Preston North End have signed strikers Stevie May and Eoin Doyle from Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City respectively.

May, 22, made 42 appearances for Wednesday and joins North End on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Doyle, 27, signed for Cardiff from Chesterfield in January and joins Preston on a season-long loan deal.
Doyle scored 25 goals from just 33 appearances for Chesterfield last season prior to joining the Bluebirds.
"Stevie and Eoin are players that we've been after in the past," North End boss Simon Grayson said. "When the option became available to be able to sign one permanently and one on loan, it was a great opportunity to get good players who will enhance the squad."
For all the latest on transfer deadline day, click here.


Suzy Eises is a saxophonist from Namibia who has shared the stage with South Africa’s Jimmy Dludlu and other African artists.

30 November 2016 Last updated at 01:55 GMT
She's been telling the BBC about working on her debut album and teaching jazz and the sax to young kids in the Namibian capital Windhoek.


Police have released CCTV images of two men they want to trace over the theft of Roman jewellery from a shop in York.

Two men went into The Red House Antique Centre in Duncombe Place and forced open a cabinet, stealing a number of valuable gold and silver pieces.
North Yorkshire Police said the items were distinctive, unique and of historical importance.
They include three pairs of gold earrings, a bracelet and a necklace dating back to the 3rd Century AD.
Anyone with information about the theft, which happened at about 09:55 BST on 22 April is asked to contact police.


Champions Juventus went four points clear at the top of Serie A with a comfortable win over Sassuolo.

Gonzalo Higuain tapped in a brilliant Alex Sandro cross and Sami Khedira smashed home after Paulo Dybala stepped over a Higuain cross.
Dybala hit the post with a 25-yard effort in the second half as the champions eased to victory.
Sassuolo's best chance came when Matteo Politano and Alessandro Matri forced a double save from Gianluigi Buffon.
Juventus, chasing a sixth consecutive title, are now four points above second-placed Roma, who lost 3-2 at Sampdoria having led twice. Juve also have a game in hand on the capital side.
In Sunday's late game, third-placed Napoli drew 1-1 with struggling Palermo. They are two points behind Roma.
Elsewhere in Serie A, AC Milan lost 2-1 to Udinese and Genoa drew 3-3 at Fiorentina, with Giovanni Simeone scoring twice.
Diego Falcinelli scored a hat-trick as 18th-placed Crotone beat Empoli to boost their slim survival hosts. They are now eight points adrift of their opponents, who sit 17th.
Cagliari and Bologna - who had two men sent off in the closing stages - drew 1-1, as did Torino and Atalanta.
Match ends, Sassuolo 0, Juventus 2.
Second Half ends, Sassuolo 0, Juventus 2.
Alex Sandro (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Luca Antei (Sassuolo).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus) because of an injury.
Foul by Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus).
Francesco Acerbi (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Juventus. Tomás Rincón replaces Juan Cuadrado.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Matteo Politano (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Antonino Ragusa (Sassuolo) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Gregoire Defrel.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Matteo Politano (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo).
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo).
Substitution, Juventus. Marko Pjaca replaces Paulo Dybala.
Substitution, Sassuolo. Antonino Ragusa replaces Alessandro Matri.
Alex Sandro (Juventus) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo).
Foul by Miralem Pjanic (Juventus).
Federico Peluso (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alfred Duncan (Sassuolo).
Attempt missed. Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Juan Cuadrado with a cross.
Attempt missed. Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) header from the left side of the six yard box is too high. Assisted by Miralem Pjanic with a cross.
Attempt saved. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Juan Cuadrado with a through ball.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gregoire Defrel (Sassuolo).
Federico Peluso (Sassuolo) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Federico Peluso (Sassuolo).
Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Paulo Dybala with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Juventus. Conceded by Luca Antei.
Alex Sandro (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Luca Antei (Sassuolo).


Weightlifter Rebekah Tiler is among the Young Sports Personality nominees for the fourth year in a row.

The 17-year-old was Team GB's only female weightlifter at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, finishing in 10th place.
That came after she won three bronzes (overall bronze, as well as individual medals in the snatch - with a best of 99kg and 123kg in the clean and jerk) at the European Weightlifting Championships in April,.
Rebekah started weightlifting at the age of 12, when one of her coaches noticed her strength and she switched from sprinting.  Since then, she has broken a whole host of records during her career.
Here, Rebekah answers questions set by BBC News School Reporters from Aston Manor Academy in Birmingham.
If you weren't an athlete, what would you want to be and why?
I'd like to be an actress - I always enjoyed drama at school and I think it'd be cool to be in an action movie!
What or who made you get into sport?
My parents - they took me along to local clubs and always encouraged and supported me in my training.
What do you like to do to relax when you aren't busy training?
I like to go on long walks with my family in the Dales and spend time with my friends, go shopping and do normal things!
Who is your biggest inspiration?
No-one in particular - I admire people who have achieved what I want to do in the future - and that's becoming Olympic champion!
Ellie Downie (Gymnastics)
Sophie Ecclestone (Cricket)
Keelan Giles (Rugby Union)
Tom Hamer (Para-swimming)
Ellie Robinson (Para-swimming)
Lauren Rowles (Para-rowing)
Georgia Stanway (Football)
Jess Stretton (Para-archery)
Amy Tinkler (Gymnastics)
Read more about shortlist
Describe what a typical day of training is like for you
I train twice a day, two hours each session, five times a week. In the morning's session, I mainly focus on strengthening exercises and in the afternoon, I move into full lifts.
What keeps you motivated to train?
My end goal - to become Olympic champion!
(Other than yourself!) who do you think is a brilliant role model for aspiring athletes?
This is a good question! I think it depends on the sport - for me, I've always looked up to Jessica Ennis. I also started out as a sprinter and I really admire what she's achieved.
What do you think is the biggest myth about being a successful sportsperson?
I don't think many people realise how important it is to have a balanced lifestyle - yes you have to train hard and focus on your diet but it's also really important to get some downtime and make sure that you have some normality in your day-to-day life.
What do you eat in the day to keep you fuelled for training?
It's important to have a good breakfast - usually porridge or Weetabix. Then lunch is often steak with jacket potato or white rice and for dinner I usually have chicken or fish with veg. After training I'll have a protein shake and during the day I'll also snack on healthy foods like fruit.
What advice would you give to other young people wanting to get into competitive sports?
Try it - you never know how good you'll be at something unless you give it a go. Make sure you give 100% in what you do and don't worry about what others think - as long as you're enjoying it!
What kind of support network do you think you need in the sports industry?
Having a big support network is really important - this includes coaching staff, physios, nutritionists and sponsors. Family and friends are also a big part of this.
How do you feel before a major event or competition and how do you manage your nerves?
It depends on the competition - if it's in the UK and especially in the north (where I'm from), I get really excited, but if it's abroad and I'm representing GB I tend to get more nervous. To manage this I take lots of deep breaths and make sure I listen to my coach Eddie. I then focus on going out and doing my best!
Do you have a certain ritual or routine you follow before a competition and if so what?
I don't really have one particular thing I do - I do always wear my hair the same though and I lift my feet up before I walk out on to the platform.
What is your 'golden moment' so far in your career?
It has to be competing at the Olympics in Rio - I was so proud to be able to not only represent my country, but also female weightlifters.
What is/was your favourite subject at school and why?
PE - I really enjoyed it, found it pretty easy and I enjoyed beating everyone!


About 110,000 bees are being removed from a Cardiff hospital after honey dripped down the walls of a ward.

Patients in Rookwood Hospital's elderly care assessment unit were stunned to see it coming from a roof space.
Staff tried to stop the honey flowing onto the floor with towels before calling pest control.
A specialist company removed the hive and returned on Tuesday to take a further 50,000 bees from a different building.
"It may sound like something of biblical proportions, honey coming through the walls and ceiling," said Abigail Reade, from the not-for-profit company The Tree Bee Society.
"But people walking past wouldn't have noticed [the hive] and it kept growing."
Ms Reade said a normal colony contains about 50,000 bees but there were between 60,000 and 70,000 above the elderly care assessment unit as it had been there for about five years.
As one of the only specialist companies in the UK, the hospital contacted The Tree Bee Society, which is based in Lancashire.
"There are two ways of removing bees. We could have trapped them out by putting a one way valve in that allows them to go out but not in," said Ms Reade.
"That would have taken three months. But we needed to be quick as there could have been issues with it being a busy day ward for the elderly."
Instead, they used a circular saw to cut a hole in the roof and took the hive out, fixing it on to a frame, which allowed them to collect the bees in a box.
After that, they allowed some of the 1.5 million bees from their Ormskirk base to eat away the remaining honey from the roof.
Ms Reade described the size of the hive as "unusual", but said it had space to keep expanding and it was only discovered after the warm summer melted the wax, allowing honey to drip down the walls.
During the removal, a second hive was discovered in a roof of another unit used to test patients' ability to drive.
The team intend to take the hive to their base in Lancashire, where soap, candles and furniture polish will be made from wax.
While Ms Reade said the bees would have posed no danger to patients, she added that stings were "part of the job" for those removing them.


Bournemouth will hand a fitness test to Harry Arter, who picked up a calf problem in the victory over West Ham.

Andrew Surman returns from a one-match ban but Tyrone Mings is still suspended and Junior Stanislas remains a doubt with a groin injury.
Swansea top scorer Fernando Llorente has recovered from the dead leg he sustained against Hull last weekend.
However, Martin Olsson and Angel Rangel are out after suffering ankle and foot injuries respectively during that game.
Mark Scott: "Strikers were in the spotlight for these two sides last weekend.
"Joshua King shrugged off a missed penalty to continue his hot streak, while Swansea struggled when Fernando Llorente was forced off.
"So Eddie Howe's relief at Bournemouth ending their winless run would have been an emotion shared by Paul Clement upon learning his top scorer will be fit for this one.
"You'd argue the loss at Hull was Swansea's first real setback under Clement, as their only other league defeats came against Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.
"He was disappointed with their defending at the KCOM Stadium and, given both clubs are far from watertight at the back, we should be in for goals (…cue a 0-0 and last spot on MOTD!)"
Twitter: @Mark_Scott
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: "With so few games to go each game takes on more importance. On the back of last week's win we want to keep pushing forwards and continuing our form.
"We're confident and we believe in ourselves, the players showed last week their ability to score goals, which is crucial at any stage of the season."
Swansea City head coach Paul Clement: "It's more than likely that we will not be safe before the end of the season.
"We have done very well against teams through January and in to February.
"Clearly we're very disappointed after Hull, not necessarily that we lost the game but that we allowed a team below us to get closer to us."
Bournemouth are at home, where they always seem to create a lot of chances. They often leave themselves wide open at the back too, but I fancy them to win again on Saturday.
Prediction: 2-1
Lawro's full predictions v boxer Anthony Crolla
Head-to-head
Bournemouth
Swansea City
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.


A fragile quantum memory state has been held stable at room temperature for a "world record" 39 minutes - overcoming a key barrier to ultrafast computers.

"Qubits" of information encoded in a silicon system persisted for almost 100 times longer than ever before.
Quantum systems are notoriously fickle to measure and manipulate, but if harnessed could transform computing.
The new benchmark was set by an international team led by Mike Thewalt of Simon Fraser University, Canada.
"This opens the possibility of truly long-term storage of quantum information at room temperature," said Prof Thewalt, whose achievement is detailed in the journal Science.
In conventional computers, "bits" of data are stored as a string of 1s and 0s.
But in a quantum system, "qubits" are stored in a so-called "superposition state" in which they can be both 1s and 0 at the same time - enabling them to perform multiple calculations simultaneously.
The trouble with qubits is their instability - typical devices "forget" their memories in less than a second.
There is no Guinness Book of quantum records. But unofficially, the previous best for a solid state system was 25 seconds at room temperature, or three minutes under cryogenic conditions.
In this new experiment, scientists encoded information into the nuclei of phosphorus atoms held in a sliver of purified silicon.
Magnetic field pulses were used to tilt the spin of the nuclei and create superposition states - the qubits of memory.
The team prepared the sample at -269C, close to absolute zero - the lowest temperature possible.
When they raised the system to room temperature (just above 25C) the superposition states survived for 39 minutes.
What's more, they found they could manipulate the qubits as the temperature of the system rose and fell back towards absolute zero.
At cryogenic temperatures, their quantum memory system remained coherent for three hours.
"Having such robust, as well as long-lived, qubits could prove very helpful for anyone trying to build a quantum computer," said co-author Stephanie Simmons of Oxford University's department of materials.
"39 minutes may not seem very long. But these lifetimes are many times longer than previous experiments.
"We've managed to identify a system that seems to have basically no noise."
However she cautions there are still many hurdles to overcome before large-scale quantum computations can be performed.
For one thing, their memory device was built with a highly purified form of silicon - free from the magnetic isotopes which interfere with the spin of nuclei.
For another, the spins of the 10 billion or so phosphorus ions used in this experiment were all placed in the same quantum state.
Whereas to run calculations, physicists will need to place different qubits in different states - and control how they couple and interact.
"To have them controllably talking to one another - that would address the last big remaining challenge," said Dr Simmons.
Independent experts in the quantum field said the new record was an "exciting breakthrough" that had long been predicted.
"This result represents an important step towards realising quantum devices," said David Awschalom, professor in Spintronics and Quantum Information, at the University of Chicago.
"However, a number of intriguing challenges still remain. For instance - will it be possible to precisely control the local electron-nuclear interaction to enable initialisation, storage, and readout of the nuclear spin states?"
The previous "world record" for a solid state quantum system at room temperature - 25 seconds - was held by Dr Thaddeus Ladd, formerly of Stanford University's Quantum Information Science unit, now working for HRL Laboratories.
"It's remarkable that these coherence states could be held for so long in a measurable system - as measurement normally introduces noise," he told BBC News.
"It's also a nice surprise that nothing goes wrong warming up and cooling the sample again - from an experimental point of view that's pretty remarkable.
"What is perhaps most important is that this is silicon. The global investment in this particular material means that it has a lot of potential for engineering."


An independent review of the UK's economic statistics has been launched by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Charlie Bean.

It will consider whether the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is well-placed to cope with future challenges.
Chancellor George Osborne commissioned the review at the time of last month's Budget and is expecting interim recommendations in the autumn.
It is calling for submissions from users of statistics by 25 September.
Sir Charlie told the BBC that he was not expecting to be able to cover all areas of the review in the interim report and that some aspects would only be included in the final report, which is scheduled to be published in time for the 2016 Budget.
Among the areas the review will consider will be whether the producers of official statistics are well-placed to keep pace with the latest advances in data collection.
Sir Charlie said that much of the framework of the UK's economic statistics had been developed after the Great Depression of the 1930s.
As part of its attempts to open itself up to new sources of data, earlier this year the ONS appointed open data expert Heather Savory as its deputy national statistician in charge of data capability.
Among her successes so far has been modernising the software used by ONS staff and their wifi arrangements.
However, staff exploring the possibilities offered by alternative data sources have had problems with the ONS's IT firewall. Attempts to modernise - for example, by including figures from online supermarket shopping in the inflation figures - seem to have been progressing slowly.
There have been two other reviews of the ONS in the past 12 months. Sir Charlie said he was not planning to duplicate recent research and that he would use the existing work as an input into his own report.
Last year, Dame Kate Barker published her own independent review of the national accounts and balance of payments statistics.
She suggested that the ONS should establish a team of economists, possibly in London, which would allow it to draw on expertise from other government departments.
In 2007, the ONS announced that it was moving all of the statistical work that it carried out in London to other parts of the country, with most of the functions relocating to Newport. The vast majority of the existing staff decided not to relocate.
Sir Charlie said there would not be a big focus on whether the move to Newport was a mistake but that he was likely to examine what the consequences were.
Also in the past year, Institute for Fiscal Studies director Paul Johnson published a review of the ONS measures of inflation, which encouraged the government to stop using the retail prices index as soon as possible because of its flawed methodology.
There was some surprise in 2013 when the ONS decided to leave the methodology behind the RPI unchanged despite identifying problems with the calculation that meant it overestimated inflation.


A former resident of the Haut de la Garenne children's home says she heard boys being taken from a dormitory screaming.

Winifred Lockhart, 70, grew up in care in the island and moved to the UK in the early 1960s, but returned to give evidence to the care inquiry.
She was first female resident of what was called the Jersey Home for Boys.
Mrs Lockhart said when she tried to speak out to senior staff she would be hit and told to stop making up stories.
She told of her experience of living in care in the island to the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, which is investigating historical abuse allegations in Jersey's care system.
Mrs Lockhart described being beaten while living with one foster family and made to wash outside while other children used a tin bath inside.
She said she regularly wet the bed, was refused drinks by her foster mother and, on one occasion, was made to sleep on straw in a shed.
Mrs Lockhart said: "She would just stop the drinks, told me I wasn't allowed a drink. I would have one [in the] early morning and that was it."
She described collecting rain in a tin can so she had something to drink.
After suffering from nits and scabies, she was taken from the foster family and sent to the Jersey Home for Girls, the inquiry was told.
After problems at the Jersey Home for Girls, where she said the head of the home regularly beat the children under her care, she was moved to the home later known as Haut de la Garenne.
Mrs Lockhart said after a few months of being in the home she started to hear boys screaming things such as "please leave me alone" in the night.
She was in a room on her own opposite a dormitory for boys aged 13 and 14. She said a number of boys were taken, but one boy in particular seemed to be singled out, the inquiry heard.
Mrs Lockhart said: "I would say to him 'he came and got you again in the night' and he would say: 'Shhh. Don't say anything'."
She said: "This used to go on quite a bit and when I used to tell them in the morning they would say stop making up stories, stop lying and they would hit me then and then they put me under psychiatrists.
"I knew I wasn't dreaming it, I knew I was telling the truth even to this day.
"I would speak to the other boys in the same dormitory and they knew what was happening and could hear.
"They wouldn't intervene because they didn't think they would be believed."
She also described a "kind of dungeon" where the boys were taken as a punishment that was known as being sent "down there".
Mrs Lockhart eventually went to live with her uncle when she was aged about 15 before moving to the UK.
The inquiry continues.


Air pollution is linked to an increased risk of stroke, a large global study in the British Medical Journal suggests.

Scientists say even short-term spikes in pollution were mirrored by a rise in strokes - particularly in low and middle-income countries.
The work builds on earlier studies linking pollution to cardiovascular risk.
UK experts say although pollution is lower in the developed world, it may still pose a significant risk.
Parts of the UK are breaching pollution limits set by the European Union in 2010.
And the UK government says some major cities may well continue to do so until at least 2025.
The European Environment Agency warns that air pollution can lead to major illness and contribute to premature deaths.
The latest study looked specifically at the risk of stroke. Scientists from Edinburgh University scoured the results of 94 studies covering 28 countries across the world.
They say the trends were consistent  - a short-term rise in pollution was associated with a rise in the number of people admitted to hospital for strokes and in stroke deaths.
The link was the strongest in low and middle-income countries and on the day people were exposed to high pollution.
The review looked at a range of possible pollutants - from gases such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide to fine soot particles known as PM 2.5.
Dr Anoop Shah, lead author of the study, said: "This study now demonstrates that even short-term exposure to air pollution can trigger disabling strokes or death from stroke.
"One of the key differences between risk of stroke due to air pollution and other risk factors such as smoking or high blood pressure is that the whole general population is exposed.
"As such, this increased risk of stroke is in the general population and not just those previously thought to be at high risk."
But Dr Shamim Quadir at the Stroke Association said more work was needed to establish how strong this link is and whether or not air pollution could be considered as a risk factor for stroke.
The British Heart Foundation, which funded the study, says there is an urgent need for the UK government to meet pollution targets.
It says failure to do so could be putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk - though further research is needed to confirm this estimate.
The charity suggests people with heart conditions or lung disease should monitor air pollution where they live and work.


France's prime minister says he will pay €2,500 (£1,825) for taking his children on a controversial trip to the Champions League final in Berlin.

Manuel Valls came under pressure after using a government Falcon jet to take two sons to the match on Saturday.
He insists he was on an official trip to discuss the Euro 2016 championship, which France is hosting.
But Mr Valls said he was sensitive to public reaction and agreed to pay the costs for his children.
Speaking on a visit to the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, the PM said the trip was "nothing out of the ordinary" and stressed that his sons' presence added nothing to the cost.
But he said France had "no need for a pointless controversy" and "to remove any ambiguity, I decided to assume the cost of the trip for my two children".
The whole cost of the journey is said to have been around €20,000.
Aides close to Mr Valls said the €2,500 payment was based on the average price of taking a commercial flight for the round trip from Poitiers to Berlin.
However some commentators said the cost of hiring the Falcon jet, along with the security provision required, would be much more.
The prime minister says he travelled to the Champions League final to meet Uefa President Michel Platini to discuss issues such as Euro 2016 and the Fifa corruption scandal.
But the use of a government plane to transport him and his sons to see Barcelona beat Juventus 3-1 prompted disbelief.
Born in Barcelona, Mr Valls is a supporter of the European champions.
Earlier this week opposition MPs called on Mr Valls to pay back the cost of the flight, and he faced a series of jibes in the National Assembly.
The scandal sparked a storm of reaction on social media, with the hashtag #Vallsgate trending in France on Wednesday.
Correspondents say the row has threatened to overshadow major reforms aimed at softening labour laws for small and medium-sized businesses and adding tens of thousands of jobs to the labour market.
Under the "Small Business Act", businesses with no employees would be granted €4,000 (£2,920; $4,500) for giving their first worker a year-long contract.
Unemployment in France is at 10% and Mr Valls also proposed that employers should be allowed to extend temporary contracts up to a maximum of 18 months.


York boss Gary Mills saw his side's relegation fears increased as his ex-club Wrexham fought back for victory.

A goal after 80 seconds from Jon Parkin gave York the perfect start, but two strikes from Jordan White saw the Welsh side take control.
The desperate Minstermen had second-half chances, but substitute Leo Smith fired home for Wrexham in added time.
A first win in eight games for Wrexham left York still outside the relegation places on goal difference.
Match ends, York City 1, Wrexham 3.
Second Half ends, York City 1, Wrexham 3.
Goal!  York City 1, Wrexham 3. Leo Smith (Wrexham).
Substitution, Wrexham. Leo Smith replaces Oliver Shenton.
Substitution, York City. Aidan Connolly replaces Asa Hall.
Substitution, York City. Sam Muggleton replaces Shaun Rooney.
Goal!  York City 1, Wrexham 2. Jordan White (Wrexham).
Second Half begins York City 1, Wrexham 1.
First Half ends, York City 1, Wrexham 1.
Goal!  York City 1, Wrexham 1. Jordan White (Wrexham).
Goal!  York City 1, Wrexham 0. Jon Parkin (York City).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


Former MP George Galloway has announced he has started legal proceedings to challenge his general election defeat.

Mr Galloway, leader of the Respect Party, lost his Bradford West seat to Labour's Naz Shah, who he has alleged made "false statements" during the campaign to affect the result.
He also claimed "widespread malpractice" involving postal voting meant the result must be "set aside".
A Labour spokesman said the action was "pathetic and without any foundation".
Mr Galloway won the Bradford West seat in a by-election in 2012, but lost to Ms Shah - who secured a majority of more than 11,000 in last week's general election.
However, the bitter campaign was dogged by claims and counter-claims between Labour and Respect over a number of issues - particularly relating to Ms Shah's family background.
Labour accused Mr Galloway of breaching election law by making false statements during the campaign.
A spokesman for Mr Galloway said the legal action was at an early stage.
A complaint had been made under section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, which related to candidates making false statements during campaigns, the spokesman said.
In a further statement, Mr Galloway - a former Labour MP - said: "It has come to my notice that there has been widespread malpractice in this election, particularly over postal voting.
"We are in the process of compiling the information which will form part of our petition to have the result set aside."
A Labour spokesman said: "George Galloway should accept he was booted out by the people of Bradford West.
"They saw through his divisive politics and made a positive choice, by a majority of well over 11,000, to elect a brilliant new MP, Naz Shah."
Mr Galloway was reported to police on Thursday for allegedly sending a tweet about exit polls before voting closed - which is banned under election law.
His spokesman called the allegation a "storm in a thimble".


Average monthly rents for England and Wales are just £1 behind their all-time high, according to a report.

The buy-to-let index, produced by LSL Property Services, shows average rents rose to £743 in August - a monthly rise of 0.7%. The record high of £744 a month was in October 2012.
Compared with August 2012, they are up 1.3%. However that is still below the inflation rate of 2.7%.
London saw the highest rent increases with prices up 4.8% year-on-year.
Wales saw the second highest jump, a rise of 2.3%, while Yorkshire and the Humber are 1.6% lower than in 2012.
The overall figures contrast with last month's report which showed that private tenants were experiencing smaller rent increases than normal.
David Newnes, director of LSL Property Services, put this down to stronger demand - due in part to students returning to university and living in rented accommodation.
"Better availability of finance has allowed some households to leave the rental market. And rents certainly felt the short-term impact of that," explained Mr Newnes.
"But releasing a blast of pent-up pressure to buy a home is unlikely to change the long-term trend in renting. Although government schemes are helping, buying a first home is still extremely hard on the back of low salary growth."
LSL owns the property chains Your Move and Reeds Rains.
In response to the survey, Shelter's chief executive Campbell Robb said  "Until we get to the root of the problem by building more affordable homes, more and more ordinary people are going to be left behind by our housing shortage."
But the government says it is working to help renters.
"Official Valuation Office Agency figures show that median rents were unchanged nationally over the past year," said the housing minister Mark Prisk.
"However, this government is determined to kickstart a bigger, better private rented sector that gives tenants more choice," he added.
"That's why we're getting Britain building more rented homes, with a £1 billion investment to help developers build to rent and a further £10 billion in loan guarantees to help grow the number of rented and affordable homes."
The findings chime with a recent assessment from the Office for National Statistics in which it found that London rental prices were seeing sharper rises than the rest of the country.


A man who sexually assaulted and stabbed a girl 32 years ago has been given a life sentence for her murder.

Melanie Road, 17, was attacked as she made her way home from a nightclub in Bath in June 1984.
Christopher Hampton, who changed his plea to guilty as his murder trial was due to begin at Bristol Crown Court, must serve a minimum term of 22 years.
Hampton, 64, was caught in 2015 after police linked DNA from Melanie's clothing to his daughter.
She had been arrested aged 41 in 2014 for a "minor incident" and her DNA profile was taken, leading the police to her father.
Sentencing Hampton, Mr Justice Popplewell  told him the attack had been "lengthy and brutal" and "for your own sexual gratification".
"She was repeatedly stabbed - 26 times in all - with a sharp-edged knife, causing four-inch wounds.
"Eight of the wounds were to her breasts.
"You first stabbed her while she was on her feet on the street on her way home, before chasing her some 30 metres round the corner to the cul-de-sac where she died."
Following the attack, Hampton married his second wife and had a daughter, Amy, and stepson Darren with her.
"You married and had a child and lived your family life for all those years knowing the extreme misery you must have inflicted on your victim's family but you were too callous and cowardly to put an end to their heartache," the judge told Hampton.
"You will very likely die in prison."
On the night of her death, Melanie had gone out with her boyfriend and friends to the Beau Nash, a nightclub in Kingston Parade.
She left the club in the early hours of 9 June and was last seen alive by her friends a short time later in Broad Street.
A milkman found her body, which was lying in a pool of blood.
Kate Brunner QC told the court that Hampton, from Fishponds in Bristol, subjected Melanie to a "vicious and sustained" sexual assault then partially redressed her, possibly after she had died.
Three decades a later, a familial match was identified between Hampton's daughter's DNA and the DNA taken from Melanie's body and clothing.
"As a result, her father Christopher Hampton was asked for, and gave, a voluntary mouth swab," Ms Brunner said.
"Christopher Hampton's DNA was found to match the DNA from semen staining from the fly and crotch of Melanie Road's trousers."
Melanie's mother Jean said when she first saw Hampton in court she thought he was "a monster".
"I then realised his wife and daughter were sitting behind me - both with blonde hair like Melanie," said Mrs Road.
"It hurts beyond repair - how can he do that to somebody and then live with people and with them not knowing?"
In a witness impact statement, Melanie's older sister Karen told the court: "You would think that nothing could be worse then being told that your little sister has been sexually attacked and brutally murderedâ€¦ what is worse is no-one being charged with her murder.
"For 32 years this evil person has not owned up to this horrific crime.
"I want to be able to remember her life instead of focussing on her death. She is my sister, she is a person, she deserves to be remembered for herself."
An impact statement from Melanie's brother Adrian Road said: "When they told me, I cried, uncontrollably, I cried.
"My six-year-old daughter asked me "Daddy, why are you crying?" I had to tell her, "The man who killed Aunty Melanie, my little sister a long time ago, has now been caught, so we are all safe."
Directly addressing Hampton, Mr Road said: "You killed Melanie, you raped her, you mutilated her, and you chose to abandon her, you abandoned her when she was dying, our little sister Melanie.
"She was a lovely girl and I loved her."


Northern Ireland victims groups have criticised a suggestion that there should be an end to prosecutions for Troubles killings.

NI's Attorney General John Larkin said there should be an end to investigations into killings before the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Prime Minister David Cameron said such a move would be "rather dangerous".
None of Northern Ireland's main political parties have supported the idea.
Mr Larkin had said there should be no further police investigations, inquests or inquiries into any relevant killings that took place before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
That means all deaths caused by paramilitaries, police or the Army.
Mr Larkin said his proposal was not a formal amnesty, but was a logical consequence of the agreement.
His comments came as former US diplomat Richard Haass tries to broker a political agreement over how to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland's past, as well as controversial parades and the flying of flags.
Relatives of Troubles victims have criticised Mr Larkin's suggestion.
Patrick Corrigan from Amnesty International called Mr Larkin's proposals "an utter betrayal of victims' fundamental right to access justice".
Stephen Gault, whose father Samuel was killed in the 1987 IRA Poppy Day bombing in Enniskillen, said: "How dare he airbrush the innocent people who were murdered at the hands of terrorists to move things forward. I just think it's totally disgusting."
The conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century is known as the Troubles.
More than 3,600 people were killed and thousands more injured.
During a period of 30 years, many acts of violence were carried out by paramilitaries and the security forces.
Read more about the Troubles
Kate Nash, whose brother was shot dead by the Army on Bloody Sunday in 1972, said: "I'm absolutely incensed by what the attorney general is saying - my brother didn't matter, my brother was murdered almost 42 years ago."
Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron said: "We are all democrats who believe in the rule of law, who believe in the independence of the police and prosecuting authorities, and they should if they are able to, be able to bring cases.
"I think it's rather dangerous to think that you can put some sort of block on that.
"But of course we are all interested in ways in which people can reconcile and come to terms with the bloody past, so that they can build a viable future and a shared future for Northern Ireland."
Northern Ireland's Justice Minister David Ford said: "I don't agree at all with the suggestion made by the attorney general that the criminal justice system should no longer have a role in dealing with the past.
"We need a process that includes justice, truth and reconciliation - I don't believe that we will get any one of these without the other."
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the largest political party in Northern Ireland, said the attorney general had not consulted the Stormont Executive about his proposals before making them public.
The party's Jeffery Donaldson said: "There is no nation in the free world today where murder is not a crime, you cannot say that murder is not a crime - it is.
"There are 3,000 unsolved murders in Northern Ireland and those families are entitled to the right to pursue justice."
Sinn FÃ©in's Gerry Kelly said: "There's many different views of what you do with the truth or post-truth, but the one thing that we've all agreed to, is the truth needs to get out.
"Now if what John Larkin is doing is drawing a line in the sand and closing down the ability to bring out truth, then I would fundamentally disagree."
The nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) said the attorney general's remarks were a "cause of real concern".
SDLP justice spokesperson Alban Maginness said victims and survivors of state and paramilitary violence were "entitled to justice irrespective of the lapse of time".
As criminal justice matters have been devolved to Northern Ireland, theoretically it would be up to the Stormont Executive to pass any law "drawing a line" under Troubles prosecutions.
However, some Troubles offences took place in England, the Republic of Ireland, or elsewhere in Europe. The Northern Ireland Executive has no jurisdiction over these territories.
Moreover, any bar on prosecutions could be challenged under European human rights law.
The Northern Ireland attorney general argues there are precedents which might make his proposal compliant with the European Convention On Human Rights.
However, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has said this latest initiative risks undermining the human rights of people in Northern Ireland.
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said he was deeply suspicious about the timing of Mr Larkin's comments.
"I am shocked at the lack of consultation particularly with victims, never mind the executive," he said.  "I can't believe he didn't understand the hurt and pain he would cause amongst victims."
Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister said he was "appalled and angry" at the attorney general's proposal.
"Murder is murder, is murder. It has no sell-by date. It didn't have for the Nazis, who have still been pursued," he said.
"Northern Ireland's criminals must equally never be relieved of the threat of the long arm of the law catching up with them."
More than 3,500 people were killed during three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.
The attorney general, who is the chief legal adviser to the Stormont Executive for civil and criminal matters, said the proposal was a logical consequence of the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Mr Larkin told the BBC: "More than 15 years have passed since the Belfast Agreement, there have been very few prosecutions, and every competent criminal lawyer will tell you the prospects of conviction diminish, perhaps exponentially, with each passing year, so we are in a position now where I think we have to take stock.
"It strikes me that the time has come to think about putting a line, set at Good Friday 1998, with respect to prosecutions, inquests and other inquiries."
Commenting on the remarks, Northern Ireland's Chief Constable Matt Baggott said: "It is well documented that the cost of policing the past has a massive impact on how we deal with the present and the future.
"Whilst we are committed to meeting our current legislative responsibilities, dealing with legacy issues continues to place significant pressure on our organisation and financial resources."
If adopted, in addition to the end to all criminal prosecutions and coroners' inquests, Mr Larkin's proposals would result in the abolition of the Historical Enquiries Team (HET), the body set up to review killings during the period known as the Troubles.
Meanwhile, Mr Larkin has ordered a new inquest into the killings of two people when loyalists, including rogue members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and Ulster Defence Regiment, attacked a bar in the village of Keady, south Armagh in 1976, according to the Belfast-based solicitor Kevin Winters, who is representing the families.
The attack was allegedly carried out by a group known at the Glenanne Gang.
The fresh coroner's court probe followed a report by the HET, which according to Mr Winters, pointed to one of the most notorious examples of collusion involving the security forces.


Previously unseen photographs of East Anglian airfields when they were used by US forces in World War Two have been unearthed.

They include a parade of Afro-American servicemen in Stowmarket, Suffolk.
Eighth in the East has been given Â£500,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund to document the history of 70 sites.
David Cain, project manager, said: "The images are important as they show what we have lost and what replaced these people and buildings in our landscape."
Some of the airfields have become airports such as Norwich, some have new commercial uses, while others have become fields again.
The public is being asked to contribute any historic photographs they have and to go out and take photos of the sites as they are now.
Eighth in the East said the images will contribute to its ongoing educational programme and a touring exhibition due to get begin later this year and into 2016.
The Now and Then project organisers said they were particularly keen to receive old and current photos of airfields in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.


Newsround, the BBC's daily news programme for children on CBBC, needs your help with a massive project examining what it's like to be a brother, sister or only child in the world today.

We want you to share your videos of your children with us.
Whether they're fighting, playing, laughing, best friends or worst enemies, we want to see it.
It'll help the team understand what it feels like to be an older brother, younger sister, middle child or only child and they might use it in the film.
Do -have fun, be experimental. You could film an activity your children do together or something which is an aspect of your culture or religion, anything, as long as it is something which shows their sibling relationship. If you are using a camera phone then film landscape.
Don't - talk to the camera, talk to each other. Try not to film with the light source behind you.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Newsround producer.
If you have a video of your family life life that you would like to share with Newsround then upload your videos here or email us with your stories and videos.


Sadiq Umar scored a brace as Nigeria won an Olympic bronze medal in the men's football with a 3-2 win over Honduras in Belo Horizonte.

Nigeria, the 1996 Olympic football champions, are now the first African country to complete an Olympic medal sweep having won a sliver medal in Beijing in 2008.
Aminu Umar had hit both posts before Sadiq Umar scored from close range in the 34th minute after captain Mikel John Obi's fine run.
Four minutes after the break, Mikel's strike was half-punched away by Lopez and it fell for Aminu Umar, the Turkey-based forward, to calmly finish inside the box.
Sadiq Umar got his second and his fourth of the tournament in the 56th minute to set the Eagles in flight and put them 3-0 up.
But Anthony Lozano pulled a goal back after 70 minutes, and Honduras' late fight-back was firmly on when Marcelo Pereira scored with four minutes left on the clock.
The Dream Team VI held off their opponents' late rally to win the country's first medal of the Rio games.
Victory gave Nigeria - beaten by Germany in the semi-finals - their place in history, by winning all three men's football Olympic medals.
At Atlanta in 1996, they became the first African team to win the gold medal.
They also finished runners-up at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to take silver, where current under-23 coach Samson Siasia also coached the 'Dream Team' in China.


A nun from Londonderry who was killed in the Ecuador earthquake was a fan of karaoke who dreamt of stardom before she joined a religious order.

Sr Clare Theresa Crockett, 33, was based at a school in Playa Prieta with the Home of the Mother order.
More than 400 people were killed in Saturday's earthquake.
Fr Roland Colhoun, who knew Sr Clare, described her as "a joyful girl. I've known her since a teenager. A beautiful person".
Aged 17, during a trip to the order's headquarters in Spain, Sr Clare said, "I could become really famous and really rich, or I could stay here and pray to God that I made the right decision".
A neighbour from the Long Tower area of Derry told BBC Radio Ulster that the nun was a childhood friend of her daughter. "Clare was a lovely, bubbly girl".
"I remember her singing in the karaoke," she added.
Playing guitar and singing was a lifelong passion that she shared with the children in the school in Ecuador.
Sr Clare and another Irish nun, Sr ThÃ©rÃ¨se Ryan from County Limerick, had been teaching guitar and singing with five young women postulants, who were entering the religious order, when the earthquake struck.
It is believed that they were running out of the building and were trapped on a stairway.
Sr Clare was killed along with the five postulants.
The Home of the Mother order released a video tribute in which Sr Clare says:
"When I was told I was going to Ecuador to do missionary work there I put my life in God's hands and totally accepted it."
Fr Colhoun expressed the depth of the family's sorrow.
"We at the moment are holding a wake without a body. We have no person to look at, but we look at one another and we try to console one another in the midst of the tragedy," he said.
"It's counter cultural to join a religious order for a young girl and she embraced it. We'll remember her with such affection."
Sr Kristin Tenreiro, a close friend, said she would be remembered for her smile and her good work.
"I will remember her with a huge smile on her face, singing, writing songs and I will remember her jokes," she said.


Brexit will not be positive for either Britain or the EU, according to Pierre Moscovici, the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs.

He said growth would be lower in the UK as a result of the decision.
"You cannot have all the advantages of being a member of the club when you are out of the club. I think that our British friends who invented clubs can understand that," he told the BBC.
He was speaking at Davos, where Theresa May is due to speak later.
Mr Moscovici is a former French finance minister and is in favour of greater integration within the EU.
"I am convinced that it is not an example to follow, that it's not positive neither for us neither for the UK."
Mr Moscovici said the split would be damaging "because we are and we must remain strong partners. To us you must understand that it is also a wound".
On Wednesday, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, said there was likely to be further "pain" ahead for the UK as Brexit approached and that any deal with the EU would "not be as good" as membership.
Mr Moscovici reiterated that view: "Brexit means Brexit, which is to say that it is not the same to be out than in, and it cannot be better to be out than in, because it cannot be so.
"We need to re-invent a new kind of relationship that I hope to be close, balanced and positive but that's the outcome of the negotiations not the starting point."
However the BBC's Kamal Ahmed said Mr Moscovici's words could indicate there was still some room for manoeuvre.
Asked whether Britain might be able to retain some privileged access to the single market, Mr Moscovici said: "It's not a denial from my side; but nobody can speculate about that - we have to move step by step."
Kamal Ahmed said Mrs May, speaking at the World Economic Forum for the first time as UK prime minister on Thursday, would receive a mixed reception at Davos since many of the business people present had opposed Britain leaving the EU.
UK business representatives have previously expressed concerned about what will happen if the UK leaves the EU before all the details of a new relationship have been fully negotiated.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, who is also in Davos, told Bloomberg that there would be "no cliff edges, no sudden changes for business, plenty of time to adjust" following Brexit.
Mr Hammond also said the government did not have a target for the "correct" value of the pound and said he had "a high degree of confidence" in the market's ability to find the right level for currencies.
He added that the UK's financial services must be "protected" during any EU deal.
Barclay's chief executive, Jes Staley, told the BBC he did not think Brexit posed a threat to the role of the City of London.
He said there might need to be changes to how the bank worked, with business routed through the Republic of Ireland or Germany - but the bulk of what Barclays did would continue to be in the UK.
"I think the UK will continue to be the financial lungs for Europe," he said. But Mr Staley added that Barclay's would still have to make changes.
"We may have to move certain activities. We may have to change the legal structure that we use to operate in Europe. But I think it's going to be at the margin and will be manageable," he said.
On Wednesday, two of Europe's largest banks, HSBC and UBS, said they were planning to shift some staff out of the UK as a result of Brexit.


A £3m rejuvenation of the park that hosted Durham's first miners' gala 144 years ago is set to begin.

Durham County Council said it hopes Wharton Park will become a tourist attraction. Work begins on Monday.
The money from the Heritage Lottery Fund will pay for a heritage centre, play and fitness areas and restoration of an amphitheatre, battlements and miniature car track.
It opened in 1858 and became known as the People's Park.
It hosted the first Durham Miners' Gala in 1871.
Maria Plews from the council said: "The city will benefit from yet more new leisure facilities and this will become a tourist attraction for both local people and visitors alike."


Kenyan police have charged the world's 3,000m steeplechase champion, Ezekiel Kemboi, with assault after a woman said he stabbed her on Wednesday night.

Anne Njeri Otieno alleges that the athlete attacked her when she declined his sexual advances.
Mr Kemboi denied the allegations, saying she colluded with thugs to rob him and was injured in the skirmish.
The magistrate granted the athlete bail and said he would be allowed to travel to London to compete in the Olympics.
Mr Kemboi, a serving policeman, was charged at the Eldoret law courts with assaulting Ms Otieno and released on bail of $595 (Â£385). He is due back in court in September.
"I am already in the team for the London Olympic Games. I would like your honour to give me time to take part in the competition," the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.
The BBC's Wanyama Chebusiri in Eldoret says Mr Kemboi spent several hours at the town's police station being questioned on Thursday.
The station was jammed with hundreds of curious onlookers, and officers had difficulty controlling the swelling crowd, he says.
Earlier Ms Otieno, who is in a stable condition in hospital, told reporters that she had been out drinking with Mr Kemboi and requested that he give her a lift home.
She said when they arrived at the house they fought for several minutes and then Mr Kemboi went to the car to get a dagger and stabbed her.
But the 2004 Olympic gold 3,000m steeplechase winner told police that the attackers drove up in a red car and demanded money from him.
"One of them aimed the knife at me but fortunately it missed me and stabbed one of the thugs in the chest," he said.
As it was dark Mr Kemboi said he was unable to see the car's number plate.
"I have left everything with the police," he said.


A Senegalese man has died after setting himself on fire on Monday outside the official residence of President Macky Sall in the capital, Dakar.

Cheikh Mbaye, 32, apparently said that life was better under ex-President Abdoulaye Wade, local media report.
He died in hospital where he was treated for burn wounds.
It is the first case of self-immolation in Senegal, a stable democracy hit by high unemployment, since Mr Sall beat Mr Wade in elections last year.
Mr Mbaye arrived at the presidential gates on Monday doused in flammable liquid and then burnt himself.
Local media quoted him as telling witnesses that life was better under Mr Wade, who failed to secure a controversial third-term in fiercely-contested elections last year.
There were at least two acts of self-immolation during Mr Wade's presidency.
In February 2011, former soldier Bocar Bocoum died after setting himself on fire outside the presidential residence.
He apparently carried out the act as part of demands for compensation for military injuries.
A man also set himself on fire in front of the presidential residence in 2008.
There have been similar acts of self-immolation in several African countries, including Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Senegal's neighbour, Mauritania.


Nottinghamshire's ex-Lancashire spinner Gary Keedy has announced his retirement after a 23-year professional career.

The 40-year-old, who has taken 696 first-class wickets, will continue working with Notts as a spin bowling coach and assistant physiotherapist.
Keedy played 215 of his 227 first-class games during 18 years at Lancashire and helped them win 10 trophies.
"I've got a nine-year-old daughter who I'm missing growing up and it's time to put the 23 years to bed," Keedy said.
Keedy only played one game this season, taking match figures of 5-107 as Notts beat Sussex by an innings and 103 runs.
Keedy said talented teenager Matthew Carter had influenced his decision to quit.
"I don't want everybody to get carried away, but I'm really excited about Matthew," Keedy added. "He's got all the makings of a very good spin bowler.
"With the development of Matt - and a few other spinners coming through - now is the right time for me.
"As a 40-year-old that's only realistically going to play the odd game, it's right for me to call time and concentrate on other things.
"I've got my spin bowling coaching which has been very successful so far that I'd like to concentrate on, and I've got my physio skills that I'll use somewhere along the way."
Keedy began his career with Yorkshire before joining Lancashire in 1995. After 18 years with the red rose county, he signed for Surrey for the 2013 season and moved to Notts last summer.


1492 - The navigator Christopher Columbus claims Cuba for Spain.
Revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro staged a successful revolt against dictator Fulgencio Batista
1511 - Spanish conquest begins under the leadership of Diego de Velazquez, who establishes Baracoa and other settlements.
1526 - Importing of slaves from Africa begins.
1762 - Havana captured by a British force led by Admiral George Pocock and Lord Albemarle.
1763 - Havana returned to Spain by the Treaty of Paris.
1868-78 - Ten Years War of independence ends in a truce with Spain promising reforms and greater autonomy - promises that were mostly never met.
1886 - Slavery abolished.
1895-98 - Jose Marti leads a second war of independence; US declares war on Spain.
1898 - US defeats Spain, which gives up all claims to Cuba and cedes it to the US.
1902 - Cuba becomes independent with Tomas Estrada Palma as its president; however, the Platt Amendment keeps the island under US protection and gives the US the right to intervene in Cuban affairs.
1906-09 - Estrada resigns and the US occupies Cuba following a rebellion led by Jose Miguel Gomez.
US-backed leader who was eventually toppled
On this Day: Rebels edge closer to capital
1909 - Jose Miguel Gomez becomes president following elections supervised by the US, but is soon tarred by corruption.
1912 - US forces return to Cuba to help put down black protests against discrimination.
1924 - Gerado Machado institutes vigorous measures, forwarding mining, agriculture and public works, but subsequently establishing a brutal dictatorship.
1925 - Socialist Party founded, forming the basis of the Communist Party.
1933 - Machado overthrown in a coup led by Sergeant Fulgencio Batista.
1934 - The US abandons its right to intervene in Cuba's internal affairs, revises Cuba's sugar quota and changes tariffs to favour Cuba.
1944 - Batista retires and is succeeded by the civilian Ramon Gray San Martin.
1952 - Batista seizes power again and presides over an oppressive and corrupt regime.
1953 - Fidel Castro leads an unsuccessful revolt against the Batista regime.
1956 - Castro lands in eastern Cuba from Mexico and takes to the Sierra Maestra mountains where, aided by Ernesto "Che" Guevara, he wages a guerrilla war.
US accusations - backed up by aerial pictures - that Russia was installing missiles on Cuba brought the superpowers to the brink of war
BBC History: Kennedy and Cuban missile crisis
Timeline: US-Cuba relations
1958 - The US withdraws military aid to Batista.
1959 - Castro leads a 9,000-strong guerrilla army into Havana, forcing Batista to flee. Castro becomes prime minister, his brother, Raul, becomes his deputy and Guevara becomes third in command.
1960 - All US businesses in Cuba are nationalised without compensation.
1961 - Washington breaks off all diplomatic relations with Havana.
The US sponsors an abortive invasion by Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs; Castro proclaims Cuba a communist state and begins to ally it with the USSR.
1962 - Cuban missile crisis ignites when, fearing a US invasion, Castro agrees to allow the USSR to deploy nuclear missiles on the island. The crisis was subsequently resolved when the USSR agreed to remove the missiles in return for the withdrawal of US nuclear missiles from Turkey.
Organisation of American States (OAS) suspends Cuba over its "incompatible" adherence to Marxism-Leninism.
1965 - Cuba's sole political party renamed the Cuban Communist Party.
1972 - Cuba becomes a full member of the Soviet-based Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.
1976 - Cuban Communist Party approves a new socialist constitution; Castro elected president.
1976-81 - Cuba sends troops first to help Angola's left-wing MPLA withstand a joint onslaught by South Africa, Unita and the FNLA and, later, to help the Ethiopian regime defeat the Eritreans and Somalis.
1980 - Around 125,000 Cubans, many of them released convicts, flee to the US.
1982 - Cuba, together with other Latin American states, gives Argentina moral support in its dispute with Britain over the Falkland islands.
1988 - Cuba agrees to withdraw its troops from Angola following an agreement with South Africa.
1991 - Soviet military advisers leave Cuba following the collapse of the USSR.
1993 - The US tightens its embargo on Cuba, which introduces some market reforms in order to stem the deterioration of its economy. These include the legalisation of the US dollar, the transformation of many state farms into semi-autonomous cooperatives, and the legalisation of limited individual private enterprise.
1994 - Cuba signs an agreement with the US according to which the US agrees to admit 20,000 Cubans a year in return for Cuba halting the exodus of refugees.
Revolutionary and unchallenged leader for decades
On this Day: Castro sworn in
Profile: The great survivor
BBC Archive: Cuba and the Cold War
1996 - US trade embargo made permanent in response to Cuba's shooting down of two US aircraft operated by Miami-based Cuban exiles.
1998 - Pope John Paul II visits Cuba.
1998 - The US eases restrictions on the sending of money to relatives by Cuban Americans.
1999 November - Cuban child Elian Gonzalez is picked up off the Florida coast after the boat in which his mother, stepfather and others had tried to escape to the US capsized. A huge campaign by Miami-based Cuban exiles begins with the aim of preventing Elian from rejoining his father in Cuba and of making him stay with relatives in Miami.
2000 June - Elian allowed to rejoin his father in Cuba after prolonged court battles.
2000 October - US House of Representatives approves the sale of food and medicines to Cuba.
Argentina-born Che Guevara was a close aide to Fidel Castro and became an icon of revolutionary spirit
2000 December - Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Cuba and signs accords aimed at boosting bilateral ties.
2001 October - Cuba angrily criticises Russia's decision to shut down the Lourdes radio-electronic centre on the island, saying President Putin took the decision as "a special gift" to US President George W Bush ahead of a meeting between the two.
2001 November - US exports food to Cuba for the first time in more than 40 years after a request from the Cuban government to help it cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Michelle.
2002 January - Prisoners taken during US-led action in Afghanistan are flown into Guantanamo Bay for interrogation as al-Qaeda suspects.
2002 January - Russia's last military base in Cuba, at Lourdes, closes down.
2002 April - Diplomatic crisis after UN Human Rights Commission again criticises Cuba's rights record. The resolution is sponsored by Uruguay and supported by many of Cuba's former allies including Mexico. Uruguay breaks off ties with Cuba after Castro says it is a US lackey.
2002 May - US Under Secretary of State John Bolton accuses Cuba of trying to develop biological weapons, adding the country to Washington's list of "axis of evil" countries.
Compay Segundo was part of the 1990s Cuban music revival
Buena Vista legend laid to rest
BBC Music: Compay Segundo
2002 May - Former US president Jimmy Carter makes a goodwill visit which includes a tour of scientific centres, in response to US allegations about biological weapons. Carter is the first former or serving US president to visit Cuba since the 1959 revolution.
2002 June - National Assembly amends the constitution to make socialist system of government permanent and untouchable. Castro called for the vote following criticisms from US President George W Bush.
2003 March-April - ''Black Spring'' crackdown on dissidents draws international condemnation. 75 people are jailed for terms of up to 28 years; three men who hijacked a ferry to try reach the US are executed.
2003 June - EU halts high-level official visits to Cuba in protest at the country's recent human rights record.
2004 April - UN Human Rights Commission censures Cuba over its rights record. Cuban foreign minister describes resolution - which passed by single vote - as "ridiculous".
2004 May - US sanctions restrict US-Cuba family visits and cash remittances from expatriates.
2004 October - President Castro announces ban on transactions in US dollars, and imposes 10% tax on dollar-peso conversions.
Writer Raul Rivero, one of 75 dissidents rounded up in 2003
Cuba frees dissident
2005 January - Havana says it is resuming diplomatic contacts with the EU, frozen in 2003 following a crackdown on dissidents.
2005 May - Around 200 dissidents hold a public meeting, said by organisers to be the first such gathering since the 1959 revolution.
2005 July - Hurricane Dennis causes widespread destruction and leaves 16 people dead.
2006 February - Propaganda war in Havana as President Castro unveils a monument which blocks the view of illuminated messages - some of them about human rights - displayed on the US mission building.
2006 July - President Fidel Castro undergoes gastric surgery and temporarily hands over control of the government to his brother, Raul.
2006 December - Fidel Castro's failure to appear at a parade to mark the 50th anniversary of his return to Cuba from exile prompts renewed speculation about his future.
2007 April - A lawyer and a journalist are given lengthy jail terms after secret trials, which rights activists see as a sign of a crackdown on opposition activity.
2007 May - Castro fails to appear at Havana's annual May Day parade. Days later he says he has had several operations.
Anger as the US drops charges against veteran anti-Castro militant Luis Posada Carriles, who is a former CIA operative and Cuba's "Public Enemy No. 1" accused of downing a Cuban airliner.
2007 July - First time since 1959 that Revolution Day is celebrated without Castro present.
2007 December - Castro says in a letter read on Cuban TV that he does not intend to cling to power indefinitely.
2008 February - Raul Castro takes over as president, days after Fidel announces his retirement.
2008 May - Bans on private ownership of mobile phones and computers lifted.
Cuba condemned US "double standards" for freeing ex-CIA operative accused of downing Cuban airliner
US drops Cuban militant's charges
Profile: Cuban 'plane bomber'
2008 June - Plans are announced to abandon salary equality. The move is seen as a radical departure from the orthodox Marxist economic principles observed since the 1959 revolution.
EU lifts diplomatic sanctions imposed on Cuba in 2003 over crackdown on dissidents.
2008 July - In an effort to boost Cuba's lagging food production and reduce dependence on food imports, the government relaxes restrictions on the amount of land available to private farmers.
2008 September - Hurricanes Gustav and Ike inflict worst storm damage in Cuba's recorded history, with 200,000 left homeless and their crops destroyed.
2008 October - State oil company says estimated 20bn barrels in offshore fields, being double previous estimates.
European Union restores ties.
2008 November - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits. Two countries concude new trade and economic accords in sign of strengthening relations. Raul Castro pays reciprocal visit to Russia in January 2009.
Chinese President Hu Jintao visits to sign trade and investment accords, including agreements to continue buying Cuban nickel and sugar.
2008 December - Russian warships visit Havana for first time since end of Cold War.
Government says 2008 most difficult year for economy since collapse of Soviet Union. Growth nearly halved to 4.3%.
Havana in the 1920s. Many Spanish colonial buildings still stand in old Havana
2009 March - Two leading figures from Fidel era, Cabinet Secretary Carlos Lage and Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, resign after admitting "errors". First government reshuffle since resignation of Fidel Castro.
US Congress votes to lift Bush Administration restrictions on Cuban-Americans visiting Havana and sending back money.
2009 April - US President Barack Obama says he wants a new beginning with Cuba.
2009 May - Government unveils austerity programme to try to cut energy use and offset impact of global financial crisis.
2009 June - Organisation of American States (OAS) votes to lift ban on Cuban membership imposed in 1962. Cuba welcomes decision, but says it has no plans to rejoin.
2009 July - Cuba signs agreement with Russia allowing oil exploration in Cuban waters of Gulf of Mexico.
2010 February - Political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo dies after 85 days on hunger strike.
2010 May - Wives and mothers of political prisoners are allowed to hold demonstration after archbishop of Havana, Jaime Ortega, intervenes on their behalf.
2010 July - President Castro agrees to free 52 dissidents under a deal brokered by the Church and Spain. Several go into exile.
2010 September - Radical plans for massive government job cuts to revive the economy. Analysts see proposals as biggest private sector shift since the 1959 revolution.
2011 January - US President Barack Obama relaxes restrictions on travel to Cuba. Havana says the measures don't go far enough.
2011 March - Last two political prisoners detained during 2003 crackdown are released.
2011 April - Communist Party Congress says it will look into possibility of allowing Cuban citizens to travel abroad as tourists.
2011 August - National Assembly approves economic reforms aimed at encouraging private enterprise and reducing state bureaucracy.
2011 November - Cuba passes law allowing individuals to buy and sell private property for first time in 50 years.
2011 December - The authorities release 2,500 prisoners, including some convicted of political crimes, as part of an amnesty ahead of a papal visit.
2012 March - Pope Benedict visits, criticising the US trade embargo on Cuba and calling for greater rights on the island.
2012 April - Cuba marks Good Friday with a public holiday for the first time since recognition of religious holidays stopped in 1959.
2012 June - Cuba re-imposes customs duty on all food imports in effort to curb selling of food aid sent by Cubans abroad on the commercial market. Import duties had been liberalised in 2008 after series of hurricanes caused severe shortages.
2012 October - Spanish politican Angel Carromero is jailed for manslaughter over the death of high-profile Catholic dissident Oswaldo Paya. Mr Carromero was driving the car when, according to the authorities, it crashed into a tree. Mr Paya's family say the car was rammed off the road after he had received death threats.
The government abolishes the requirement for citizens to buy expensive exit permits when seeking to travel abroad. Highly-qualified professionals such as doctors. engineers and scientists will still require permission to travel, in order to prevent a brain drain.
2012 November - President Raul Castro says the eastern province of Santiago was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy, with 11 people dead and more than 188,000 homes damaged. A United Nations report says Sandy destroyed almost 100,000 hectares of crops.
2013 February - The National Assembly re-elects Raul Castro as president. He says he will stand down at the end of his second term in 2018, by which time he will be 86.
2013 July - Five prominent veteran politicians, including Fidel Castro ally and former parliament leader Ricardo Alarcon, are removed from the Communist Party's Central Committee in what President Raul Castro calls a routine change of personnel.
2014 January - First phase of a deepwater sea port is inaugurated by Brazil and Cuba at Mariel, a rare large foreign investment project on the island.
2014 March - Cuba agrees to a European Union invitation to begin talks to restore relations and boost economic ties, on condition of progress on human rights. The EU suspended ties in 1996.
2014 July - Russian President Vladimir Putin visits during a tour of Latin America, says Moscow will cancel billions of dollars of Cuban debt from Soviet times.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visits, signs bilateral accords.
2014 September/October - Cuba sends hundreds of frontline medical staff to West African countries hit by the Ebola epidemic.
2014 December - In a surprise development, US President Barack Obama and Cuba's President Raul Castro announce moves to normalise diplomatic relations between the two countries, severed for more than 50 years.
2015 January - Washington eases some travel and trade restrictions on Cuba.
Two days of historic talks between the US and Cuba take place in Havana, with both sides agreeing to meet again. The discussions focus on restoring diplomatic relations but no date is set for the reopening of embassies in both countries.
President Raul Castro calls on President Obama to use his executive powers to bypass Congress and lift the US economic embargo on Cuba.
2015 February - Cuban and US diplomats say they have made progress in talks in Washington to restore full relations.
2015 May - Cuba establishes banking ties with US, which drops country from list of states that sponsor terrorism.
2015 July - Cuba and US reopen embassies and exchange charges d'affaires.
2015 December - Cuban and US officials hold preliminary talks on mutual compensation.
2016 January - US eases a number of trade restrictions with Cuba.
2016 March - Cuba and the European Union agree to normalise relations.
US President Barack Obama visits Cuba in the first US presidential visit there in 88 years.
2016 May - Cuba takes steps to legalise small and medium-sized businesses as part of economic reforms.
2016 November - Fidel Castro, former president and leader of the Cuban revolution, dies at the age of 90. Cuba declares nine days of national mourning.
2017 January - Washington ends a long-standing policy which grants Cuban immigrants the right to remain in the US without a visa.
2017 June - US President Donald Trump overturns some aspects of predecessor Barak Obama's policy on Cuba which brought about a thaw in relations between the two countries.
2017 August - US and Canadian embassies in Havana report that staff have suffered health problems possibly as a result of covert acoustic attacks.


Ollie Devoto will train with England as injury cover for Alex Goode before the Six Nations match against Ireland.

Saracens full-back Goode, who has a minor ankle injury, is England's only concern following the 40-9 win over Italy on Sunday.
After winning their first two games, England now have a weekend off before facing Ireland on 27 February.
Bath back Devoto, 22, is uncapped, but was an unused replacement in the opening win against Scotland.
He was dropped from the 23-man match squad against Italy when head coach Eddie Jones opted for a six-two split between forwards and backs among the replacements, with Maro Itoje coming on to the bench and subsequently winning his first cap.
England training squad:
Backs: Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Care (Harlequins), Ollie Devoto (Bath), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath), Alex Goode (Saracens), Jonathan Joseph (Bath), Jack Nowell (Exeter), Anthony Watson (Bath), Ben Youngs (Leicester).
Forwards: Dan Cole (Leicester), Jack Clifford (Harlequins), Jamie George (Saracens), Dylan Hartley (Northampton), James Haskell (Wasps), Paul Hill (Northampton), Maro Itoje (Saracens), George Kruis (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Mako Vunipola (Saracens).


Derby County have signed forward Andreas Weimann from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.

The 23-year-old moves to the iPro stadium on a four-year deal and will link up with former Villa striker Darren Bent.
The Austrian joined Villa as a 15-year-old from Rapid Vienna and made 134 appearances, scoring 21 goals.
Weimann, who has 13 international caps, became a peripheral figure under Villa manager Tim Sherwood.
He is Derby's fourth signing of the summer following the arrivals of  Bent, Alex Pearce and Scott Carson.
Manager Paul Clement said: "Andreas is an exciting talent and he will be a positive addition to the squad.
"He has a good amount of top-flight experience to his name and, at the age of 23, he still has a lot of potential."
Weimann's most prolific season was 2012/13 when he scored 13 times and in 2014 he ensured Villa's Premier League status with a brace against Hull in the final home game of the season.
"The opportunity to play first-team football and drive the team to promotion is something that I want to do," added Weimann.
"Derby has plans to be successful and get promoted and that's what attracted me here; I want to be part of that."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


The editor of the BBC Hausa service, Mansur Liman, explains how he broke the story of the historic phone call from Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan to admit election defeat - and how it almost didn't happen.

I was at the election results centre in the capital, Abuja, and at around 17:00 (16:00GMT) the votes from all but three states had been declared.
Muhammadu Buhari, the candidate for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), had a big lead over incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
During a break in the results, it became obvious to me that the lead was unassailable and I began wondering about what was going on in the APC camp. Were they celebrating or still anxiously waiting?
Going by previous Nigerian elections, when rigging and results fiddling has allegedly taken place, nothing could be taken for granted.
It turns out that so many calls were coming through that there was no time to answer them all - and Gen Buhari did not even know where his phone was.
I thought that there would still be some more bumps on the road, given the passion in the campaign and the fact that a governing People's Democratic Party official had already tried to halt the count.
I have a lot of contacts within Gen Buhari's circle and I know him personally so I decided to try and call someone who I knew would be with him to find out the mood.
After he missed my call, and I missed his response, I eventually got through.
I asked him what was going on, given that there was no way President Jonathan could win and I was surprised by the response.
He told me that Gen Buhari had just received a phone call from his rival, in which the president conceded and congratulated him.
I did not doubt that this was true as I trusted my source, but given what has happened before in Nigeria, this kind of concession was up to that point unimaginable.
I was pretty sure that I was the first journalist to get the story so as soon as I got off the phone I alerted the BBC's election desk and tweeted the details.
There were, of course, people who were very concerned about what could happen if the result was contested.
And I have since discovered that members of the National Peace Committee, which is headed by former President Abdulsalami Abubakar, visited President Jonathan as the results were being announced.
I understand they were the ones who persuaded the president to do something to avoid any trouble, and shortly after the visit he made the call.
But even making the call was not straight forward. I heard later that the president could not actually get through to Gen Buhari.
He rang all the numbers he had for people in his camp, but no-one answered.
It turns out that so many calls were coming through that there was no time to answer them all - and Gen Buhari did not even know where his phone was.
President Jonathan resorted to sending a messenger round to his rival's house to tell him that the president wanted to speak to him. And that he should pick up the phone the next time he tried to call.
By making that call the president saved Nigeria a great deal of pain. If the PDP had insisted that they had won the election, and the APC had said the same, the country would have been in chaos.
Lives would have been lost and property would have been destroyed. That call showed that in Nigeria, people can put the country first.
I have heard from PDP supporters that the president took the decision to make the call without consulting anyone. They told me that if he had talked to some of his advisers, they would have objected.


A "selfless" man was hit and killed by a car as he tried to help a former postal worker who had fallen off a motorway bridge, an inquest heard.

Spencer Bell, 71, from Bushey, Hertfordshire, went to the aid of Alan Trethewey, 67, who had fallen on to the M1 near Watford on 30 January.
Both men were then hit by an oncoming car.
Mr Bell's family previously described him as "the most loving, funny and generous person".
The hearing regarding Mr Bell's death has been adjourned due to criminal proceedings involving a car driver, who has been charged with causing death by careless driving.
"Knowing he died in such a selfless way is no comfort. But we would not have expected anything else of him," Mr Bell's family said.


1939 - Shortly before the start of World War II, Italy invades. King Zog flees to Greece.
1940 - Italian army attacks Greece through Albania.
1941 - Enver Hoxha becomes head of new Albanian Communist Party.
1943 - German forces invade and occupy Albania following Italian surrender.
1944 - Germans withdraw after Communist resistance. Enver Hoxha installed as new leader.
1945 - Tribunals begin against thousands of "war criminals".
1946 - Purges of non-communists from government positions.
1948 - Albania breaks ties with Yugoslavia; Soviet Union begins economic aid to Albania.
1950 - Britain and US back landings by right-wing guerillas, who fail to topple communists.
1955 - Albania becomes a founding member of the Warsaw Pact.
1961 - Albania allies itself with China, after Soviet Union breaks diplomatic relations over ideological rift.
1967 - Violent clampdown on religious activity. Albania declared the world's first atheist state.
1968 - Albania withdraws from Warsaw Pact over Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.
1978 - China ends economic and military aid to Albania after relations become strained by China's reconciliation with the US.
1985 - Hoxha dies, replaced by Ramiz Alia.
1989 - Communist rule in Eastern Europe collapses. Ramiz Alia signals changes to economic system.
1990 - Independent political parties formed. Albanians granted right to travel abroad. Thousands try to flee through Western embassies.
Thousands more seize ships at port and sail illegally to Italy.
1991 - In multiparty elections, the Communist Party and allies win 169 of the 250 seats, the newly-formed Democratic Party takes 75.
General amnesty for political prisoners. First opposition newspaper published.
Alia re-elected president. Prime Minister Fatos Nano resigns after protests at economic conditions and killing of opposition demonstrators.
New government headed by Vilson Ahmeti.
1992 - Democratic Party wins elections. Party leader Sali Berisha, a former cardiologist, becomes first elected president. Aleksander Meksi is prime minister.
1993 - Ex-communist leaders, including Fatos Nano and Ramiz Alia, convicted and jailed for corruption.
1994 - National referendum rejects new constitution which opponents said allowed president too much power.
1995 - Alia released from prison following appeal-court ruling.
1996 - Democratic Party general election victory tainted by accusations of fraud.
1997 - Leka, son of late King Zog, returns from exile in bid to take throne. Referendum on restoration of monarchy fails. He is accused of trying to stir up an armed insurrection and goes back into exile.
Fraudulent pyramid investment schemes collapse, costing thousands of Albanians their savings and triggering anti-government protests.
Up to a million weapons are looted from army stores as angry mobs take to the streets.
Government resigns and Socialist-led coalition sweeps to power. Fatos Nano, now released from prison, returns as prime minister.
Sali Berisha resigns as president in wake of financial crisis. He is succeeded by Socialist leader Rexhep Mejdani.
Convictions of communist-era leaders overturned.
1998 - Escalating unrest in Kosovo sends refugees across border into Albania.
September - Violent anti-government street protests after prominent opposition Democratic Party politician, Azem Hajdari, shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
Prime Minister Fatos Nano quits. Former student activist, Pandeli Majko, named as new prime minister.
1999 - Nato air strikes against Yugoslav military targets. In Kosovo thousands flee attacks by Serb forces. Mass refugee exodus into Albania.
October - Majko resigns as prime minister after losing Socialist Party leadership vote. 30-year-old Iler Meta becomes Europe's youngest prime minister.
2001 January - Albania and Yugoslavia re-establish diplomatic relations broken off during the Kosovo crisis in 1999.
Son of former king fled in 1997, returned after 2002 amnesty
2001 July - Ruling Socialist Party secures second term in office by winning general elections. Prime Minister Iler Meta forms a new coalition government in September.
2002 January - Prime Minister Iler Meta steps down after a growing dispute with Socialist Party Chairman Fatos Nano; he is succeeded by Pandeli Majko.
2002 June - Parliament elects Alfred Moisiu president after rival political leaders Nano and Berisha reach compromise, easing months of tension.
Royal family returns from exile.
2002 August - Fatos Nano becomes prime minister after the ruling Socialist Party decides to merge the roles of premier and party chairman. It is Nano's fourth time as premier.
2003 January - Albania and EU begin Stabilisation and Association Agreement talks, seen as possible first step in long road to EU membership.
2005 September - After two months of political wrangling, former president Sali Berisha emerges as the victor of July's general election.
2006 June - Stabilisation and Association agreement signed with EU.
2007 June - President George W Bush becomes the first US leader to visit Albania, highlighting its position as a close ally of Washington.
2007 July - Parliament elects ruling party chairman Bamir Topi president, after three failed rounds of voting made a snap election look like a distinct possibility.
2009 April - Albania officially joins Nato and formally applies for membership of the European Union. Albania is not expected to join the EU until 2015 at the earliest.
2009 July - Sali Berisha's centre-right Democratic Party wins parliamentary elections by a narrow margin.
2009 November - Opposition Socialist Party begins series of demonstrations in Tirana in protest at alleged vote-rigging in the parliamentary election.
2010 May - Socialist leader Edi Rama calls for a campaign of civil disobedience to continue until government agrees to a partial recount of 2009 election.
2010 November - European Union rejects Albania's request for EU candidate status, but eases visa requirements for Albanians.
2011 January - Deadly clashes leave four anti-government protesters dead in demonstration about corruption and alleged election vote rigging outside the prime minister's office in Tirana.
2011 December - Former intelligence chief Ilir Kumbaro, wanted on torture charges in Albania, jumps bail and goes missing in London, where he had been hiding under a false name since 1996.
2012 November - The remains of former King Zog are repatriated to Albania from France, where he died in 1961.
2013 June - General elections. Opposition Socialist Party wins landslide victory.
2013 September - Socialist leader Edi Rama becomes prime minister.
2014 June - The European Commission recommends Albania as a candidate for European Union membership.
2014 November - Prime Minister Edi Rama's visit to Belgrade to mend bridges fails after he and Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic row publicly over Kosovo.
2015 March - Socialist government announces plan to privatise state oil company Albpetrol, two years after previous Democratic Party government shelved it.
2016 July - The governing Socialist Party and the opposition Democratic Party agree sweeping judicial reforms seen as key to moving towards accession talks with the EU.


The world's oceans are becoming acidic at an "unprecedented rate" and may be souring more rapidly than at any time in the past 300 million years.

In their strongest statement yet on the issue, scientists say acidification could increase by 170% by 2100.
The report's co-author said acidification had already caused a 30% loss of species in some ocean ecosystems.
The researchers conclude that human emissions of CO2 are clearly to blame.
The study will be presented at global climate talks in Poland next week.
In 2012, over 500 of the world's leading experts on ocean acidification gathered in California. Led by the International Biosphere-Geosphere Programme, a review of the state of the science has now been published.
This Summary for Policymakers states with "very high confidence" that increasing acidification is caused by human activities which are adding 24 million tonnes of CO2 to oceans every day.
The addition of so much carbon has altered the chemistry of the waters.
Since the start of the industrial revolution, the waters have become 26% more acidic.
"This is the state of the art," said Prof Jean-Pierre Gattuso, from CNRS, the French national research agency.
"My colleagues have not found in the geological record, rates of change that are faster than the ones we see today."
What worries the scientists is the potential impact on many ocean species including corals.
Studies carried out at deep sea vents, where the waters are naturally acidic thanks to CO2, show a 30% loss of biodiversity.
These vents may be a "window on the future" according to the researchers.
"You don't find a mollusc at the pH level expected for 2100, this is really quite a stunning fact," said Prof Gattuso.
"It's an imperfect window, only the ocean's acidity is increasing at these sites, they don't reflect the warming we will see this century.
"If you combine the two, it could be even more dramatic than what we see at CO2 vents."
The effect of acidity is currently being felt most profoundly felt in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans.  These chilly waters hold more CO2 and increasing levels of the gas are turning them acidic more rapidly than the rest of the world.
The more acidic they become, the more damaging they are to the shells and skeletons of marine organisms.
The researchers say that by 2020, ten percent of the Arctic will be inhospitable to species that build their shells from calcium carbonate. By 2100 the entire Arctic will be a hostile environment.
These effects are already visible says Prof Gattuso.
"In the Southern Ocean, we already see corrosion of pteropods which are like sea snails, in the ocean we see corrosion of the shell.
"They are a key component in the food chain, they are eaten by fish, birds and whales, so if one element is going then there is a cascading impact on the whole food chain."
The authors warn that the economic impact of the losses from aquaculture could be huge - the global cost of the decline in molluscs could be $130bn by 2100 if emissions of CO2 continue on their current pathway.
Adding alkaline substances such as crushed limestone to the waters has been mooted as a potential way of mitigating the worst impacts of acidification. But Prof Gattuso says it would only have a limited effect.
"Maybe in bays which have a restricted exchange with open oceans it may work, it may give some local relief.
"But the latest research is showing that it is not really practical at a global scale. It is very expensive and very energy intensive."
Marine protection zones would also give some short term benefit, but the scientists say that in the long term only significant cuts in emissions will slow the progress of acidification.
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Conservative Matthew Scott has become police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Kent.

He was declared the winner after the poll went into a second count with Mr Scott and UKIP candidate Henry Bolton still left in the race.
Overall, Mr Scott had a total of 104,558 votes from both counts and Mr Bolton had 87,978.
Earlier, four other candidates were eliminated in the poll to select Kent's next PCC.
Mr Scott said: "Coming from a policing family I do have an understanding of the issues that police officers face on a day-to-day basis and what resources they need to get the job done."
He said that although the Chief Constable retains operational control of the police at all times, he would be there to hold him to account for the decisions he makes.
He added: "I will be going out there and promoting what those roles and responsibilities are which includes oversight of the budget, the setting of the council tax, commissioning certain services and working with other organisations to help to cut crime."
He will replace controversial commissioner Ann Barnes.
Voter turnout was 266,806 (20.98%) compared with 204,917 (15.99%) in 2012.
The four eliminated in the first count were Liberal Democrat candidate David Naghi, Labour's Tristan Osborne, Independent Gurvinder Sandher and Steve Uncles from the English Democrats.
Results listed alphabetically by surname are as follows. BBC News App users: tap here to see the results.


Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has set out for a tour of key states, at the start of her campaign to become the first woman US president.

She is taking a road trip to meet small groups of voters in Iowa, having announced her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday.
She had been expected to declare her candidacy for months.
Mrs Clinton ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to Barack Obama.
A few hours into her journey from New York to Iowa, Mrs Clinton tweeted: "Road trip! Loaded the van & set off for IA. Met a great family when we stopped this afternoon. Many more to come. -H."
Mrs Clinton's team said she would spend the next few weeks building up grassroots support in the early Democratic primary states.
Her first rally, to officially kick off her campaign, is not expected until mid-May. But her trip to Iowa is to be a "listening tour" where Mrs Clinton will meet voters at low-key events.
Later this week, she is expected to meet groups of students, teachers and small business owners.
On Sunday, Mrs Clinton launched her campaign website and declared in a video that she was running for president.
"Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times," she said, "but the deck is still stacked in favour of those at the top.
She added that she wanted to be a champion for "everyday Americans".
The video features a number of Americans talking about their hopes and aspirations.
The launch of Hillary Clinton's campaign for the presidency was meant to be low-key. It was meant to reflect the idea that it was all about ordinary Americans and the everyday concerns of the middle class.
But whether she likes it or not, Mrs Clinton is a huge name in politics and reinventing herself as the embodiment of change won't be easy.
True, she is unlikely to face any stiff competition from her own side for the nomination, but Republicans have been unrelenting in their attacks on her and that will only increase.
She will also have to find a convincing vision for America that will capture the imagination of the voters. Elections are usually about the future and Mrs Clinton has to prove that she's not all about the past.
How Twitter reacted
Is this Hillary Clinton's time?
Mrs Clinton has already had the backing of Mr Obama, who said on Saturday that she would make an "excellent president".
But the attacks from Republicans have already started.
Jeb Bush, former Florida Governor and brother of George W Bush who expected to stand as a Republican candidate, tweeted: "We must do better than Hillary."
In his own online video on Sunday, he focused on foreign policy, saying: "We must do better than the Obama-Clinton foreign policy that has damaged relationships with our allies and emboldened our enemies."
Another Republican presidential contender. Rand Paul, also criticised Mrs Clinton for her handling of a September 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, in which the US ambassador was among those killed.
He also said questions remained about funds received by a charity set up by Mr and Mrs Clinton.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio is expected to announce his candidacy for his party's nomination at an event in Miami later on Monday.