Some pregnancies are being terminated unnecessarily after an incorrect diagnosis of miscarriage, say doctors.

They say there is too much room for error in ultrasound scans in the first six weeks, which wrongly label a small percentage of embryos as miscarried.
The true scale of the problem is unknown but researchers said it was "hard to see how there can't be women having misdiagnoses being made".
Guidelines are currently being reviewed.
The study suggested the current rules "could lead to 400 viable pregnancies potentially being misclassified", however the researchers said this was an educated guess with no evidence of how many would lead to a termination.
Miscarriage is very common, affecting one in five pregnancies.
If a women experiences pain or bleeding early in the pregnancy, around five to six weeks, they will have an ultrasound scan.
Two results would suggest a miscarriage, which could then lead to a decision to terminate the pregnancy:
A series of papers published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology questioned the thresholds.
One paper reviewed the evidence for the guidelines and said they were based on poor evidence.
Another reported significant variation in the measurements made by different clinicians, which could in theory change the diagnosis.
Tests on 1,060 women whose pregnancy was in question showed the 20mm rule would diagnose about 0.5% of cases as miscarriages when they were in fact healthy.
Prof Tom Bourne, from Imperial College London, told the BBC: "We found that the cut-off values were not entirely safe because they can be associated with a misdiagnosis of miscarriage in a small number of cases, and our view is that there shouldn't be any risk.
"I think a significant number is one, frankly. I think anyone who has a diagnosis of miscarriage and potentially has surgery would expect that that diagnosis is right."
He argues the cut-offs should be about 25mm instead of 20mm for the sac and 7mm for an embryo without a heartbeat. He also wants a greater emphasis on repeat scans.
He said: "There's not a medical cost to being more cautious in what we're doing."
Prof Siobhan Quenby, from University Hospital Coventry, welcomed greater attention and clarity on the issue, but said: "I really don't think many mistakes are being made."
She said people were aware of issues with the guidance and if there was any doubt, further tests, not a termination, would take place.
It is "very common that people come back for a second scan", she said.
For those with a miscarriage diagnosis, she said that in the majority of cases there would be no medical intervention. About 30% would take tablets or have surgery to end the pregnancy.
Dr Mark Hamilton, consultant gynaecologist at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, said the findings "reinforce the need for clinical staff to continue to exercise great care in the diagnosis of non-viable pregnancy to minimise the risk of misdiagnosis.
"Women should continue to be managed expectantly without the need for medical treatment or surgery until the diagnosis of non-viability is established with certainty."
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is currently developing guidelines for the care of women who experience pain and bleeding in early pregnancy.  There is already guidance available from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
This will include the role of ultrasound in determining the viability of a pregnancy and will draw on this research. New guidelines are due in November 2012.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists welcomed the studies.


MEPs return to Strasbourg this week still pondering the potential fallout from last month's dramatic Brexit vote in the UK.

An emergency meeting in Brussels last week was marked by bitter exchanges as MEPs clashed with UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
Like leading figures in the EU institutions, they made clear that they want the UK to begin formal exit talks as soon as possible.
But leading contenders to replace Prime Minister David Cameron have yet to indicate they are in any rush to do so.
Much is yet to be worked out over how the exit negotiations will take place and how future trade relations will be determined.
Although leaders have been quick to draw what look like red lines, it remains to be seen if they have been written in indelible ink.
Here are the main points of business in the week ahead...
The sitting kicks off with a debate on new EU emissions limits for lawn mowers, bulldozers, construction machinery, generators and canal boats.
MEPs have reached a provisional deal on the legislation, which will be put to final vote on Tuesday.
After this, they will discuss a non-binding motion which says that both qualified refugees and asylum seekers should have the right to find paid work.
The draft text, also to be put to a final vote on Tuesday, also calls on member states to offer asylum seekers language courses to help their social integration.
They will also debate their initial position on a proposed update to EU rules for labelling the energy efficiency of household appliances.
The EU Commission has proposed an A-G scale should be used for all appliances, replacing the current A+, A++, A+++ designations for some products.
In the evening, they will also debate non-binding "own initiative" motions about the EU's trade strategy, tax avoidance rules and human rights priorities.
They will also debate a motion which calls on EU countries to train staff at migrant reception centres to help them identify children at risk of being trafficked.
An early start will see Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte join MEPs to review his country's time in charge of the EU presidency, which officially ended last week.
The Dutch presidency has coincided with one of the most tumultuous periods in the EU's history, ending with the UK's vote to leave the EU last month.
After this, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk will join MEPs to discuss last week's EU leaders' summit.
The meeting saw EU leaders agree that "no negotiations of any kind" should begin with the UK until it activates formal exit talks using Article 50 of the EU's treaties.
MEPs want David Cameron's successor to trigger Article 50 as soon as possible - but leading contenders to replace him, such as Theresa May and Michael Gove, have indicated they want to wait until the end of the year.
In the afternoon, they will debate their initial position on a mid-term review due later this year on the EU's current long-term budget, which runs from 2014 to 2020.
Their non-binding motion - which calls for a permanent EU crisis reserve to be set up within the budget - will be put to a vote on Wednesday.
Also to be debated during the afternoon is an advisory report from Parliament's special tax investigation committee which sets out a number of recommendations for reforming corporate taxation.
The committee was set up in February to continue the work of a previous inquiry committee established after the Luxleaks revelations about favourable corporate tax deals in Luxembourg.
The afternoon's big debate will be on legislation to set up the EU's proposed Border and Coast Guard force, proposed last year as part of a drive to improve management of the external borders of the Schengen area.
MEPs struck a provisional deal on the new force with national ministers at the end of last month, which will also be put to a vote on Wednesday.
The evening will also see a debate on the EU's first-ever directive on cybersecurity - a deal on that will also be put to a vote at the same time.
Under the new legislation, companies designated as providing critical services will have to report serious security breaches to national authorities.
It would fall to national authorities to determine which firms fall into this category, and to draw up "national strategies" for dealing with cybersecurity threats.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will be in town to start the day with a debate on his country's plans for its EU presidency, which gets underway this month.
Mr Fico last week admitted that Brexit negotiations were now likely to exert "considerable influence" over his country's planned agenda for the next six months.
After this, MEPs will debate what they would like to see in the Commission's legislative programme for next year.
During the lunchtime voting session, they will pass a non-binding motion setting out their wish-list, before the Commission unveils its new agenda in the autumn.
After lunch, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini is due to join them to debate her plans to update the EU's common defence and security policies.
The long-awaited document called for "strategic convergence" between the defence policies of EU states, as well as co-operation on defence research.
MEPs will also debate relations with China, the bloc's annual report on respect for human rights and EU priorities at this September's UN General Assembly.
In the evening they will also discuss protection for whistle-blowers following the conviction of two men last week for their involvement in the Luxleaks scandal.
The two former PwC employees received 12 and nine-month sentences respectively for leaking documents exposing favourable tax arrangements offered by Luxembourg to some of the world's biggest companies.
MEPs have previously called for changes to EU rights law to protect whistle-blowers who leak information deemed to be in the public interest.
The session begins with debate on a motion calling on all EU institutions to "implement fully" the recommendations of an UN disability rights committee.
Among the committee's recommendations was a call for the EU to ratify the optional protocol to the UN's Disabilities Convention.
After this, they will then debate and vote on this month's human rights motions, which focus on Malawi, Bahrain and Myanmar.
Also up for a vote is a motion to veto Commission rules which would allow drinks companies to advertise that their caffeinated drinks increase alertness.
The text says energy drinks have been linked to behavioural problems in children - and calls on the Commission to introduce stricter marketing rules.
In the afternoon, they will debate regulatory discrimination against food suppliers in the single market and legal protection for EU data transfers to China.
The session will end with a debate on how the EU Commission enforces the application of national minimum wage legislation.
It comes after the Commission decided last week to launch legal action against France and Germany for requiring foreign transport drivers to be paid the French or German minimum wage.
Please note: This agenda is subject to modification at the opening of the session on Monday afternoon.
A guide to how the European Parliament's plenary sessions can be found here.


The fate of a proposed sports and housing development near Dunblane is to be decided by Scottish ministers.

High-profile backers of the Â£37.5m Park of Keir scheme include Judy Murray and golfer Colin Montgomerie.
The plan for tennis and golfing facilities as well as luxury homes was turned down by Stirling Council which received more than 1,000 objections.
The Scottish government said the potential benefits of the scheme were of "national importance".
Mark Ruskell, a Green councillor on Stirling Council, said the decision to reject the Park of Keir application was "democratic and based on agreed national and local planning policies".
He said the economic and tourism arguments in favour were weak and based on "fantastical visitor projections".
"There was no proposal to make Park of Keir the national centre for tennis and golf so I don't see the ministers reasons for citing 'national importance' in pulling the appeal in."
A Scottish government spokesman said: "Scottish ministers will make the final decision on the Park of Keir planning appeal as the proposed development's potential economic, tourism and sporting benefits are considered to be of sufficient national importance to merit further scrutiny."
The proposed development, between Dunblane and Bridge of Allan, includes tennis and golf facilities along with a visitor centre and museum,  set in a new country park.
It also includes proposals for 19 luxury homes on land which is currently allocated as green belt in the local plan.
Stirling Council's planning and regulation panel rejected the planning application in December after receiving more than 1,000 objections and 45 notes of support.
The developers lodged an appeal with the Scottish government in March.
The appeal document said: "We consider that the net economic and social benefits of the amended proposals are significant and considerably outweigh any perceived local concerns over the scale or type of the enabling housing element or any environmental impact of the proposed development."
The document stated that the developers believed Stirling Council "erred in its policy assessment" by focusing on the "residential element instead of considering the development as a whole",
It added: "The development will provide a platform for the development of sporting talent, outreach to local schools and clubs, and high-quality coaching at all levels. It will be a 'sporting destination', attractive to local people and visitors to the Stirling area and Scotland."
Judy Murray has previously said she believed the proposed centre would be a legacy to the tennis achievements of her sons Andy and Jamie. Colin Montgomerie and former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson have also backed the development.
Mr Ruskell said: "It's quite clear the SNP government had discussions with Judy Murray about securing a 'tennis legacy' last December while Stirling Council was considering the application.
"I want to know whether those talks involved the first minister and whether there was any discussion about Park of Keir.
"If they did then ministers fingers should be nowhere near any appeal process."


Work is complete on a facility housing council services under one roof.

The existing library in Cardigan, at Canolfan Teifi, will move to the Morgan Street offices as a result of the work, shutting on 24 June to reopen there on 10 July.
There were letters of objection from the public to the plans and a 1,000-strong petition was handed to Ceredigion council.
The council said significant annual savings would be made.
Objections included access problems, a lack of computer facilities and that it would be located "on a very busy road and at a dangerous junction".
The move was also described as a "complete waste of money and time".
But the council said it had no control over the decision to close the existing library and that the new location was served by public transport and would be accessible by foot.
Ray Quant, cabinet member for technical and corporate services, said: "Bringing everything under one roof will be of benefit to the people of Cardigan, staff and the council."
An official opening of Morgan Street Council Integrated Centre will be held in September.


The head teacher of a troubled academy called for his own "broken" school to be closed in a letter to the government, it has emerged.

Peter Cox, former interim principal of Baverstock Academy, said the school had "no future in its current state" and "should close as quickly as possible".
The academy is set to close in August, despite a campaign to save it.
A final government decision over the fate of the school, in Druids Heath, is due this summer.
See more stories from across Birmingham and the Black Country here
Mr Cox was interim principal of the Academy when he sent the letter to schools minister Lord Nash in November.
He wrote: "The academy is broken."
"By closing Baverstock we can remove the many jaundiced, fatigued and inadequate staff and start again with a new vision and purpose," the letter adds.
Mr Cox has since become CEO of the LEAP Academy Trust, which runs the schools.
The future of the school was plunged into uncertainty in 2015 following financial difficulties.
Its closure was announced despite a campaign to save it and a four-week consultation was launched.
The Department for Education said a new sponsor had not been found for the school, which has been in special measures since 2014.
Nearly 2,400 people signed an online petition which called the school "a constant force of stability to the community".
Steve McCabe, Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, has backed the campaign to keep the school open and previously said the government had treated the parents, pupils and community "with utter disregard".
The BBC has attempted to contact Mr Cox for comment.
The school has a new acting head teacher.


There was "chaos and confusion" at the BBC over a shelved report into sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile, but there had been no cover-up, an inquiry has found.

The report dismissed claims the Newsnight probe was dropped to protect tribute shows to the late TV presenter.
Newsnight's editor and deputy are being replaced after another inquiry criticised a report which led to Lord McAlpine facing false claims of abuse.
The BBC's head of news is returning to her job, but her deputy is to resign.
The Pollard Review was set up by the BBC to see if there were management failings over the investigation, dropped by Newsnight in December 2011.
The report, prepared by former head of Sky News Nick Pollard, said: "The decision to drop the original investigation was flawed and the way it was taken was wrong but I believe it was done in good faith.
"It was not done to protect the Savile tribute programmes or for any improper reason."
It only emerged in October that the six-week investigation had been dropped by BBC TV's flagship current affairs programme, just before ITV aired its own programme on the allegations.
In Wednesday's main developments:
Police are now aware of alleged abuse of hundreds of children and young people over five decades by Savile, who died in October 2011, aged 84.
The BBC aired tribute programmes to the late DJ and television presenter over Christmas and New Year.
By David SillitoArts Correspondent
So no cover-up but it's still a bleak read for the BBC.  "Chaos and confusion" is the damning verdict on BBC management.
"When clear leadership was required, it was not provided," states Nick Pollard. So there are very serious question to be asked.
But there are also fascinating details to be culled from the 10,000 emails on the topic.
I was startled reading passages on warnings in 2011 about "the truth" of Jimmy Savile from someone who had worked with him and how he felt "queasy" about the planned tributes programmes, and also a separate email warning about the late presenter's "dark side".
In an email to staff, BBC acting director general Tim Davie said he was "pleased to say that the review found no evidence of any improper pressure" over dropping the programme.
But he accepted that the "report exposed clear failings in some of our systems, the way we work together and make decisions".
Responding to a question from Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman about why no-one had been sacked over the scandal, he said: "Success for me is not necessarily how many people I dismiss. It's about making a fair and proper judgement on the facts in front of me and making sure the BBC is in a position to rebuild trust."
Mr Davie defended the Â£2m spent on the Pollard Review, saying: "It was right to spend that money because we had an allegation that was very fundamental to trust in the BBC."
He said in future the corporation needed to be "better connected" and information should be shared better.
But he said he was not in favour of adding more layers of management. "It's not about that, it's about clarity, simplicity of structure and actually just clear accountability," he told Newsnight.
BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten said the corporation accepted the report in its "entirety".
"I think that the issues of culture and leadership of the management problems that have been identified in that terrific, searingly honest report of Nick Pollard's are ones that have to be addressed," he said.
BBC home editor Mark Easton said Mr Pollard had been confident the BBC could restore the trust of its audiences, but it would have to be earned.
He said it was also interesting that the BBC Trust had said the problem was cultural, rather than being about structure or compliance.
Culture Secretary Maria Miller said the report raised "serious questions around editorial and management issues at the BBC" and urged the Trust, the corporation's governing body, to "help tackle these".
"I also remind the Trust how vital it is to publish all relevant evidence, as soon as possible, in order to re-build public trust and confidence in the BBC," she said.
The Pollard Review involved the examination of 10,000 emails and detailed interviews with 19 individuals.
Liz Dux, solicitor for 40 alleged victims of abuse by Savile - who are now seeking compensation from his estate - said the shelving of the report meant their suffering had been prolonged by a year.
"Twelve months is an awful long time.  It could have led to absolutely disastrous consequences for the victims, because if Savile's estate had been distributed in that twelve months they would have been left with absolutely no access to justice at all," she said.
Mr Davie apologised on Newsnight for the fact that information gathered by the programme was not handed to police for 10 months.
"We absolutely regret that that information wasn't passed on to the police," he said.
Liz McKean, one of the journalists who worked on the Savile story, said the decision to drop it was "a breach of our duty to the women who trusted us to reveal that Jimmy Savile was a paedophile".
She added: "Many found it difficult to share their experiences as vulnerable girls."
Following the report's publication, the BBC announced a series of staff changes:
Another review led by Dame Janet Smith, looking at the culture and practices of the BBC during the years in which Savile worked there, is expected next year.


Linfield have issued advice to Celtic supporters who have tickets for Friday's Champions League qualifier in Belfast.

Although the Scottish club did not take up their allocation for the match, it is expected some of their fans will have managed to purchase tickets.
Linfield say Celtic supporters should enter the Windsor Park stadium via Boucher Road and go to the Kop Stand.
They are instructed not to arrive until after 15:30 BST.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The statement from Linfield adds: "Celtic fans will not be admitted to any other part of the ground and Linfield fans should not enter the stadium from the Boucher Road.
"No further tickets for the game are available and we would urge all spectators to behave in a respectful and sporting manner."
Because of security concerns, the first leg of the second round qualifier kicks of at 17:00 BST, instead of the customary 19:45.
After the draw was made, the Scottish champions opted not to take their ticket allocation for the game due to fears of trouble among the club's supporters and Linfield's loyalist fans.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has insisted that that decision was taken "solely by the football club and was not made by PSNI".
However, Celtic officials later said they were surprised by the PSNI's statement.
"This is clearly not our understanding of the situation," the club said.


Police have released an image of a key witness they want to speak to about an attack on a 15-year-old Army cadet who had been selling poppies in Manchester.

The boy was waiting for a bus near Manchester Art Gallery when he was sprayed with a lit aerosol on 1 November.
The cadet, who had been selling poppies for the Royal British Legion, suffered singed hair and reddening of the face.
Police said they are keeping an "open mind" as to the motive.
Det Insp Liam Boden said the man, who was captured on CCTV, was "seen in the vicinity of the attack and we believe he may have crucial information".
"This attack has prompted worldwide media interest and there has been a lot of speculation about possible motive.
"I want to be clear that we are still keeping an open mind about what motivated the offender."
He said the "very serious incident left a courageous young man shocked and upset and we need to find the offender, so I would urge anyone who has information to come forward".
His attacker, who walked off, was described as black or Asian, average height and wearing a dark hooded top.


Ex servicemen and women should have priority to affordable homes on a former barracks site, a council has said.

Copthorne Barracks in Shrewsbury was one almost of 100 sites put up for sale by the Ministry of Defence last year as part of a major restructuring.
Shropshire Council said rules for such sites meant as few as six affordable homes may be built, despite demand.
The MoD said it had a duty to maximise value for taxpayers.
Councillor Malcolm Price, in charge of planning at Shropshire Council, said the proposed development of 230 homes on the Shrewsbury site would have usually meant about 46 affordable homes.
However, he said the Vacant Buildings Credit (VBC), used in the sale of ex MoD sites across the country, reduced the commitment to build affordable homes on land currently occupied by redundant buildings, thereby increasing its appeal to prospective developers.
If it could be overturned, Mr Price said it would be fitting if some of the extra affordable homes could be set aside for former soldiers, given the history of the site.
Shropshire Council said it was considering challenging the VBC policy, which it said was letting down former soldiers.
The Armed Forces Covenant, signed by both the government and numerous councils, pledges to support current and former members of the British Armed Forces, including access to affordable homes.
The MoD said the sale of Copthorne Barracks was part of the Better Defence Estate Strategy, "reinvesting over Â£4bn to help ensure a modern estate fit for personnel and their families".
"We are committed to supporting our veterans, and under the Armed Forces Covenant councils must give preference to veterans with urgent housing needs," a spokesperson said.
"We have already allocated Â£40m of LIBOR funds to projects which provide veterans accommodation."


A Saskatchewan woman has been charged with human smuggling following a months-long cross-border investigation.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested and charged Michelle Omoruyi, 43, as part of an investigation into asylum seekers crossing illegally into Canada.
She was stopped after crossing at the Saskatchewan border in a vehicle carrying nine foreign nationals.
Those nine people from West Africa have since made refugee claims in Canada.
Canadian police said on Wednesday they seized evidence and "a significant amount of cash" from a Regina home searched after Ms Omoruyi's arrest on 14 April.
The arrests are part of an ongoing joint four-month investigation by Canada and US authorities into organised human smuggling.
Jason Evert, with the Canada Border Services Agency, said during a news conference on Wednesday that investigators uncovered evidence suggesting human smugglers were facilitating illegal border crossings in the area.
United States Border Patrol also made three arrests in North Dakota near the boundary on Friday in relation to this investigation
Two of the individuals arrested were Canadian citizens. The third was Nigerian.
A growing number of asylum seekers have been crossing illegally into Canada from the US in recent months, mostly into the provinces of Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia.
The trend continued in March, with 887 people caught border-jumping last month, up from 658 in February.
Public Safety Canada warned in a statement that came with the latest border crossing figures that "trying to slip across the border in an irregular manner is not a 'free' ticket to Canada", noting asylum seekers would be processed and their claims adjudicated through due process.
Ms Omoruyi, from Regina, faces a charge of human smuggling and a charge of conspiracy to commit human smuggling.
She is scheduled to appear in provincial court on 15 May.


Swansea City boss Paul Clement hopes their recent home form will help his side avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Swans take on Middlesbrough at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday, where they have lost just once since Clement took charge in January.
Only Arsenal, who are currently sixth in the table, have bettered Swansea's home record since the turn of the year.
"We need that kind of mentality [at home]," said Clement.
After losing to the Gunners at home in his first game in charge, Clement's Swans have beaten Southampton, Leicester and Burnley at the Liberty Stadium to ease at least some of their relegation fears.
Their record on the road has not been quite so impressive however, with the Welsh club going into the Boro game off the back of defeats away at Hull and Bournemouth.
It has seen them dragged back towards the bottom three, with Boro under the charge of caretaker boss Steve Agnew, one place off the foot of the table and five points behind their hosts.
Clement refuses to see the game as a 'must win,' but, cites his side's finest victory under him as proof the Swans are capable of picking up points anywhere with nine games left.
"Of course we must relish playing at home," said Clement.
"Go back to our performances against Leicester and also Burnley, where we created lots of crosses into the box. We were very dangerous that day.
"The squad sense the important of this game. I wouldn't say it's must-win because what if you don't win? Is the season over? No, of course it's not. You've still got eight games and they are games that you can win at home or away.
"I think the fact we won at Liverpool away, it's something we can always look back on and say 'we can go anywhere and get a good result'. It's a very important game, there's no question about it."
With the late-season run-in set to begin, Clement has dismissed the idea that his side have been enjoying an upturn in form many teams experience when a new manager takes charge.
"I haven't changed anything from what I did at the start to now," he said.
"The training intensity, the way I communicate with the players, it's the same kind of thing. We work on details, we work on the fundamentals, there was no magic when I first came in and there won't be next week or the week after."
Despite enjoying success as assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Paris Saint Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Clement says keeping the Swans in the top flight would eclipse anything he has achieved in his career so far.
He added: "Personally, it would be the best. It is very different being an assistant to a head coach.
"Those achievements when I worked with Carlo were very satisfying. But when you're calling all the big decisions yourself, the reward of getting victories are very, very satisfying. But the defeats hurt you more than anything.
"So it would be very rewarding if we managed to achieve the objective."


Police have appealed for information after a man was chased then stabbed by two men in Govan in Glasgow.

The 20 year old-man, who was with his partner at the time, was chased down Copland Road and on to Summertown Road at about 22:00 on Monday.
He was then seriously assaulted. His partner was unharmed.
Detectives said it was a "deliberate and targeted" attack and have urged anyone who witnessed a disturbance in the area to come forward.
The 20-year-old man was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and left after treatment.
Both suspects were described as white men with local accents and slim builds, who were wearing dark clothing at the time of the incident.
They are aged between 20 and 30, with one man about 6ft tall and the other shorter.
Det Con Kris Elliott, Govan CID, said: "Both men were involved in the attack, however, we understand that only one of the men was in possession of a weapon at the time of the incident.
"We have been assessing CCTV images and conducting door-to-door inquiries to establish the identity of the men responsible."
"If anyone witnessed a disturbance on Monday evening around Summertown Road, please contact police with any information you have."


The killer of a man who died after being punched at a music festival is "one shot away" from capture, police have said.

Robert Hart, 26, died four days after the assault at Manchester's Parklife Festival in June 2014.
Greater Manchester Police made a fresh appeal for videos and photographs from the event at Heaton Park.
Mr Hart was attacked after an altercation, prompted by his girlfriend being hit with an inflatable doll.
Speaking ahead of this year's event, which takes place over the weekend, Det Supt Phil Reade, said: "We are one shot away from identifying Robert's attacker.
"We can only do this with the public's help."
He urged people to think back to the time and look again at any photos taken at the event.
"Were you there? Do you still have photographs or video footage from the festival?," he asked.
"Don't assume that someone else has sent the same or similar photograph or footage to what you have taken. The people we are looking for could be in the background of a photograph or video you have taken."
An inquest in 2015 concluded Mr Hart was unlawfully killed and died of a head injury following an assault.


Students at the University of Oklahoma are being investigated and their fraternity closed after they were shown in videos making racist chants.

People can be heard singing about lynching black people, saying they would not be allowed in the fraternity.
The president of the university, David Boren, says that he is "investigating".
But the head of the fraternity the students are said to have belonged to confirmed they were Oklahoma students and their chapter had been shut down.
"Sigma Alpha Epsilon's national headquarters has closed its Oklahoma Kappa chapter at the University of Oklahoma following the discovery of an inappropriate video," a statement on the fraternity's website says.
"We apologise for the unacceptable and racist behaviour of the individuals in the video, and we are disgusted that any member would act in such a way."
One of the chants in the videos also references lynching.
Brad Cohen, the fraternity's national president, says: "I was not only shocked and disappointed but disgusted by the outright display of racism displayed in the video."
In a statement on their Twitter account, Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the nearby Oklahoma State University says: "The Oklahoma State chapter of SAE does not condone racist behaviour of any kind and is not associated with the individuals in the video."
They also address a picture showing a Confederate flag hanging in the fraternity's house.
"SAE doesn't endorse the Confederate flag nationally nor do we endorse it as a chapter. The flag has never been a symbol of our fraternity," they say.
The flag, which dates from about 150 years ago in the time of the Confederate States of America before and during America's Civil War, is seen by some people, especially in the southern states, as being representative of their history.
Others see it as representing slavery and racism, especially because of its use by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.
In an update on Twitter, Boren says that "such behaviour will not be tolerated" and it is "reprehensible and contrary to all of our values".
The video was first shared online by Unheard, a black student group at University of Oklahoma. How they got it, or who made the video, isn't known.
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One of the most decorated French soldiers, who fought in the country's wars in Algeria and French Indochina, has died.

Gen Marcel Bigeard, 94, died on Friday, his wife told news agency Agence France-Presse.
Gen Bigeard was a commanding officer during the battle of Dien Bien Phu and the Battle of Algiers.
In 2000 he caused controversy in France by telling a newspaper that torture was a "necessary evil" in Algeria.
Gen Bigeard began his military career as an enlisted man, and retired from the army as State Secretary for Defence.
He was called up into the army at the outbreak of World War II and was captured in the Battle of France in 1940.
He managed to escape and joined the Free French in North Africa. From there he was parachuted back in to France to fight with the Resistance.
It was in French Indochina that Gen Bigeard began to make his name as a commander in a Paratroop regiment.
He survived the 1954 Battle of Dien Bien Phu, where French troops were surrounded and defeated by the forces of the Vietnamese Communists, the Viet Minh.
He was then sent to Algeria where he led the "irregular" counter-insurgency campaign against the National Liberation Front (FLN) during the 1957 Battle of Algiers.
He later told Le Monde newspaper that it was "necessary" to torture suspected FLN sympathisers to extract information about bombings carried out by the Algerian insurgents.
In 1975 he was appointed State Secretary for Defence by President Valery Giscard d'Estaing.
He retired from the army in 1976.
He was believed to be one of the most decorated soldiers in France and had received medals from both France and Britain for his wartime service.


South Sudan's army and allied militias "abducted, torched and gang-raped girls" during fighting against rebel forces, a UN report says.

Investigators found that at least 172 women and girls were abducted and subjected to sexual violence, it added.
One woman was "dragged out of her hut and gang-raped in front of her three-year old child", the report said.
The government denies its army has committed atrocities but says it will study the report.
The UN Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) said abuses during the 18-month civil war had reached a new scale of intensity and horror in recent fighting in the oil-producing Unity State.
"Survivors spoke of a campaign against the local population that killed civilians, looted and destroyed villages," the report said.
"Some of the most disturbing allegations compiled by Unmiss human rights officers focused on the abduction and sexual abuse of women and girls, some of whom were reportedly burnt alive in their dwellings," it added.
The report added that in one incident, a woman was made to hold red-hot coals in her hands in an attempt to force her to reveal the whereabouts of rebel fighters.
President Salva Kiir's spokesman Ateng Wek Ateng told the BBC he did not believe that troops would commit atrocities against their own people.
However, he said the allegations contained in the report were "too serious to ignore".
The government would study the report, and take appropriation, he added.
The military launched a major offensive against rebel forces in April, with fierce fighting in Unity state's northern Mayom district, once a key oil producing area.
The civil war began in December 2013 after Mr Kiir accused his sacked deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup.
Mr Machar denied the allegation, but then formed a rebel army to fight the government.
Various efforts to mediate an end to the conflict in South Sudan, the world's newest state, have failed.
Earlier this month, a UN humanitarian co-ordinator in the country, Toby Lanzer, was expelled by the government.
Reports say he was kicked out for highlighting the plight of those caught in the conflict.


North Korea may be preparing a rocket launch, US officials say, citing increased activity around the Sohae Satellite Launching Station.

One official told the AFP news agency that the launch might be "for a satellite or a space vehicle".
But nothing indicated it would be for a ballistic missile, the official added.
It comes as the UN Security Council discusses imposing fresh sanctions against North Korea after it conducted a fourth nuclear test on 6 January.
Pyongyang said it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, but nuclear experts have questioned the claim, saying the blast was not large enough.
On Thursday morning, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that Japanese officials were concerned by recent activity at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, also known as Tongchang-ri.
Analysis of satellite imagery suggested preparations were under way for a missile or rocket launch, possibly within a week, the officials said.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency meanwhile cited a government source as saying screens had been set up at key areas at the site, probably to deter satellite surveillance.
Later, an unnamed US official in Washington told AFP: "The indications are that they are preparing for some kind of launch.
"Could be for a satellite or a space vehicle - there are a lot of guesses.
"North Korea does this periodically - they move things back and forth... There's nothing to indicate it's ballistic-missile related."
North Korea last conducted a long-range rocket launch in 2012, successfully putting into orbit an object Pyongyang claimed was a communications satellite.


A military charity found selling Nazi-themed and anti-Islamic merchandise is being investigated by a watchdog.

The founder of 1st Knight Military Charity was secretly filmed selling T-shirts emblazoned with offensive messages at its Blackpool headquarters by a BBC Scotland investigation team.
Andy Linihan also sold badges alluding to the shooting of suicide bombers.
After viewing the footage, the Charity Commission said it had begun its highest level of investigation.
The BBC documentary, The Great Military Charity Scandal, discovered the charity was selling Nazi-themed T-shirts and hooded jumpers, some emblazoned with neo-Nazi emblems.
Velcro badges, designed to be placed on uniforms or baseball caps featured a picture of an assault rifle and the words '72 Virgins Express'.
When asked by an undercover journalist what the words meant, Mr Linihan said they referred to the shooting of suicide bombers.
He said: "When they supposedly go up to heaven or wherever they go to, there are 72 virgins waiting for them."
He then put on a woman's voice and is heard saying, `Hello Johnny, I'm here, even though my head's blown off', before erupting into laughter.
A volunteer for the charity, which organises respite trips for veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, then told the BBC investigator: "We shoot them and they get the virgins."
The Charity Commission confirmed it had opened the most serious form of investigation it can undertake into 1st Knight.
A spokesperson said: "The commission has opened a statutory inquiry into 1st Knight Military Charity - registered charity number 1158071.
"The inquiry was opened today in response to regulatory concerns identified from publicised footage of the BBC documentary, 'The Great Military Charity Scandal', in which the charity features, and items shown to the commission by the BBC that were obtained as part of its investigation.
"The trustees of the charity have been notified and the commission will issue a public statement about the inquiry in due course."
Another body, the Fundraising Regulator, which oversees fundraising conduct in the UK, has said it will also investigate concerns about the charity as a result of the BBC investigation.
Mr Linihan said he accepted the items filmed by the BBC were "products which ought not to be sold by the charity".
He added: "As a result of your visit we have withdrawn the products from the shop and removed them from the internet."


The Houses of Parliament are home to 650 MPs, about 760 peers - and, it has emerged, one tarantula.

Government Chief Whip Gavin Williamson told the Daily Telegraph he keeps the spider - named Cronus - on his desk.
But how long Cronus will be living in the famous building is not clear.
A Commons spokeswoman said only guide dogs and sniffer dogs were allowed in Parliament - anyone bringing in another animal is "gently reminded of this policy and asked not to do it again".
The office of the Serjeant at Arms - which is responsible for maintaining order on the Parliamentary estate - would get in touch with anyone breaching the rules, the spokeswoman said.
But she would not comment on a report in The Sun that Mr Williamson had already been told by the Serjeant at Arms to remove the one-year-old spider, saying individual cases would not be discussed.
Mr Williamson, who is in charge of maintaining party discipline, told the Telegraph: "I've had Cronus since he was a spiderling, so I have a very paternal sort of approach. It's very much the same sort of love and care that I give to my spider as I give to all MPs."
He added: "Cronus is a perfect example of an incredibly clean, ruthless killer... absolutely fascinating to rear."
Other high-profile Westminster pets include Downing Street cat Larry, known unofficially as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, and his Foreign Office counterpart Palmerston, while MPs and peers parade their pooches at an annual dog of the year show.


All-rounder Azhar Mahmood is to return to Surrey for the forthcoming season as the county's T20 player-coach.

The former Pakistan international, who turns 41 this month, took nine wickets in the T20 Blast for Surrey last season at an average of 26.22.
He will join up with the county in May and be available for selection in all T20 Blast games.
"To be given the opportunity to coach as well as play is something I'm very excited about," he said.
Mahmood will oversee the likes of Aaron Finch, Kumar Sangakkara and Dwayne Bravo in his coaching role, who are all set to play for Surrey at various stages of the season.
In one of his appearances for Surrey last season, he hit a six off the final ball to seal a four-wicket win against Gloucestershire at The Oval.
"Being able to tap into his wealth of cricket knowledge and experience will be a big asset for the club," director of cricket Alec Stewart said.


A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman's body was found in a van in Devon.

The remains, believed to be those of a 71-year-old woman, were found in Fenny Bridges, Honiton at about 16:00 GMT on Wednesday, police said.
A 66-year-old man is being held in custody and questioned at Heavitree Road police station.
The woman has yet to be formally identified but a post-mortem will be carried out later, police said.
Devon and Cornwall Police said it was not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.


A military operation to retake the Iraqi city of Tikrit from Islamic State (IS) has caused about 28,000 people to flee their homes, the UN says.

Those displaced are headed towards the city of Samarra, the UN said, but many families are stranded at checkpoints.
Aid convoys carrying relief supplies are being sent to the area by UN agencies to help those affected.
The operation to retake Tikrit, involving some 30,000 soldiers and Shia militiamen, is now in its fourth day.
They are trying to encircle the IS fighters, but their advance has been slow due to the roadside bombs and booby traps planted since the city was overrun last June, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.
Iraqi jets and helicopters are supporting the ground troops but US-led coalition aircraft are not involved.
Militants also set fire to oil wells outside the city on Thursday, officials said, creating clouds of smoke in an apparent bid to obscure targets from air strikes.
Iraqi Gen Abdul Wahhab al-Saadi told state TV that the burning oil wells would not affect the operation.
But as the fighting continues, concerns for the civilian population are growing.
A UN statement said: "Military operations in and around Tikrit have precipitated displacement of an estimated 28,000 people to Samarra.
"Field reports indicate that additional displacements are under way and that yet more families remain stuck at checkpoints."
The White House and human rights organisations have also warned against the danger of sectarian reprisals by the Shia militia in the predominantly Sunni area.
Militia leaders have vowed to seek revenge for the massacre of hundreds of soldiers, most of them Shia, at Camp Speicher near Tikrit in June.
On Wednesday, a Iraqi army source told the BBC that government forces had taken control of the village of al-Maibdi, on the road between Tikrit and the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, as well as the nearby Ajil and Alas oilfields.
The road was a key supply route for IS between Salahuddin and Diyala provinces, the source said.
Another official told All Iraq News that the villages of Siha and Mazraat al-Rahim, just to the north of Tikrit in al-Alam district, had also been retaken.
However, the soldiers and militiamen have not breached IS defences around Tikrit and al-Dour, a town 19km (12 miles) to the south, which officials say is another stronghold of the jihadist group.
Tikrit, the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein, is a key target for the Iraqi government if it wants to retake Mosul, Iraq's second city, which was also seized by IS last year.


Colchester have signed midfielder Sean Murray on an 18-month deal and goalkeeper Dean Brill on a contract until the end of the season.

Brill, 31, signed following his release by Motherwell on Monday, while Murray was released by Swindon on Tuesday to allow him to link up with Colchester.
Brill did not make an appearance for the Scottish club in six months.
Murray, 23, played 23 games and scored once for the Robins this term following a summer move from Watford.
Both players could make their Colchester debuts when they travel to face Blackpool in League Two on Saturday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.


Adam Coombes and Adam May struck their first goals for Sutton in guaranteeing another season in the fifth tier with a comfortable victory over Chester, who slumped to their fifth successive defeat but are unlikely to be relegated.

Sutton took control of the game with two goals inside the opening 10 minutes, first Coombes firing into the top corner from 25-yards with just five minutes on the clock before May doubled the lead three minutes later with a fierce 20-yard strike.
Jamie Collins made the points safe four minutes before half-time with a free-kick which floated over the wall and into the top corner with goalkeeper Alex Lynch rooted to the spot, and then supplied the cross for Coombes to head home his second in the 46th minute.
The hosts made it five in spectacular fashion as a corner was headed clear only for Nicky Bailey to rifle the ball home from 30-yards on the half-volley.
James Alabi took advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Will Puddy to reduce the arrears in the 79th minute from a tight angle and three minutes later he struck again when he collected a pass from Tom Shaw, cut inside and fired home.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Sutton United 5, Chester FC 2.
Second Half ends, Sutton United 5, Chester FC 2.
Goal!  Sutton United 5, Chester FC 2. James Alabi (Chester FC).
Goal!  Sutton United 5, Chester FC 1. James Alabi (Chester FC).
Goal!  Sutton United 5, Chester FC 0. Nicky Bailey (Sutton United).
Substitution, Sutton United. Daniel Spence replaces Dean Beckwith.
Substitution, Sutton United. Craig Dundas replaces Maxime Biamou.
Substitution, Sutton United. Jack Jebb replaces Jeffrey Monakana.
Substitution, Chester FC. Wade Joyce replaces Sam Hughes.
Goal!  Sutton United 4, Chester FC 0. Adam Coombes (Sutton United).
Second Half begins Sutton United 3, Chester FC 0.
First Half ends, Sutton United 3, Chester FC 0.
Goal!  Sutton United 3, Chester FC 0. Jamie Collins (Sutton United).
Goal!  Sutton United 2, Chester FC 0. Adam May (Sutton United).
Goal!  Sutton United 1, Chester FC 0. Adam Coombes (Sutton United).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


An engineering company in Sheffield has won the contract to design and build a second retractable roof at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon.

SCX made the first roof in 2009 to allow all-weather play on Centre Court.
Fabrication work for the Number One Court roof is about to start and it is expected to be completed in time for the 2019 championships.
The cost of the project, which includes expanding the seating capacity, has not been disclosed.
More on this and other Sheffield stories
The new roof will be a concertina design made of transparent fabric stretched between steel trusses.
The structure will weigh 1,100 tonnes and cover an area of 5,500mÂ².  It will be able to be deployed or retracted in around eight minutes.
The company said it would use local suppliers whenever possible.
SCX managing director Simon Eastwood said: "Wimbledon is the world's greatest tennis tournament and we are incredibly proud to be part of the work on Number One Court.
"Our technical innovation and engineering expertise helped us to produce a highly successful retractable roof for Centre Court and we expect this project to be just as successful."


Venezuelan students clashed with police in the western city of San Cristobal on Wednesday.

The students were protesting against a ruling by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The court curtailed the power of the opposition-controlled National Assembly to review government appointments of Supreme Court justices.
The clashes come at a time of rising tension between the opposition and the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro.
The protesters set up roadblocks and threw stones at police, reporters at the scene said.
San Cristobal was where a wave of anti-governments protests started in 2014.
Forty-three people from both sides of the political divide were killed during the ensuing months in some of Venezuela's main cities.
Jose Vielma Mora, the governor of Tachira state, where San Cristobal is located, said that the protesters "use violence to support a National Assembly that wants to violate the rule of law".
The National Assembly was due to debate the government's nomination of 13 Supreme Court justices and 21 alternates on Tuesday.
Following legislative elections on 7 December, the National Assembly is controlled by lawmakers opposed to the socialist government for the first time in 17 years.
But before the new lawmakers were sworn in on 5 January, the outgoing lawmakers rushed through the nominations for the country's top court in specially convened sessions.
The opposition says the government stacked the court with judges friendly to the administration in order to curb the power of the National Assembly.
They accuse the court of overwhelmingly ruling in favour of the socialist government in the 17 years since it was first elected.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said the National Assembly's power was limited to overseeing the executive, not the judiciary.
It said the National Assembly would therefore be overstepping its authority if it tried to remove Supreme Court justices or even review their appointments.
It is the latest in a series of stand-offs between the Supreme Court and the National Assembly since January, with the court ruling against the opposition in every instance.
Relations between the government and the opposition have been tense for years.
A number of opposition leaders are in jail on what they say are trumped-up charges while the government argues that they are dangerous individuals who incited deadly violence.
Opposition lawmakers say they plan to remove President Maduro from power by means of a recall referendum later this year.
Under the Venezuelan constitution such a referendum can be called once the president is half way into his term in office, which in Mr Maduro's case will be on 19 April.
An economic crisis brought about by low oil prices has triggered shortages of basic goods and caused widespread discontent with the government of Mr Maduro.
The president says the shortages are the result of an "economic war" waged against Venezuela by "imperialist forces".


A commemorative stone to mark the efforts of campaigners who fought for the Borders Railway has been unveiled.

The sculpture at Tweedbank station also recognises the official opening of the line by the Queen on 9 September last year.
The original plaque she unveiled on the day is incorporated into the two-metre high design.
The stone was supplied by local quarry Hutton Stone and created by Borders artist Michelle De Bruin.
She helped to unveil her artwork alongside retiring Lord Lieutenant of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale, Capt Gerald Maitland-Carew.
The Borders Railway brought trains back to the region for the first time in 46 years after a campaign led by the community.
More than one million people have used the railway since it opened in September 2015.
Future developments at the Tweedbank terminus include the provision of toilet facilities and the opening of a coffee bar and kiosk selling drinks, snacks and newspapers.


Coal and gas mining continue to encroach on some of Australia's best farmland, pitting miners against farmers and creating a deep rift between the parties of the nation's ruling Conservative coalition.

In the 2006 movie Superman Returns the young super hero plunges to Earth from planet Krypton, landing in the wide, undulating plains of Smallville, Kansas.
His spacecraft pierces the region's rich black soils and - so the story goes - Superman is raised on this sweeping farmland where he learns to run and jump and fly.
A decade on from the filming of the Hollywood blockbuster, the real life  location - Breeza on the Liverpool Plains of rural New South Wales - is bracing itself not against kryptonite but against coal.
Earlier this month, Chinese company Shenhua received Australian government approval for a massive open-cut coal mine three kilometres from tiny Breeza.
The approval was one of the last hurdles in the company's mission to dig up 10 million tonnes of black coal a year to ship from Newcastle 282km (170 miles) to the east.
The project has been almost eight years in the making but it is only now that a very public fight has broken out between the region's competing stakeholders.
With a physical footprint far larger than the City of Sydney local council area, the Shenhua Watermark mine has been described by local farmers as agricultural genocide.
It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week over its 30-year life span.
One such farmer, Fiona Simson, described the Liverpool Plains as an iconic agricultural region because of its outstanding natural resources.
Ms Simson, whose cropping farm is 50km from the proposed mine, is a former president of the NSW Farmers Association.
"We must and will keep fighting," she told the BBC. "This project is not in the national interest."
The Liverpool Plains is often referred to as NSW's food bowl and is counted among the best agricultural land in Australia because of its fertile black soils, temperate climate, good rainfall, and rich surface and underground water resources.
The Association says fighting the A$1.2bn ($887m, Â£570m) mine is the most important challenge facing NSW farmers.
Shenhua says the mine will not damage the region's groundwater supplies and promises to look after vulnerable ecological communities.
And Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt says the mine is subject to some of "the strictest conditions in Australian history".
But the approval has deepened a rift between Australia's governing Liberal party and its coalition partner, The Nationals - which has traditionally represented farmers - in a relationship already strained by the expansion of coal seam gas (CSG) mining over farming land.
Earlier this month, about 120 people protested against CSG exploration in Gloucester, about 260km north of Sydney.
It was the 14th protest in that area, and one of hundreds of similar protests by farmers, Indigenous Australian land owners, conservationists and urban residents against the encroachment of coal and gas extraction onto rural, and in a few cases, urban land.
Agriculture Minister and Nationals member Barnaby Joyce, whose electorate of New England takes in the proposed Shenhua mine, has publicly condemned Mr Hunt's decision to approve it.
"I think it is ridiculous that you would have a major mine in the midst of Australia's best agricultural land," he wrote on his Facebook page.
The Deputy Prime Minister and leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss, seems to agree.
"The Nationals recognise the vital role that the coal mining industry plays in our national economy, but we believe that prime agricultural land should be preserved for its vital role in producing food for future generations," his spokesman told the BBC.
The Nationals' inability to hold back the tide of black coal has left many farmers frustrated, forcing them into unnatural alliances with environmentalists and the Greens party and leading to the formation of groups like Lock the Gate.
"We should not put our food bowl in jeopardy for the short-term benefit of a coal mine," says NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.
"Our capacity to feed ourselves is obviously fundamental to the national interest," he says.
The Nationals have already felt the pinch of rural dissatisfaction at the ballot box.  At the NSW election in March, the party lost the northern seat of Ballina to the Greens and nearby Lismore nearly went the same way.
There are 110 black coal mines across Australia. Another 91 new mines or expansions of existing mines are awaiting approval, according to Greenpeace.
In many cases, farmers who have worked the same land for generations are finding themselves forced off that land, says Greenpeace campaigner Dr Nikola Casule.
"These sorts of alliances [between farmers and environmentalists] are becoming more and more common," he says.
But Ms Simson says the issue should not be about politics.
"All sides of politics have had a hand in this," she says of the Shenhua mine.
"The people in the region feel let down by not just the Nationals.
"If [the Labor Party] had still been in power, we'd potentially still be in the same situation now."
Saffron Howden is a Sydney-based writer.


A teenager has been charged with the murder of a 27-year-old man in an east London park.

The victim, who has not been named, was found stabbed in Plaistow Park, Newham, on 29 January.
He was taken to hospital for treatment but died of his injuries three days later.
A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was stab wounds to the abdomen.
Detectives investigating the killing have charged Kaleb Amponsah, 18, of Canning Town, east London, with murder.
He will appear in custody at Thames Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Two 16-year-old boys were also arrested in connection with the incident.
They were later released on bail until a date in mid-April while detectives continue their inquires.
The victim's next of kin were informed and formal identification completed, but police withheld the victim's name at his family's request.


The Edinburgh trams inquiry will examine six million documents as part of its investigation into what went wrong with the project.

Speaking at the first preliminary hearing, Lord Hardie, who is leading the probe, said it would not determine why the project went ahead.
He also said it would not decide if anybody was legally responsible or financially liable.
The trams project was delivered five years behind schedule and over budget.
The inquiry was ordered by the Scottish government to investigate what went wrong.
Lord Hardie announce the details of seven organisations that have been designated as core participants, outlining the progress of the inquiry so far and set out his process for conducting the next stage of the inquiry.
During the hearing, Lord Hardie announced that Bilfinger Construction UK, Carillion Utility Services, Edinburgh City Council, DLA Piper Scotland, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Scottish ministers and Siemens had applied for and been granted core participant status.
A decision by the city council not to revive its former arms-length transport firm Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (Tie) means it has not been designated a "core participant".
The council said the decision not to revive the firm would have no impact on its ability to provide relevant information held by the company and its former bosses, and had been taken on the basis of cost.
However, Lord Hardie said: "It appears that there is clear scope for a conflict of interest between the City of Edinburgh Council and Tie.
"This is not least because the council has raised an action for damages in the Court of Session against Tie, which has separate solicitors, albeit I presume funded by the council, but that's perhaps something that can be clarified.
"If councillors were not fully advised of the correct position, it might be prudent of the City of Edinburgh Council to reconsider these issues following a full and more balanced report than the one which was available on 20 August in effort to reduce any challenge that might impede this inquiry."
Lord Hardie also raised the issue of conflict of interest in relation to the law firm Pinsent Masons.
"As I have already mentioned there is clear potential for a conflict of interest between the City of Edinburgh Council and Tie, however there would also appear to be a potential conflict of interest involving Pinsent Masons," he said.
"That potential arises in different ways."
Lord Hardie said the firm was acting for Tie in a legal action against tram contract lawyers DLA Piper Scotland LLP while acting against Tie in the legal action pursued by the council.
In addition, Pinsent Masons are representing both the council and contractor Bilfinger Construction UK Ltd at the inquiry, raising issues of confidentiality and loyalty, he added.
"I want to be satisfied that both of these have been addressed to avoid any risk of challenge to the inquiry," Lord Hardie said.
Lawyers representing the council and Bilfinger said disputes between the parties had been resolved while both will have entirely separate legal teams from Pinsent Masons.
Lord Hardie has asked each of the core participants to consider conflict of interest and provide written responses to the inquiry by 27 November.
He said his team was continuing to make good progress in line with the published order of events.
The inquiry will examine why the project cost so much while delivering less than had initially been planned.
Trams finally started running in May last year on the 8.7-mile (14km) route between the city's New Town and airport following six years of disruption.
The total cost of the project was put at Â£776m - significantly over budget - despite the route being shorter than had originally been intended.
The scope of the inquiry has already been extended so witnesses could be compelled to give evidence after some of them  initially refused to co-operate.
Edinburgh City Council has set aside Â£2m to cover legal costs.
No time frame has been set for how long the inquiry will take.


Labour and the Liberal Democrats have been accused of striking a "deal" with the British National Party (BNP) to stay in control of a Lancashire council.

The BNP's only UK district councillor Brian Parker holds the balance of power on the hung authority in Pendle.
Its Conservative MP Andrew Stephenson told the Commons the parties' deal had turned "a blind eye to racism".
Labour and the Lib Dems have denied striking any such arrangement.
The current political makeup of the council is 24 Conservatives, 15 Labour, nine Lib Dems and one BNP.
Mr Stephenson told ministers: "That means the Labour/Lib Dem coalition that run the council currently have to rely on the support of that BNP councillor to get things through.
"Can we have a debate on racism and how the Pendle Labour Party and Liberal Democrats are happy to turn a blind eye to it in order to cling on to their positions and their expenses?"
Mr Parker said Labour, the Lib Dems and the BNP were "co-operating" and would look at working together in the future.
He told BBC Radio Lancashire an agreement had been made with the coalition over local traffic issues in return for his support on their budget.
"We could come to an arrangement on other things. I won't work with the Conservatives because they're starving Pendle Council of millions," he said.
Pendle council leader, Labour's Mohammed Iqbal, said no deal has been done and added he had "never met with the BNP" and did not intend to.
He said the accusation "showed the Conservatives were getting desperate".
The authority's deputy leader Lib Dem Tony Greaves, also denied an agreement had been made with Mr Parker, saying "he is his own free agent and he will no doubt vote according to his views".
Leader of Pendle Conservatives Joe Cooney has written to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron condemning the situation.


Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell has been diagnosed with stage-one lymphoma, forcing him to go on medical leave for the rest of the season.

Farrell, who led the team to a World Series win in 2013,  said his cancer of the immune system is "very treatable".
Red Sox assistant coach Torey Lovullo will serve as manager while Farrell receives treatment.
Doctors discovered the cancer when Farrell was undergoing hernia surgery earlier this week.
"I can honestly tell you that I'm extremely fortunate that it was found," Farrell said on Friday. "It's localised. It's highly curable."
Farrell started his career as a Major League Baseball pitcher and also served as the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2011 to 2012.
On Friday, Farrell received an outpouring of support from fans and colleagues on social media.
Even the Red Sox's arch-rivals, the New York Yankees tweeted: "Wishing RedSox manager John Farrell a full and speedy recovery."


Stephen Myler converted a late Samu Manoa try as leaders Northampton Saints salvaged a draw at Gloucester.

Greig Laidlaw kicked three penalties and converted tries by Charlie Sharples and Richard Hibbard to put the Cherry and Whites 23-9 up at the break.
Myler converted James Wilson's try to reduce the margin to seven points.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Dan Murphy then went in for the hosts, Wilson grabbed a second and Myler and Laidlaw traded penalties before Manoa crucially touched down.
Northampton's Premiership lead was cut to nine points, with Exeter Chiefs thrashing bottom side London Welsh 74-19 to go second.
The draw saw Gloucester slip to ninth, 11 points adrift of fourth-placed Saracens, who face fellow play-off hopefuls Wasps on Sunday.
Once-capped England fly-half Myler marked his 148th and club-record setting Premiership appearance with two kicks for the competition pacesetters early on.
However, the lead was short lived with Laidlaw teeing up three penalties in response to put the hosts 9-6 up on 21 minutes.
Both sides seemed to thrive in the sunny and unseasonably warm conditions at Kingsholm.
James Hook orchestrated the game's first try, beating three Saints players before angling an expertly weighted kick out to the right where Sharples collected to cross over. Laidlaw added the extras to make it 16-6.
The try added even greater impetus to the Cherry and Whites' attack, with Sharples almost dashing in for a second before Hibbard was kept out by Alex Corbisiero.
Hibbard's wait to touchdown was short lived, with the hooker making the most of their one-man advantage following James Wilson's yellow card, peeling off the back of a maul to crash over.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Myler slotted his third penalty with the last act of the first-half, then cut the deficit further by adding the extras after Wilson eased over for the first of two tries in six second-half minutes.
A break from Steve McColl set the foundations for Gloucester's third score, with Murphy stretching out to add to the home side's advantage, only for some superb handling from of Manoa and wing Jamie Elliott sending Wilson over again soon after.
Myler followed up his second conversation with his fourth penalty, having missed an earlier straight-forward attempt, to reduce the gap to four points with more than 22 minutes remaining.
Gloucester thought they had sealed the win six minutes from time when substitute Henry Purdy crossed out wide, but the try was disallowed for an infringement during the build-up.
Still Laidlaw edged the hosts further ahead, but it proved too little as Myler secured a share of the spoils following Manoa's dramatic late effort.
Gloucester director of rugby David Humphreys told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:
"I think it'll not be for a couple of days when we get a chance to sit down and review it that we'll be able to take a huge number of positives from that and from the way we played.
"We're still searching for that 80-minute performance that will allow us to win games against the top teams.
"With a 23-9 lead, we've got to control the momentum and pace of the game, so maybe that was the time to slow it down.
"It's really the first time we've been in that position and I've no doubt we'll learn from that as a group."
Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder:
"We showed what a good side we are in that second half. We talked about getting our balance right, and we played some good rugby.
"We got two cracking tries out wide from James Wilson, then to be able to go to the maul at the death and get that score just shows we have got threats all over the field.
"You can't come down to Kingsholm and play as we did in the first-half. They are a proud team and it is a proud rugby city, and we made some fundamental mistakes in terms of our game-management."
Gloucester: McColl; Sharples, Meakes, Twelvetrees (capt), May; Hook, Laidlaw; Murphy, Hibbard, Afoa; Savage, Palmer, Kalamafoni, Kvesic, Evans.
Replacements: Burns for McColl (71), Purdy for Sharples (50), Y. Thomas for Murphy (58), Dawidiuk for Hibbard (68), Moriarty for Kalamafoni (28), Stooke for G Evans (51). Not Used: Puafisi, Robson.
Northampton Saints: Wilson; K Pisi, G Pisi, Stephenson, Elliott; Myler, Fotuali'i; Corbisiero, Haywood, Ma'afu, Lawes, Day, Wood (capt), Clark, Manoa.
Replacements: Tuala for K Pisi (68), L Dickson for Fotuali'i (54), A Waller for Corbisiero (61), Denman for Ma'afu (50), S Dickinson for C Day (50), Dowson for Clark (65). Not Used: Williams, Oliver.
Sin-bin: Wilson (28 mins)
Referee: Greg Garner
Attendance: 16,000


The US is willing to do more to assist the Iraqi army in its fight to retake the city of Ramadi from the so-called Islamic State (IS), US Defence Secretary Ash Carter has said.

Mr Carter told a Senate panel that military advisers and helicopters could be deployed to help "finish the job".
However, their deployment is incumbent upon a request from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
IS captured the city in May after an embarrassing defeat for the Iraqi army.
Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman for the US campaign against IS, told the BBC that Mr al-Abadi has so far not asked for the helicopters.
As a fight to retake the city has brewed, the US-led coalition has provided training and equipment to the Iraqi army, including 5,000 AT4 shoulder-fired missiles to counter truck bombs.
This is in addition to the on-going air strike campaign known as Operation Inherent Resolve.
In recent days, Iraqi forces have made progress towards recapturing the city - which is located about 90km (55 miles) to the west of Baghdad - including the retaking of a military operations centre and a suburban neighbourhood.
But Mr Carter warned of a tough fight ahead.
Critics of the Obama strategy to counter IS have said air power alone will not defeat them.
In October, the US said it would send dozens of special operations forces into Syria to assist anti-government rebels in fighting. Last week the US said it would send elite teams into Iraq to carry out raids, free hostages and capture IS leaders.
"They are not giants," Senator John McCain said at Wednesday's hearing. "Someone's going to have to convince me that air power alone and special operations forces are going to succeed in the short-term."
The defence secretary said a large-scale deployment of US troops would "Americanise" the conflict and create more militants.
The US military's recent estimates suggest there are between 600 and 1,000 IS militants in Ramadi.
Mr Carter was testifying in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee at a time when the US public is growing increasingly concerned about the threat of terrorism.
It is also the first time he spoke to the committee since the attacks in Paris, Beirut, against a Russian airliner in Egypt, as well as the deadly rampage in California by a radicalised Muslim couple.


MPs are to receive a 1.3% pay rise from April, taking their salary to £74,962.

This is on top of a 10% rise decided in August and backdated to the general election.
The latest increase is an annual adjustment decided by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), which takes into account average public sector pay rises.
It is slightly higher than the 1% public sector pay cap introduced by Chancellor George Osborne.
Ipsa says this is due to the fact it uses Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures as its benchmark.
An Ipsa spokesman said: "The ONS index takes account of promotions and bonuses which may explain why the figure is higher than the 1% wider public sector pay policy."


Small numbers of red squirrels are to be trapped and relocated to new areas under a plan to boost numbers of the mammal in Scotland.

Trees for Life and the Highland Foundation for Wildlife hope to introduce the native species to 10 locations.
They said squirrels would be "collected" from healthy populations in Moray and around Inverness.
The 10 relocation sites have still to be confirmed.
Red squirrels face threats from habitat loss and non-native grey squirrels which compete with them for food and can pass on diseases.
Conservationist Roy Dennis is involved in the new Caledonian Forest Wildlife Project.
In 2008, he led an effort to move 40 red squirrels into woodlands at Dundonnell in Wester Ross. That population has since grown to 400 squirrels.
The new project has secured a grant of more than Â£61,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Alan Watson Featherstone, of Trees for Life, said: "Through an effective and proven approach, this exciting initiative will help red squirrels return to the forests where they belong for the first time in decades - leading to significant new populations of this iconic species and offering real hope for its long-term survival.
"Increasing red squirrel numbers will also benefit our native forests and the many species that depend on them, because red squirrels are nature's tree planters.
"They collect and bury thousands of tree seeds each autumn, but frequently forget these hoards - which in spring take root and so expand our woodlands."


Ciara Mageean is a notable absentee from the Ireland squad for the European Team Championship meeting in Finland later this month.

Mageean's coach Jerry Kiernan told BBC Sport NI that both he and the county Down woman had been informed too late about the offer of a place in the team.
The meeting takes place in Vaasa, Finland from 23-25 June.
"Ciara has already committed to running an 800m in Sligo next Wednesday (21 June)," said Kiernan.
"She ran a 1500m in Rome on Thursday and an 800m at the Northern Ireland Championships on Saturday and has other races planned over the coming period.
"She has a racing programme mapped out and also needs to find the time to do the necessary training.
"When she ran in Belfast last weekend, she was totally unaware of the European Team event and that was also the case with me until 48 hours ago."
Mageean ran the second fastest 1500m of her career in Rome as she clocked a world championship qualifying standard of 4:04.49.
With Mageean unavailable, Claire Tarplee will run the 1500m in Finland with Naas athlete Claire Mooney picked for the 800m.
While Mageean will be absent, a number of Northern Ireland athletes have been selected.
Rio Olympian Kerry O'Flaherty is picked in the 3,000m steeplechase despite being troubled by a calf injury in recent weeks.
Emma Mitchell's fine recent form earns her selection in the 3000m while Finn Valley high jumper Sommer Lecky is also picked after equalling the Irish junior record recently with a leap of 1.85m.
Amy Foster is picked for the 100m and 4x100m while Christine McMahon (400H), Ben Reynolds (110H), Adam McMullen (long jump), Dempsey McGuigan (hammer), Christian Robinson (4x100m) and Andrew Mellon (4x400m) are also selected.
In addition, Donegal-based athletes Mark English (800m) and Ann Marie McGlynn (5,000m) are picked.


The government has agreed to talks at Acas in the junior doctors' dispute -  but strikes have not been called off.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was willing to go to the conciliation service after initially refusing when the strike ballot results were revealed last week.
He said the industrial action, due to start next week, should be cancelled to "avoid harming vulnerable patients".
But the British Medical Association said the strikes would take place.
The first day of action is Tuesday, starting at 08:00 and lasting 24 hours.
Acas is an independent body that can help parties - normally an employer and unions - resolve employment disputes.
There are several services offered, including arbitration where Acas is asked to make a decision in the dispute.
But the two sides involved here have been talking about conciliation, which means Acas is just being asked to host the talks rather than make binding recommendations.
In a letter to BMA leader Dr Mark Porter, Mr Hunt said it was time to "work together" in the long-running dispute over the new junior doctors contract.
He said he was "disappointed" that the BMA had refused to agree to the offer he had put forward, adding: "The extreme strike action planned in December poses a serious threat to that safety."
But the letter does not make any mention of dropping his threat to impose the contract from next summer - a key sticking point for the BMA.
That has prompted the union to refuse to call off the strike.
Dr Porter said: "We hope to start these talks as soon as possible in order to reach a collaborative agreement for the benefit of patients and the NHS.
"Importantly, Jeremy Hunt must finally remove his threat of imposition in order to defer Tuesday's industrial action."
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Police in India say two Muslim men have been lynched by a mob which accused them of trying to steal cows for slaughter.

The killings in the north-eastern state of Assam are the latest in a series of attacks blamed on religious tensions over the treatment of cows.
Hindus consider cows sacred and killing them is illegal in several states.
A Human Rights Watch report last week said at least 10 Muslims had been killed over the issue since May 2015.
The victims of Sunday's attack in Assam's Nagaon district have been identified as Abu Hanifa and Riyazuddin Ali, police said.
"They were chased and beaten with sticks by villagers who said the two men were trying to steal cows from their grazing field," news agency AFP quoted senior police official Debaraj Upadhyay as saying.
"By the time we took them to the hospital at night they had succumbed to their injuries."
A murder case has been registered and two people have been detained for questioning, police said.
The Human Rights Watch report says that since the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party formed India's federal government in 2014, attacks against Muslims and Dalits (formerly known as untouchables) have risen over rumours that they sold, bought or killed cows for beef.
The BJP now also governs Assam.
Those killed in the violent vigilante campaign against beef consumption in India include a 12-year-old boy.
Many states are now actively enforcing bans on cow slaughter and in March, the western state of Gujarat passed a law making the slaughter of cows punishable with life imprisonment.
In addition to government bans, vigilante groups who portray themselves as protectors of cows have also been active in several states.
The groups routinely check vehicles and often beat up cattle traders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year criticised the vigilantes, saying such people made him "angry", but this has not stopped the attacks against cattle traders.


A former UVF man has started giving evidence at a 'supergrass' trial in Belfast.

Robert Stewart, 37, was giving evidence against the men he says were in the same UVF gang.
Mr Stewart was given a 75% reduction in his sentence for his part in the murder of loyalist Tommy English in 2000 in return for giving evidence.
He said the UVF chief who ordered the murder told the gunman to try to avoid shooting the rest of the family.
"Try to miss the kids," is what Mark Haddock, 42, is alleged to have said, with a smirk.
Mr Stewart said Haddock had earlier asked who wanted to carry out the shooting.
He said three of the men in the dock, Ronald Bowe, Jason Loughlin and Alexander Wood volunteered.
He also claimed Darren Moore said he would drive them.
Haddock and eight others deny murder.
Fourteen defendants - aged between 32 and 46 - face a total of 97 charges.
It is the first 'supergrass' trial in Belfast for 25 years and began amid high security inside and outside the court.
It is also the largest paramilitary murder trial in Belfast since the 1980s. There are almost 200 people in the courtroom.
Nine of the men are charged with the murder of UDA member Mr English in October 2000.
Two brothers, David and Robert Stewart, are giving evidence against the 14 accused. In return, the two former UVF men got a reduced sentence for their part in the murder.
Thirteen defendants are in the dock - Haddock has been separated, sitting outside the dock surrounded by prison officers.
Two of his co-accused, Darren Moore and Ronald Bowe, were previously charged with trying to murder Haddock in 2006, but charges were dropped when he refused to give evidence.
Supporters of the accused staged a low-key protest outside Laganside courts against the use of so-called supergrasses.
Halloween murder
Gordon Kerr QC opened the case for the prosecution and took the court back to Halloween night in 2000 when Mr English was murdered.
He outlined the evidence the Stewart brothers will give to the court on how the murder was conceived, planned and carried out.
Mr Kerr told the judge that the brothers claim Haddock and other senior UVF members in north Belfast planned the killing in retaliation for the shooting of a colleague at the height of a bloody feud between the UDA and UVF.
He said the trial would hear evidence from Robert Stewart that Haddock and a number of his co-accused had gathered in a flat close to where Mr English lived on the morning of the murder to discuss the plot.
Mr English was gunned down in front of his wife at his home in the Ballyduff estate in Newtownabbey.
The shooting happened shortly after 18:00 GMT and Mr Kerr said Haddock left the flat at about 16:00 GMT.
Mr Kerr said Mr English's name had been mentioned "early on by Haddock", referring to Robert Stewart's claims.
The lawyer said that according to Mr Stewart, in the hours before the attack one of the gunmen had claimed that he "wanted it to be all over so he could go home and have a kebab".
Mr Kerr also said David Stewart claimed Haddock had made it clear that he wanted Mr English dead and had allegedly declared: "I want him done, shot dead."
The lawyer also recalled Mr English's wife Doreen's account of the shooting.
She said a gang of masked men had forced their way in the back door of their home, assaulted her and then pushed through into the house to shoot her husband.
Mr Kerr said that at one point she had heard one of the men shouting to the others to come back and "finish" her husband.
He was then shot again as he lay on the floor.
Both the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) and UDA (Ulster Defence Association) are loyalist paramilitary groups responsible for the murder of hundreds of people during the troubles.
The 14 defendants are being represented by 24 barristers and eight firms of solicitors and the trial is expected to last for 11 weeks.
The term supergrass was first used in Northern Ireland in the 1980s when a number of terrorist suspects were convicted on the evidence of former comrades.
However, after a series of appeals, the credibility of the witnesses was called into question and all those convicted under the system were released.
The trial beginning on Tuesday is being held under new legislation introduced in 2005, the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, which allows a suspect to enter a written agreement to give evidence against other alleged criminals.
The police investigation which led to the arrests followed a damning report by the former Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan in 2007.
She said a UVF gang based in the Mount Vernon estate in north Belfast had been involved in up to 15 murders and that Special Branch had allowed its informers within the Mount Vernon UVF to act with impunity.


They need a lot of luggage, plenty of in-flight attention and like many long-haul travellers, a good companion by their side.

We are not talking about some Hollywood A-lister or pop-chart diva going on holiday. We are not even referring to Team GB's track and field stars.
Britain's equine athletes helped win five medals at London 2012 but a 5,700-mile journey to Rio makes beating that tally a little trickier.
Does a horse get jet lag? Travel sickness? Plans for this trip began as early as 2013, with everything from in-flight bacteria to leg room considered.
In all, there will be more than 300 horses competing in Rio, with some 200 of them travelling from hubs in Stansted, Liege and Miami. So how hard is it to get a horse to Rio?
Imagine walking up to check-in and dropping six tonnes of food on the conveyer belt. The excess fee alone would be big enough to count as carry-on luggage. But these superstar horses do not travel light.
Each horse has an individual limit for the flight which includes its own weight plus items such as water buckets, tack bags and rugs.
As well as all that food, there's nearly 10 tonnes of equipment and several tonnes of haylage (normal hay with a higher moisture content) for the flight.
There will be 34 horses on board when the first flight leaves Stansted on 30 July, with a combined weight of more than 17 tonnes and a combined value running into millions of pounds.
An animal weighing 515kg (81st) probably did not get its photos done in a booth at the post office, but at that sort of value, you can rest assured they each have a passport detailing health history and every mark on their body.
Passport stamped? Time to board.
If you get fed up waiting in line to board, spare a thought for these horses, for whom the process can take between two and four hours.
Why so long? Because this is the crucial part. A "nervy" time, according to Yogi Breisner, eventing performance manager for Team GB.
Horses are loaded into stalls on the ground and then levered up into the plane. It's not uncommon for them to get spooked and any bumps or scrapes are most likely to happen now. After four years of work, much is on the line.
Each stall is designed to accommodate three horses but it's important these Olympians travel in the equine equivalent of business class so Team GB horses fly two to a stall.
Some travellers might prefer the space entirely to themselves but the horses are generally happier in pairs, according to British Eventing team vet Liz Brown.
"You get some that are very anxious travellers while some really attach to the horse they are with," she said. "We wouldn't put two anxious horses next to one another."
And according to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, the seating (or standing) plan will also ensure stallions are at the front of the plane away from the mares.
The horses will stand for the duration of the 12-hour flight. But it may be more restful than the average ride in a horsebox over pot holes and around roundabouts, with controlled temperature zones to keep things comfortable - and there will be plenty of time to nap.
"Horses are designed to sleep standing up," said Liz Brown. "Their hind legs have a locking mechanism so they can stabilise, what we call their stifle."
The in-flight meal is hay and water only, although the more adventurous horses may like some apple juice mixed into their drink.
"The hay keeps them chewing and, given the change in pressure on a plane and the fact horses have a big air space in their heads and an opening in their throat, it's good for them to be eating," added Brown.
Breisner, preparing for his fifth Olympics in charge of the team, notes wryly that "some of the staff will have a worse journey than the horses" and Brown, who has been a British Eventing team vet since 2009, is a case in point.
She has to be on hand to ensure the Team GB horses are comfortable, so will take a seat on the freight plane, as will a number of grooms who will act as flight attendants, taking care of everything from topping up water to ensuring the animals are warm enough.
So what state do the horses arrive in?
Many of us have been wide awake at 3am and struggling to stay awake at lunchtime as the effects of a long-haul flight kick in. Inconvenient enough when you're trying to enjoy a holiday, and certainly not what you want with an Olympic title to compete for.
"It's really hard to know if there is jet lag for a horse," said Brown, who worked with the British team at the 2008 Games. "Horses don't sleep for set periods of time like we do each night. They nap when they want."
Team GB's 15 horses will have a light leg stretch the day before take off and again on the day of arrival. They will be fit enough to compete well before competition starts on 6 August.
"If they have a good journey, they can actually arrive well rested and come out of it fresher," said Breisner.
"If they have dehydrated at all or lost a little weight during the flight we will look to replenish that. Horses can rehydrate much, much more quickly than humans. A horse will be back to normal in 24 hours."
A doddle then? Well…
While travel is as routine for elite horses as it is for any international athlete (British rider Ben Maher's horses made 14 return flights in the 2015 season, for example) it does increase the chance of infection. Dehydration is one thing; respiratory issues are quite another.
"They have their head up during the flight," explained Brown. "A horse wouldn't normally have its head up high for that length of time. It stops them from clearing their nasal cavity in the same way they could if they could dip their head regularly.
"An infection is the biggest risk - what we call Pleuropneumonia."
Breisner stresses the importance of good "air quality" and says some of the hay around horses can be soaked in water to minimise dust.
"Everything is nerve-wracking now," he added. "I would be lying if I said the journey wasn't at the forefront of my mind now."
Once there, the facilities for the horses are predictably state-of-the-art.
With indoor and outdoor training, individual stables, huge ice machines to cool off horses' legs and an on-site veterinary clinic, the National Equestrian Centre in Deodoro is worthy of any Olympic champion.
Unable to send British hay to Brazil, the ultra-prepared British team imported Brazilian hay to the UK this year so horses could get used to what will be on offer at the first Olympic Games in South America.
Exporting several gold medals from Brazil remains a realistic hope. Let's hope the party on the flight home doesn't get too unruly.


The 23-man shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d'Or award for the world's best footballer has been announced, and there's only one Brit on there.

Manchester City trio Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Yaya Toure are among five Premier League players nominated for the top prize.
Last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Barcelona's Lionel Messi are the favourites to win world football's best player award..
But Wales forward Gareth Bale is the only British player named on the list.
So, Newsround looks back at the small group of British footballers who have won the Ballon d'Or in the past.
Sir Stanley Matthews was the first ever winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1956.
He was one of England's greatest footballers and he played for Blackpool for 14 years.
Matthews' nicknames included "The Wizard of the Dribble" and "The Magician".
Stanley stopped playing top level football at the age of 50, 20 years longer than most players manage these days.
Denis Law is the only Scottish player in history to have won the Ballon d'Or award, picking up the prize in 1964.
He was a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s who was best known for the 11 years he spent at Manchester United. He scored 237 goals in 404 appearances for the Red Devils.
Law still holds a record for United for scoring 46 competitive goals in one season.
Englishman Sir Bobby Charlton won the Ballon d'Or in 1966 and is still respected as one of the greatest midfielders of all time.
He won the World Cup with England the year he was given the award.
Sir Bobby played almost all of his club football at Manchester United and is still the clubs all time leading scorer.
He is still closely linked with the Red Devils and is currently sits on the board of directors, which helps run the club.
Winger George Best won the Ballon d'Or in 1968.
He is the only player from Northern Ireland to have ever won it.
George was best known for his time playing for Manchester United, where he made his debut at 17-years-old in 1963.
He went on to score 179 goals in 470 appearances over the next 11 years.
England's Kevin Keegan is the only British player to win the Ballon d'Or twice - picking up the best player award in 1978 and 1979.
He played as a striker for several clubs including Liverpool and German side Hamburg.
As a player in the 1970s and 1980s, he has been described by the media as "the first superstar English player."
He went on to manage Newcastle United, Fulham and Manchester City, and also the England national team.
Michael Owen was the last British player to win the famous Ballon d'Or award in 2001.
He played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City as well as the England national team.
Owen scored 118 goals in 216 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool and is seen as one of their greatest ever strikers.
He is now a regular football pundit.