A Tory MP says a former aide to David Cameron declined a request to answer questions about what the ex-PM knew about last year's Trident missile test.

Julian Lewis asked Sir Craig Oliver to appear before the Defence Committee to discuss reports a missile veered off course, amid claims it was hushed up.
The MP said the ex-journalist declined, saying he had been working on the EU referendum at the time of the test.
Ministers have not confirmed or denied anything went wrong with the test.
The government has said it will not divulge "operational details" of what happened during the test but has insisted it has "absolute confidence" in the UK's Trident system.
Former defence minister Lord West told MPs he had been led to believe there had been a "minor hiccough" with the missile's automated communications system and it had been prematurely ditched into the ocean as a precaution.
Mr Cameron was still prime minister when the test was conducted shortly before the EU referendum and Mr Lewis has been pressing for details about what he and his staff knew about it.
The Times claimed on Tuesday that the Obama administration had asked Mr Cameron not to reveal details of the test. It cited sources which it said had told the paper the missile had successfully fired but encountered problems with its US-supplied software.
Raising a point of order in Parliament after the meeting, Mr Lewis said it was "regrettable" that neither Sir Craig, who was director of communications under Mr Cameron nor Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon had taken up his invitation to appear before his committee.
The MP has expressed concerns that, in the past, the Ministry of Defence has publicised details of successful tests but, in this case, there had been a total news blackout which could be seen as a cover-up.
"Yesterday I told the House in good faith that Sir Craig Oliver vehemently denies he or any other member of David Cameron's media team ever knew about the aborted Trident test last June," he told MPs.
"He had said that to my parliamentary office staff in terms bordering on rudeness.
"However, when he was invited to appear before the defence committee today, he told the committee clerk that he did not wish to attend as he said he had left No 10 to work for the Remain campaign before the test firing took place."
A spokesman for the former prime minister has said suggestions that his media advisers were involved in a cover-up over the test or had suggested one were "entirely false".
CNN quoted an unnamed US defence official on Monday as saying the unarmed II D5 missile - fired from HMS Vengeance off the coast of Florida - did deviate from its intended trajectory as part of an automatic self-destruct sequence.
Appearing before the committee, Lord West said it sounded like the problem occurred once the missile was airborne and the Royal Navy could not be held responsible.
"The submarine was put in the right position and was in the right mode - everything was done correctly in terms of the correct firing checks.
"The missile fired properly and went up into the air... From everything that is said, it was an issue with telemetry within that missile which, if you are not 100% certain, you do not even take a risk. That is the missile itself. That is an American issue."
The Trident system was acquired by the Thatcher government in the early 1980s as a replacement for the Polaris missile system, which the UK had possessed since the 1960s.
Trident came into use in the 1990s. There are three parts to it - submarines, missiles and warheads. Although each component has years of use left, they cannot last indefinitely.
The current generation of four submarines would begin to end their working lives some time in the late 2020s.
A guide to the Trident debate
While acknowledging he did not know what had happened, he said well-informed people had "told him things" that suggested there had been inconsistent readings from the missile telemetric system - used to record and transmit measurements and data.
"I had already been led to believe there had been a minor hiccough with the missile. Clearly I don't know but that is what I am led to believe."
Lord West said he believed ministers' reassurances over the integrity of the Trident system but they should be more open if something minor went wrong.
"It was inevitably going to come out. If anyone thought this was not going to come out, then they were in cloud cuckoo land. The Russians probably had it nicely filed away."
Theresa May was told about the test when she became prime minister in July, shortly before MPs voted overwhelmingly to renew Trident.
The Ministry of Defence said submarine HMS Vengeance and its crew had "successfully tested" but Labour and the SNP have urged the government to provide more details.


Stoke winger Ibrahim Afellay has signed a new contract committing him to the club until the end of 2018-19.

The 30-year-old, who signed on a free transfer in July 2015 after his contract expired at Barcelona, has made 46 appearances for Stoke and scored three goals.
He returned from an eight-month lay-off in December after a serious knee ligament injury.
"From the first day I came to the club I felt at home," he said.
"The injury is all in the past now. I think I've showed that I'm back in business and I'm just look forward now, working hard every day and trying to make the best of everything."


Signs and lines for the new 20mph speed limit are being installed in parts of Edinburgh's city centre and rural west area.

Phase 1 of the rollout of a 20mph speed limit on all residential, shopping and city centre streets in the capital will begin on 31 July 2016.
The Traffic Regulation Order comes into force for the first zone on 31 July.
Large 20mph signs will mark the entrance and exit of a 20mph area where the speed limit is changing.
These will be supplemented by smaller signs or road markings with speed limit roundels.
The 20mph network will be introduced over six phases.
Phase one of the Â£2.2m project covers much of the city centre, from Queen Street to the Meadows.
Lesley Hinds, Edinburgh's transport convener, said: "Edinburgh's taking a hugely positive step in embracing slower speeds across so much of our city and we know that other cities in Scotland are keen to learn from our example.
"People will start to spot new 20mph signs around the city centre and rural west Edinburgh over the coming weeks as we get ready for the first phase of the 20mph roll-out to go live on 31 July.
"We'll also be widely publicising the move to 20mph so that residents and visitors to the city will know where it applies."


Eight people have died and at least 49 are injured after a wall collapsed at a football stadium in Senegal.

It happened at Demba Diop stadium in the capital, Dakar, at the end of the League Cup final between Stade de Mbour and Union Sportive Ouakam.
Fighting started between rival fans and police responded by using tear gas, which led to panic, a stampede, and the wall collapse.
Some fans were throwing projectiles including stones at others.
Pictures circulating online appear to show people scrambling over a low wall amid clouds of gas.
Local news agency APS reported that ambulances and firefighters were at the scene.
With the score 1-1 after 90 minutes, Mbour scored in the first period of extra time to win 2-1, and violence broke out at the final whistle.
Cheikh Maba Diop, whose friend died in the incident and who helped move people out of the stadium, told AFP news agency: "All of a sudden when the wall fell... we knew exactly that some of our own had lost their lives because the wall fell directly on to people."
A spokesman for the country's President Macky Sall said that campaigning for upcoming elections would be suspended on Sunday as a mark of respect, and that there should be "punishments serving as a warning".


For a man who has lived the Olympic ideal of faster, higher, stronger, they are strange words to attach to Usain Bolt.
On Tuesday, at the front of a glitzy news conference, the media circus was called to attention, with the eight-time Olympic champion pulling his 'to the world' pose under a shower of ticker tape.
Above him shone the slogan 'forever fastest'.
It was a subtle, but telling, change to his sponsor's usual 'forever faster' tagline.
For Bolt is now pushing boundaries through sheer weight of gold-medal metal rather than an ever-lighter imprint on the clock.
His fastest 100m time so far this year is 9.95 seconds.
At the same stage last year - in the build-up to the Rio Olympics - he had run 9.88.
Before the World Championships in Beijing in 2015, he had clocked 9.87.
Heading into Moscow 2013, his best was 9.85. Before London 2012, it was 9.76.
Each time, he improved to win gold, but in progressively slower times as the years advanced.
That 9.58-second scorched-earth world record from Berlin 2009 belongs to the same man, but a different, irrevocable era.
Bolt, now 30, comes into this London edition of the World Championships, not as a sensation heralding a revolution, but instead hanging onto his empire against the challenge of Father Time and young pretenders.
With three rounds of the 100m, roughly 30 seconds of action, left of his career, could Bolt, weighed down with 19 World and Olympic gold medals, possibly bow out in defeat?
Bolt may never have been slower before a major championship, but the threats to him have rarely been less clear.
The fastest man this year is Christian Coleman.
The American's best of 9.82 seconds was one of six occasions on which he dipped under 10 seconds this season.
Just 21, Coleman's expanding portfolio of performances attracted a seven-figure sponsorship deal from Nike as the sportswear giant made him their bet as Bolt's long-term successor.
Coleman has a marked lack of major championship experience however.
He told the Daily Telegraph that he was "pretty much a deer in the highlights" at the Rio Olympics where he appeared in the heats of the 4x100m relay.
The final of the United States trials - the biggest race of his season - delivered only his fifth-fastest time of the year and second place.
Bolt's old sparring partner Justin Gatlin was the man who beat Coleman.
The 35-year-old claims he feels back to his 100m heyday when he won Olympic and world titles in 2004 and 2005, a time predating both Bolt's emergence and his own two doping bans.
He will need to be.
He has only beaten Bolt once in his long career  - at a Diamond League meeting in Rome in 2013.
By contrast in major finals in 2012, 2013, 2016 and most notably at the world championships in Beijing 2015 when Gatlin came into the final faster and favoured, he was left in the Jamaican great's wake.
If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app please click here to vote.
Yohan Blake is the second fastest man in the world this year - and of all time, behind Bolt.
He profited when Bolt fouled out of the 2011 World Championships and did the 100m-200m double in his compatriot's absence in the Jamaican trials this year.
But the 27-year-old has been hindered by a run of injuries in recent seasons and pulled out of the Diamond League meeting in Rabat in mid-July with a groin problem.
If Nike plumped for Coleman, Puma - Usain Bolt's own shoe sponsor - signed up Andre de Grasse in a multi-year, multi-million deal in 2015 as their pick for the next 100m superstar.
It seemed a good choice when the Canadian won bronze in Rio last summer. Less so this season however. Having struggled for form - he is only the 23rd fastest in the world - he has now pulled out of London 2017 with a hamstring tear.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Former 1500m world champion and BBC Sport commentator Steve Cram
Usain Bolt would not have given this field a second thought two or three years ago. He is not as good as he was. But he doesn't have to be.
Whatever we have seen so far, he will be better in London.
And what we have seen so far, in my opinion, is not that bad.
In Monaco, where he ran his season's best of 9.95 seconds a fortnight ago, I thought he looked pretty good.
Media playback is not supported on this device
I don't think he has been pushing harder than he has to to win so far this season - he has been steady out of the blocks, getting up to speed, pulling clear and then throttling off.
He has managed to adapt the demands he makes on himself pretty well in the last few years.
You also have to look around. Bolt is not as fast as he was, but where is the threat coming from?
Coleman is a bit of a raw talent without the experience that counts for so much in major finals. Blake has had a couple of injuries, and then you come back to the same-old in Justin Gatlin.
South Africa's Akani Simbine has been under 10 seconds eight times this season, but has tended to run his fast times early in the season at home and then has not reproduced in major finals. There would be a lot of people very surprised if he stepped up to that level.
I would always rather be in Usain Bolt's camp than anyone else's.
Maybe London 2017 doesn't really matter anyway.
Less than victory would end Bolt's gold run in the blue riband event, but it would be a blemish to bother only the most particular completists.
The specifics of Saturday's night final at London Stadium will slowly fade to footnotes on Bolt's career.
It won't be the heap of titles or spreadsheets seconds, but yawning winning margins as wide as Bolt's grin that define his legacy.
Before Bolt arrived, sprinting was a serious, testosterone-soaked business.
The likes of Linford Christie, Leroy Burrell, Maurice Greene and Donavon Bailey snarled and strutted on the start-line, as quick to take offence as they were over the ground. Bolt ushered in an era of slacker-chic.
He shunned the twitchy thousand-yard stare and instead clowned his way to greatness. And his rivals have, for the most part, aped his example.
He has rewritten not just record books, but sprinting etiquette, transforming the culture of the sport's headline event.
Crucially Bolt's performances have been as natural as his act.
After former relay team-mate Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance in January, only nine of the 33 fastest 100m times in history remain untainted by drugs bans.
All were run by Bolt.
Media playback is not supported on this device
On Tuesday, he warned that if doping continued it could undermine the public's faith so fatally that athletics as a whole could die off.
Whether fellow athletes heed that call to save the golden goose or instead cheat their way towards the vacuum he leaves behind, only time will tell.


"It brings to an end a rather sorry tale of confusion... we will never know now how good Sam Burgess could have been."

BBC Radio 5 live rugby commentator Alastair Eykyn, who broke the news about Burgess's departure from Bath, says the player had "all the tools to be a union great".
After Burgess decided to leave the Premiership side for a return to former club South Sydney Rabbitohs in the Australian National Rugby League, current and former stars of both codes had their say.
The 26-year-old exits rugby union after playing just 26 games in the sport, having been a controversial selection in England's squad for the World Cup, which ended in disappointment as they went out in the group stage.
A BBC Radio 5 live special rounded up the reaction - listen to it here.
St Helens player Jon Wilkin, who played against Burgess in Super League and with him at international level, said family was key to his decision.
"I am thrilled we have a fantastic athlete back in our game," Wilkin said.
"Sam is a very passionate family man. His family is at the core of everything he does. Being in England away from his brother and mother has been a big stretch for him. Let's not underestimate that.
"You can have all the money in the world, the profile, but unless you are comfortable at home, those things won't make you happy.
"There was a lot of pressure on [England rugby union head coach] Stuart Lancaster to pick him. I was one of those guys who thought he was not ready. I was surprised to see him get selected. We saw him get heavily scrutinised for his performance in the Wales game which was unfair.
"I have no doubt that England are lacking in characters to lead the team. Sam led by example and his actions helped others around him.
"In the 2013 Rugby League World Cup semi-final, Burgess came up against Sonny Bill Williams and destroyed him. He ran over the top of him. If England could have got that out of him, in time he would have been an outstanding rugby union player."
England team-mate and Wasps captain James Haskell said Burgess's time in union was not a failure.
"He is going back to a sport he loves," Haskell told BBC Radio 5 live. "He is a real character of the game, he does everything he can to get the best out of the boys around him. He lets criticism wash over him and proved time and again what sort of player he is. Rugby union is losing a real star in the making.
"He set himself a challenge and did that. To get a cap for England in such a short period of time is amazing. Once you achieve challenges, you want to move on.
"There will be regrets for other people.  I am sorry to see a mate go. The guy gave it his best shot at rugby union."
Burgess was given his rugby league debut by now England coach Steve McNamara in 2006, before making a move down under four years later.
The England rugby league side are currently 1-0 up in their Test series against New Zealand, so could Burgess make a shock return for the next two matches?
"He was never a consideration for the series," McNamara told TalkSport. "He will be a great addition moving forward but we are in a great position ourselves at the moment.
"The lad is infectious, he makes others around him play better and make them believe they are better than they are. For whatever reason in the World Cup, he took criticism, but he will have made a lot of players better.
"I am extremely proud of him. To never playing a game of union, to playing for England in a World Cup. The fact he has achieved that is of great credit."
With a broken cheekbone suffered early in the match, Burgess helped the Rabbitohs win the NRL title in October 2014 and was named man of the match.
Just 10 months later, he was named in the England squad for rugby union's World Cup, having played 21 games for club side Bath.
BBC Radio 5 live's Alastair Eykyn said the player was "not ready" and that Burgess has been "questioning his own aptitude for rugby union".
"The fans will be hugely disappointed, we have seen glimpses of what he could have done," he added.
"What advice was he being given? Were they saying he would be at the pinnacle of the sport in a year's time? Or was he saying that to himself? Did he have a belief that he would master it in that short space of time? If he did, the guy is deluded.
"He had all the tools to be a rugby union great. Even the great Sonny Bill Williams was used as an impact player for New Zealand. He spent a huge amount of time learning the game before being let loose by the All Blacks when he was ready. Sam Burgess was not ready."
The hashtag #BlameBurgess was widely used on Twitter as a sarcastic reaction to the criticism Burgess received during the World Cup.
He came on as a replacement in the opening win against Fiji, started in the defeat against Wales, returned to the bench in the Australia loss, before being dropped for the Uruguay victory.
Former Sale Sharks and England winger Mark Cueto played over 350 games for club and country feels Burgess was a "scapegoat" after England went out of the World Cup at the group stages.
"I am massively surprised. It is a real shame, but it does not surprise me," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "He came over to rugby union and had nothing but bad press. Part of me is gutted he is going back but I can understand it.
"He wasn't given the time, it is not a case of running away. Financially, he will better off. He is young man who has to look after himself. It is a short career."
BBC Radio 5 live's rugby correspondent Ian Robertson feels Burgess was not up to the job.
"Burgess became a massive distraction for the whole of the three months in the lead up to and then the World Cup. It went on and on. He was the story all the time.
"The sadness is that he was not up to it. He did not cut the mustard at centre. That is not his fault. He only played in the position for two months at Bath.
"How was he expected to be the finished article for a World Cup? It was very unfair to ask him to be the star of the World Cup."
Former Bath and England centre Jeremy Guscott feels Burgess did his best.
"I thought he might have given it more of a go," said Guscott. "I can't believe anyone wanted him to fail.
"No-one who knows anything about rugby union is blaming him for anything he did on a rugby field. He was a brilliant rugby league player and took the opportunity to fulfil a dream. I don't see he played badly at all.
"He may have felt 'I thought I could do it, now I believe I can't'. Everyone in the world is allowed to change their mind."
All Black Sonny Bill Williams, who played against Burgess in the NRL for Sydney Roosters, called it a "sad day".
Carl Fearns admitted that Bath adding Sam Burgess to their back row contributed to him leaving the club to play for French team Lyon. He tweeted this on Thursday.
England legend Jonny Wilkinson paid his own tribute to Burgess.
Former England centre Will Greenwood, who won the World Cup in 2003 alongside Wilkinson, feels Burgess has not been treated fairly.
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats chairman Michael Carter made a cheeky bid to sign Burgess, despite a deal already being agreed with South Sydney.
Former Harlequins player and ex-England international Ugo Monye said on Twitter: "For everyone involved this situation doesn't look great..." with the following picture retweeted almost 200 times.
And Leeds Rhinos fans indulged themselves in a little wishful thinking...


Wild bonobos use a single high-pitched call in a variety of contexts, showing a flexibility in their communication that was thought to be uniquely human.

That is the conclusion of a study by UK and Swiss psychologists.
Bonobos are just as closely related to humans as chimpanzees, but their wild communication is much less studied.
Researchers say the new findings push back the development of context-free vocal calls to our shared ancestor with bonobos, 6-10 million years ago.
The paper is published in the journal PeerJ.
For a long time, it was assumed that non-human primates, including great apes like chimpanzees and bonobos, could only communicate using calls that were tied to specific emotional states - such as screaming in alarm, or barking for aggression.
Using a single vocal signal in multiple contexts - referred to as "functional flexibility" - was thought to be a human ability. And it is something we develop very early.
Babies as young as 3-4 months, for example, have been shown to use squeals and growls across a wide range of situations, whether they are happy, distressed or neutral. These sit alongside other noises that are obviously tied to particular emotions, such as crying and laughing.
Dr Zanna Clay from the University of Birmingham noticed a similar phenomenon among the bonobos she was studying in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
As well as the usual screams, barks, pants and grunts, she heard a particular squeaking sound or "peep" being used all over the place.
"It seemed very flexible," Dr Clay told BBC News. "In basically every context you can imagine a bonobo experiencing, they peep.
"So we collected recordings of peeps produced in many different contexts."
Working with colleagues from the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, Dr Clay found that the peeps used in several different positive or neutral situations - such as feeding or travelling - were acoustically identical, just as she had suspected.
This is important because the "meaning" of the peeps must be determined partly from their context - whether that is other calls delivered in a sequence, or other things that the bonobos are doing.
"On their own, [the peeps] don't tie so strongly to one meaning," Dr Clay explained.
So it seems that this kind of "structural flexibility", considered one of the building blocks of human language, is not unique - in fact it turned up several branches back in our family tree.
"Our capacity for this type of flexible signalling was probably a much older capacity than just the human lineage," Dr Clay said.
Dr Simon Townsend studies the evolution of animal communication at the University of Zurich. Commenting on the study, he agreed that it fits into an expanding view of the sophistication of primate "language" - and that bonobos are a somewhat neglected species in this field.
"It's not easy to get access to these animals in the wild... and this is really important data," he told the BBC.
"It goes along with a growing body of evidence that suggests that primates do have quite a bit of control... and goes against the general idea that animals are somehow constrained by their emotional state."
Dr Townsend also pointed out the implications for the bonobos' cognitive abilities, in terms of understanding the peeps.
"Non-human primates... seem to have quite good pragmatic inference abilities - and they need these, as a way to differentiate the meaning of the calls."
This is the same ability that humans use, he explained, to figure out whether the word "bow" refers to a knot or a weapon.
"This [study] suggests that something similar might be going on, because the peep produced in the positive context is more or less the same as the peep produced in the neutral context. And therefore, because the receiver can't use acoustic structure to determine meaning, they have to use other cues."
Follow Jonathan on Twitter


The success of Marine Le Pen and the National Front (FN) in France underlines the shifting plates of European politics.

She is far right, anti-Europe and anti-immigration, but many of those who voted for her once voted for the Communists and the Socialists.
She has attempted to reinvent the FN as the party of the voiceless, the left-behind and the angry.
She offers to protect workers' jobs from globalisation and to defend French identity. Her appeal is to a working class that feels disenfranchised.
The centre-right or the conservative right wants to take and hold the middle ground.
In Germany, Angela Merkel is not just in coalition with the Social Democrats - she has also moved to the left.
She agreed to an increase in the minimum wage and, much to the shock of many of her traditional supporters, has welcomed nearly a million refugees.
She is the leader of the European mainstream.
She often declares: "Germany is our homeland. Europe is our future."
She stands for fiscal discipline and a strong Europe built on solidarity. Isolation is no solution in the 21st Century, she likes to say.
Yet a recent poll found that 48% of Germans do not want her to stay as Chancellor, because of the migrant crisis.
In the modern politics, authority can evaporate swiftly.
In the UK, the Conservatives are out to shrink the state; total public spending is set to fall to 36.4% of national income. And yet, here too, the party is rebranding itself.
The Chancellor, George Osborne, says: "We are now the party of work, the only true party of labour."
He knows that allowing prosperity to trickle down is not enough and plans to raise a National Living Wage to £9 by 2020.
The Conservatives base their appeal on management of the economy.
In these times, the traditional centre-left is struggling.
Peter Mandelson, the former Labour politician and EU commissioner, defined his message in the 1990s as one of social justice and economic efficiency.
But he points out that the "nature of power is shifting, and social democratic parties face a bleak future if we do not come to terms with the shift that is under way."
Adjusting to the shift has not been easy. In Italy, the centre-left under Matteo Renzi is pre-occupied with reforming the Italian state, its political culture, its legal system and its economy.
In France, under President Hollande, the Socialists have been timid.
They have failed to bring down unemployment or deliver a truly flexible labour market.
The French president has been unwilling to challenge a country nostalgic for what is loosely called the French way of life.
Yet there is widespread agreement that the centre-left has to change and rediscover its message, for in the new politics it is being squeezed by a range of anti-establishment politicians.
The challenge is also there in the US. Hillary Clinton, campaigning for the Democrats' nomination, said: "The defining economic challenge of our time is clear. We must raise incomes for hard-working Americans so they can afford a middle class life."
In France the Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron says the French left "has remained mired in its historical ambiguities; those ambiguities haven't changed".
He wants the left in France to embrace radical change.
"In this country," he says, "…when one succeeds too well, it's indecent and a sign of the most horrible face of capitalism."
He believes the left must be a champion of aspiration.
In the UK, the Labour MP Tristram Hunt says the core purpose of the centre left is combating inequality.
"We need to demonstrate," he says, "much more effectively how inequality blights ordinary lives." He also believes that conversation needs to include the question of class.
The rallying cry of the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is to oppose austerity and welfare cuts.
His critics say Labour has turned away from being a party of government to a movement of protest and that it no longer reflects the views of the people.
UKIP, strong on English identity, has eaten away at the party's traditional support.
Many on the left were inspired by the election of Alexis Tsipras in Greece in January.
He opposed austerity that had shrunk the Greek economy by 25%.
But despite winning the support of the Greek people, he had to accept further tax rises and cuts or face exit from the euro.
He lost his battle but rallied many on the left who saw the bankers being bailed out while ordinary people carried the weight of the financial crisis.
Many on the left believe the eurozone has adopted a series of rules that cannot guarantee growth.
Party loyalties are worn loosely. The centre-right and the centre-left are struggling to define their message.
There is some agreement; many politicians understand the potency of inequality.
But the democracies have not found an answer to the globalised world.
It is an era marked by events that emphasise the powerlessness of those in power - migration, terrorism, the force of change driven by technology.
The mainstream parties are weakened.
It is open season for the Trumps and Le Pens who declare they speak for the people.
Peter Mandelson, part-architect of Labour's victories, speaks of the traditional centre-left being squeezed in the chaotic and incoherent new politics.
The challenge for all parties is how to offer security in a globalised world.
Waiting in the wings are the anti-establishment parties whose route to influence is paved with the disruptive power of social media.


With its sprawling collection of surreal and gruesome statues depicting Chinese folklore and mythology, Haw Par Villas has given generations of Singaporean schoolchildren nightmares.

Parents used to bring their children to the park as a rite of passage, to see what fate was in store for them in the afterlife if they stole, lied, or failed to respect their elders.
Depictions of a drug addict being tied to a red hot pillar and grilled, a rumour monger having his tongue pulled out, a tax dodger being pounded by stones, or an old woman suckling from her daughter-in-law while her baby cries - the ultimate display of filial piety - are all on display.
And every bit as much of a fixture is Teo Veoh Seng, the artisan who has looked after the statues for 70 years.
High on the park's steep hill, Mr Teo is carefully painting feathers on a giant cement bird, an upright turtle wearing a jester's hat riding on its back.
Nearby a cluster of brightly coloured life-sized topless mermaids lounge under the baking sun.
Crouching to mix colours from his vibrant selection of paints, he then hoists himself up onto wooden scaffolding twice his height.
It's hot and humid, but Mr Teo barely breaks a sweat.
"I'm 82 years old and I have been working at Haw Par Villa for 68 years," says Mr Teo.
He's one of a long line of family members who've been artisans at the park since it was built in 1937 by two tycoons from Myanmar (also known as Burma).
Aw Boon Haw and his brother Aw Boon Par developed the herbal ointment Tiger Balm, but they also had a philanthropic streak. Haw Par Villa was their gift to the people of Singapore.
Mr Teo's relatives found jobs building the park, and the Aw brothers also gave the family space inside to build themselves a house.
He was born in that house. The park, with its bizarre and macabre statues, was his backyard and playground.
"Haw Par Villa has a reputation for being scary but I've never seen anything frightening."
"As a young boy, I used to play in the park until seven or eight at night and got home only when the sky turned dark. Nothing strange has ever happened."
In 1948, when he was just 13 years old, Mr Teo started work learning the art of creating and maintaining the park's strange sculptures and figurines.
It was a job his father and his uncles did, and his grandfather and grand-uncles too.
And still now, five days a week, every week of the year, Mr Teo can be found chiselling away at a statue's cement casing, before delicately painting it with fine brush strokes.
Armed with his brush, his small tin cans of paint, and his old-fashioned tools, Mr Teo repairs and repaints every one of the park's hundreds of statues each year.
"One reason I've stayed in the job so long, is that I don't need to travel to work," he says.
"I also enjoy quite a bit of freedom in what I do. I start my work early in the morning around seven o'clock when it's still cool, and I rest in the afternoon to avoid the hot sun. I start working again when the weather gets cooler and I usually work until nightfall."
He used to work with a small team of artisans but they have all died, and Haw Par Villa has struggled to replace them.
Mr Teo says his children had no interest in following in his footsteps. The wages are low and the work is arduous.
"I have seven daughters and one son. Why would they want to work here? All of my children got a better education than I did and they either chose to go into business or work with big companies.
"They're paid better and they don't have to work under the hot sun," he says.
Now he has just one apprentice, 48-year-old Chen Jinlong, who was recruited from China five years ago.
In its heyday Haw Par Villa was estimated to attract a million visitors a year. These days just 200,000 people pass through its gates annually.
"In the old days, the crowds here were bigger because there weren't many interesting places to visit in Singapore. There used to be only Haw Par Villa and the Botanic Gardens," says Mr Teo. "Now there's the zoo, the bird park and many other places to go."
"This place is considered old and rundown," says Mr Teo.
But it still has nostalgic value for Singaporeans, and the tourism board is funding a major refurbishment starting later this year.
For now, the park might be tired but Mr Teo is not. The sprightly octogenerian says he has no plans to retire.
"I will continue to work because I'm still able to. Also I feel happy in my job. When I see a broken statue I feel it's a waste to leave it like that. I want to fix it."


An event featuring a live penguin display has been cancelled after protests from animal rights activists.

The show, dubbed a "Christmas-themed educational display", was due to be held on 19 December in Darlington.
But, more than 800 people signed an online petition and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also objected.
Organisers Distinct Darlington, said they were concerned about "aggressive protesters".
PETA welcomed the cancellation, saying a busy town centre "filled with noisy shoppers, bright lights and excited children, is an entirely unsuitable environment for penguins or any other animals".
Elisa Allen, associate director of PETA, said: "Such events are cruel and disrespectful, and subjecting penguins to the stress of travel, confinement and handling on a busy shopping day would have been out of touch with the public's concern for animal welfare."
In a statement, Distinct Darlington said it was disappointed to cancel the event but said other free family events, such as Santa's grottos, would take place.
The organisation said: "In recent days we have become very concerned about the increasingly aggressive nature of groups of animal rights protesters who are under the mistaken impression that the penguins' welfare is in some way at risk.
"Whilst we would like to reiterate that this is absolutely not the case, our main priority is to ensure the comfort, enjoyment, and ultimately, the safety of the general public.
"As such, it is with sadness that we have been compelled to take this course of action."


A £5m training academy for apprentices to learn how to work at air force bases across the world has officially opened at Humberside Airport.

Run by defence giant BAE Systems, it will take on 60 apprentices a year and is expected to create more than 150 jobs over the next three years.
The academy will train apprentices in the maintenance of fighter jets.
Up to 15 apprentices will be taken each year from the Humber University Technical College in Scunthorpe.
David Talbot, head of the aircraft maintenance academy at BAE Systems, said: "The opening of the new academy provides us with a world-class facility to grow the next generation of aircraft maintenance technicians and ensure our customers have the right people for the job of keeping aircraft ready to deliver air power.
"Today marks the culmination of a great deal of effort by a large number of people including The Resource Group, North Lincolnshire Council, Humberside Airport and our accommodation partners, Nightel."
Deborah Zost, managing director at Humberside Airport, said: "Humberside Airport plays a very important part in the region and this development strengthens the links with both business and education and underlines our commitment to the area.
"We wish all the apprentices the best of luck in their careers and look forward to welcoming them on site."


Widnes Vikings got their first win of the Qualifiers, scoring seven tries in a routine victory at Halifax.

Beaten by Warrington in their first Super 8s fixture, Widnes led 18-0 at half-time with tries from Chris Bridge, Lloyd White and Charly Runciman.
Corey Thompson crossed twice after the break, before Ben Heaton got two scores in reply for the hosts.
Joe Mellor, who scored in his 150th career game, and Danny Craven wrapped up the win late on.
Halifax: Sharp; Heaton, Barber, Tyrer, Worrincy; Murrell, Johnston; Morris, Kaye, Fairbank, Grady, Cahalane, Grix.
Replacements: Moore, Woodburn-Hall, Sio, Douglas.
Widnes Vikings: Hanbury; Marsh, Bridge, Runciman, Thompson; Craven, Mellor; Buchanan, White, Dudson, Houston, Whitley, Cahill.;
Replacements: Manuokafoa, J Chapelhow, Olbison, Johnstone.
Referee: Gareth Hewer


Bayern Munich have signed Real Madrid forward James Rodriguez on a two-year loan deal with the option to buy.

The 25-year-old, who signed a six-year contract at Real when he joined from Monaco for £71m in July 2014, made just 22 appearances in La Liga last season.
He had been linked with a summer move to Premier League champions Chelsea as well as Manchester United.
"Signing James Rodríguez was our coach Carlo Ancelotti's biggest wish," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.
"We're delighted we've been able to complete this transfer."
Colombia captain Rodriguez, the top scorer at the 2014 World Cup, was signed by Ancelotti during the Italian's two-year spell as Real manager.
But the playmaker found his playing time limited under Zinedine Zidane, who succeeded Rafa Benitez as boss of the Spanish giants in January 2016.
He made 111 competitive appearances for Real, scoring 36 goals and providing 41 assists, but was left out of the 18-man squad that beat Juventus in the Champions League final last season.
"James is a very versatile player. He's a goalscorer himself, he sets up a lot of goals and on top of that he's great from set-pieces," continued Rummenigge.
"There's no question that this transfer further increases the quality in our team."
Rodriguez has been included in the squad that will travel to China and Singapore on Sunday for a 12-day tour by Bayern, who have won the last five Bundesliga titles.
German football journalist Raphael Honigstein speaking to BBC Radio 5 live:
The reality is that Alexis Sanchez was their number one target, and they couldn't quite make it work. James Rodriguez is a player with similar talents but doesn't really do as much as far as Bayern's needs are concerned. It's not a bad move for Bayern but it's not really the one they wanted.
Having said that, he's still a big name and some people feel he has a lot of talent that can be brought to bear with the right management. Being a loan deal there's not a lot of risk for Bayern but it's not the big marquee signing everybody was craving.
We have a pretty good idea of how much he's costing. There's a loan fee of 5m euros (£4.46m) per year and then his wages will be around 10m euros so effectively Bayern pay up to 30m euros if he stays for those two years and have an option to buy him for another 35m euros.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


When England head coach Stuart Lancaster named his World Cup training squad earlier this month, European player of the year Nick Abendanon and his predecessor Steffon Armitage were not included.

Both men may be in the form of their life but the Rugby Football Union's current selection policy means the France-based pair are currently ineligible to represent the national team, bar "exceptional circumstances" which were not met.
BBC Sport looks at the issue which is dividing opinion in England and beyond.
The policy was formalised by the Rugby Football Union in 2010 and came into effect after the 2011 World Cup.
There are two main reasons for it:
- to protect the quality of the English league by ensuring the best English players play in it
- to give the RFU more control and better access to current England or potential England players.
The Welsh Rugby Union, for example, selects players who play their rugby abroad, but have had problems accessing those at clubs in France and England.
On the whole, the policy has achieved its aim, with the vast majority of English players having opted for international honours over better wages in places like France.
But prop Andrew Sheridan in effect ended his 40-cap England career by deciding to join French side Toulon in 2012, while fly-half Toby Flood did likewise when moving to Toulouse last summer.
Back rower James Haskell put his England career on hold to play for clubs in New Zealand and Japan, but the policy didn't impact on the international career of former Toulon fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, who retired from international duty following the 2011 World Cup.
Clubs in the English Premiership, for a start.
"You want English players playing in the Premiership," says Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill. "If you take that away and allow players to go anywhere in the world and still get picked for England, then I think it would be hugely damaging to the Premiership."
Welshman Dai Young, now boss of Premiership side Wasps, agrees.
"England's stance is by far the best," he says. "They should stick to it, otherwise you will see the quality of the Premiership dwindle."
He also argues it is harder to monitor a player's fitness, condition and welfare if they move abroad.
World-Cup winning full-back Iain Balshaw cannot understand why England do not want to be able to pick 2014 European player of the year Armitage, who plays for Toulon, and his successor Abendanon, who represents Clermont Auvergne, if they so desire.
"We have to do everything we possibly can to give ourselves the best chance of winning the World Cup," says Balshaw, who played for Biarritz for five years and still lives in France.
"It's not as though these guys - Armitage and Abendanon - are playing for mediocre teams. They are playing for the two best teams in Europe. They are training - week in, week out - with some of the best players in the world."
Former England prop David Flatman agrees that a move to France can improve a player and says the current selection policy could put the RFU into a difficult hole.
"Say, for example, you have a young loose-head prop, like Northampton's Alex Waller. He's not quite getting the nod for England. What if he goes to play for Toulon and plays with former New Zealand prop Carl Hayman and gets better and better and better? What happens then?"
After Australia recently relaxed their eligibility criteria, England and New Zealand are now the only two major nations to pick only home-based players.
Wales select players based overseas but have been heavily criticised for their stance.
With the regional teams in Wales struggling financially over the past few seasons, a number of key players, such as Jamie Roberts, Leigh Halfpenny, Jonathan Davies, George North and Dan Lydiate, have all moved abroad knowing they could continue playing for the national side.
That exodus has weakened the Welsh domestic game even further.
Interestingly, Wales head coach Warren Gatland, a New Zealander, says he wouldn't pick French-based players if he were in charge of England.
He claims he wouldn't need to given the player resources available to the English.
It will be "hugely damaging", according to Leicester boss Cockerill.
"You could go out and play in Japan in the first part of the season and come and play the Six Nations in England and double your money," he says.
Flatman, on the other hand, thinks scrapping the selection policy would be a positive step for English rugby.
He certainly does not believe it would lead to a mass exodus of English players to France.
"We are flattering ourselves to think the French clubs are clamouring for English players," he says.
Interestingly, he suggests that if more English players become available on the open market, French clubs may not have to pay as much in wages because there will be more choice.
He also reckons players leaving for France would open up opportunities back home for others, like Jamie Gibson and Anthony Watson, who replaced Armitage and Abendanon at London Irish and Bath respectively.
"There are arguments both ways and pros for pretty much every con," says Flatman.


The ongoing wait to recover the bodies of three men killed in the Didcot power station collapse six months ago is "unacceptable", politicians say.

The search for the missing men resumed last month after the demolition of the remaining section of the boiler house.
Ken Cresswell, 57, John Shaw, 61, and Chris Huxtable, 34, remain trapped under the rubble since 23 February. Michael Collings, 53, was found later.
Mayor of Didcot Steve Connel said the families "should be allowed to mourn".
"I understand that you have to protect those people who are going in and keep them safe, but at the same time six months is unacceptable," he said.
He added that ideas were being considered for a memorial to the four workers, such as renaming roads or building a permanent memorial on a roundabout.
Ed Vaizey, Conservative MP for Wantage, has also written to the chairman of RWE Npower suggesting the company funds any memorial.
Mr Huxtable's daughter, Nadine Morgan, said: "It's not nice to think he's still under there after six months. They should get him out, and hopefully they'll get him out soon."
His sister, Natallie Huxtable, said: "I don't think enough is being done, we just need some closure now."
Sarah Champion, Labour MP from Rotherham, represents two of the missing men's families and has previously called the delay "a national scandal".
She said: "The families have had to fight to keep the recovery on track, they should never have been forced into this position. They are as much victims of this disaster as their men who died.
"It is completely unacceptable that these men, carrying out their work in good faith, have paid with their lives."
Ken Cresswell and John Shaw were both from Rotherham, while Chris Huxtable was from Swansea.
An RWE Npower spokesman said contractors were "working seven days a week, 12 hours a day" and had cleared about half the debris pile.
She added: "Some parts of the structure have proven challenging to remove, largely due to the way in which the beams have been entangled within the debris pile.
"If the demolition of the boiler house had gone to plan it would have taken the specialist demolition contractor at least six months to process the debris and clear the complete area.
"We understand how difficult the delay in recovering the men must be for their families and are fully committed to do everything we can."
Coal-fired Didcot A power station was turned off in 2013, after 43 years in service.
It included six cooling towers, measuring 375ft (114m) in height, of which three were demolished in the early hours of 27 July 2014.
A gas-burning power station - known as Didcot B - opened in 1997 on the site and continues to operate.
A major fire was declared at Didcot B in October 2014, with 20 fire crews sent to tackle the blaze at its peak. The cause was later confirmed as an electrical fault.
Further demolition work took place at Didcot A, until a major incident was declared on 23 February when part of a the boiler house collapsed, killing four demolition workers.


Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been given a suspended one-match stadium ban and fined £50,000 by the Football Association for comments made about match officials.

Mourinho had claimed officials were "afraid" to award his team penalties after Robert Madley denied Chelsea a spot-kick in a 3-1 loss to Southampton.
The FA charged that his comments "imply bias on the part of a match official".
Mourinho's ban will only be enforced if he repeats the offence within a year.
The home defeat by Southampton was Chelsea's fourth loss in the defending champions' opening eight Premier League games of the season and left them 10 points behind leaders Manchester City and four points above the relegation zone.
Speaking after the game, Mourinho had said the Blues were "always punished" by officials because "there is always a question mark" from the media.
"If the Football Association wants to punish me they can. They don't punish other managers," he added.
A Chelsea spokesperson told BBC Sport the club would wait to read the FA's full reasoning before making any comment on the verdict.
Mourinho was charged hours after the Blues said the Portuguese retained their "full support" following back-to-back defeats.
His side return to Premier League action at home to Aston Villa - four points and two places below them - on Saturday.


British Sailing manager Stephen Park wants his team to seize as many Rio Olympics places as possible at the upcoming World Championships.

The event in Spain is the first chance for nations to secure half of the country berths for the 2016 Games.
"We'd hope to qualify in each of the 10 events at this first opportunity and put that to bed," said Park.
"Then we can concentrate on the individual competitions and who we select for Team GB."
Park is also keen that GB's sailors build on their success at August's Olympics test event in Brazil, where they won eight medals in seven disciplines.
"Across the 10 classes we are looking to try and win four medals or more," said Park.
"Following our performances in Rio last month we're feeling fairly confident going into this event."
Giles Scott, who won Great Britain's gold in the Finn class, says the team is keen to improve on their fine Rio showing in Santander.
"The squad's in a very strong place and I'd imagine as a unit we're aiming for more golds," he told BBC Sport.
"If we can get close to the high tally we achieved in Rio that would be good."
The World Championships on Spain's north coast runs between 12-21 September, and Scott is tipping his fellow British sailors for success.
"The guys and girls in the 470 class - Luke Patience and Elliott Willis, and Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark - are always pretty strong," he said.
"The men's 49er event is pretty wide open. New Zealand and Australia have been dominant in that class, but the British squad are closing in on them so that will be interesting to watch.
"There's an incredible amount of depth in the British squad and clearly all of us as individuals are just looking to make sure we round off the season well in Santander."
Scott's own form since returning to compete in the Finn a year ago has been impressive and he goes into the season finale in Santander unbeaten in his last six regattas.
"I feel like I'm in a good position (to challenge for a gold medal in Spain) but it'll still take everything to come away with a victory," he said.


Surrey captain Gareth Batty has signed a new contract which will keep him at the club until the end of 2017.

The 38-year-old spinner skippered the side to the Division Two title in 2015.
"We've got a very special set of players at the moment and it's a great honour to be able to lead them onto the field," he told the club website.
"Promotion last season was just the start of what we can achieve. I look forward to playing my part in our continued development."
Batty is currently in his second spell at The Oval, having played for Surrey between 1998 and 2001 before returning to south London ahead of the 2010 campaign.
He was appointed captain at the start of this year and took 40 first-class wickets at an average of 28.17 last season as Surrey won promotion to Division One.
"Batts is playing an incredibly important part of what we're trying to achieve at Surrey," director of cricket Alec Stewart said.
"He has shown real leadership qualities on and off the field and his all-round contribution in the progress we are making should not be underestimated."


Divock Origi gave Liverpool a potentially crucial away goal in their Europa League quarter-final tie with Borussia Dortmund as the first leg in Germany ended in a draw.

The Belgium striker struck on Reds boss Jurgen Klopp's return to his former club with a low finish across goal.
Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller then denied Origi one-on-one.
Mats Hummels headed in an equaliser and the hosts pressed in search of a winner, but Liverpool kept them at bay.
In the end it was a fair result as Dortmund, favourites to win the Europa League, dominated possession but Klopp's tactics ensured Liverpool frustrated their opponents, restricting them to few real chances.
A stirring rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone - a song both teams have adopted as their football anthem - before kick-off set the tone for the game, with a special atmosphere playing its part in an encounter that was tense and, at times, thrilling.
Some eyebrows were raised before kick-off when Klopp decided to start Origi instead of England international Daniel Sturridge.
Origi had not scored since 14 February, while Sturridge appeared to be finding his form after returning from injury with three goals in nine games.
The 20-year-old was nothing more than a spectator in the opening stages as Liverpool soaked up some early pressure, but Klopp said before the game that he had given him the nod because of his pace and power - and both were on show when the visitors took the lead.
He controlled captain Jordan Henderson's slightly awkward ball superbly before turning towards goal and steering a low strike into the far corner.
From then on, Origi held up the ball excellently to relieve some pressure on a defence that unsurprisingly came under some heavy pressure at times.
In Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Dortmund possess one of the most lethal finishers in Europe, but Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho stood up to the task of nullifying the 33-goal Gabon striker.
He was limited to one real chance, an effort from close range that was blocked by Lovren, while Sakho threw his body in the way of Henrikh Mkhitaryan to deny what was an almost certain goal.
Interest in Klopp's return to Dortmund was huge in the build-up.
The 48-year-old German is fondly remembered for his achievements at the club he managed for seven years from 2008, having led them to two Bundesliga titles as well the final of the Champions League in 2013.
Around 20 television crews and some 100 journalists were in attendance for his pre-match news conference, while one German TV had been planning a 'Klopp Cam', which would have focused on the Liverpool boss for the full 90 minutes - although that idea was ultimately shelved.
When Klopp emerged before the match, his name was chanted by the home fans but the Liverpool boss was evidently keen to make sure he was not the centre of attention.
After acknowledging the home fans with a clap, he switched focus firmly to his own players warming up and there was no doubt about where his allegiances lie when he thumped his chest and roared in delight after Origi's goal.
Despite the away goal, the tie is far from over. Dortmund have scored in each of their previous six away games, including two goals at Tottenham in the previous round of the competition.
Improving their defending at set-pieces will also be key for Liverpool. Hummels was left unmarked to head in the simplest of goals from a corner, meaning the past three goals Liverpool have conceded in the Europa League have been from set-pieces.
History is on Liverpool's side, though. They have progressed from 11 of their past 12 European ties in which they have drawn the first leg away from home.
Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel: "In a quarter-final it can be that you don't deserve to win and that was the case.
"This was exactly what we expected from Liverpool - but we expected ourselves to be better, freer in our passing and with a better rhythm.
"We are able to score away goals as well. We are not frightened and we are not too disappointed. Tonight was not our top performance and to win you need a top performance.
"We have been to a lot of places and scored and won. It's half-time and the players are confident. We are looking forward to the game at Anfield."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "Dortmund is a pretty good side and everyone could see that, but we had our moments and we could have won the game.
"I'm pretty sure a lot of people thought we would lose 2-0, 3-0 or 4-0. But at some moments we had Dortmund and around our goal we were brilliant.
"We are not that far on our way to being like they are. We cannot at the moment play like they play, but we can defend and score goals so we can win."
On his own reception from the Dortmund fans: "It was nice. A lot of people spoke about it but when I came onto the pitch it was respectful applause and that's nice. That's how it should be."
Liverpool host Stoke in the Premier League on Sunday, while Dortmund travel to Schalke in the Bundesliga on the same day. The two sides then meet at Anfield in the Europa League quarter-final second leg on Thursday, 14 April.
Match ends, Borussia Dortmund 1, Liverpool 1.
Second Half ends, Borussia Dortmund 1, Liverpool 1.
Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by James Milner (Liverpool).
Foul by Sokratis (Borussia Dortmund).
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Roberto Firmino (Liverpool).
Offside, Liverpool. Simon Mignolet tries a through ball, but Daniel Sturridge is caught offside.
Substitution, Liverpool. Daniel Sturridge replaces Divock Origi.
Foul by Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund).
Joe Allen (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Dangerous play by Divock Origi (Liverpool).
Sokratis (Borussia Dortmund) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Sokratis (Borussia Dortmund).
Divock Origi (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alberto Moreno (Liverpool).
Foul by Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund).
James Milner (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Liverpool. Roberto Firmino replaces Adam Lallana.
Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Christian Pulisic replaces Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Sokratis replaces Sven Bender.
Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Dangerous play by Adam Lallana (Liverpool).
Offside, Liverpool. Philippe Coutinho tries a through ball, but Divock Origi is caught offside.
Attempt blocked. Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Adam Lallana.
Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Adam Lallana (Liverpool).
Offside, Liverpool. Simon Mignolet tries a through ball, but Divock Origi is caught offside.
Offside, Borussia Dortmund. Roman Weidenfeller tries a through ball, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is caught offside.
Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by James Milner (Liverpool).
Attempt saved. Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Dejan Lovren (Liverpool).
Attempt saved. Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Julian Weigl.
Attempt missed. Emre Can (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Offside, Liverpool. Nathaniel Clyne tries a through ball, but Adam Lallana is caught offside.


Essex fell short in their chase of 264 as Glamorgan beat the Division Two champions by 11 runs at Chelmsford.

Varun Chopra, who recently returned to Essex from Warwickshire, made 79 before the hosts collapsed to 147-5.
Last pair David Masters and Jamie Porter edged Essex close to victory but Michael Hogan (5-45) and Timm van der Gugten (4-56) bowled them out for 252.
Earlier, Mark Wallace was run out for a season's best of 78 as Glamorgan added three runs to their overnight 293-9.
Essex openers Chopra and Nick Browne (30), who passed 1,000 Championship runs for the season, put on 92 together but the latter's departure just before lunch preceded a flurry of wickets in the afternoon session.
Masters and Porter were both dropped in quick succession off the bowling of Craig Meschede, but Van der Gugten bowled Porter to clinch a dramatic win for Glamorgan.
During the fourth day's play, veteran Essex seamer Masters confirmed he is to retire from professional cricket at the end of the season and captain Ryan ten Doeschate extended his contract until the end of 2018.
Meanwhile, Glamorgan announced that first-innings centurion Kiran Carlson was one of four players to agree new deals with the Welsh side.
Glamorgan bowler Michael Hogan told BBC Wales Sport:
"They're the ones you remember when the wicket's flat and the sun's out. It was pretty tough but it's certainly rewarding to get the win.
"It ebbed and flowed the whole game, but they're the ones you enjoy playing, we never gave up and in the last hour you get the win, so a fantastic result.
"It's a little bit of criticism for us that when we come up against the perceived better sides in the league, we seem to be up for it, and against the perceived lesser sides we seem to go in without as much intensity.
"If we can sort that out, we'll be a force but a great effort from the guys and I can't fault anyone."


The bodies of two teenage boys have been found at the bottom of a cliff, police have said.

The two 17-year-olds, who have not yet been named, were found by police at Huntcliff in Saltburn at about 19:00 GMT on Friday.
Cleveland Police said: "Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of exactly what happened."
The families of the boys are being supported by specialist officers, police added.
The coastguard also attended the scene to assist police.
Any witnesses who were in the area of Huntcliff around the time of the incident are asked to contact Det Sgt Paul Hodgson at the force on the non-emergency number 101.


Liverpool forward Sadio Mane will miss Wednesday's game with a knee injury.

Mane's absence may lead to a recall for Divock Origi, while Daniel Sturridge is in contention after returning to training.
Bournemouth midfielder Andrew Surman is out with a knee injury, so Jack Wilshere may be promoted to the starting line-up.
The Cherries have several other unnamed fitness doubts, while Tyrone Mings is still suspended.
Jonathan Pearce: "Sadio Mane's injury has come at a horrible time for Liverpool. He's been involved in 18 league goals this season - his most productive in England by far.
"Jurgen Klopp has admitted he has no direct "one-for-one" replacement.
"The likely return of Daniel Sturridge is timely but with Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson also out, their squad looks thin for the run-in.
"It gives Bournemouth a chance. They still need two more wins. They're as likely to get a victory here as they were in the home meeting when Liverpool's attacking brilliance was betrayed by defensive buffoonery.
"That was an open thriller. This will be tighter."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on losing Sadio Mane to injury: "Everyone would miss Sadio. Southampton probably still miss him, Red Bull Salzburg miss him.
"It is not about thinking 'how can we play perfect football', we need to get results and the first thing I will think about is how we can defend [against] Bournemouth, not how can we create 27 chances.
"If we are strong and perfectly organised in defence then Bournemouth cannot get confidence in the game.
"We don't think what we miss, we only think what we can do to win this football game."
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: "Liverpool will be a really tough test for us. We respect them and their manager. We've done okay at Anfield in recent games.
"The home game against Liverpool was arguably our standout game of the season so far, but it's of no relevance now. This is a new game.
"We want to gather as many points as we can. The challenges in our next three games [Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham] are tough, but ones we have to relish.
"We're in a good place at the moment. We're also aware of how quickly things can change in football."
Bournemouth might try to sit back a bit but the best thing about their team is the way they play when they come forward.
If they go on the attack then that will help Liverpool, and I also think Jurgen Klopp's side have regained a bit of their belief from earlier in the season anyway.
The Cherries will let them play and I think Liverpool will have too much for them.
Prediction: 2-0
Lawro's full predictions v drum and bass pioneer Goldie
Head-to-head
Liverpool
Bournemouth
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.


A project to improve the Glasgow to Edinburgh rail line, which has faced delays and rising costs, has been held up a further three months.

Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne said he was "very confident" the latest deadline would be met, though he could not give a "cast-iron guarantee".
He told a Scottish Parliament committee that no more taxpayers' money would be needed for the project.
The first electric services are now due to start running in October.
A deadline set in January 2014 had aimed to achieve this milestone in 2016, and this was later pushed back until July 2017.
The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) was costed at £742m in January 2014 - up £90m on the previous estimate.
On Tuesday in parliament, Conservative MSP Jamie Greene had criticised Transport Minister Humza Yousaf for "passing the buck" to Network Rail when it came to explaining delays and rising costs.
Mr Greene had pointed to media reports last year that suggested the project had risen in cost by £32m due to faulty electrical equipment.
Mr Yousaf had said responsibility for delivery of the project lay with Network Rail and there was a "funding ceiling" which he did not expect to be breached.
Giving evidence to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, Mr Carne refused to be drawn on the total cost of the project.
He said the costs were subject to commercial dispute, but said he was confident Network Rail would will live within the overall funding limit.
The Holyrood committee heard the latest delay related to the replacement of 300 components that attach the electrical wires to the structure and which had begun to fail, posing a potential safety risk.
Mr Carne said: "I'm not happy with the way the EGIP project has run, the electrification part of it, and we've been drilling into it in some depth to turn it around and to improve it.
"I'm encouraged by the progress that the team here are making in Scotland to turn that around."


Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic will meet Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska in the final of the WTA Finals in Singapore on Sunday.

World number five Kvitova, 25, beat five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in Saturday's second semi-final.
Earlier, Radwanska, 26, overcame Spain's world number three Garbine Muguruza 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-5.
It will be Radwanska's first final at the event in her seventh appearance.
The world number six made the decisive break in the 12th game of the third set to finally break the Spaniard's resistance.
"It was a great match from the beginning to the end, lots of ups and downs, so many rallies and a lot of running," Radwanska said.
Radwanska had taken a 3-0 lead in the first-set tie-break before eventually losing it 7-5.
"I didn't know I could come back after that first set -  I am just so glad I could win that match," she said.
In the second semi-final, Kvitova broke in the seventh and ninth games to take the first set against Sharapova, who had won all three of her round-robin ties despite arriving in Singapore after a long injury lay-off.
The world number four hit back to take a 5-1 lead in the second set, but 2011 champion Kvitova rediscovered her rhythm to claim the victory in straight sets.


A fifth man has been charged in connection with a man's death at a nightclub in Coventry.

Daniel Kirkwood was found collapsed outside the Society Club in the early hours of Sunday, 15 March. He had a stab wound in his neck and was later pronounced dead.
Another man, 18, had a stab wound in his back and a 17-year-old had been slashed across the arm with a knife.
Ezra Scott, 21, of Birmingham, has been charged with murder.
Mr Scott, of Hawksyard Road, Erdington, will appear before Coventry magistrates on Monday. He has also been charged with three counts of wounding.
Four men from Birmingham have also been charged with murder. Seven other men arrested have been released on police bail.


Local derbies are always huge days for the fans.

A lot of the supporters from both sides will be friends or family, or will belong to the same business or organisation, and it is all about bragging rights. You can imagine the banter that goes backwards and forwards.
When you are the away side in a local derby, you know you are in the enemy camp - because, in the sporting sense, you are the enemy. There is respect, of course, but if you are not used to it, it can be fairly uncomfortable.
You look at the Northampton pack and it is humongous. And the quality that it has is difficult to match for any side - that is why they are the best team in the Premiership and are the current champions.
What director of rugby Jim Mallinder can call upon is huge. Where Leicester have really made their name in the past is with an uncompromising, forceful, powerful pack - but when you think of Samu Manoa, Tom Wood, Courtney Lawes and Dylan Hartley, plus a backline that includes Luther Burrell, Stephen Myler, the Pisi brothers, George North and Ben Foden, you realise Northampton have a really a premium, platinum setup.
But Leicester are still a great club with a great history, great track record and great tradition - they have their way of preparing a squad and a DNA that runs throughout. That is the Tigers way and all players buy into it.
They have had a few players come back, like Tom Youngs, Geoff Parling and Dan Cole, and the quality of Tigers is legendary. Despite their soft start to the season, nobody thought they would not get into the top six and would not realistically challenge for the play-offs.
For example, when you have the experience of someone like Brad Thorn, a World Cup winner who has played for the best side in the world and won everything in the game, it shows the kind of recruitment they are capable of.
The Leicester side, while it does not have the X-factor players that Saints have, is one that is well-drilled and one that gets the best out of what they have.
I think Tigers will actually quite like the tag of underdogs coming into the game. And, given that Saints are Premiership champions and possess the kind of quality they do, it would be unrealistic to think of Leicester as anything other than underdogs.
But the advantage is with Northampton. They are going well and just have that extra sprinkle of stardust at the moment, so I expect them to win.
Growing up in Bath and going on to play for my hometown club, I used to love the games against Gloucester.
Whichever ground I used to run out at away from home, I would always come out of the tunnel and head straight for the opposite side of the stadium. At Kingsholm that happens to be 'The Shed' - and you were always greeted by some not particularly pleasant banter from the locals, although nothing unexpected.
I have always relished these local derbies and to me they were like internationals. The atmosphere was buzzing and you could not help but be high from it. I fed off the rivalry.
I look at the Bath side at the moment and they have a powerful set of forwards and a skilful, speedy, try-scoring backline, and when you have that at your disposal you have to think you are going to win games.
For everyone looking in from the outside, Bath are second in the table and Gloucester are eighth, so Bath are expected to win. And, in their position, if they do not there has to be a darn good reason why.
I expected Sam Burgess to start on the bench and if he comes on Bath must be doing well because, first and foremost, they have to pick their best team and as we speak now he would not be first choice.
He is learning and that is going to be a process. We do not know how long that is going to take and neither does he.
He has to find his timing and to understand the breakdown. Defence should not be too difficult, because I believe if someone runs to your right, to your left or straight at you then you just adjust accordingly.
But with the skill set he possesses I would suggest he will do very well - we just have to wait.
Gloucester are a dangerous side, especially when you look at their backline and they have players like Greig Laidlaw, James Hook, Billy Twelvetrees and Charlie Sharples.
The lift for them will be playing at home against Bath. There will be so much adrenaline flowing through that team and it is amazing what that can do to you. The fear of losing at home against one of your biggest rivals does not bear thinking about.
But it is also about getting past those emotions so you are able to play at your best and succeed.
You have to back Bath to win this game. Their form away from home may not have been spectacular, but I would still expect them to win.
Jeremy Guscott was speaking to BBC Sport's Brendon Mitchell.


Support for the Conservatives in Wales is at its highest level for six years, a poll has suggested.

It suggests general election support of 29% (up 6 from July), with Labour on 35% (+1), Plaid Cymru 13% (-3), UKIP 14% (-2) and the Lib Dems 7% (-1).
The YouGov poll for ITV Cymru Wales and Cardiff University is the first Welsh poll since Theresa May became PM.
Analyst Prof Roger Scully said the result reflected her "honeymoon period" as a new party leader.
Projecting the findings uniformly across the current Westminster constituency boundaries, Prof Scully, from Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre, said the only change would be for Labour to lose Ynys Mon to Plaid Cymru.
This would give Labour 24 out of the 40 Welsh seats, the Conservatives 11, Plaid Cymru four and the Liberal Democrats one.
But a new Parliamentary map proposed by the Boundary Commission would cut the number of Welsh MPs by more than a quarter to 29.
In a general election fought under those arrangements, Prof Scully's seat projections would see Labour only narrowly winning the majority of Welsh seats.
He said Labour would emerge with 15 MPs, the Conservatives 10, Plaid Cymru three and the Liberal Democrats one, based on the poll.
The opinion poll's findings for assembly election voting follow a similar pattern.
Prof Scully's projections indicate Labour losing three seats, giving it 26 AMs, and the Conservatives gaining three to again become the biggest opposition party in Cardiff Bay, with a 14-strong group.
The projections give the other parties the same number of AMs as they achieved in May's assembly election - Plaid 12, UKIP seven and the Liberal Democrats one.
Prof Scully said the "significant lift" in Tory fortunes suggested by the poll "confirms that the broad picture indicated in recent Britain-wide polls applies in full to Wales as well".
"It is not at all unusual for new prime ministers, or leaders of major parties to enjoy something of a honeymoon period," he said.
"In our September Welsh Political Barometer Poll last year, the recent leadership victory of Jeremy Corbyn appeared to give his party an immediate boost in the polls.
"The 'Corbyn Bounce' was very short-lived: by the time of the next poll, in December, it had already disappeared."
The poll, for ITV Cymru Wales and Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre, had a sample of 1,001 adults and was carried out online by YouGov from 18-21 September 2016.


Welsh students studying in Wales would not have to pay tuition fees if the Green Party wins power in the assembly election, its deputy leader has said.

But Amelia Womack told BBC Wales' Sunday Politics Wales programme the party would be looking to Westminster when it came to the fees of Welsh students studying outside Wales.
Students from Wales currently pay £3,810 towards their tuition fees each year, wherever they study in the UK.
The Welsh Government pays the rest.
This can be up to £5,190 a year.
When asked what would happen to Welsh students who want to study elsewhere in the UK, Ms Womack said: "It would be fantastic to help them, but the reality is if we could push that on from a Westminster perspective of free education, that's something we stood for in the General Election.... We need to be able to afford it."
When asked whether these students would be on their own, Ms Womack said: "We want to be able to give that free education elsewhere, but the reality is we cannot do that in a five-year process.
"So although there is that ambition, we realise the constraints of where we are at the moment.... It is a future ambition, but these are our first steps of what we believe we can achieve in these first five years."
Asked about the cost of paying the tuition fees of Welsh students who study in Wales, Ms Womack said her party's manifesto would be out on Tuesday.
Welsh Labour has ruled out means testing for university tuition fee grants in future, if they retain power.
The Welsh Conservatives have said they would scrap tuition fee subsidies and pay half of students' rent instead.
Plaid Cymru would also scrap the grants, and instead pay Welsh students working in Wales after graduation £6,000 a year, up to a maximum of £18,000.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats' policy is to replace tuition fee subsidies with maintenance grants, while UKIP says it would like to cut tuition fees.


Katie Price has told the Oxford Union there is "no excuse for people to just get pregnant and stay at home".

Price, who used to be known as Jordan, spoke to students about her career from glamour model to TV star.
She also told the 1,000-strong crowd that she believes there needs to be tighter regulations on the media.
Price followed in the footsteps of the Dalai Lama, Winston Churchill and, more recently, Pamela Anderson, when she spoke in the debating chamber.
The 33-year-old told students: "I come from a family that has had to work to earn a living.
"It doesn't matter if you're a single mum or you have financial stuff, I believe that if you really want to do something and put your mind to it, it's feasible, but you really have to be realistic.
"There's no excuse for people to just get pregnant and stay at home."
Price also spoke in detail about her treatment by the paparazzi and the media.
She said: "There are so many things that need to be tweaked and done properly, more regulation.
"You've got people coming across (badly) in this industry because they're not saying things right."
She added that she felt sorry for the new host of reality stars from shows such as The Only Way is Essex and Made in Chelsea as they do not know the industry as well as her.
She said: "I'm just very lucky that I've got a lot of people around me.
"I think the media know now that they're not going to destroy me. I'm indestructible."
A spokesman for Oxford Union said the event proved "very popular".


Kenya's Faith Kipyegon won Olympic gold in the women's 1500m final at Rio 2016, as Great Britain's Laura Muir faded from third place to finish seventh.

Media playback is not supported on this device
British record holder Muir, 23, looked to be in medal contention at the start of the final lap but dropped off the pace with about 200 metres remaining.
Kipyegon's time of four minutes 08.92 seconds meant she finished ahead of Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba (4:10.27) and American Jennifer Simpson (4:10.53).
GB's Laura Weightman finished in 11th.
"I went for the win," said Muir. "It's not every day you find yourself in an Olympic final. I was in great shape but the last 150 metres was not quite in me.
"I gave everything and I'm proud of how I ran."
The early stages proved to be a highly tactical affair, with many of the favourites sitting back, and Muir led after two laps.
"I expected it to be a slow start and then for Kipyegon and Dibaba to come round," added Muir. "I expected to have to react. I followed them round but I couldn't hold on."
Paula Radcliffe, women's marathon world record holder:
"These races can be difficult to navigate. Sometimes you can react sometimes you can't.
"Laura Muir just didn't quite have what she thought she had in that final lap."
Find out about how to get into athletics with our special guide.
Steve Cram, BBC athletics commentator:
"Poor Laura Muir. She went with it but Kipyegon and Dibaba are so good. They make you go so hard.
"Muir's chance of a medal went with those two. She went for gold but gave up her chance of hanging around and picking up a medal.
"Sometimes if you go for gold you come away with nothing at all."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.


Donald Trump is causing a yarn shortage in the United States, where many Americans just can't get their hands on worsted fuschia pink - because many of the world's knitters are using it to protest against the incoming president.

When Donald Trump wakes up in the White House for the first time, he'll be facing the first major protest of his administration.
And a global group of loose-knit activists want to make sure that when he looks out at the Women's March on Washington, he sees thousands of bright pink "pussyhats".
The brightly coloured wool hats - complete with cat ears - aren't just going to keep ears warm.
The name - pussyhats - references Donald Trump's controversial 2005 comments, when he said "you can do anything" to women - including "grab them by the pussy".
The pussyhat project launched in November, with the goal of knitting a hat for every single marcher in Saturday's protest - one at a time.
"Knitting circles are sometimes scoffed at as frivolous 'gossiping circles' when really, these circles are powerful gatherings," the founders - Krista Suh and Jayna Zweiman - wrote in their mission statement.
Knitting and handicrafts have a long history in protesting, but the pussyhat project has already been particularly successful.
They've received thousands of hats from all over the globe - from as far away as Britain, Austria, and Japan. Many are learning to knit for the first time, just to take part.
The project has caught the imagination of people all over the world - but "craftivism" isn't a new idea.
In Canada, there's the Revolutionary Knitting Circle, which first made headlines for their protest at the 2002 G8 summit. Australia has the Knitting Nannas, who protest about environmental issues by holding "knit-ins".
In the UK, activists from Wool Against Weapons knitted a seven-mile-long pink "peace scarf" to protest against the country's Trident nuclear weapon programme. Then, a year later, they repurposed it into thousands of blankets for those in need in warzones and developing nations.
But down in Chile, it's the hombres tejedores (knitting men) who break down stereotypes and teach other men to embrace the creative hobby.
And in cities across the world, "yarn bombing" reclaims urban spaces with a pair of needles, covering everyday items in brightly coloured knits. Like other forms of graffiti, yarn bombing can convey a message of protest - or it can just be street art for the sake of art.
Knitting for change is a global activity.
As far back as the 1960s in Britain, when anti-nuclear protesters - mainly women - set up a peace camp at Greenham Common, they turned an air force fence into a work of art with their knitting and material crafts.
In fact, knitting's association with political dissent goes back hundreds of years - to the grim days of the the French revolution.
Women known as les tricoteuses (knitting women) famously sat by the guillotine in Paris during the "reign of terror" - and were later immortalised by Charles Dickens in the sinister character of Madame Defarge in A Tale of Two Cities.
They would watch the executions calmly - knitting the symbolic red "liberty cap" between deaths, according to some stories. Those bonnets rouges are a symbol still worn by the figure of Marianne, the embodiment of France.
The United States adopted that patriotic-yet-productive spirit during its own revolution, when women knitted clothing for soldiers during the war of independence - a wartime tradition that continued into the twentieth century.
But craftivism has come a long way, and is more likely to be hot pink than blood red.
Today, Instagram and Twitter are awash with tens of thousands of #pussyhatproject posts.
Punk icon Patti Smith, comedian Amy Schumer, and actress Krysten Ritter have all been seen wearing the recognisable shape, and the hosts of US television programme The View closed Wednesday's show wearing them.
The response, one workshop organiser says, has been overwhelming.
Diana Kane, a feminist and boutique owner in New York, started making and selling the hats for those who don't knit themselves - with the proceeds going towards a pro-choice political fund.
"We hit capacity a week ago - all volunteer labour," she said. "I've been turning people away for days."
"I think women have been able to channel their frustration and anger into something communal, creative and productive. It feels good.
"And it's given women who otherwise won't be able to participate in the marches a way to contribute and voice their anger."
It's not yet clear just how many people will attend the Women's March on Washington - perhaps as many as 200,000. The Washington DC metro is opening early and putting extra trains on to cope with demand, and hundreds of buses have registered to park in the city.
It will certainly be a large demonstration - but at least there'll be a warm hat for every marcher, and a country's supply of pink wool on show.


Scientists have drawn inspiration from the bumpy shells of Namib beetles to improve the collection and transport of water droplets.

Researchers were able to make drops grow six times faster than normal by copying the insects' shell geometry.
Combined with other plant techniques, the team created drops that grew larger as temperatures increased.
The authors say the development could significantly improve water harvesting and electricity generation.
A little drop of water may seem insignificant but the physical processes involved in both the formation and movement of the liquid are essential to operation of thermal power plants, desalination and air conditioning systems.
Condensation is also critical to the more fundamental function of gathering water for human use in dry climates, a growing, global issue.
Researchers have made previous attempts to mimic the remarkable abilities of the Namib beetle, which uses its bumpy shell to draw all the water it needs from periodic, foggy winds in the desert.
The assumption until now has been that the surface chemistry of the beetle's back has been the key - but this new study says that it's actually the physical arrangement and location of the bumps that's critical.
The researchers also aped cactus spines by building their bumpy surface to guide the transport of the harvested drops. The slippery coating of pitcher plants inspired the team to coat the bumps with a smooth lubricant to reduce friction as the drops moved.
According to the study, drops grew six times more quickly on this surface and it was able to collect and transport a much larger volume of water in a short time compared to other materials.
"We experimentally found that the geometry of bumps alone could facilitate condensation," said Kyoo-Chul Park, a postdoctoral researcher and the first author of the paper.
"By optimising that bump shape through detailed theoretical modelling and combining it with the asymmetry of cactus spines and the nearly friction-free coatings of pitcher plants, we were able to design a material that can collect and transport a greater volume of water in a short time compared to other surfaces."
The researchers say that although the expectation is that larger droplets would form on colder surfaces, the experiment showed that the opposite effect with bigger drops at higher temperatures. This could be of crucial benefit in hot, dry environments where water droplets often evaporate before they are collected.
The development could also benefit power generation.
"Thermal power plants, for example, rely on condensers to quickly convert steam to liquid water," said another co-author Philseok Kim.
"This design could help speed up that process and even allow for operation at a higher temperature, significantly improving the overall energy efficiency."
The research has been published in the journal Nature.


A £1.2m flood defence scheme to protect hundreds of homes in Stockton has been given the go-ahead.

Homes and businesses in the Lustrum Beck area were among those worst affected by floods in 2012.
The Environment Agency has issued the grant to protect the 183 properties from future floods.
A spokesman for Stockton Council said it was important they tried their "utmost" to ensure there was no repeat of 2012.
The work will include raising the banks at Browns Bridge, improving the flow of the beck downstream to prevent blockages and improvements at Durham Road bridge to allow water to pass more rapidly and easily.
Councillor David Rose, the council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "We know how devastating flood damage is and want to do our utmost to ensure there is not a repeat of the Autumn 2012 floods in the Lustrum Beck area.
"We have worked tirelessly with the Environment Agency in recent years to find a way of securing funding to allow us to build the much needed flood defences so I'm delighted that this scheme is now set to progress."
Stockton Council has also invested £100,000 in emergency flood barriers and pumps to provide "more on-the-ground flood support" across the borough.
The council and the Environment Agency will start work in the summer.


The government will allow local authorities in England to increase council tax by 2% to cover a funding shortfall in adult social care, George Osborne is expected to announce.

The Local Government Association says there will be a shortfall of more than Â£2.9bn in care services by 2020.
The association is urging the government to address "this crisis" in its Spending Review.
The chancellor is set to reveal more in his Autumn Statement on Wednesday.
BBC economics reporter Rob Young said there were concerns from those who worked in social care about how to ensure the money raised was not used for other purposes.
Others have questioned whether the measure would raise the sums needed, our correspondent added.
Health think tank the Kings Fund says adult social care has had its budget cut by 9% in real terms since 2010.
It says the cut in spending has happened at a time when demographic pressures mean that the cost of providing care for older and disabled people is increasing by 3% a year.
In August, the chief inspector of adult social care in England, Andrea Sutcliffe, warned cuts were putting care under "stress and strain".
She said funding cuts had led to carers feeling overworked and under-valued, undermining the work they do.


Welsh 400m hurdler Rhys Williams has failed in his appeal against his omission from Team GB's athletics squad for the Rio Olympics next month.

Williams met the Olympic qualifying time winning the IFAM title in Belgium in May but failed to gain automatic selection at the British Championships.
Sebastian Rodger won the British title with Jack Green second and subsequently both secured selection in Birmingham.
Williams, 32, ran at the 2012 Olympics and won European gold the same year.
"Rhys was only eligible for selection in round four of selection, and to be successful in this round the selection panel would need to believe he would win a medal in Rio or at a future Olympic Games and/or there were exceptional circumstances surrounding his potential selection/qualification," a British Athletics statement read before the appeal.
"Unfortunately it was felt that Rhys did not fit into either of these categories and was therefore not selected."
Williams, who received a four-month ban for doping in 2014, ran just under British Athletics' Olympic A standard, winning his Belgium meet in May in a time of 49.22 seconds. The British Olympic qualifying time for the 400m hurdles was 49.40 seconds.
Williams believed he should be eligible but British Athletics have rejected his appeal.
Seren Bundy-Davies, who helped Great Britain win 4x400m European gold on the weekend, is the only Welsh track and field athlete named in Great Britain's team for Rio 2016 meaning Wales will have just one track and field athlete at an Olympic Games for the first time since the 1952 Helsinki Games.


A man who shot his wife's lover, who had posted a "revenge porn" photograph of her on Facebook, has been jailed.

Robert Ellerby, 44, "blasted" Scott Watmuff when he turned up at the couple's marital home.
Watmuff had refused to remove the intimate shot of Ellerby's wife Rubbina, uploaded shortly before the confrontation, a court heard.
Ellerby, who admitted a firearms offence and causing actual bodily harm, was jailed for 27 months.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Watmuff and Mrs Ellerby had rented a flat together after starting an affair.
After he ended the relationship, the court heard, Mrs Ellerby returned to her marital home and Watmuff demanded she repay half of the deposit.
Robert Galley, prosecuting, said Watmuff posted an intimate photo of Mrs Ellerby online before going to the house and would not remove it, despite pleas to do so.
Watmuff, who had been drinking, smashed a window of his ex-lover's car and banged heavily on the door of the house, bruising his hand.
Ellerby, of Chapel Lane in Sawdon, Scarborough, opened the window of an attic room and fired his shotgun into the ground, close to the back of Watmuff's right leg.
The court heard how Ellerby had leaned out of the window and "blasted" Watmuff, who was jailed last month for a revenge porn offence.
Judge Stephen Ashurt said there was no justification for the shooting.
"Breakdowns of relationships usually do create tensions but they can never be resolved by threatening another with, let alone discharging, a loaded weapon because of the obvious risks," he said.
"Even if Scott Watmuff was an unsavoury character, you were not justified in shooting at or towards him."