's annoyance stems from the fact that the legislature that she joined in 2012, and thus legitimised, is now being cynically used to thwart her ambition.
Just as it would in mature democracies, responsibility for shaping the constitutional reform process was handed to a series of parliamentary committees.
With each committee mirroring the composition of the military-dominated Hluttaw, they've deliberated for months and delivered entirely predictable results.
Altering the "Suu Kyi clause" has been dismissed outright (as a threat to national sovereignty), while amending Article 436 will be discussed in parliament, though if the army remains opposed there's no way it can be changed.
Ms Suu Kyi's slim hopes of taking the top job after the election in 2015 now rest on a backroom deal among senior leaders.
Looming in many minds is the possibility of a constitutional crisis this time next year. What if the party that wins the most seats is unable or unwilling to nominate a president?
Though the changes that Aung San Suu Kyi wants most have stalled, that's not to say there haven't been other important developments.  It's just that they don't directly involve Ms Suu Kyi.
Ever since independence in 1948, Myanmar has never been truly at peace, with minority ethnic groups fighting guerrilla wars against the Burman-dominated state.
The last three years has seen real progress towards what would be an unprecedented nationwide ceasefire agreement. All the major rebel groups have been brought into the process, attracted by the promise of dialogue on a more federal future.
For President Thein Sein, a peace agreement would be the crowning achievement of what's likely to be his only term in office. Unfortunately for him, with a deal within reach, the number of clashes has begun to increase once more.
Outside politics, particularly in the big cities, people's lives are changing fast.
Thanks to new laws and regulations, Myanmar's economy and banking sectors are liberalising and opening up to the outside world. GDP growth is rapid, though improvements in living standards still lag a long way behind.
On Myanmar's streets two new foreign phone companies are currently battling it out for a lucrative new market.
After years in which mobile phones and the internet were government-run and SIM cards the preserve of the elite, there's now the prospect of low-cost data and unrestricted access to information. In itself that's a game-changer.
So is the Myanmar reform glass half full or half empty?  It rather depends who you are, and what you're drinking.


A man has been sentenced to community service after he admitted abusing and assaulting his student girlfriend, who later took her own life.

Angus Milligan, 21, of Edinburgh, admitted choking and slapping Glasgow student Emily Drouet, 18, at halls of residence in Aberdeen.
University of Aberdeen law student Ms Drouet was found dead several days later in March last year.
Milligan admitted assault and threatening behaviour.
Following sentencing, Emily's mother, Fiona Drouet, spoke of her family's struggle to come to terms with their loss.
She said: "Angus Milligan has been unmasked as a vicious abuser who stole our daughter's life. He prayed on Emily's innocence and kindness and continues to lie about it, trying to destroy her reputation."
Mrs Drouet said that Emily was studying law because she believed in justice and that the verdict marked her first legal victory.
"No sentence Angus Milligan received can reflect the destruction he has caused or bring Emily back," she said.
When asked if she will consider civil action, Mrs Drouet said that she is working with the Crown on the possibility of a fatal accident inquiry.
The court previously heard how Emily had approached a student resident assistant in Aberdeen to say she was having difficulties with the way she was being treated by her boyfriend, a fellow student.
When she was asked if it was physical, she said "no" and told them she did not want to get him into trouble.
Mr Milligan previously admitted that he assaulted Emily at New Carnegie Court, Hillheads Halls, on 10 March last year when he seized her by the neck, choked her, pushed her against a desk and twice slapped her on the face to her injury.
He also admitted sending her offensive messages, and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and using abusive and offensive language towards her.
Emily was found dead on 18 March.
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, Milligan was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and told he would be under supervision for one year.
After sentencing, Insp Lee Jardine of Police Scotland said: "Domestic abuse is a complex issue and tackling it is an absolute priority for us in our efforts to keep people safe."


Tata Steel must "hold its nerve" and back the Port Talbot plant in crunch talks over the site's future to be held in India, an MP has said.

Representatives of the Community union have flown out to Mumbai ahead of discussions with the board on Tuesday.
The south Wales site bore the brunt of 1,050 job cuts announced in January.
Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock said the firm should back a plan to turn around Port Talbot's fortunes and make it profitable in future.
The plant had been losing an estimated Â£1m a day prior to the announcement of 750 jobs being cut, leaving about 3,500 workers.
Speaking prior to his departure, Roy Rickhuss, Community's general secretary, said: "No one underestimates the scale of the challenge we are facing, but our steel industry is of vital importance to our communities, our families and our nation.
"In Mumbai, I'll be standing up for the whole UK steel industry and asking Tata to give us the chance we need to succeed."
The combined impact of cheap Chinese imports, a strong pound and high energy costs were blamed for the torrid time faced by the UK steel industry.
Mr Kinnock, who has also travelled to India, said: "What we need now is Tata Steel to hold its nerve to back the plan and we can move forward, get the steelworks back to break even and then, over a longer period, getting it really operating in surplus again."
On Tuesday, the Tata board will meet to discuss the 1,050 jobs cuts across the UK, including 200 support staff and 15 at Trostre, Llanelli, as well as workers in Hartlepool in north east England and  Corby, Northamptonshire.
Business Minister Anna Soubry previously said the cuts at Port Talbot and other sites showed the steel industry was having to "take tough decisions in the face of extremely challenging conditions".


Thousands of Russians have bid farewell to murdered Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov as his funeral took place in the capital Moscow.

They queued patiently to view his coffin before it began its solemn journey to a city cemetery.
Several EU politicians and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny were barred from attending the funeral.
Hours later, Mr Navalny accused the Russian authorities of responsibility for the murder.
In a statement (in Russian) from jail, where he is serving a 15-day sentence, he said: "I believe that Nemtsov was murdered by members of a government (special services) or pro-government organisation on the order of the country's political leadership (including Vladimir Putin)."
The question, he said, was whether the order had been given to kill Nemtsov or "stage an action that would have a high impact".
Alternatively, he alleged that Nemtsov had been killed on the order of officials in Yaroslavl region, where he had been investigating corruption.
No arrests have been made and no motive has been established for the crime.
Nemtsov's final resting place is at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery, where murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya was buried in 2006.
A fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, he was shot dead on a bridge near the Kremlin wall on Friday night.
New CCTV footage of the presumed getaway car has been released by a pro-Kremlin Russian news website, LifeNews. The video shows a vehicle making its way along Moscow streets but there is no close-up on the suspects inside.
Thousands turned out to bid farewell to Boris Nemtsov. They stood quietly, as a light snow fell, in a long queue that snaked around the park, up the hill and right on to Moscow's Garden Ring road. They brought flowers and lit candles, and talked of a man who - as a politician - had been like a 'bright light' to them: honest, and a true democrat.
As a man, they remembered someone full of energy and jokes; handsome, too, and easygoing. As well as sorrow at his death, I found people were deeply sceptical that those who killed Boris Nemtsov would ever be found.
His open coffin lay in a small room, surrounded by photographs of a life in politics. Many of those who took turns at the microphone there believe he was killed for his critical views. They accused their leaders of stirring up hatred of dissenters and using the powerful state run media machine to paint them as traitors.
One man in the queue told me that for him, though, Boris Nemtsov was the real patriot. A man who just wanted Russia to live better.
Who shot Boris Nemtsov?
Nemtsov killing polarises society
Profile: Boris Nemtsov
So many people came to see Nemtsov's coffin that when the viewing at the Sakharov human rights centre ended after its scheduled four hours, hundreds of people were still queuing outside.
"He was our ray of light," said Valentina Gorbatova, 80. "With his help, I think Russia would have risen up and become a strong country. It is the dream of all progressive people in Russia."
Former UK Prime Minister John Major, who was in Moscow to pay his respects, called for a full, transparent investigation into Nemtsov's murder, saying his voice would not be silenced.
It was, he added, his "saddest ever visit to Moscow".
Latvian MEP Sandra Kalniete told the BBC she had been refused entry into Russia at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow without a proper explanation.
She said she had been made to wait two hours at the airport before being denied entry.
Bogdan Borusewicz, the Polish senate speaker who was to have led a delegation from his country, was denied a visa.
Russia said he was on a list of Polish officials barred from travelling to Russia, drawn up after the EU imposed sanctions on Russia over its involvement in Ukraine.
That drew condemnation from the EU, with European Parliament President Martin Schulz calling it a "high affront" which would further set back relations with Moscow.
He said such actions were "without the slightest element of reasoning" and said he would demand an official explanation.
President Putin was not attending the funeral, the Kremlin said. It sent in his stead the presidential envoy to the parliament, a relatively minor official.
Tens of thousands of people marched through central Moscow on Sunday to honour Nemtsov, with the opposition claiming some 50,000 people had attended the event.
Nemtsov had been due to lead an opposition march that day, but his killing turned the event into a mourning rally.
His allies have accused the Kremlin of involvement but President Putin condemned the murder as "vile" and "provocative", vowing to find the killers.
Nemtsov, 55, had been walking home from a restaurant with his Ukrainian girlfriend, Anna Durytska, when he was shot four times.
Ms Durytska, a 23-year-old model, was allowed to return to Ukraine after being questioned by Russian police.
She told Russian media she had not seen the killer, who struck from behind.
Russia's Federal Protective Service, in charge of presidential security, has said its surveillance cameras did not record the shooting because they were pointed towards the Kremlin.


A cricketer who lost his leg to bone cancer is back playing the sport.

Tom Carter, 21, had to take two years off after being diagnosed and having his leg amputated above the knee.
Now he is back playing for Newport Cricket Club's fourth team and coaches the under-13s B team.
Mr Carter said: "I'm just happy to be back on the pitch playing for Newport. I'm still adapting my batting now I've got one leg as I can't play certain shots the way I used to."
The former seconds player's prosthetic leg is fitted with a microprocessor to give him more mobility and stability.
Mr Carter is allowed to have a runner when batting and fields in the slips or other positions close to the wicket.
He is also involved with the Wales disability cricket team.
Cricket Wales chief executive Peter Hybart said: "Tom is a real inspiration. He has come through an awful time, but thanks to the support of family, friends and the cricket community, he is again able to play the sport he loves."


Approval for the Swansea Bay City Region deal would be a "catalyst" and show the area's "ambition", according to Swansea University.

City councillors backed the plan - which could deliver a Â£3.3bn boost to the regional economy - on Thursday.
The Swansea Bay City Region would boost digital technology for advances in areas such as healthcare and energy.
Swansea University is carrying out a statistical analysis of what the deal could be worth to the area.
It believes it would deliver an estimated Â£3.3bn boost to the regional economy over 15 years, generating over 9,500 direct new jobs.
About 33,000 jobs in total could be created across the region when spin-offs, relocations, construction jobs and business opportunities for local suppliers are taken into account, it believes.
Vice chancellor Richard Davies said it would be a "catalyst" for the wider economy and show the "ambition" the area has.
He added: "Our world-leading research, in collaboration with industry, will continue to grow and have a real impact."
Figures behind the plan will soon visit London to press the UK government to approve the scheme.
Reports have also gone to other councils involved -  Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot and Pembrokeshire, for approval.


A jet that crashed during the Shoreham air show, killing 11 men, had expired ejector seat parts and an out-of-date technical manual, a report has said.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) also said emergency workers had to delay their response because some explosive cartridges were still live.
Its report said the seats were a "significant hazard" that delayed rescue teams until they were made safe.
The Hawker Hunter jet plummeted on to the A27 on 22 August killing 11 men.
A final report is still to be published by the AAIB, but seven safety recommendations have been made in the bulletin, which has looked at the safety of ejection seats and the maintenance of ex-military aircraft.
The AAIB said manufacturer support for the jet had ended after it was retired from military service, and its technical manual had not been updated.
The explosive cartridges for the jet's ejector seat and canopy had expiry dates of June and July 2014, more than a year before the crash.
Sussex Police said officers were at the scene immediately after the crash and the issue of the ejector seats arose when victim recovery was taking place and the aircraft had to be lifted.
The AAIB report also said investigators could not determine if the aircraft met the requirements of its permit to fly from December 2014 onwards.
Aircraft that do not qualify for a standard certificate of airworthiness - generally former military or amateur-built planes - are able to operate with a permit to fly granted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
But the AAIB report revealed that initially the CAA "could not determine" if the Hawker Hunter met the requirements of its permit, because of doubts over the validity of the maintenance of its Rolls-Royce engine.
It recommended the CAA review its procedures over issuing such permits to ex-military aircraft.
A CAA spokesman said it was examining the AAIB bulletin in detail, but stressed it did not contain any information about the cause of the crash.
He said the CAA had told the AAIB investigation the jet had a valid maintenance record at the time of the crash.
"The aircraft did have a valid permit to fly at the time of the accident and was therefore permitted to operate," he added.
Work had been carried out on the aircraft in January 2014 and the next inspection was due in January 2016, the CAA said.
The AAIB said investigations would continue and it was still examining the aircraft and its maintenance records to determine its exact condition before the accident.
Pilot Andy Hill has been interviewed by police, it was confirmed last week.


Pace bowler Jake Ball has made a "lively" return following a winter playing for England Lions, says Nottinghamshire captain Chris Read.

Ball, who featured against Pakistan A in Dubai, has taken six wickets in each of Notts' first two games and is the leading wicket-taker in Division One of the County Championship so far in 2016.
Read said of the 25-year-old: "Last winter he got fitter and stronger.
"Now he's genuinely lively and he does plenty with the new ball."
Read said Ball's assured early showings have demanded he lead Notts' bowling attack with the new ball alongside England's Stuart Broad.
"Jake is in fantastic form with the ball," continued Read. "He's had a great winter having been in Dubai with the Lions and has had a taste of what life is like with the ECB set-up. He's really keen to progress that side of his career."
Notts director of cricket Mick Newell said Ball, who was their second-highest County Championship wicket taker with 39 last season, said he has been "terrific" so far in 2016.
"That's a fantastic start to the season and he's setting a great example," added Newell.
Despite Ball's efforts against Lancashire, Notts suffered an eight-wicket defeat in their second Country Championship match of the season on Wednesday, having beaten Surrey in their opening fixture.


Several hundred Yazidi captives have been killed in Iraq by Islamic State (IS) militants west of Mosul, Yazidi and Iraqi officials say.

A statement from the Yazidi Progress Party said 300 captives were killed on Friday in the Tal Afar district near the city.
Iraqi Vice-President Osama al-Nujaifi described the reported deaths as "horrific and barbaric".
Thousands of members of the religious minority group were captured last year.
It is not clear how they were killed, or why this has happened now, says the BBC World Service Middle East editor Alan Johnston.
Many are reported to have been held in Mosul, the main stronghold of IS after the militants swept through large areas of northern and western Iraq, and eastern Syria in 2014.
Yazidis, whose religion includes elements of several faiths, are considered infidels by IS.
Thousands fled to the Kurdish-controlled region of northern Iraq after IS captured the Yazidi-populated Sinjar district in Nineveh province.
Hundreds of men were killed, while some Yazidi women were held and used as sex slaves.
In other developments on Saturday:
The Yazidi Progress Party's statement, quoted by the Kurdish Shafaq News website, condemned the latest incident as a "heinous crime" and called on Iraqi forces to free those still held by IS.
In January, IS released some 200 mainly elderly Yazidis into the hands of Kurdish officials near the city of Kirkuk.
Many of them, held in Mosul, had disabilities or were wounded, though no reason was given by IS for their release.
In recent months, IS has been pushed back from some of the areas it captured, though many Yazidi villages are thought to remain under the militants' control.
In December, Kurdish Peshmerga forces drove back IS militants in north-western Iraq, relieving a long siege of Sinjar mountain where thousands of Yazidis had sought refuge.
The Iraqi government, with forces backed by Iran, also declared it had taken back control of the city of Tikrit in April.
Who, What, Why: Who are the Yazidis?
Iraq: The minorities of Nineveh


A woman with a shopping trolley had to be rescued after she "disappeared" into a hole which had opened up in the pavement.

Emergency services were called when the woman vanished into a void outside a cafe on North End Road in Fulham, south-west London.
Passersby said they heard a loud scream and saw the woman had stumbled into the 3ft-wide (1m) hole.
The woman was taken to hospital but was not seriously injured.
Local workers rushed to help when the woman in her 40s fell into the hole, just before 09:00 BST.
The accident happened shortly after a man fell down the hole and twisted his ankle.
Why do holes keep appearing?
The area around the hole had been blocked off with tables and chairs, in an attempt to stop people walking into it, nearby market stall holders said.
However, they added despite shouts by cafe staff, the woman who had a shopping trolley, squeezed through the chairs and fell down the hole.
Mohammed Atillah, who works in the cafe, said he was outside talking to the man who stumbled earlier, when the woman walked through the makeshift barrier and fell down the hole.
"I could see a small hole. I put the tables and chairs so no-one would come through," said Mr Atillah.
"A lady was passing down the street, she came into the middle of the tables and fell down the hole."
He said he helped her to reach the floor of the basement under the cafe and she walked back up via the stairs.
Council staff have now cordoned off the area.
The London Ambulance Service said: "The patient was shaken but not seriously injured and we took her to Charing Cross Hospital."


Kathryn Slattery scored twice as Australia's women beat Great Britain 4-3 in the first of a six-match series in Bunbury, Western Australia.

Hannah Macleod and Ellie Watton helped GB overturn a deficit but Australia were 4-2 up with 20 minutes to play.
Sophie Bray stretched to pull a goal back but GB failed to convert further chances as the home side held on.
The second match is on Sunday, again at Bunbury, before the series moves to Perth for the remaining four games.
The teams are in the same pool for the Rio Olympics this year and will meet again before that at the Champions Trophy in London in June.


MK Dons started life after relegation back to the Championship with a hard-earned win at Shrewsbury.

Daniel Powell's second-half goal proved the difference as Karl Robinson's men collected maximum points.
Dons threatened from two early corners, as Dean Lewington headed over before Joe Walsh then forced a comfortable save from home goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler.
But Shrewsbury, once they settled, started to pose the visitors problems, debutant Louis Dodds dragging a shot wide before seeing an effort well held by goalkeeper David Martin, diving to his left.
Another of their debutants AJ Leitch-Smith was denied by an excellent challenge from defender Walsh, while fellow new boy Jim O'Brien also went close when he fired narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area.
Shaun Whalley attempted to break the deadlock for the hosts early in the second half, but his effort was safely gathered at his near post by the alert Martin.
Dons had found clear chances hard to come by until they struck their 73rd-minute winner.
Shrewsbury sub Abu Ogogo was dispossessed in his own penalty area by Ed Upson and Powell rifled an angled shot powerfully past Leutwiler from 15 yards.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Shrewsbury Town 0, MK Dons 1.
Second Half ends, Shrewsbury Town 0, MK Dons 1.
Substitution, MK Dons. George B Williams replaces Nicky Maynard.
Corner,  Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by George Baldock.
Attempt missed. Brandon Thomas-Asante (MK Dons) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the right is just a bit too high.
Attempt missed. Gary Deegan (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Hand ball by Brandon Thomas-Asante (MK Dons).
Joe Riley (Shrewsbury Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Joe Riley (Shrewsbury Town).
Dean Lewington (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ryan McGivern (Shrewsbury Town).
Nicky Maynard (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Ethan Jones replaces A-Jay Leitch-Smith.
Attempt missed. Ed Upson (MK Dons) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
Adam El-Abd (Shrewsbury Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Adam El-Abd (Shrewsbury Town).
Giorgio Rasulo (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  MK Dons. Conceded by Joe Riley.
Substitution, MK Dons. Brandon Thomas-Asante replaces George C Williams.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Andy Mangan replaces Shaun Whalley.
Goal!  Shrewsbury Town 0, MK Dons 1. Daniel Powell (MK Dons) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ed Upson.
Foul by George C Williams (MK Dons).
Gary Deegan (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Joe Walsh (MK Dons) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Joe Walsh (MK Dons).
Adam El-Abd (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  MK Dons. Conceded by Adam El-Abd.
Attempt blocked. Jim O'Brien (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Abu Ogogo replaces Antoni Sarcevic.
Attempt blocked. George C Williams (MK Dons) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Louis Dodds (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Foul by George C Williams (MK Dons).
Junior Brown (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  MK Dons. Conceded by Ryan McGivern.
George C Williams (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Junior Brown (Shrewsbury Town).
Dean Lewington (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Shaun Whalley (Shrewsbury Town).
Attempt saved. Shaun Whalley (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Nicky Maynard (MK Dons) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.


A hillwalker was rescued from Britain's highest mountain amid Storm Abigail's high winds and heavy rain.

Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said the man was attempting Observatory Gully on Ben Nevis when he got into trouble on Thursday.
The rescuers described the scale of difficulty of the route he was attempting as "certain death" and the weather conditions as "atrocious".
The hillwalker was found high on a snow slope with chest injuries.
The man was first taken to the shelter of the CIC Hut before he was helped off the mountain.
In a message to its Facebook followers, Fort William-based Lochaber MRT said: "Troops, have just returned from the eye of hurricane Abigail rescuing a hillwalker attempting Ben Nevis via Observatory Gully.
"On the scale of difficulty this route is certain death.
"The casualty was found high on a snow slope with chest injuries and lowered down to the CIC Hut. A very difficult rescue in atrocious weather with a very good outcome."
The team also added that it was increasingly having to cope with a lack of funds and shortages of decent equipment.
Lochaber MRT has also this year had a higher than usual number of call-outs.
In August, it recorded its 100th call-out. Usually over 12 months the team would expect to be deployed on 70 to 100 occasions.


Scientists are appealing for more people to donate their brains for research after they die.

They say they are lacking the brains of people with disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In part, this shortage results from a lack of awareness that such conditions are due to changes in brain wiring.
The researchers' aim is to develop new treatments for mental and neurological disorders.
The human brain is as beautiful as it is complex. Its wiring changes and grows as we do. The organ is a physical embodiment of our behaviour and who we are.
In recent years, researchers have made links between the shape of the brain and mental and neurological disorders.
More than 3,000 brains are storied at the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center at McLean Hospital just outside Boston. It is one of the largest brain banks in the world.
Most of their specimens are from people with mental or neurological disorders.
Samples are requested by scientists to find new treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and a whole host of psychiatric disorders.
But there is a problem. Scientists at McLean Hospital and at brain banks across the world do not have enough specimens for the research community.
According Dr Kerry Ressler, who is the chief scientific officer at McLean hospital, new treatments for many mental and neurological diseases are within the grasp of the research community. However, he says it is the lack of brain tissue that is holding back their development.
"We have the tools and the ability to do some great deep-level biology of the human brain now.
"What we are lacking are the tissues from those with the disorders we need to really understand."
One donor visiting the hospital, who wished to be known only as Caroline, told BBC News that she decided to donate her brain for medical research partly because her sister has schizophrenia.
She hopes that her donation will help researchers find a cure – and she's urging others to do the same.
“My parents were fine but why did my sister get schizophrenia? We are not sure where it came from. How are we going to find out if we don’t do the research on the brain, which is where the problem is."
There is a shortage of brains from people with disorders that are incorrectly seen as psychological – rather than neurological in origin. These include depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Prof Sabina Berretta, the scientific director of the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Centre, said: "If people think that there are no changes in the brain of somebody that suffers from major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder then there is no reason for them to donate their brain for research because (they think that) there is nothing there to find.
"This conception is radically wrong from a biological point of view."


Paris Jackson, the daughter of late pop legend Michael Jackson, is in hospital after attempting to kill herself, a publicist has confirmed.

Paris, 15, is "doing good" and recovering, said Angel Howansky, her grandfather's publicist.
Emergency officials said they responded to a reported overdose in the Calabasas area of Los Angeles where Paris lives, but did not identify the patient.
Local media say she left the family home at about 02:00 PST (09:00 GMT).
Ms Howansky, a long-time publicist for Joe Jackson - Michael Jackson's father and the girl's grandfather - could not confirm reports of a possible drug overdose or multiple cuts on her wrist.
But she later said that Paris was "doing good".
"She's recovering and, you know, a good thing it wasn't an intensive care situation," she said. "She's going to be fine."
Perry Sanders, a lawyer for grandmother and guardian Katherine Jackson, later said Paris was "physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention".
"Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are. It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you," he added.
In a statement, Paris's uncles Tito, Marlon and Jackie said: "Thank you for the outpouring of concern and support for Paris.
"She is safe and doing fine. We truly appreciate you respecting our family's privacy at this time.''
Paris, Michael Jackson's only daughter, is currently part of a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the concert promoters AEG Live, which the Jackson family says bears responsibility for her father's death from an accidental drug overdose in June 2009.
The BBC's Regan Morris in Los Angeles says Michael Jackson went to great lengths to shield his children from the public eye, shrouding them in masks and baggy clothes so they could not be recognised.
He wanted to give them the chance for a more typical childhood than he had as a child star, but after being sheltered for years, Paris Jackson has lived a very public life since his death, our reporter says.
Paris is a cheerleader at her private school and seems comfortable in the limelight - appearing poised and articulate at Michael Jackson tribute events with her grandmother and her two brothers, known as Prince and Blanket.
She is also a popular target for the paparazzi and tabloids, our reporter adds.
Paris also has a popular Twitter account where she discusses music and homework and dispenses make-up tips to her million-plus followers.
Her most recent tweet was a quote from a famous Beatles song: "yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away now it looks as though they're here to stay."


Mental health services in England risk being overwhelmed by a combination of rising demand and staff shortages, a survey of NHS trusts suggests.

The poll by NHS Providers, which represents trusts, found seven in 10 mental health leaders expected demand to increase this year.
But fewer than one in three was confident they had enough staff to deliver services.
Ministers said extra money being invested would help improve care.
It comes as an investigation by BBC Radio 5 live Daily found the growing demand for mental health support was being felt in the ambulance service too.
Responses obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed there was a growing number of ambulance call-outs to people suffering from suspected mental health problems.
In 2015-16, there were nearly 279,000 call-outs, up from 240,000 the previous year, according to the 13 out of 14 UK services that responded.
Louise Rubin, of the charity Mind, said part of the rise was likely to be down to an increasing trend for people with mental health problems who come into contact with the police to be transported by ambulance rather than with them.
She said this was a positive move, but it was "unlikely to be the full picture".
"We are concerned that people coming forward and seeking help for mental health problems are not getting the support they need early enough, which means they are more likely to become more unwell and reach crisis point."
Saffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, said the biggest growth in demand was being seen in children's mental health services.
The survey carried out by her organisation received responses from 43 chairs and chief executives from 37 trusts, nearly two-thirds of the total number of mental health trusts in England.
She said the findings were concerning.
"These concerns point to a growing gap between the government's welcome ambition for the care of people with mental health needs and the reality of services they are receiving on the front line."
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We're committed to seeing mental health services improve on the ground."
She said by 2021 services would be getting an extra Â£1bn a year. Last year they were given Â£11.6bn.
She said that would help improve crisis resolution, home treatment teams and mental health support in A&E in particular.


Mae ymgyrchwyr wedi cyhuddo Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru (CNC) o gynnal ymgynghoriad "sarhaus" dros ddyluniad gorsaf ynni Wylfa Newydd.

Mae cwmni Hitachi eisiau adeiladu math gwahanol o adweithydd yno, ac fe gafodd gyfarfod rhanddeiliaid ei gynnal yn Birmingham ym mis Rhagfyr i drafod y dyluniad.
Mae gwrthwynebwyr y datblygiad yn dweud nad yw cyfarfod tebyg sy'n cael ei drefnu gan CNC yn un cyhoeddus.
Ond dywedodd y corff ei fod yn cynnal cyfres o sesiynau cyhoeddus ar Ynys Môn.
Fe wnaeth y grŵp ymgyrchu Pobl Atal Wylfa B (PAWB) ddisgrifio'r cyfarfod, fydd yn cael ei gynnal ar safle'r hen Wylfa ddydd Llun, fel "sen ar ddemocratiaeth".
Dywedodd Dylan Morgan o PAWB: "Mae hyn yn gwbl annerbyniol. Ar fater mor bwysig â hyn, sarhad ar bobl Môn a gogledd Cymru yw cynnal digwyddiad cyhoeddus ond preifat i wahoddedigion yn unig.
"I rwbio halen yn y briw, bwriedir cynnal y digwyddiad mewn ystafell ar safle Wylfa Magnox sydd ddim yn lleoliad niwtral o bell ffordd ac yn cadarnhau'r canfyddiad bod Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru a Llywodraeth Cymru yn dawnsio i diwn y diwydiant niwclear."
Mae Llywodraeth y DU yn cynnal ymgynghoriad ar hyn o bryd ar gyfer dyluniad y math o adweithydd niwclear all gael ei adeiladu yn Wylfa Newydd.
Mae'r datblygwyr eisiau gosod adweithydd dŵr berwedig ar y safle, a dyma fyddai'r un cyntaf o'i fath yn y DU.
Mae disgwyl i weinidogion y DU benderfynu ar y dyluniad ym mis Rhagfyr eleni.
Mae PAWB wedi ysgrifennu at Ysgrifennydd yr Amgylchedd Llywodraeth Cymru, Lesley Griffiths yn gofyn iddi ymyrryd am mai hi sy'n gyfrifol am oruchwylio gwaith CNC.
Dywedodd yr ymgyrchwyr: "Galwn arnoch i gyfarwyddo Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru i aildrefnu cyfarfod cyhoeddus mewn lleoliad niwtral, cyfleus a chanolog ym Môn.
"Mae'n rhaid i gyfarfod sy'n trafod proses asesu generig yr adweithydd ABWR Hitachi gael ei hysbysebu'n agored ac eang ac nid i 'nifer fach o wahoddedigion'."
Dywedodd CNC ei bod yn cynnal dwy sesiwn galw heibio cyhoeddus am y broses ddylunio yr wythnos nesaf - yng Nghemaes ddydd Llun ac yn Llangefni ddydd Mawrth.
Bydd y sesiynau yn galluogi i bobl "ddysgu mwy am yr asesiad ac am sut i leisio eu barn", meddai'r corff amgylcheddol.


The prime minister of the United Arab Emirates has announced the creation of a minister of state for happiness, as part of a major government shake-up.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, said the minister would drive policy "to create social good and satisfaction".
A new post of minister of state for tolerance was also created.
Sheikh Mohammed said several ministries would also be merged and unveiled plans to outsource most government services.
"Governments must be flexible. We don't need more ministries, but more ministers capable of dealing with change," he said at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday.
"We want a young and flexible government that will fulfil our youth's aspirations and achieve our people's ambitions."
The minister of state for tolerance would promote the virtue "as a fundamental value in UAE society", Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.
The prime minister also announced the creation of a UAE Youth National Council.
The "elite group of young men and women" would advise the government on youth issues and be led by a female minister of state for youth no older than 22, he said, adding: "The energy of youth will fuel our government in future."


This is a guide to political parties' positions on key issues and will be updated as each manifesto is launched.


Testing pregnant women's blood for disorders in unborn children promises dramatic advances in medicine, researchers have said.

A US team writing in the New England Journal of Medicine say Down's syndrome can be reliably tested for in the mother's blood.
Meanwhile, Great Ormond Street Hospital has started offering similar tests.
A decision on whether the UK's Down's syndrome screening programme should change is due this year.
At the moment in the UK, a woman is assessed based on her age and an ultrasound scan, with those deemed high-risk having further tests.
These involve a needle taking a sample of the placenta or the fluid that bathes the baby. There is a risk of miscarriage with the procedure.
Blood tests look for fragments of DNA from the placenta, which drift about in the mother's bloodstream.
Down's syndrome is caused by an extra copy of a huge stretch of DNA and that extra bundle of genetic information can be detected in the blood.
If initial tests are more accurate they could reduce the number of women who go on to have the invasive test.
Previous research had suggested the tests were effective in high-risk women.
Now a team at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests the blood test could replace current tests for all women.
They correctly identified 38 cases of Down's syndrome out of nearly 16,000 women tested. The basic risk screening found only 30 cases and had a higher rate of false-positives.
The UK's national screening committee will assess the new tests in June.
Professor Lyn Chitty, from Great Ormond Street, has been evaluating how they could be introduced across the NHS.
She says testing every pregnant woman's blood is unlikely. However, she says it can and should be integrated into the existing screening so that high-risk women have an extra check before deciding if an invasive procedure is needed.
She told the BBC: "These are really exciting times; this cell-free DNA is changing prenatal care dramatically.
"I think it broadens access to testing. really; a number of women will decline invasive testing because of the risk of miscarriage and they may well take up non-invasive prenatal testing."
She said progress in the area was "very rapid" and tests for other genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis were also becoming available.
Great Ormond Street already has an approved test which it has started offering in parts of London.
The Down's Syndrome Association said that if the changes did come into force then the risks and benefits need to be clearly communicated to parents.
"At the time of testing, easily understood and up-to-date information must be provided in an unbiased way by well trained professionals," the organisation said in a statement.


It was a straightforward question: could you live on £7.20 an hour?

Wales Office Minister Alun Cairns didn't answer it. So I asked the question again. He didn't answer directly but said for someone on the minimum wage now (£6.50) to get a pay rise to £9 an hour by 2020 would be "fantastic news" with a more positive impact on Wales because of relatively low pay there.
"This Budget," he said, "is about making work pay. So many people have been trapped on benefits, it hasn't been in their interests for many people, for many individuals and families to go out to work."
You could argue it's an unfair question. Mr Cairns is paid almost £90,000 a year and as a family man would struggle (as I would) on the new national living wage" of £7.20 an hour.
But that was the point of the question. If you can't live on it, it's questionable to describe it as a living wage. It looks more like a rebranded higher national minimum wage for the over-25s.
Working age benefits will be frozen for four years. Public sector pay rises will be capped at one per cent over the same period. Except for politicians, who can expect substantial one-off hikes this year for MPs and next year for AMs.
In other news, the UK government has blinked first in the row over plans to restrict the role of Welsh and Scottish MPs on English issues at Westminster.
Leader of the Commons, Chris Grayling, told MPs the government is re-writing its plans for English votes for English laws. MPs will now get two days next week (rather longer than originally planned) to debate the proposals.
He will then "publish and table a final set of standing orders" which will be debated and voted on after the summer recess.
For Labour, the Shadow Leader of the Commons, Angela Eagle, said the "reckless and shoddy plans" had descended into "chaos".
The retreat will not have surprised anyone who watched last Tuesday's emergency debate on the issue.
There is though one casualty of the changed parliamentary timetable, which will also include a vote on fox-hunting.
Wednesday's scheduled meetings of the Welsh Grand Committee ( to discuss the Queen's Speech and the Budget) will be postponed until September. Don't let the delay ruin your summer.
In the meantime, here's my colleague Sarah Dickins's take on what the Budget means for Wales - check out the rather snazzy info graphic.


Bristol City have signed full-back Adam Matthews on a two-month loan deal from Premier League side Sunderland.

Matthews has made only two appearances this season since signing on a four-year contract from Celtic in July 2015.
The 24-year-old has won 12 caps for Wales, but has not featured since a 3-0 defeat by Serbia in September 2013.
"I want to help the team here first and if my performances warrant a Wales call-up in the summer that'd be brilliant," he told BBC Radio Bristol.
"In the back of my mind I'd be buzzing if I did go [to the European Championships], but like I said my first aim is to help Bristol City up the table."
The Robins currently sit 20th in the Championship, five points above the relegation zone.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Truro City boss Steve Tully says a 'crazy' five-minute spell cost his side their place in the FA Cup.

City lost 4-1 at Margate in the third qualifying round, failing to hold on to an early lead given them by Craig Duff.
Margate scored twice at the end of the first half and hit two more after the break to complete the comeback win.
"The plan worked effectively, we scored an early goal and for 40 minutes in the first half we just needed a second goal to kill the game," Tully said.
"You could see they were a team lacking confidence, but we had a five-minute crazy spell just before half-time, we gave them one soft goal, but to give them two, just before half-time, changed the whole complex of the game, " Tully added to BBC Radio Cornwall.
"I'm disappointed for the lads because they put in a lot of effort and we've travelled a lot of miles in the last few days to get here, but we'll dust ourselves off and make sure we're ready to go next weekend.
"We're still undefeated in six games in the league and we'll want to continue that next weekend at Whitehawk.
"We'll make sure all the good things we've been doing over the past five or six weeks don't go out of the window."


The founder of the charity Kids Company has denied claims she "mesmerised" David Cameron and senior politicians to gain millions in public funding.

Camila Batmanghelidjh said she gave "robust" arguments for her charity, which she expected to be scrutinised.
Speaking two weeks after MPs found the charity had shut due to a "catalogue of failures", she said she had been a victim of racism and media attacks.
The PM has said it was right to give the charity "every chance" to survive.
Kids Company, which supported deprived and vulnerable inner-city children and young people in London, Liverpool and Bristol, closed last August.
The report by the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) laid heavy criticism on Ms Batmanghelidjh and the charity's trustees for "negligent financial mismanagement", "lavish spending", and failing to give robust evidence of its outcomes.
It also rebuked successive ministers for appearing to release public money to Kids Company "on the basis of little more than their relationship with a charismatic leader, small-scale studies and anecdotes".
Ms Batmanghelidjh "appeared to captivate some of the most senior political figures in the land, by the force of the chief executive's personality", the report added.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour programme, Ms Batmanghelidjh said:  "I think that it's sad that people think in this day and age that you can mesmerise people.
"I present arguments that I hope are robust, and people that I deal with I hope have the intelligence to scrutinise my arguments and make their own decisions.
"I would put the question to you another way - if I was capable of mesmerising the prime minister of this country, who have you voted for? Because that would be very dangerous."
In a wide-ranging interview, she also:
Among the government grants called into question by the Commons report was a Â£3m payment to Kids Company just days before it collapsed.
Conservative minister Oliver Letwin, who overruled civil service objections to the grant, has said he believed it was "the right thing to do to give this charity one last chance to restructure".
At the time, Mr Cameron also said he believed it was right to give the charity a final chance to restructure and to "continue its excellent work".
June 2015: Concerns raised by the Cabinet Office about Kids Company's request for a Â£3m government grant, but ministers approve the funding
July 2015: Ms Batmanghelidjh steps down, denying the charity has been mismanaged. The Met Police launches an investigation into allegations of failings and abuse linked to the charity.
August 2015: Ministers say they want to recover the government grant. The charity closes. Ms Batmanghelidjh tells the BBC that Kids Company was subjected to a "trial by media"
October 2015: Ms Batmanghelidjh and Kids Company chairman Alan Yentob (at the time also a BBC executive) appear before the Commons Public Administration Committee and again deny the charity was badly run. The National Audit Office says the charity received at least Â£46m of public money despite repeated concerns over its management
January 2016: The Met Police says it has concluded its investigation into allegations against the charity, and concluded there is no evidence of criminality
What went wrong?
The government has said it will review its grant-giving process in light of the committee's findings.
Last month, the Metropolitan Police announced that it had found no evidence of criminality after investigating allegations of physical and sexual abuse at the charity. Kids Company had always denied the claims.
Ms Batmanghelidjh defended the safeguarding procedures at the charity, saying they were far more rigorous than other organisations.
The full interview will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour programme on Friday, 12 February at 10:00 GMT.


The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) has opened a base at Newcastle International Airport.

The move will help improve response times in emergencies in Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, the charity said.
It also means the helicopters will be able to refuel quicker as they will not have to fly back to the main base at Durham Tees Valley Airport.
Kevin Hodgson, director of operations, said it will allow the GNAAS to better serve the North East.


Damien Hirst is to publish his autobiography, promising to lay bare the British modern art world.

Hirst rose from humble beginnings in Leeds to become the UK's richest living artist, worth Â£215m according to the Sunday Times' Rich List.
Penguin Books has promised to push the book in the same "radical" manner as Morrissey's autobiography, which was published under its classic imprint.
The artist has selected journalist James Fox as his ghostwriter.
Fox was the writer behind Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards' autobiography, as well as the book White Mischief, which recounted the Happy Valley murder case in Kenya in 1941.
Hirst was one of the founding members of the Young British Artists (YBA) movement, which also counted Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas and Mark Wallinger amongst its numbers.
Many of them were students at Goldsmiths College in London in the late 1980s. Their first major exhibition, in a warehouse, attracted a number of influential art collectors, including Charles Saatchi - who would later become one of his Hirst's greatest supporters.
Hirst's work - which includes spot paintings and a sheep and shark preserved in formaldehyde - has frequently had the ability to shock.
A two-day auction of his work in 2008 raised a record-breaking Â£111m.
Speaking on the Today programme, Fox said: "He (Hirst) grew up in a pretty bad situation, with his mother, and he and his gang - many of whom became YBA artists, spent half their time housebreaking, stealing, [indulging in] criminality, and the rest of their time indulging their passion for art, which started very early on in their years.
"I found that completely fascinating, moving, the idea of a saving connection to art. The fearlessness of Damien, his ability to take on authority, to never say anything can't be done, to break all the rules. That very much comes from that background."


Police in the US state of Missouri say they have arrested 32 people as calm returned after a night of rioting.

Unrest broke out on Sunday over the killing of an unarmed black teenager by a police officer in Ferguson.
People looted shops, vandalised cars and stores, and set a building alight as police tried to block off access to several areas of the city.
Police say Michael Brown, 18, was shot on Saturday afternoon in the mainly black suburb of St Louis.
He was shot several times after a struggle in a police car, they said.
On Monday, dozens of residents marched through the streets demanding justice.
As residents began the task of cleaning up, some said they believed the violence was not over.
DeAndre Smith, 30, of Ferguson told the St Louis Post-Dispatch that the rioting reflected a sense of injustice in the community.
"I don't think it's over honestly," he said. "I just think they got a taste of what fighting back means."
St Louis County police say the FBI has now taken over the investigation into Mr Brown's death.
The rioting erupted late on Sunday after thousands of people attended a candlelight vigil for the slain man.
County Police Chief Jon Belmar said the shooting occurred after the officer encountered two men, including Mr Brown, on a street in Ferguson.
Mr Belmar said one of the men pushed the officer back into his squad car and a struggle began.
At least one shot was fired from the officer's gun inside the police car, Mr Belmar said.
But authorities say they are still trying to clarify exactly what happened inside the vehicle.
The officer involved has been with the Ferguson police department for six years, and has been placed on paid administrative leave, Mr Belmar said.
Mayor James Knowles said he understood that people "want to vent their frustrations. We understand they want to speak out", but he added: "We're going to obviously try to urge calm."
Mr Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, said her son had graduated from high school and planned to go to a local college.
The killing has drawn comparisons by some civil rights leaders with the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by a Florida neighbourhood watch organiser who was acquitted of murder charges.
"We're outraged because yet again a young African-American man has been killed by law enforcement," said John Gaskin, of the civil rights group NAACP.


Falkirk midfielder Conor McGrandles suffered a double leg break in his team's Championship match against Morton at Cappielow.

The on-loan Norwich player, 20, sustained the injury in a challenge with the Ton's Joe McKee near the end of the Bairns' 1-0 win.
The player wrote on Twitter: "Gutted to say I've suffered a double leg break.
"Can't thank everyone enough at the pitch and in the hospital for keeping me calm and helping me."
McGrandles was stretchered off with his right leg in a splint after lengthy treatment and taken to Inverclyde Hospital.
Bairns manager Peter Houston said after the match that he was "prepared for the worse".
Houston told BBC Scotland: "He said right away to his team-mate that it's broken and the doctor and physio thought the same thing when they went on the field."
Falkirk won their first match since 2 January thanks to John Baird's first-half strike.
"My thoughts are more with Conor than being delighted with any victory," added Houston.
"He's a young lad we've brought up from Norwich; a former Falkirk player. It's certainly put a huge dampener on what was a valuable three points for us."


Plans for a 77-acre redevelopment in Earls Court and West Kensington have been approved by the Mayor of London.

The scheme involves demolishing two estates and the Earls Court Exhibition Centre.
Developers want to create four "villages" and a "high street" and say the plans will create 7,500 homes and thousands of permanent jobs.
But campaigners from Save Earl's Court West Kensington & Gibbs Green estates have opposed them.
They argued the loss of Earls Court would damage trade and that the centre should be listed.
London mayor Boris Johnson could have chosen to turn the scheme down or call for a public hearing when he met with his planning team on Wednesday.
He said he was "acutely aware of the concerns" some residents had.
But, he added: "I'm in no doubt that the development will provide a massive boost not just to this part of the capital, but to London's wider economy as well."
Labour London Assembly Member Tom Copley said on Twitter: "Very disappointed but not at all surprised that the Mayor has approved demolition of Earls Court Exhibition Centre.
"An appalling decision."
And Green Party London Assembly Member Darren Johnson said: "Boris Johnson claims to be a champion of the London economy and making it more attractive to foreign investment.
"Yet he has backed the demolition of the exhibition centres that are estimated to be worth over a billion pounds to London's real economy, that attract one and a half million visitors.
"By backing this proposal, Boris Johnson is condemning this part of London into [being] a playground for the super rich with mostly extortionately priced homes that will not help the vast majority of ordinary people."
The development, straddling the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham, is expected to take 20 years to complete.


Budding journalists in Northern Ireland are being invited to grab the opportunity of world-class training from the BBC through a new apprentice scheme.

The Digital Journalist Apprentice Scheme is open to non-graduates over 18, who can work in the UK.
They will need at least five GCSEs including Maths and English at grades A to C.
Sessions about the scheme will be held at the BBC in Belfast on Thursday.
They will take place at Blackstaff House at 15:30 GMT and 17:30 GMT.
The Digital Journalist Apprenticeship will run for 18 months from this September and provide successful applicants with a full NCTJ Level Four qualification as well as placements on leading news programmes in television, radio and online/social media.
In Northern Ireland, this will mean the chance for someone to work on the likes of BBC Newsline, Good Morning Ulster and Evening Extra, as well as our BBC NI News Online service. The training will be overseen by the BBC Academy, with an annual allowance of Â£11,500 provided.
The deadline for the scheme is 13 April.
BBC Newsline presenter and journalist Tara Mills, will be hosting the event in Belfast on Thursday and said she wished a similar apprenticeship had been available when she was starting out in journalism.
She began her full-time career at the Bangor Spectator newspaper after studying politics at the University of Ulster, and stressed the importance of practical experience as preparation for a career in media.
"I think the scheme is a great idea, I think in journalism, life experience tends to be as beneficial as a university education, I think it is very much about passion for the story," she said.
"When I got the job at the Bangor Spectator, there was a lot of competition and the fact that I had done freelance work at the Irish News and Citybeat was a big help.
"It wasn't my degree that got me that job, it was my experience, I later worked for Radio Clyde and then got into the BBC.
"Working at the BBC, what a gift to be given a chance to train at that level, once in, the world is your oyster."
Carole Foster, senior programme co-ordinator for the BBC Digital Journalist Apprenticeship scheme, explained the thinking behind it.
"We are opening the doors to people who might not have gone to university but they are bright and creative," she said. They know how social media works and how we will change the way we look at news in the future.
"News is changing and we don't wait for bulletins any longer, most people get their news from their phones.
"The BBC has done a lot of work on how we develop access, particularly for our younger audience.
"What we are looking for is someone who lives and breathes new media."
David Lynas, News co-ordinator at BBC Northern Ireland, started his career in journalism as an 18-year-old with the Armagh Guardian newspaper in 1969, without any formal qualifications.
He has been with the BBC for more than 30 years and feels the training and contacts he gained "on-the-job" in local newspapers provided a firm foundation for his future career.
The former Londonderry Sentinel deputy editor said it was crucial that news broadcasting organisations recruited people from the school of life.
"This job should be open to everyone and the broadcasting organisations need to reopen a way of attracting people who have not been to university or a college," he added
"Someone who doesn't have a degree is just as competent as anyone else.
"Nothing can replace hands-on training, day and daily you are in contact with human beings and telling their story.
"You cannot replace that experience, there is no substitute for the real thing."


A baby girl and her parents have been rescued from a sinking boat in the Solent.

A 25ft (7.5m) vessel sent a mayday call while travelling two miles north of the Isle of Wight at 13:20 BST on Good Friday.
The boat had suffered engine failure and was taking on water, a spokesman for the Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service said.
The crew pumped the water from the boat and towed the family back to safety.


Blackstaff Square in the centre of Belfast could be revitalised in new plans for the historic Linen Quarter.

The area bridges the planned transport hub on Great Victoria Street and nearby hotel developments.
The council has said it could become a pleasant, family friendly area and is asking people what they think of the plan in a public consultation exercise.
The design includes a central or green space that could be used as a public meeting area or to hold outdoor events.
The Linen Quarter lies to the south of Belfast City Hall and includes a number of the city's key business and public sector headquarters, as well as existing and planned hotel developments.
It includes Bedford Street, Linenhall Street, Adelaide Street, Alfred Street and Ormeau Avenue.
An exhibition showing how the Linen Quarter could look in the future is currently on display at the Ulster Hall.
The consultation runs until next month.


France has honoured four members of the French Resistance with a ceremony at the Pantheon mausoleum in Paris.

Coffins representing two men and two women who resisted the Nazis in World War Two were carried through the French capital before being interred.
The coffins contained only soil from the fighters' graves as their relatives did not want their bodies disturbed.
French President Francois Hollande said the group "embodied the spirit of the Resistance".
A ceremony was held at the Pantheon alongside the coffins of Germaine Tillion, Genevieve de Gaulle-Anthonioz, Pierre Brossolette and Jean Zay.
Tillion, who died in 2008, and de Gaulle-Anthonioz, a niece of former French leader Charles de Gaulle who died in 2002, were caught and deported to the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany.
Brossolette, a radio journalist who broadcast on the BBC during the war, committed suicide after being arrested and tortured in 1944.
Zay, who was minister of education before the war, was killed in 1944, having tried to set up a government-in-exile in north Africa.
"Faced with the occupation, with submission, they gave the same response," Mr Hollande said. "They said 'no', immediately, firmly, clearly."
Mr Hollande drew parallels with those who marched in French cities on January 11 this year, days after terror attacks on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a kosher supermarket.
The induction now sees three women interred at the Pantheon, after the scientist Marie Curie. There are now 74 men interred at the mausoleum, the first being the writer Victor Hugo.


Ama Agbeze will once again captain England after the Roses squad for the three-match Vitality Netball International Series against Jamaica was announced.

Agbeze, who skippered the side for the first time in May, is joined by Jade Clarke and Joanne Harten, who have been named as vice-captains.
Eboni Beckford-Chambers and Natalie Haythornthwaite come into the defence and mid-court respectively.
The series starts on 29 November.
England squad to face Jamaica:
Ama Agbeze (Capt.), Jade Clarke (Vice-Capt.), Joanne Harten (Vice-Capt.), Eboni Beckford-Chambers, Ellie Cardwell, Amy Clinton, Beth Cobden, Kadeen Corbin, Stacey Francis, Serena Guthrie, Natalie Haythornthwaite, Leah Kennedy, Laura Malcolm, Chiara Semple


A body found in a Nottinghamshire town has been confirmed by police as missing 13-year-old Amber Peat.

Amber disappeared from her home in Bosworth Street, Mansfield on Saturday, following a family holiday.
Her body was discovered by police officers on Tuesday near some houses in Westfield Lane, about a mile from where she lived.
Supt Matt McFarlane, who co-ordinated the search, said the cause of death was hanging.
Amber's death is not being treated as suspicious by police.
Supt McFarlane said her body was found by two officers searching an area off Westfield Lane.
He said in a statement the body was "out of sight" and would not have been apparent to anyone in the area nearby.
An officer at the scene had earlier told the BBC the area had previously been searched.
Supt McFarlane added: "Amber's mum and stepdad, Kelly and Danny [Peat], were touched by the amazing response of the local community, literally turning out in their hundreds to help search for Amber.
"They paid tribute to their daughter saying 'We'll always remember Amber for her love of singing and dancing'.
"She was never happier than reading to her younger sisters and being surrounded by her family.
"We'll treasure the memories of our last family holiday together with our beautiful daughter and we will miss her always."
Earlier, tributes were paid to the teenager.
Mike Smith, principal at Queen Elizabeth's Academy, said Amber was academically bright and had been a member of the school's choir.
Rianna Richards, 12, laid flowers in memory of her friend. She said she had been sent home from school because she was so upset.
"She was a nice person, she was funny," Rianna said.
Mr and Mrs Peat said the family had just returned from a holiday in Cornwall when Amber went missing following an argument about a household chore.
Following Amber's death, the charity Childline stressed it provided a private and confidential service for young people, which can be called on 0800 1111.


Thirty people have died and many more are missing after a huge fire engulfed a west London tower block.

While some residents of Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey building in north Kensington, escaped as the fire took hold on 14 June, others were trapped inside, eyewitnesses said. A number of injured remain in hospital and emergency services have begun the search for bodies.
Here's a visual guide to what happened that night.
Emergency services were called to the fire at the block of flats in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea just before 01:00 BST on Wednesday 14 June. It is believed to have started on the fourth floor and spread quickly.
A total of 65 people were rescued from the building by firefighters.
The blaze was not under control until 01:14 BST on Thursday - 24 hours later.
The tower, part of the Lancaster West Estate, a social housing complex of almost 1,000 homes in West London, was left extensively damaged.
All four facades were affected.
Emergency services are continuing the search for bodies, but the aftermath is so devastating police have said some victims may never be identified.
People have been leaving hand-written messages on a wall of condolence.
Prime Minister Theresa May has ordered a full public inquiry into the blaze, while police have launched a criminal investigation.
Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 by Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council.
An £8.6m refurbishment - part of a wider transformation of the estate - was completed by Rydon Construction in May last year. Work included new exterior cladding, replacement windows and a communal heating system.
The bottom four floors were also remodelled, creating seven additional homes and improvements to communal facilities.
There are now 127 flats across 21 residential floors and three levels of mixed use.
The tower is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.
Fire safety experts have pointed to cladding on the building as a possible reason the blaze spread so quickly.
Footage has shown the fire travelling up one side of the building, before engulfing the entire block.
New cladding was fitted as part of a £8.6m refurbishment of the tower, completed in May last year.
The cladding had a metal outer coating and an expanded foam interior. This polyethylene - or plastic - core is less fireproof than other alternatives.
However, even this type of cladding - when properly fitted and with its polyethylene insulation expertly encapsulated - should resist fire, the Fire Protection Association (FPA), the UK's national fire safety organisation, said.
Some exterior cladding can create cavities which, in some cases, can cause what's known as "a chimney effect", drawing flames up the cavity if there are no fire barriers.
Ray Bailey, managing director at Harley Facades Limited, which installed the cladding, said: "At this time, we are not aware of any link between the fire and the exterior cladding to the tower."
Rydon, the contractor responsible for the renovation of the tower, said its work "met all required building control, fire regulation, and health and safety standards".
It later issued a new statement, removing the previous mention of the building meeting fire regulation standards, instead saying the project met "all required building regulations".
In the aftermath of the fire, residents told the BBC how they felt ignored by the authorities and pushed out by affluent outsiders.
On Friday, anger over the response to the disaster led to a protest at the town hall in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The borough is one of the richest in the country. The average salary is £123,000: the highest in the UK.
But the median average - the midpoint of all salaries in the area - is £32,700. No other local authority in the country has such a large gap between these two averages, pointing to a huge contrast between high and low earners.
There is a similarly large gap when measuring the total income for people in the area. The average is £158,000, but the median is £38,700. Again, no other local authority in the UK reports such a difference.
Data sources: Department for Communities and Local Government, the Office for National Statistics, and Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs.


Teenage jockey David Mullins said he has "never had a feeling like it" after winning the Grand National on Rule The World at Aintree.

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The 19-year-old nephew of trainer Willie Mullins led the 33-1 chance to victory in his first ride in the world-famous race.
His nine-year-old mount, trained by Mouse Morris, triumphed by six lengths.
"Everything just went to plan. I couldn't give you a word to describe how I feel," said the jockey.
The youngster had never even walked the Aintree course before Saturday's race, but he showed his skill to make up three lengths on The Last Samuri after the final fence to take the lead at the Elbow and go on to win.
Rule The World, who has twice broken his pelvis, was the first horse since the 19th century to claim his maiden win over fences at the Grand National.
David Mullins was pleased to play his part in the victory for owners Gigginstown House Stud, headed by airline boss Michael O'Leary.
"Credit to Mouse, he told me before that this is probably one of the best horses he's ever had, he's just had small problems," added the teenager. "So to get the call to ride this one was amazing.
"I was getting worried that everything was going to plan, and then we hit the fourth-last [fence], and I was kind of delighted once we got back into a rhythm after that that something had gone wrong and it was going to happen coming across the line."
While there was joy for Mullins, there was frustration for Gigginstown's retained jockey Bryan Cooper, who opted to ride the winner's stable-mate First Lieutenant. They fell at the second.
O'Leary had sympathy for Cooper, who rode Don Cossack to victory in last month's Cheltenham Gold Cup.
"Bryan had first choice, and to be fair to him, First Lieutenant has been working out of his skin," he said.
"When Bryan made the decision on Thursday or Friday we were expecting good ground - had it been that way it would have been a very different race.
"But the rain came and it favoured horses at the bottom end of the handicap.
"Had Bryan been able to make the decision at three o'clock today he may well have chosen Rule The World.
"That's the problem for retained riders: sometimes they have to make tough decisions and they get it wrong."
After his National win, Mullins rode Ivan Grozny (16-1) to victory for his uncle in the last race of the day.
"You dream of things like this," he said. "I couldn't ask for much more. and to have a win for Willie is great after he gave me some good rides at Cheltenham."
Earlier in the day, Paul Townend, replacing the injured Ruby Walsh, had a short-priced double on Yorkhill (3-10 fav) in the Mersey Novices Hurdle and Douvan (2-13 fav) in the Maghull Novices Chase, to help him to the leading jockey award.
And World Hurdle winner Thistlecrack (2-7 fav) completed a Cheltenham-Aintree double for jockey Tom Scudamore and trainer Colin Tizzard with an easy win in the Liverpool Stayers Hurdle.


A British woman and her alleged lover have appeared before a court accused of plotting to murder her husband in India.

Sukhjit Singh, a businessman from Derby, was found with his throat slit on 2 September in Banda, Uttar Pradesh.
Police allege his wife, Ramandeep Kaur Mann, was having an affair with his childhood friend, Gurpreet Singh.
Her lawyer told the BBC she is innocent and claims a land dispute is behind the killing.
Neither of the suspects have been formally charged yet but both are in custody while police prepare to charge them with murder.
They both appeared in court via video link for a procedural hearing, at which their remand was extended.
Officials from the British High Commission have visited Ms Kaur Mann in prison to check on her welfare.
Separately, a case has been filed in the UK by her parents over the custody of the couple's two young boys.
It is expected to be heard on Saturday.


A new £21m programme to help food and drink producers has been unveiled by the Welsh Government.

Project Helix, funded by the European Union, aims to create 370 jobs over five years in west Wales and the valleys.
The money will fund research into global food trends and new ways of reducing waste.
It comes three years into a government strategy to increase the turnover of food producers in Wales by 30% by 2020.
A two-day Taste Wales event has been organised in Newport to bring together Welsh food producers and buyers from across the UK and beyond.
£4.8bn
turnover
22,100 people employed
555 businesses
85% with nine or fewer employees
30% target increase for turnover by 2020
In 2015 there were 22,100 people working in more than 500 food and drink companies in Wales.
When catering, retail, wholesale and farming are included the total working in that field reaches 223,100 and joint turnover reaches £16.8bn.
Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths said the industry was "firmly on course" to meet its growth target.
"Project Helix is the next step on the journey to ensure our food and drink industry is globally recognised for quality, creativity and skills," she said.
Cwm Farm Charcuterie was set up in Pontardawe near Swansea in 2010 by farmers Ruth and Andrew Davies.
The couple started by selling their own sausages and burgers locally from a trailer.
Their food was spotted at Conwy Food Festival and someone bought their product and sent it to a friend - Tomos Parry - who is a chef in Mayfair in London.
In 2011, they won four gold awards at the Royal Welsh Show and the following year won a grant from the Welsh Government to go to Denmark to learn how they produce pork products there.
Since then Ruth and Andrew have worked at Food Centre Wales at Horeb in Ceredigion for 18 months, perfecting their products, and have also studied salami production in Italy.
The couple now work from a small unit in Pontardawe making Welsh salami using laver bread or leeks as well as Welsh Nduja - spreadable salami.
She has meetings with major buyers, including from the United States and Hong Kong, at Taste Wales at the Celtic Manor.
"I feel I'm not going around knocking on doors, they're coming to us, all under one roof and I'll speak to as many as I can and hopefully get some orders," Mrs Davies said.
Eirlys Lloyd, of Food Centre Wales, said: "By being more strategic there is huge potential for the Welsh food and drink sector to improve and realise its ambitious growth targets."


Volkswagen cars with bigger diesel engines also contained software devices designed to cheat in emissions tests, according to US regulators.

Porsche, Audi and VW cars are all included in this new investigation, which affects at least 10,000 vehicles.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that cars with 3.0 litre engines from the years 2014 to 2016 were affected.
However VW denies the vehicles have software designed to cheat tests.
Instead the company says that cars with the 3.0 litre diesel V6 engines "had a software function which had not been adequately described in the application process".
Volkswagen said it was cooperating with the EPA to "clarify the matter".
"Volkswagen AG wishes to emphasize that no software has been installed in the 3-liter V6 diesel power units to alter emissions characteristics in a forbidden manner," the company said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Porsche said it was "surprised" by the EPA's allegations.
"Until this notice, all of our information was that the Porsche Cayenne diesel is fully compliant," it said in a statement.
The EPA says the investigation is ongoing.
"VW has once again failed its obligation to comply with the law that protects clean air for all Americans," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator at the EPA's enforcement unit.
The EPA identified these diesel models as containing software aimed at cheating tests:
Although the number of cars involved in the US is relatively small, the latest allegations from the EPA represent a very serious new headache for Volkswagen.
Firstly, it suggests that the fitting of defeat devices was more widespread than previously thought - although VW has issued a statement contesting the EPA's verdict.
If the EPA sticks to its guns, that could mean higher fines, more lawsuits - and yet more recalls over and above the millions already announced.
So the multi-billion dollar bill for the scandal may get a lot bigger.
And then there's a new brand involved: Porsche. Not a manufacturer usually associated with diesel motors, but in fact they are a popular option for larger models such as the Panamera, Macan and Cayenne.
This is very bad news for VW's new chief executive, Matthias Mueller. He's the man charged with clearing up the mess at the company.
But since he was head of Porsche before taking on the top job, if there was wrongdoing associated with Porsche cars, it would have happened on his watch.
Volkswagen: The scandal explained
VW could face long legal nightmare
VW scandal: The unanswered questions
In early September Volkswagen admitted to the EPA that cars from the model years 2009 to 2015 contained software designed to cheat emissions tests.
It said that 11 million cars were affected.
That prompted US regulators to run further tests designed to detect such defeat devices and led to today's announcement from the EPA.
"These tests have raised serious concerns about the presence of defeat devices on additional VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles. Today we are requiring VW Group to address these issues. This is a very serious public health matter," Ms Giles said.
Regulators all over the world are now looking at Volkswagen's diesel cars and the company is also facing criminal investigations.
State and federal prosecutors in the US have announced criminal investigations and German prosecutors are looking into the scandal.
The company's chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned in late September as the scale of the scandal emerged.
At the time he said he was "not aware of any wrongdoing on my part" but was acting in the interest of the company.
Last month Volkswagen reported its first quarterly loss for at least 15 years after taking a big charge to cover the costs of the scandal.
VW said it had set aside â‚¬6.7bn ($7.4bn; Â£4.8bn) to cover costs related to emissions cheating, which left it with a â‚¬2.52bn pre-tax loss for the third quarter of the year.
Many analysts expect that the firm will have to set aside more money to cover the recall of cars, penalties and lawsuits.


Coaching director Scott Johnson will leave the Ospreys at the end of the season to take up the role of Scotland senior assistant coach.

Johnson confirmed his departure and the Scottish Rugby Union announced that he will be available for the June tour to Australia, Fiji and Samoa.
"I will not be looking to renew [my contract] at the end of the season," said the 49-year-old Australian.
Scotland coach Andy Robinson has been seeking an experienced coach.
Johnson added: "When I joined the region I had a remit to help set-up systems that would enable us to bring through home grown talent, coaches and players, a challenge I've thoroughly enjoyed getting my teeth into over the last three years.
"I feel that now is the right time for me to move on to other challenges but I remain 100% committed to the Ospreys between now and the end of the season."
The real legacy he [Johnson] will leave is the systems and structures he has helped to develop that will allow us to continue leading the way in Wales
Johnson's role with Scotland is thought to also include some involvement with Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Ospreys chief operations officer Andrew Hore said: "It is a huge disappointment for us to be losing Scott at the end of the season, but we understand that he feels it is the right time for him to move on to other challenges having served the three years he committed himself to us for originally."
Hore added: "By informing us of his intentions at this early stage, it allows us to use this time to consider our next course of action and the options available to us as we plan for the future."
Managing director Roger Blyth said: "While he has brought silverware to the Liberty Stadium and we hope that will be the case once again this season, the real legacy he will leave is the systems and structures he has helped to develop that will allow us to continue leading the way in Wales."
Johnson joined the Ospreys ahead of the 2009-10 season, leaving the role of USA Eagles national coach to do so.
He first arrived in Wales as a skills coach during 2011 World Cup winning coach Graham Henry's reign and was assistant coach during the Steve Hansen and Mike Ruddock eras.
Wales won their first Grand Slam in 27 years under Ruddock in 2005 and many credited Johnson with playing a key role in that achievement.
Johnson became Wales caretaker coach during the 2006 Six Nations following Ruddock's controversial departure.
In March 2006 Johnson became one of John Connolly's assistant coaches and selectors ahead of the Wallabies' 2007 World Cup campaign.
In 2008 he became USA coach and left the following year to return to Wales with the Ospreys.
During his time at the Liberty Stadium, they reached the 2009-10 Heineken Cup quarter-finals where they were defeated 29-28 by Biarritz.
A year later they bowed out after a tough pool stage featuring Munster, Toulon and London Irish and this term are struggling in the competition having drawn 26-26 in Treviso and lost back-to-back games against Saracens in Pool Five.
In what was the Magners League, the Ospreys' greatest triumph came in Johnson's first Ospreys term, a 17-12 win over Leinster in Dublin in the tournament's inaugural Grand Final.
Ahead of the 2011-12 season they lost high-profile players James Hook, Lee Byrne, Jerry Collins, Marty Holah and Mike Phillips and were without a glut of Test stars playing for Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Samoa at the World Cup.
But after a strong start in what is now the Pro12 League, the Ospreys lie second to Leinster with eight wins from 11 games.
Wasps coach Dai Young and Johnson coached the Barbarians when they beat Wales in June, 2011.
Johnson was Wales' observer of Sir Clive Woodward's British and Irish Lions back-room staff during the ill-fated 2005 tour to New Zealand.
Scotland coach Robinson was a Woodward assistant on that tour and has sought someone of the right calibre to be his right-hand man.
"I am delighted Scott has agreed to join the Scotland coaching team. I have huge respect for him as a coach and a person having coached against him on numerous occasions," Robinson said.
At the 2011 World Cup Scotland failed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time and Robinson is keen to emulate the template that brought the All Blacks success at the tournament.
Graham Henry had Test-hardened coaches in former Wales coach Steve Hansen and ex-All Blacks head coach Wayne Smith as his assistants.
Johnson's solicitor, Duncan Sandlant, of Esportif international, had indicated that Scotland was not his only option, saying: "Scott has a number of options which he is seriously considering."
The Australian had been linked in reports in New Zealand with a role as assistant to new All Blacks head coach Hansen.
But Ian Foster's appointment as one of Hansen's back-room staff made such a move unlikely for Johnson.