In a conflict where 140,000 people have been killed, including more than 7,000 children, while 250,000 civilians are still trapped in besieged communities, it must beggar belief to those unused to the geopolitics of the United Nations that a proposed resolution boosting humanitarian relief should be a matter of angry contention.

The draft resolution put before the UN Security Council in New York has the potential to be a game-changer on the ground.
It demands a lifting of the sieges, condemns starvation as a strategy of war, singles out the barbarity of the barrel bombs dropped on civilian populations by the Assad regime and, most crucially of all perhaps, calls for aid convoys to be allowed to cross the Syrian border from neighbouring countries such as Turkey and Iraq.
It also criticises opposition forces that have besieged areas, though on a smaller scale, and expresses concern about the rise of al-Qaeda-affiliated terror groups in Syria.
However, it is by no means certain that the draft will ever emerge from the Security Council.
The resolution, which was drafted by Australia, Luxembourg and Jordan, has exposed the longstanding division within the Security Council. Three of its permanent members, France, Britain and the US, are pushing hard for its passage because of the alarming deterioration in recent months of Syria's humanitarian crisis.
Russia, which has stymied efforts in the past to boost humanitarian aid and vetoed three previous UN resolutions on Syria, has again been resistant.
In intense negotiations in New York over the past week, Russia has complained that the Western-backed resolution is one-sided.
It assails the Assad regime, they claim, while downplaying what it sees as the rise of terrorism.
The Western nations argue they have come up with balanced wording.
What they are not prepared to do is use language that speaks of equivalence between the Assad regime and Islamist militant forces.
More than 80% of the Syrians living in besieged areas are prevented from leaving by government forces. Likewise, it is the Assad regime that is dropping barrel bombs on its own people.
"The balance is between getting a text that will make a difference," one senior western diplomat told me, "whilst at the same time getting the Russians on board."
To make the resolution more palatable to Russia, the threat of sanctions if the Assad regime refuses to comply has been removed. Instead, it speaks more vaguely of taking "further steps in the case of non-compliance".
Punishing the Assad regime would therefore require a second resolution, at which point the Russians could wield their veto. It is the same two-resolution formula used to get Russian backing for the Syrian chemical weapons resolution last September.
The sticking point is cross-border access for the aid convoys. This is non-negotiable for the US, France and Britain.
But Russia sees it as a violation of Syrian sovereignty.
"This is a direct contradiction of international humanitarian law and the provisions approved by the UN for the purposes of humanitarian operations," complained the Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. "The UNSC will not create such precedents."
Western diplomats say that the resolution enshrines the principle of Syrian sovereignty, and the bringing in aid over the borders will make a huge difference to the people in need.
Moscow has substantially changed its position over the past two weeks. At the start of the month, it opposed any new humanitarian resolution. Now it has come up with a draft of its own, a much weaker document.
"The million-dollar question", according to one Western diplomat, is whether they will support the Western-led draft.
The Western powers claim they are looking for a resolution and not a Russian veto. One theory, denied by senior Western diplomats in New York, is that the resolution was designed to embarrass Russia during the Sochi Winter Olympics.
But it would not look good for Russia to exercise its veto as its showcase games are coming to a close.
They intended to bring it to a vote on Friday, before Sochi's closing ceremony on Sunday. As a concession to the Russians, who were calling for a delay, the vote has now been scheduled for Saturday morning.
The intentions of China, the other veto-wielding power on the Security Council, are unclear. It often sides with Russia, when Moscow opts for a veto. In negotiations it has been lukewarm to the resolution.
Westerns powers are clearly becoming more impatient. The Geneva talks have broken down. The conflict has intensified. In the space of less than six months, the death toll has risen from 100,000 to to 140,000.
Even as the warring parties met around the negotiating table in Geneva, the civil war entered one of its most brutal and bloody phases.
The recent evacuation of the besieged Old City of Homs, which the Russians originally argued showed that a resolution on humanitarian access was unnecessary, did not provide the basis for a long-term humanitarian solution.
It took 14 months to negotiate and affected only 1,400 people.
UN officials are adamant that a meaningful resolution is needed urgently. Will Russia allow it to pass?


Lee McCulloch admits it will be "surreal" leading a team to Ibrox after being placed in caretaker charge for Kilmarnock's Scottish Cup tie.

The former Rangers captain took the reigns this week after the resignation of Gary Locke.
"Who would have thought that?" he said about Saturday's game. "It's pretty surreal, isn't it?
"I'm looking forward to going back to be honest. I had eight great years there, no regrets."
While Kilmarnock sit second bottom of the Scottish Premiership, their hosts are flying high at the top of the Championship.
McCulloch, who moved to Rugby Park as player-coach after being released by Rangers in the summer, admits that his task is to restore belief after Locke's departure.
"It's been hard," said McCulloch. "Last week was the lowest I've ever seen the club, the players.
"The dressing room was really low, so this week has been all about trying to get the confidence back and get a bit of enjoyment back into training.
"It was a sad place all round on the Monday, but it's up to the player himself to find that inner belief to get his confidence back and want to go the extra yard in training to do that."
Billy Davies and Ally McCoist, two managers who McCulloch has played under, have been linked with the Kilmarnock job.
"It is difficult circumstances," said McCulloch. "I spoke to Gary on Saturday night and obviously he was a little bit down, but he just said 'get on with it'. He is going to move on as well.
"It's just about getting on with training, going into Saturday and we will see what happens next week.
"Everybody at the club has got to take responsibility and that's what we have spoken about this week, taking responsibility and trying to get a winning formula back."
Rangers, now managed by Mark Warburton, are a much-changed team from the one McCulloch left following their play-off defeat by Motherwell in May.
"They are on a roll just now, they are passing the ball really well, they are organised, they have a great manager, a great tactician," added McCulloch.
"He knows the game inside out, so it's going to be tough.
"But we need to go there and believe and hopefully we can just put on a better show."


The new Borders railway service is beset by cancellations, delays and unreliable trains, a new report has claimed.

Rail campaigners Bill Jamieson and David Spaven compiled the report from Network Rail and timetable data from the Realtime Trains website.
They said it showed "serious underperformance of the line", which re-opened in September 2015.
ScotRail said it was "determined" to find a solution to the "challenges".
The Borders Rail Monitor report said that the line, which is run by ScotRail operator Abellio, was blighted by delays caused in part by poor infrastructure choices imposed by Transport Scotland.
It said: "It is important to acknowledge deeper underlying factors for which Abellio, the operator of ScotRail, cannot be held responsible.
"It was, for example, Transport Scotland which determined the constrained infrastructure specification for the Borders Railway and the decision to deploy Class 158 units - the least reliable diesel units in Scotland - for a route with steep gradients and multiple stops on every train service."
The report said that on only 12 weeks out of 52, ScotRail's public performance measure target of 92.5% of trains arriving within five minutes of schedule had been achieved for the Edinburgh to Tweedbank service.
The result was worse on the return route from Tweedbank to Edinburgh, which recorded only seven weeks out of 52 where the same target was met.
In all but five weeks of the year, trains along the 35-mile route were cancelled, according to the report.
It concluded that "it is extremely difficult to consistently operate the Borders Railway to timetable".
The campaigners call for a raft of measures to be introduced to improve the railway's running.
They include:
More than one million passengers have used the Borders Railway since it was officially opened by the Queen on 9 September last year.
ScotRail acknowledged the issue with the Class 158's radiator and said new models were being fitted.
The company also cited problems with the track and signalling along the route as well as recent industrial action among its staff.
A spokeswoman added: "Borders Railway has been an extraordinary success.
"We are now providing people with an alternative way of travelling to work, to visit friends and family and to use for leisure.
"There have been some challenges and we're determined to find the solutions that overcome them and see even more customers travelling on the line in year two and beyond."
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: "The ScotRail 158 fleet is currently undergoing a Â£14m refurbishment programme delivering significant upgrades to on-train facilities.
"As more refurbished trains are completed they will be rolled out onto central belt routes, including Borders, next year, increasing capacity and reliability for passengers on the Borders Railway.
"Additionally, the electrification of the Central Belt rail network and the introduction of our new electric fleet of trains means there will be extra capacity on peak Borders services from 2017."


More novice motorists in Britain are being caught trying to cheat the written and practical driving tests by hiring lookalikes, figures show.

From April to the end of December 2014, there were 677 reported cases, compared with 554 for the whole of 2013-14 and 628 in 2012-13, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said.
Criminals are charging up to £1,800 to sit an exam, according to the Times.
The DVSA said this type of crime was a serious offence, but extremely rare.
The figures, which were released following a Freedom of Information request from the newspaper, show 188 arrests have been carried out so far in 2014-15.
There have been 55 convictions for fraud offences, 37 people have been jailed and 97 driving licences revoked.
In 2011-12, there were 816 reported cases of driver fraud but with three months remaining of the 2014-15 financial year, that figure could be surpassed.
In 2004, on the other hand, just 158 impersonation cases were detected.
The DVSA says approximately 1.5 million written tests and 1.6 million practical driving tests take place every year.
The figures for the number of arrests and convictions include test candidates, as well as the impersonators or others implicated in the scam, it adds.
Alastair Peoples, chief executive of the DVSA, said such criminal activity "puts innocent road users at risk".
He said: "We have stringent measures in place to detect fraudulent activity and work closely with the police to bring all offenders to justice."
The BSM driving school said the fraudsters were also putting themselves in danger.
BSM head Mark Peacock added: "The process of learning to drive and taking the test can seem a lot to take on, but it is nothing compared to someone faking a test pass and then attempting to teach themselves once they have passed their test. The test is there for a reason."


More than four hundred people have visited a health centre for screening for blood-borne viruses after 22,000 dental patients were recalled.

Nottinghamshire dentist Desmond D'Mello has been suspended by the General Dental Council over serious hygiene concerns.
Patients are being offered tests for HIV and hepatitis.
Doug Black, medical director for NHS England in Nottinghamshire, said it was the "largest recall in NHS history".
He said: "We are doing our level best to meet demand, but to avoid waiting, people can book an appointment for another time and come back."
Mr Black said it was important people attended the Highcroft Medical Centre, in Arnold, rather than going elsewhere.
"The samples we are taking are being sent to a dedicated laboratory, which enables us to track the results," he added.
The death of a woman treated at the practice in Daybrook, Nottinghamshire is also being investigated by police.
Amy Duffield died in August 2013 shortly after being treated by the dentist.
NHS England said it appeared Mr D'Mello failed to wash his hands and used the same instruments for more than one patient without sterilising them between appointments.
Experts said the risk of infection was believed to be low and Mr D'Mello had been tested and was clear of all diseases.
A Care Quality Commission inspection in July also raised concerns about the possibility of cross-contamination at the practice.
However, inspectors who had visited the clinic in November last year, gave it a clean bill of health.
The new owners of the practice have renovated the property and addressed all the concerns, the inspectors said.
Nottinghamshire Police was asked by the coroner to investigate Miss Duffield's death.
Miss Duffield, a Leeds University graduate, died in hospital in August 2013 of viral acute myocarditis after suffering palpitations, her family said.
Her mother Sharon Duffield said: "We will of course be interested in the findings of the investigation, whatever the outcome, but it won't bring Amy back."
Test results are expected to be available in 14 days.


A left-wing coalition group launches its manifesto for the Welsh local elections later, demanding councillors fight cuts to budgets for key services.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is contesting wards in five council areas, including 14 seats in Cardiff and five in Swansea.
TUSC spokesman Ross Saunders said it was vital to "build a real opposition to the cuts everywhere in Wales".
Councillors on local health boards should also oppose NHS cuts, he said.
Mr Saunders, a local election candidate and the party's public services spokesman, accused some councillors of failing to even turn up to health board meetings.
No other parties had "stood up and defended public services and jobs from the cuts that the Tory government is aiming at them," he said.
"When you elect a representative you expect them to fight for you, to stand up for you, and unfortunately not a single cut demanded by the government at Westminster has been resisted.
"Instead there's been a carnival of collaboration with councils run by all difference parties obediently cutting back services and outsourcing them and privatising them."
Other TUSC priorities include doing everything possible to control rent levels, protect tenants and end letting fees.
Polling day for local elections across Wales is on Thursday, 4 May.


Former Manchester United and England captain Bryan Robson believes Sir Alex Ferguson is "probably the best club manager there has ever been".

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Ferguson, 71, will step down as United manager at the end of the season after winning 38 trophies during his 26 years in charge.
"It is unbelievable to change around probably four different squads and have the success he has," Robson said.
Prime Minister David Cameron described Ferguson's record as "exceptional".
Mr Cameron, an Aston Villa supporter, added: "Hopefully his retirement will make life a little easier for my team."
It's come as an absolute bombshell. I'm sad and disappointed
Former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer, who almost joined Manchester United from Blackburn in 1996, said: "If it wasn't for my love of Newcastle, then I would have signed for Sir Alex. I was that close I'd actually found a house in Manchester.
"His know-how, his desire, his hunger, his will to win and longevity are absolutely staggering. He's an absolute genius. If you could bottle that, it'd be worth a fortune."
Labour leader Ed Miliband tweeted: "Proud man. Great manager. Staunch Labour Party supporter. Sir Alex Ferguson will never be forgotten."
A host of former United players joined Robson, who was at United from 1981 until 1994, in paying tribute to Ferguson, who took over from Ron Atkinson on 6 November, 1986.
United legend Sir Bobby Charlton spoke fondly of a "fantastic" and "sensational" manager.
"I am a director at United but I hardly do anything because we are winning all the time and it is all down to Sir Alex Ferguson," said Charlton, who made more than 600 appearances for United between 1956 and 1973.
"He would get up in the middle of the night and travel 300 miles if he thought there was a schoolboy he could sign. He loves the game."
Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013.
FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010
Champions League: 1999, 2008
Cup Winners Cup: 1991
Fifa Club World Cup: 2008
Uefa Super Cup: 1992
Inter-Continental Cup: 1999
FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011
Steve Bruce, who captained Ferguson's 1993-1994 double winning team, said his former boss has a "wonderful humility", adding that he would "treat the groundsman the same as he would a star player".
Former England captain Paul Ince, who played under Ferguson between 1989-1995, does not believe there will be another manager who will replicate the Scot's achievements.
"You will never see anyone of his kind again," Ince said. "His standards were so high. He was so demanding. Yes, we had our ups and down. The way he treated me was like a son."
Champions League winning goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel said he could not make sense of the timing of the announcement.
"It's come as an absolute bombshell," he said. "I'm sad and disappointed. I was really, really hoping he was going to stay for another couple of years."
Dwight Yorke, Schmeichel's treble-winning team-mate of 1999, said he could understand why Ferguson has decided now is the time to retire, given that he had regained the Premier League title and was due to have hip surgery in the summer.
The former striker also cited David Gill's decision to stand down as United chief executive as a factor.
"I just feel it's the right time for him to go," said Yorke.
Former England striker Michael Owen, who played under Ferguson at United from 2009 until 2012, said he was proud to have worked with the Scot, while Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who played for United for six years from 2003, simply tweeted a message of thanks along with a picture of the two of them together.
Former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals in a five-year spell at Old Trafford, tweeted: "It was a unique privilege."
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, current manager of Norwegian side Molde, spent more than a decade at United, playing more than 200 games from 1996 until 2007. He was also a coach for a time.
The former forward told MUTV: "I will never forget the loyalty he showed me. Everything I have learnt I have learnt from the boss."
England manager Roy Hodgson described Ferguson's announcement as "a sad day for English football".
England rugby union coach Stuart Lancaster: "His longevity and what he has achieved as a coach I think is unparalleled in world sport. I admire him hugely for what he has done."
Golfer Rory McIlroy: "An end of an era today. Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest of all time! United will have a tough time trying to replace him."
"It marks the end of an era in football management," Hodgson added. "No one will be able to match his achievements, his dedication, his support for colleagues in need and his team building know-how."
Senior figures at football governing bodies spoke highly of Ferguson's contribution to the sport as a whole.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter tweeted: "His achievements in the game place him without doubt as one of the 'greats'. It was an honour to present Sir Alex with award at 2011 Ballon D'Or. Will his longevity at the top ever be repeated?"
Uefa president Michel Platini described Ferguson as a "visionary" who "has made a massive contribution to football across Europe", while Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said he defined the Premier League era.
"The Premier League has had the privilege to witness many great players, managers and teams," he said. "No one has made as great a contribution to the Premier League than Sir Alex Ferguson."
League Managers Association chairman Howard Wilkinson said: "He is the epitome of the mantra 'Survive, Win, Succeed'. In private, with those he trusted, he was the very best sort of friend you could ever wish for."


Scottish councils paid out more than £33m for compensation claims over the last five years, figures released after a Freedom of Information request show.

The figures, requested by the Scottish Tories, showed that £33.2m was spent settling 13,000 claims from 2007-2012.
The party said it suggested there was a "compensation culture" which was "spiralling out of control".
The council umbrella body Cosla accused the party of "opportunistic council bashing".
Its president, Councillor David O'Neill, said local authorities only paid compensation when instructed to do so by their lawyers.
The Conservatives' local government spokeswoman, Margaret Mitchell, said it was "neither sensible nor sustainable" for local authorities to be spending millions on compensation payments when public finances were being squeezed.
She said the payments were made over incidents ranging from the "very serious to the utterly ridiculous".
Settlements included a man in Edinburgh who claimed £170,000 because a firework blew up in his hand and a woman in Clackmannanshire who claimed £40 because grass-cutters damaged her garden gnomes.
A dog owner in East Dunbartonshire received £57 from the council after their pet's paws were covered in tar and a cyclist in Edinburgh was given £4,000 after being knocked off their bike by overhanging branches.
Of the local authorities which responded, Falkirk Council has paid out most, at about £6.7m, while claims cost Fife Council more than £5.2m over the period.
Edinburgh City Council spent just over £3.2m but at Glasgow City Council - Scotland's largest local authority - the cost was £665,000.
Across Scotland, the majority of claims involved vehicle accidents, trips on pavements or potholes and problems with council housing.
Ms Mitchell said: "It is right when someone is injured, has their property damaged or is inconvenienced through no fault of their own, councils should pay up quickly and efficiently.
"However, the sheer amount of cash involved here really points to the compensation culture in which we live spiralling out of control.
"Councils must be given the appropriate legal support when people make spurious claims. Clearly, with budgets tight, it is neither sensible nor sustainable to be spending millions of pounds every year on incidents which, in many cases, are entirely avoidable."
The Conservatives claimed the true figure could be even higher as seven of Scotland's 32 councils did not respond to the request.
But Cllr O'Neill said: "The Conservative Party have certainly chosen to have Scotland's councils in their sights over the festive period. Here we have more opportunistic council bashing from them.
"They should perhaps remember that councils are made up of all political parties and as they returned an increased number of councillors in the May elections, they are having a pop at themselves to a large extent.
"The bottom line is that in the modern world we now occupy, there is far more of a compensation culture and people are often actively encouraged to pursue claims through no-win no-fee lawyers.
"However, that said, councils only pay compensation when they have been instructed to legally. They do not pay it willy-nilly and to suggest otherwise is both wrong and misleading."


Goalkeeper Tomas Cerny has signed a one-year contract extension with Partick Thistle.

The 32-year-old Czech is now committed to the Firhill club until the summer of 2019.
Cerny spent five years with Hamilton Academical from 2007, initially joining on loan, before spells with CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria and Greek side Ergotelis.
The former Czech under-21 international made the switch to Firhill in the summer of 2015.
He was one of the Jags' star performers last season as the club secured a top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership.


Dutch-born Nazi war criminal Klaas Carel Faber has died in Germany at the age of 90.

Faber, who served in an SS unit, was second on the
          Simon Wiesenthal Centre list of most-wanted Nazi criminals.
He was sentenced to death in 1947 for the deaths of 22 Jews at the Westerbork transit camp. His term was later commuted to life.
Faber escaped in 1952, was given German citizenship and died in Bavaria, where he had been living.
A hospital official in the southern Bavarian town of Ingolstadt confirmed that he had died on Thursday, according to Associated Press. He reportedly died of kidney failure.
Faber had lived as a free man in Germany despite several attempts to try or extradite him.
Germany refused his extradition on the grounds that he was a German citizen.
Recently, an Ingolstadt prosecutor filed a motion to enable him to serve his sentence in Germany.
Originally from the western Dutch town of Haarlem, Faber served in an SS unit known as Kommando Feldmeijer during World War II.
The group was renowned for killing around 50 Dutch civilians considered "anti-German" as reprisals for attacks by the resistance.
In 2010, a member of the same SS unit, Heinrich Boere, was sentenced to life by a court in the German city of Aachen for the murder of three Dutch civilians in 1944.
Boere, Faber and Faber's brother, Pieter, had all been involved in the Silbertanne (Silver Pine) operation. Pieter Faber was executed for war crimes in 1948.


Australia has banned its citizens from travelling to the Syrian province of Raqqa, stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop for the first time used powers under terrorism laws to declare Raqqa a no-go zone.
Anyone entering the area could face up to 10 years in prison unless they have a legitimate reason, including family visits, journalism or aid work.
Security officials estimate about 60 Australians are fighting with IS.
The new terrorism laws aimed to stop Australians from fighting with terror groups.
Ms Bishop told parliament she had "declared al-Raqqa province an area where a listed terrorist organisation is engaging in hostile activity".
She said she had also cancelled about 75 passports and had refused to issue another 10 "to stop extremists leaving Australia to fight in conflicts".
Australia passed anti-terror legislation in October amid concerns about possible attacks in Australia.
In September, hundreds of police carried out raids in Sydney and Brisbane over an alleged plot by Islamist extremists to carry out random killings in Australia.
Only one person was charged with terror offences.
Critics say the laws are too severe and reverse the onus of proof by forcing Australian citizens to prove their innocence.
But Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that the extremist threat means that to keep Australians safe "the delicate balance between freedom and security may have to shift".


Turkey has expressed outrage at images showing a Russian serviceman apparently holding a rocket launcher as his ship passed through Turkish waters.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the incident a "provocation".
The images, published in Turkish media, show the Russian resting the launcher on his shoulder while on deck.
Russia-Turkey relations have deteriorated badly since Ankara shot down a Russian fighter jet it said had violated its airspace.
A Russian pilot was killed, sparking angry accusations and economic sanctions from the Kremlin.
The pictures showed the Russian serviceman on board the Caesar Kunikov as it passed through the Bosphorus strait.
"The showing off of a missile by a soldier on a Russian warship, or other things such as anti-aircraft weapons, is pure provocation," said Mr Cavusoglu, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Under a treaty dating from World War One, Turkey must let all ships to pass through the strait, which runs through Istanbul.
For Russia it is the only passage its Black Sea fleet can use to access the Mediterranean and the rest of the world's oceans.


Rising tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have sparked two key questions in the regional media: will there be a war, and what should be done?

In China, there are fears that armed conflict is possible, with state-run paper China Daily saying yesterday that "the threatening rhetoric from Pyongyang cannot be taken lightly".
Newspapers are discussing how to prevent such a conflict, as well as what to do if prevention efforts are unsuccessful.
The past week has seen China reiterate its earlier call for a "dual suspension" deal - that Pyongyang freeze its nuclear and missile tests in exchange for Washington and Seoul halting their military drills in the area - and media are echoing this demand.
"Sanctions alone may not easily bring Pyongyang to its senses," says the China Daily, describing such a deal as a "starting point" for de-escalation.
But if conflict were to occur, today's edition of the party-owned paper Global Times lays out what it thinks China would do.
It says that if North Korea attacks Guam, China will remain neutral but adds that if the US and South Korea attack North Korea, "China will resolutely intervene to prevent that".
Meanwhile in Russia, the risk of conflict is being played down.
"It is important to emphasise that North Korea threatens to strike areas in the ocean located 30-40km away from US territorial waters and not the waters themselves, which would have been a direct declaration of war," the influential business paper Vedomosti says, citing expert Vladimir Khrustalev.
But it adds that if such an attack happens, the US would be responsible for any escalation.
"The US may make a decision regarding the preventive strike on the basis of false interpretation of the provided technical intelligence information, even in a situation when Pyongyang does not even really plan such a strike," it says.
South Korean media are much more anxious. The influential paper Hankyoreh says that "even a small miscalculation could potentially escalate into an unplanned clash".
The Choson Ilbo, another key daily, worries that Seoul is being sidelined in the spat between Pyongyang and Washington.
It hopes that Seoul will "have a say" in any US plans but adds that this "seems to be a tall order".
There is similar pessimism in the Japanese media, with the paper Asahi Shimbun maintaining that the rhetoric from both sides is "increasing the risk of war".
Meanwhile on Guam, Governor Eddie Baza Calvo has urged calm. "I want to reassure the people of Guam that currently there is no threat to our island," he said in a post on Facebook.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.


People in the UK have been wondering where in Europe opposite-sex couples can choose civil partnership over marriage after a British heterosexual couple lost their legal fight to choose civil union.

Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan lost their case in the Court of Appeal to have a civil partnership.
Although the judges acknowledged there was a potential breach of the couple's human rights, they argued that the government should have more time to decide the future of civil partnership in the UK.
BBC readers asked which countries permit civil partnership for a man and a woman.
We looked into it - and the answer is that there are 11 places in Europe where opposite-sex couples can choose civil partnership in one form or another.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the famously liberal Netherlands was the first country in Europe to allow heterosexual couples to enter a civil partnership.
Portuguese citizens or legal foreign residents who have lived together for at least two years can enter a civil union.
Rights for opposite-sex couples in a civil union are largely the same as for married couples.
France introduced the Civil Solidarity Pact or PACS to give legal status to both heterosexual and same-sex couples.
Although a PACS does not give the same rights as marriage, it is nonetheless popular with couples.
While the number of marriages has declined each year since 2000, the number of couples choosing a civil solidarity pact has increased, by up to 25% in some years.
Hot on the heels of their neighbours, Belgian citizens in opposite-sex relationships have been able to choose a civil union or "statutory cohabitation" over marriage since 2000.
The French PACS model also influenced Luxembourg.
The partnerships provide many of the same rights as marriage. However, couples are not permitted to jointly adopt children.
It is more popular among younger couples - and anyone who declares a civil union can take a six-day holiday from work.
Opposite-sex couples have been able to obtain the status of "stable union of a couple" since 2005.
The Greek parliament followed in the steps of France's example, and in 2008 introduced civil unions for opposite-sex couples.
However, few Greeks have taken up the opportunity - in the year after the law was introduced, just 161 couples joined in civil union.
Couples in the British territory can choose civil partnership, which grants most of the rights of marriage.
Although the legislation permits both opposite-sex and same-sex couples to have civil union, the first couple to take advantage were Nadine and Alicia Muscat, who tied the knot in May 2014 after being together for 20 years.
Heterosexual and same-sex couples can enter a civil union in Malta which gives the same rights and responsibilities as marriage, including the right to joint adoption.
The Estonian parliament passed a law by a margin of two to permit heterosexual and same-sex couples to enter civil partnership in 2014.
Unlike the majority of countries on this list, Estonian citizens did not back their representatives - a survey found that 60% of respondents were not in favour of the legislation.
Nevertheless, the law came into force on 1 January 2016.
Men and women in Britain hoping to one day have a civil partnership can be inspired by the Isle of Man, which is a British Crown Dependency.
The island passed the law in August 2016.
In October, Adelina Cosson and Kieran Hodgson were the first heterosexual couple in the British Isles to take advantage of the new law.
One week later, Claire Beale and Martin Loat flew from London to become the first heterosexual couple in the UK to enter a civil partnership.
By Georgina Rannard, UGC and Social news


An ex-superbike rider who was held at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of the Dubai murder of his wife will face no action.

Sean Emmett, 45, of Addlestone, Surrey, was detained when he landed at the airport in December 2013.
Abbie Emmett, 27, fell from a window at Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in the Gulf state on 19 February the same year.
Surrey Police said his bail had been cancelled and no further action would be taken against him.
Mr Emmett expressed anger at his treatment by Surrey Police in a series of tweets in 2014, saying the force should be "ashamed".
Det Insp Antony Archibald said the investigation into the death of Mrs Emmett, nee Elson, had been "challenging and complex" but would remain "live".
"This process has taken a considerable period of time but it is vital that we explore all lines of inquiry as part of our efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident."
He added: "We have liaised with the Elson family throughout our investigation and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time."
Mr Emmett found himself at the centre of a murder probe after his wife fell to her death during a 48-hour stopover in Dubai following their wedding and honeymoon in Cape Town, South Africa.
Her death was recorded as suicide and Dubai Police initially said they did not believe there were any suspicious circumstances.
But Mr Emmett, who won 19 British Superbike events during his career, was arrested when he went to a police station to complete paperwork relating to his wife's death.
The case was closed in November 2013 and Mr Emmett returned to the UK the following month, but he was held on suspicion of murder when he landed at Heathrow Airport.
His bail was renewed several times since then.


Thousands turned out to say goodbye to Nat Lofthouse, from fellow footballing legends to lifelong fans.

Many fans gathered at Bolton Parish Church before the service in the hope they would be able to get in.
Some donned Bolton Wanderers scarves and hats and some carried England flags. Others were more sombre in black.
By 1230 GMT, hundreds were outside the church and many more spilled into Churchgate beyond, waiting to catch a glimpse of Nat's final journey, following his death on 15 January.
Crowds for Nat Lofthouse funeral
The life of legend Nat Lofthouse
Fans gather for Lofthouse funeral
Doreen Miller, 71, of Bolton, was at the 1958 FA Cup final, in which Lofthouse captained the side to a 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
She said she just had to come to pay her respects.
"He was a great ambassador for Bolton. It's been a wonderful turnout for him."
Former Lancashire rival Jimmy Armfield paid tribute to the "one club man".
"He was probably one of the most combative players I have ever played against. He was a great centre-forward.
"You always associated Nat with Bolton. They were two words that went together - Nat and Bolton. You don't need to say his surname do you? You just say Nat.
"He was a great guy and it's a great send-off."
Former Bolton boss, Sam Allardyce - most recently in charge of Blackburn Rovers - said he had first met Lofthouse as a youngster, but developed a friendship in later life when he returned to the club as a manager.
He said the former England centre-forward was a legend whose death was "a great loss to his family, Bolton Wanderers and the town".
Among the turnout was the great and good of Bolton - including the mayor, Councillor John Byrne and other councillors, police and fire chiefs. Fellow Bolton sportsman Amir Khan also attended the service.
A ripple of applause signalled the arrival of the funeral cortege and a guard of honour formed, which included former Bolton players and schoolchildren who had made posters and badges for the occasion.
Bolton manager Owen Coyle and current captain Kevin Davies were among the pall-bearers.
There was a sombre mood inside the church but spirits were lifted as mourners watched a short film about Nat's life, including footage of some of his greatest footballing moments.
In a eulogy, Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chief Gordon Taylor said: "It is a great honour and privilege to pay tribute to your hero.
"He would have loved it today. He loved football and he loved Bolton."
Phil Gartside, Bolton Wanderers chairman, also paid tribute to Bolton's most-loved number-nine.
Lofthouse said to him: "Nice to meet you cocker, call me Lofty," he said.
Mr Gartside said: "He was a modest man. He had a time for a chat whoever you were, whatever you did.
"He loved to talk about football and his beloved Bolton."
Perhaps the greatest tribute was the hundreds of people standing by the church doors and by the speakers outside, trying to hear the service.
As Sir Bobby Charlton said: "He was a credit to Bolton - he loved the place.
"I think he would have been really pleased with today."


Double Olympic and world champion Mo Farah says athletics authorities must make "an example" of countries that do not follow doping and testing rules.

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Lord Coe, president of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), has threatened to ban Kenya's track and field team from the Olympics if the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) finds them non-compliant.
Briton Farah said: "You don't wish it on any athlete who hasn't done anything wrong. But, as for the country, if they don't follow the rules then tough."
Kenya, one of the top distance-running nations, is on a Wada "watch list" although the country's sports minister says they are "fully co-operating" in an effort to prove it is tackling cheating.
Farah, who will compete in the 3,000m at the Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow on Saturday, won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the London 2012 Olympics and the 2013 and 2015 World Championships.
Asked about Kenya's potential absence from the Rio Olympics this summer, he joked: "If we don't have Kenya, it makes it easier for me, which is great."
Kenyans Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor, Paul Kipngetich Tanui and Bitan Karoki are possible rivals to Farah.
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Adam Gemili, who won 100m silver for England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, said: "It's good whenever a cheat is caught. It helps to clean up athletics."
Meanwhile, 32-year-old Farah says he will not let the threat of the Zika virus deny him the chance to share further Olympic success with his family.
At London 2012, wife Tania and step-daughter Rihanna joined Farah on the track to celebrate his gold in the 10,000m.
"For me, the Olympics is where it is at," he said. "I want to have that moment for my family no matter what.
"In London, one of the best things ever was having my family on the track. Seeing my wife and daughter there was incredible.
"I believe they are part of me and will be there again. I'm not even thinking about anything like the Zika virus. I want them there and that's it.
"I've been training in Ethiopia for the last six weeks up at 10,000ft in some pretty nice weather.
"Rio is not too far away now and I'm quite excited. It starts here in Glasgow now. This is the road to Rio."
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The widower of a German student killed by a lorry in London sobbed as its driver was cleared of causing her death by careless driving.

Janina Gehlau, 26, from Dusseldorf, died in October 2014 when the lorry turned left at Ludgate Circus, pulling her under its wheels.
A jury at the Old Bailey found him not guilty after an hour's deliberation.
Gehlau's mother said she hoped her daughter's death would make people "think twice before cycling in London".
Vincent Doyle, 45, failed to spot the German postgraduate in the cycle lane, despite overtaking her 200 metres before the junction, where he waited for 23 seconds at a red light.
Had his mirrors been correctly positioned, he would have had her in his sights for three to five seconds before his wheels clipped hers, sending her underneath the vehicle, the court heard.
Mr Doyle said he always made safety checks and had looked in his mirrors "five or six times" before the green light.
He told jurors that he never saw Mrs Gehlau waving her arms or heard her shouting before she fell under the lorry. He felt a "bump" and looked in his mirror to see her head sticking out, he said.
Mr Doyle described how he held her hand and pleaded with her to "hold on".
"I was taking her pulse, chatting to her all the time. I was holding her hand telling her 'Please hang on'. We were chatting away. And then she died. She died just as the ambulance got there."
On how the accident had affected him, he said: "I had a nervous breakdown last year. I was in psychiatric hospital for eight months."
In a statement, her mother Andrea Tasic said: "We are devastated by the verdict and do not feel that we have got justice for Janina.
"I miss her so much. She had a great future ahead of her and it was erased in a moment.
"I told her I thought the roads were too dangerous when I visited her, but she was an experienced cyclist and told me not to worry, she said it would be fine.
"My only hope is that this makes people think twice before cycling in London."


The OECD has predicted the global economy is set to grow 3.5% this year, its best performance since 2011, with growth nudging up to 3.6% in 2018.

It is a slight improvement on the think tank's 3.3% estimate, which it predicted in March.
The OECD said increased trade and investment flows had offset a weaker outlook in the US.
It said UK growth forecasts of 1.6% in 2017 and 1% in 2018 remained unchanged from its March prediction.
Despite the OECD's upgrade to its global growth forecast, secretary general, Angel Gurria remained downbeat:
"Everything is relative. What I would not like us to do is celebrate the fact we're moving from very bad to mediocre.
"It doesn't mean that we have to get used to it or live with it. We have to continue to strive to do better."
He warned that the improved outlook could be damaged by protectionism and it was not strong enough to satisfy people's expectations for a better standard of living or greater equality.
Growth continues to fall short of rates seen before the 2008-09 financial crisis.
On the UK economy, the OECD said it will slow in the coming years as Brexit uncertainty hampers growth and consumers endure a spending squeeze caused by higher prices and lower wages.
Its economic forecast said: "Households are expected to continue to support their consumption by further reducing their saving rate.
"Business investment is projected to contract amid the large uncertainty and because of lower corporate margins."
German growth has helped boost the eurozone economy, with forecasts at 1.8% both this and next year, up from 1.6% for 2017 and 2018 respectively.
The think tank downgraded its outlook for the US, despite a weaker dollar boosting exports and tax cuts supporting household spending and business investment.
The OECD forecast US growth of 2.1% this year and 2.4% in 2018.
This is down from March when it estimated a 2.4% increase in US growth this year and 2.8% for 2018.
The OECD's chief economist, Catherine Mann, attributed the downgraded outlook to delays in the Trump administration pushing ahead with planned tax cuts and infrastructure spending.


The last inmate has left Reading Prison as it closes a month early.

HMP Reading was to shut on 20 December under government plans to replace four prisons with a super-prison, but a spokesman said all 320 prisoners had now gone to other sites.
The Prison Service said it was aiming to avoid compulsory redundancies by redeploying staff or offering voluntary early departures.
The prison was the subject of the Oscar Wilde poem The Ballad Of Reading Gaol.
Marcus Piper, who was one of the last prisoners to be released, said: "I was in there for 19 months, it's quite upsetting. There's a good bunch of staff there,... they do a good job.
"I'm going to look for a job and sort my life out."
Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers Association, said moving the inmates would cause more problems with new jails not ready for many years to come.
He added: "It's a recipe for disaster. These prisoners have been sent to already overcrowded jails.
"We are angry as it is a short-sighted approach to save money."
He said about 160 peopled worked at Reading with the "vast majority" being redeployed.
The Prison Service said: "The closure of HMP Reading is part of a programme to replace old, inefficient places with newer, modern accommodation that provides better value for taxpayers while helping rehabilitate offenders and bring down our stubbornly high reoffending rates."
The Ministry of Justice said some prison officers would be left at the site to help with the "decommissioning process".
Acclaimed Irish writer Wilde was sentenced to two years' hard labour for gross indecency after his affair with Alfred Douglas was exposed in 1895.
The Oscar Wilde Society has called for the building to be preserved, possibly as a tourist attraction.
Since 1992 the Grade II-listed building has served as a remand centre and young offenders institution, holding prisoners between the ages of 18 and 21 years.
The government plans to replace 1,400 prison places in England and Wales with a Â£250m facility in Wrexham, which will hold more than 2,000 inmates.


Labour is "going into uncharted territory" following leader Jeremy Corbyn's reshuffle, the party's Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock has said.

Europe spokesman Pat McFadden and culture spokesman Michael Dugher were sacked while shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn stays in post.
A Corbyn ally said the sackings were over "issues about loyalty".
Mr Kinnock said loyalty was a difficult issue for Mr Corbyn, who often defied the whip before he was leader.
Mr Kinnock told BBC Wales' Good Morning Wales programme: "What we are seeing is the Labour Party going into uncharted territory.
"We have a leader who, of course, has a track record when he was on the back benches of defying the whip, I think 550 times.
"I think there's a sort of an in principle expectation that you follow the whip, whether you're on the  back benches or the front bench.
"Jeremy didn't do that and that is something which is, I think, a factor in all of this because it is quite difficult for him to conduct a loyalty driven reshuffle given his own track record.
"The key thing now is that we put ourselves back together and we start to turn our fire on this government."
Allies of Mr Corbyn defended his right to make changes, saying the shadow cabinet had been out of line with the party as a whole on issues such as Syria.
Labour peer and former Swansea East MP Lord Anderson said Mr Corbyn's leadership position remained weak.
He said: "The real question, I guess, in the reshuffle is who is the boss?"
"Had there been this night of the long knives, clearly Jeremy Corbyn would have been the boss, but it's been relatively low key."


Japan has offered another apology to South Korea for its war-time colonisation of the Korean peninsula.

It also promised to return cultural relics "in the near future", including records taken by Japan of an ancient Korean royal dynasty.
The apology, though not the first, is part of Japanese efforts to forge closer ties with South Korea.
Conservative politicians in Japan have resisted admitting Japanese atrocities throughout World War II.
In a statement, the Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan expressed "deep remorse" for the annexation, 100 years ago this month.
Mr Kan expressed his "feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for the tremendous damage and suffering brought by the colonial rule".
"Through the colonial rule that was against their will... the people of Korea were deprived of their nation and culture and their ethnic pride was deeply hurt," Mr Kan said.
He said Japan wants to further improve relations with South Korea, which have often been overshadowed by the countries' shared history.
The statement was issued to coincide with the centenary of Japan's annexation of the Korean peninsular, and 15 August, when South Koreans will mark their liberation in 1945.
The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says that during Japan's rule, Koreans were forced to fight on the frontline, or work as slaves or in brothels set up by the military.
Successive Japanese prime ministers since 1995 have apologised for the country's imperial aggression.
But some conservative politicians in Japan have refused to acknowledge atrocities took place, our correspondent says.
In a separate gesture, Japan's Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa has announced that he will not be going to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of Japan's World War II defeat on Sunday.
Visits by prominent politicians have angered Japan's neighbours in the past because convicted war criminals are among the dead symbolically enshrined there.
South Korea's news agency Yonhap said Seoul "positively assessed" the Tokyo statement, and "paid attention" to the pledge to return the relics.
A foreign ministry spokesman, Kim Yong-sam, said: "We expect all Japanese people to share this view".
"We recognize Prime Minister Kan's statement as his and the Japanese government's willingness to overcome the unfortunate past between Korea and Japan and to develop bright bilateral relations in the future.
"We hope that through proper recognition and reflection of the unfortunate past, the close South Korea-Japan bilateral relations can further develop into a partnership for the future," Mr Kim said.


Hundreds of notices over unpaid council tax have been sent to councillors in the past six years, figures have shown.

Since 2011, nearly 400 reminders have been sent to councillors in arrears - some by more than £1,000.
Caerphilly council issued the most - 44 - leading to three court summons, but Wrexham, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Denbighshire sent none.
The WLGA has been asked to comment.
Reasons given for failing to pay included illness, family problems and forgetfulness.
When asked to respond, councils reminded the public and elected representatives of their duties to pay the tax.
Cardiff, Carmarthenshire and Gwynedd councils did not respond to the BBC's Freedom of Information request.
Anglesey council issued 24 reminders, four final notices and one summons. A spokeswoman said both councillors and taxpayers had a responsibility to pay - but blamed oversights and "uncertainty" about payments for its elected members falling behind.
"Where these instances have arisen in the past, councillors have quickly responded to any reminder or arrears notice issued by the council and have cleared any arrears within an agreed timescale," a spokeswoman said.
Conwy council issued five notices to two councillors and Flintshire sent eight councillors a total of 19 letters and one court summons to a councillor who owed £1,022.
Flintshire's chief governance officer Gareth Owens said: "There are many reasons why people, including councillors, fall behind with council tax payments such as being on holiday or problems with their bank, and sometimes a payment will be made late when a reminder has already been triggered.
"The majority of reminders result in the account being brought swiftly brought back up to date.
Ceredigion council sent 16 reminders and issued a summons after one councillor's debt reached £722 - though the authority said it coincided with family illness and the member has since set up a direct debit.
It said all the accounts were now up to date. Other reasons given by councillors included moving house and undergoing surgery.
Powys council issued 27 notices to six councillors.
Finance cabinet member Wynne Jones said: "Councillors, past or present, are not treated any differently to anyone else and they must ensure that their council tax payments are up to date.
"Failure to comply with this may result in a criminal prosecution and on summary conviction a member will be liable to a maximum fine of £1,000."
Blaenau Gwent did not reveal how many notices were sent, but said one councillor received a summons and liability order.
Bridgend council issued three notices and summons to three councillors between April 2013 and November 2016 but did not provide earlier figures.
Pembrokeshire council has sent 17 notices to eight councillors since 2012.
Caerphilly council sent 44 reminders to councillors and issued three summons between January 2011 and November 2016.
A spokeswoman said: "We actively pursue instances where individuals are eligible to pay council tax and are in arrears, regardless of their occupation or any other personal details."
Since 2011, Merthyr Tydfil council has sent 10 reminders to one councillor and one to another member.
Monmouthshire only revealed data for 2015-16 and said four reminders were issued leading to one summons.
Three Neath Port Talbot councillors received final notices but then paid the full amount and a further councillor also received a summons and liability order before paying.
In Newport, 29 reminders were sent and two councillors received a summons. The council declined to comment on the figures.
Twenty seven notices were sent to three Swansea councillors and four liability orders issued to one member who was then banned from voting on financial matters.
Seven reminders and three summons were issued in Torfaen and six councillors received a total of 25 notices and two summons in Vale of Glamorgan. The council said all had since been paid in full.


Ben Williamson's goal gave Eastleigh a narrow win over Sutton in the National League.

Craig Eastmond and Kieron Cadogan threatened for Sutton in the first half, with first Graham Stack and then Andrew Boyce to the rescue.
Eastleigh began the second half with a shot direct from the kick-off and then a Paul McCallum volley, both easily gathered by goalkeeper Jamie Butler.
They broke through, though, just before the hour when Mark Yeates took on the defence and when his shot was blocked, Williamson followed up to score his first goal for the club.
Yeates and substitute James Constable went close to a second but one proved enough as Ross Lafayette was just unable to reach Jeffrey Monakana's late cross.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Eastleigh 1, Sutton United 0.
Second Half ends, Eastleigh 1, Sutton United 0.
Substitution, Eastleigh. James Constable replaces Sam Wood.
Craig Eastmond (Sutton United) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Sutton United. Josh Taylor replaces Kenny Davis.
Substitution, Eastleigh. Craig McAllister replaces Ben Williamson.
Substitution, Eastleigh. Chris Zebroski replaces Paul McCallum.
Substitution, Sutton United. Tommy Wright replaces Moses Emmanuel.
Substitution, Sutton United. Jeffrey Monakana replaces Daniel Spence.
Dean Beckwith (Sutton United) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!  Eastleigh 1, Sutton United 0. Ben Williamson (Eastleigh).
Second Half begins Eastleigh 0, Sutton United 0.
First Half ends, Eastleigh 0, Sutton United 0.
Moses Emmanuel (Sutton United) is shown the yellow card.
Reda Johnson (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card.
Nicky Bailey (Sutton United) is shown the yellow card.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


A petition urging Oxford City Council to scrap plans to ban rough sleeping in the city has gained 65,000 signatures.

The proposed Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) would ban certain anti-social activities in the city centre and fine those who breach the order.
Opponents say the PSPO would effectively criminalise homelessness and is an attempt by the council to "cover up" the city's housing crisis.
Oxford City Council already spends more than Â£1m on homelessness support.
It said the claim about the order criminalising homelessness was "untrue".
The petition was set up by Oxford University Student Union group On Your Doorstep, which aims to raise awareness of homelessness.
Its statement said: "Criminalising rough sleeping in the city centre will only increase (already high) levels of stigma surrounding Oxford's homeless population.
"It risks treating rough sleepers as a problem to be dealt with, as an inconvenience, as a threat, rather than as individual human beings."
A council spokesman said: "Oxford City Council spends over Â£1m on support for homelessness. It is wrong to suggest the proposed PSPO would change any of that support. It is also untrue that the proposed order would 'criminalise' rough sleeping.
"A small number of people continue to beg and sleep on the city's streets despite receiving support and having been allocated accommodation. It is only that behaviour that would be covered by the proposed PSPO."
Alex Kennedy, campaign manager for homeless charity Crisis, said: "I don't know exactly the individuals that the council are speaking about but if people have been offered accommodation and are still sleeping rough... often there are understandable reasons for that.
"Some people who have had previous drug and alcohol problems don't then want to spend time in a hostel if lots of the people they will be living with have got drug and alcohol problems themselves.
"I just want to question why it might be that somebody who has seemingly been given an offer of shelter is sleeping on the streets. I would want to look into the reasons for that rather than think fining is going to solve the problem."


Dozens of migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean after a boat carrying an estimated 137 people deflates south of Sicily, Save the Children says.

The aid group says survivors reported up to 40 people fell into the sea as a rescue vessel was approaching.
Those rescued arrived in the Sicilian port city of Catania on Tuesday.
At least 1,829 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean, a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014.
Giovanna di Benedetto, Save the Children's representative in Catania, said the latest incident was thought to have happened on Sunday, but the exact toll was not known.
"They [survivors] said there were 137 people aboard an inflatable boat that deflated or exploded - it wasn't clear - and that some of them fell overboard," Ms di Benedetto told AFP news agency.
"Some said 'very many' died, others said 'around 40'," she added. The survivors were picked up by a Maltese merchant ship and five bodies were also recovered.
Dramatic footage of the rescue, obtained by The Associated Press (AP), shows migrants desperately jumping off a deflating dinghy, and trying to climb up ropes and a rope ladder to the merchant ship.
One of the migrants, Astoy Fall Dia from Senegal, told AP she managed to survive because she knew how to swim and stayed close to the dinghy.
She described hearing the "boom" of an explosion, before the merchant ship came to the rescue.
"There was the big ship there and they threw down ropes, someone grabbed on to the rope, all the other people started pushing to try to save themselves but then people started falling in the water."
About 100 people were found on a second boat, with no deaths reported, the aid agency added.
The number of migrants attempting to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean has risen in recent weeks as smugglers take advantage of fair weather.
In the past three days about 7,000 people have been rescued and 10 bodies recovered off the Libyan coast, according to the Italian coastguard.
Italian and French ships picked up survivors from wooden and rubber boats on at least 17 separate operations.
Meanwhile Turkey's coastguard on Tuesday said it had rescued more than 600 people trying to cross the Aegean Sea in the past week, Reuters reports.
More than 400 were men, women and children fleeing Syria, while the rest came from Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar (also known as Burma) and various African countries, the office of the Izmir provincial governor is quoted as saying.
The latest deaths come as naval chiefs from 26 European countries are due to discuss the migrant crisis at talks in Naples, southern Italy.
EU nations agreed last month to triple funding for rescue operations run by European border agency Frontex, contribute more boats and patrol aircraft for rescue efforts, and look at ways to target smugglers' boats with military strikes.
Figures correct up to 19 April 2015
More on the Mediterranean's deadly migrant routes
Who are the people smugglers?


England's Rajiv Ouseph eased into the second round of the World Championships by beating Czech player Adam Mendrek.

Ouseph, 30, who won European gold in April, beat Mendrek 21-15 21-13 in the men's singles in Glasgow.
"I feel like I'm in career-best form right now," Ouseph told BBC Sport.
Scotland's Kieran Merrilees lost to two-time Chinese Olympic gold medallist Lin Dan and Sarah Walker and Lauren Smith of England beat Germany's Lisa Kaminski and Hannah Pohl.
The European bronze medallists and world number 27 pairing won in straight sets (21-10 26-24) to reach the round of 32.
"We showed a lot of character and we're really happy with how we performed," Walker told BBC Sport.
Smith added: "We got stuck in and it was an awesome experience today."
Merrilees said he struggled with nerves in the build-up to and throughout his encounter with Lin, who won Olympic gold at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and is targeting a sixth world title.
"I've been dreading it since I learned of the draw to be honest," Merrilees told BBC Sport.
"I thought I was going to be sick pretty much from the beginning - and I let it get to me which is really frustrating."
England's Ben Lane and Jess Pugh fought back after losing the opening set 14-21 to Dutch pair Robin Tabeling and Cheryl Seinen to take the next two 21-16 21-14.
English Commonwealth champions Chris and Gabby Adcock will start their bid to become Britain's first world badminton champions since 2006 on Tuesday.
Rio Olympic bronze medallists Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis, as well as Scotland's European silver medallist Kirsty Gilmour, have received opening-round byes and will begin their events on Wednesday.


All eyes will be on the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday as the Queen reads out the legislative plans of David Cameron's new government.

It will be a chance for the first all-Conservative government for almost 20 years to set out its stall for the next five years. Here's how some other new governments have used their Queen's (and King's) speeches.
The 1945 election marked a watershed in British history. The Conservative wartime leader, Sir Winston Churchill, was defeated by Clement Attlee's Labour Party.
The state opening of Parliament, on 15 August 1945, came at the end of World War Two, on Victory in Japan Day.
King George VI's speech was delivered in the House of Lords, which had been occupied by MPs since the Commons chamber was destroyed by bombs.
"Echoes of great events in British history mingled with the rejoicings of victory when the House of Commons assembled this morning in St Stephen's Hall for the state opening of Parliament," the Times newspaper reported, noting that Churchill was cheered as he took his seat.
"The continuing shortages in the supply of many necessaries, especially houses, food, clothing and fuel, will call for the same spirit of tolerance and understanding which the nation has displayed during the past six years of war."
Key services and industries were nationalised, and Attlee's government ushered in the welfare state and the National Health Service.  India was granted independence.
The Attlee government changed the face of British society, creating a new social consensus that was to remain largely unchanged until 1979, but its majority was slashed in 1950 amid public frustration at continued austerity and rationing, and the following year saw Churchill return to power with a comfortable majority.
Margaret Thatcher became the UK's first female prime minister, ousting Jim Callaghan's Labour with a 43-seat majority. During the campaign she had promised to cut taxes, reduce public spending and curb the power of trade unions.
"My government intend to achieve a fair balance between the rights and duties of the trade union movement."
"Right to buy" proved extremely popular, with about 1.5m homes purchased under the rules by 2003. It was seen as a major vote winner for the Conservatives in subsequent elections, and in 1985 Labour dropped its official opposition to the scheme.
Critics said it contributed to a reduction in the number of available council homes.
Meanwhile, Mrs Thatcher's battles with trade unions became one of the defining features of her premiership. Ultimately their power was reduced and membership plummeted.
Many of the services nationalised under the Attlee government were privatised.
Public spending was slashed, and documents released in 2009 revealed even some Conservative ministers were alarmed at the scale of cuts planned in 1979.
Mrs Thatcher was prime minister until 1990, winning three general elections. The Conservatives won one further election and remained in power until 1997.
On 1 May 1997, Labour's 18 years in opposition came to an end. Tony Blair's New Labour won a 179-seat majority - the biggest in its history - on a manifesto which not only promised no income tax rises, but also a pledge to stick to Conservative spending plans.
"The central economic objectives of my government are high and stable levels of economic growth and employment, to be achieved by ensuring opportunity for all."
"These are only the first steps on a long journey," was the Guardian's verdict, adding that "Labour begins that journey sustained by enormous national delight".
Business leaders broadly welcomed the decision to free the Bank of England, which had divided the Conservatives. The Bank's monetary policy committee continues to set interest rates.
Labour got into hot water with its tobacco advertising ban, as it announced an exemption for Formula One and then had to return a Â£1 million donation from F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone.
The Freedom of Information Act remains in place - although Mr Blair subsequently described it as one the biggest regrets of his time in office. The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly were established after referendums.
Labour went on to win two more general elections, with the 2010 election bringing an end to its 13-year tenure.
After the general election left no single party in overall control of Parliament, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats came together to form Britain's first coalition government in 70 years. The result was the coalition agreement, which would form the backbone of the government's legislative programme for the next five years.
"Action will be taken to accelerate the reduction of the structural budget deficit."
Contrary to some predictions, the two parties remained together throughout the parliament.
Civil liberties measures like scrapping ID cards proved more straightforward than issues where the two parties were on opposite sides of the debate, like the proposed move to the Alternative Vote system, which was resoundingly rejected in a referendum.
The government went on to change the structure of the NHS - despite vocal opposition from Labour - and set out details of the HS2 rail line, with construction due to start in 2017.
After sticking together for five years, the two parties experienced differing fortunes at the 2015 election - the Conservatives secured an unexpected majority while the Lib Dems lost all but eight of their MPs.


The card game Bridge is "arguably" a sport and could qualify for lottery funding, a High Court judge has found.

Mr Justice Mostyn said the game could be said to be  a legitimate sport under English law.
He has granted the Aylesbury-based English Bridge Union permission for a full judicial review of its status.
Sport England has refused to recognise the game and said it was no more a sporting activity than "sitting at home, reading a book".
Mr Justice Mostyn, who said he played Bridge on social occasions, heard a claim the game ought to be recognised as a "mind sport" that exercises the "brain muscle".
Kate Gallofent QC, for Sport England, said the definition of a qualifying sport was an "activity aimed at improving physical fitness and well being, forming social relations and gaining results in competition".
That definition is based on a European Sports Charter promoting "a common European definition of sport".
However, the judge was told other EU countries, including the Netherlands, Ireland and Poland, "recognise Bridge as a sport".
Miss Gallofent insisted: "The starting point of the definition of sport is physical activity. Bridge cannot ever satisfy this definition."
Mr Justice Mostyn told her: "If the brain is a muscle, it does.
"You are doing more physical activity playing Bridge, with all that dealing and playing, than in rifle shooting.
"In 1999, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognised that Bridge and Chess should be recognised as mind sports."
The judge granted the union permission to mount a full judicial review challenge to Sport England.
Contract Bridge is a complex game played by millions of people across the world in competitions and at social events.
All the cards are dealt from a normal 52 card deck for each game.
Two players from each of two teams sit opposite each other across a table and through a bidding process (auction) agree to win a number of tricks.
Suits are ranked upwards - clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades and no trumps.
If they achieve the number of tricks agreed at auction they win the game but if not they lose.
The team with the highest number of games takes the rubber.
These are the simple basic rules. At higher levels, the game includes bonus points, complex dealing and other laws.


Rangers have been drawn to face Motherwell in the revamped Scottish League Cup group stage.

Cup holders Ross County will take on Raith Rovers, Alloa Athletic, Montrose and Cove Rangers in Group D.
The 38 SPFL teams not involved in Europe were included, as well as Cove Rangers from the Highland League and Lowland League side East Stirlingshire.
Teams were drawn into eight groups of five, split into north and south, with the first ties on 16 July.
It will be the first time Motherwell have faced Rangers since the Glasgow outfit, who won the Championship title this season, were denied promotion with a play-off final defeat a year ago.
The other sides in Group F are Stranraer, Annan Athletic and East Stirlingshire, who will be involved for the first time as a Lowland League club following their relegation.
Lowland League champions Edinburgh City, who beat Shire in their play-off to win promotion to League Two for the first time, will face Hamilton Academical, St Mirren, Livingston and Ayr United.
Group C features a Fife derby between Dunfermline Athletic and Cowdenbeath, with the other sides being Dundee United, Arbroath and top seeds Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The revamped competition, renamed the Betfred Cup, will result in the group winners and four best runners-up progressing to the second round.
European representatives Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibernian will also join at that stage.
The final will be played at Hampden Park on 27 November.
The first-round groups consist of one top seed, one from the second pot and three unseeded clubs.
Each team will play each other once, with games taking place on 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30 July, subject to live TV matches.
Any game ending in a draw will go straight to penalties, with the winner of the penalty shoot-out awarded a bonus point.
Group A: Dundee, Dumbarton, Peterhead, Forfar Athletic, East Fife
Group B: St Johnstone, Falkirk, Brechin City, Stirling Albion, Elgin City
Group C: Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Arbroath, Cowdenbeath
Group D: Ross County (holders) Raith Rovers, Alloa Athletic, Cove Rangers, Montrose
Group E: Partick Thistle, Queen of the South, Stenhousemuir, Queen's Park, Airdrieonians
Group F: Motherwell, Rangers, Stranraer, East Stirlingshire, Annan Athletic
Group G: Hamilton Academical, St Mirren, Edinburgh City, Livingston, Ayr United
Group H: Kilmarnock, Greenock Morton, Berwick Rangers, Albion Rovers, Clyde


RSPB Scotland has purchased land at Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on the UK mainland.

The conservation charity had previously leased the 40 acres (16ha) east of Thurso in Caithness.
It has bought the land, which forms the RSPB's Dunnet Head Nature Reserve, with support of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The area on the shores of the Pentland Firth provides an important habitat for seabirds such as puffins.
Dave Jones, of RSPB Scotland, said: "Dunnet Head is an amazing place. The views across to Orkney are stunning.
"But for RSPB Scotland what is really important are the breeding seabirds and the opportunity that Dunnet Head gives visitors to see these charismatic birds.
"Many of our seabirds are in serious decline so it is important that their breeding sites are properly protected."
Among the birds to breed at the reserve are puffins, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and kittiwakes.


Pakistan's new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called for an end to US drone strikes in his first address since being re-elected to the post.

"We respect the sovereignty of others and they should respect our sovereignty and independence. This campaign must come to an end," he told MPs.
Mr Sharif, who was ousted in a 1999 coup, was later in the day sworn in for an unprecedented third term as PM.
He faces numerous challenges, including Taliban attacks and a crippled economy.
In his speech to parliament after 244 MPs approved him in the 342-seat chamber, Mr Sharif also pledged to tackle corruption and reduce unemployment and power cuts.
By M Ilyas KhanBBC News, Islamabad
In his maiden speech to parliament, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chose his words and subjects carefully.
He did restate his election promise to stop US drone strikes in Pakistan, but made it clear that Pakistan needed to address the concerns that led to them.
Mr Sharif skipped any mention of his oft-repeated plan to hold talks with Taliban militants, or the normalisation of relations with India.
The prime minister is treading a fine line. The army has been shaping policies about militancy and India, and Mr Sharif feels he will need wider support across the political spectrum to handle these problems.
He must also deal with severe electricity shortages, a sinking economy and rampant corruption.
Such major challenges prompted Mr Sharif to make a strong appeal to all political groups and "other stake-holders" - which many assume means the military - to sit together and hammer out a joint strategy to resolve them.
He told MPs that it was necessary to work out a joint strategy to stop drone strikes.
"We must learn others' [American] concerns about us, and express our concerns about them, and find a way to resolve this issue," he said.
"These drone strikes that rain in every day have to stop."
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan - who was in parliament to hear Mr Sharif speak - says that the underlying message was that US concerns about militancy need to be addressed.
But the prime minister gave few details on how he might bring about an end to drone strikes, which many in Pakistan see an affront to Pakistani sovereignty. Washington regards the drone attacks as a vital weapon against militants fighting US-led forces in Afghanistan.
Mr Sharif also appealed for unity, while stressing that improving the economy will be his top priority.
But to do that he may need a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
Our correspondent says Mr Sharif's desire to rejuvenate the economy and improve security are both areas that require some speedy but difficult decision-making in a geo-strategic environment which is shaped and controlled by the military.
While the new prime minister favours talks with the Pakistani Taliban, many expect that now he is in power he will accept the army's view that all past negotiations have failed and the only option is to fight the jihadis who attack domestic targets.
Profile: Nawaz Sharif
Economic challenges
Why Pakistan voted for Sharif
He becomes prime minister at a critical time in the battle against the Taliban - as Nato forces begin the process of withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Infrastructure projects are another important priority for the new leader - he wants to stop power cuts and construct a bullet train between Karachi and Peshawar.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by members of parliament, foreign diplomats and dignitaries, senior members of the judiciary and chiefs of the armed forces at the presidential palace.
Although other candidates from the Pakistan People's Party and from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party stood against him, Mr Sharif's nomination was a formality because of his party's commanding position in parliament.
With the support of some independent MPs, the PML-N has an outright majority and has not needed to form a coalition.
President Asif Ali Zardari - his old political rival - administered the oath to him.
PML-N sources are reported in the Pakistan media as saying that the new prime minister wants to compose a cabinet of fewer than 24 ministers but at the same time is under pressure to have representatives from all the country's provinces within it.
Correspondents say that Mr Sharif's task is all the more complicated because most PML-N members come from Punjab, the country's most populous province.


Police and family are concerned for the welfare of a man and his two small children who have not been seen since Monday morning.

They were named as Robert Roche, 36, from Hove, Sussex, a boy aged three and a girl aged 18 months.
They set off from their home at 09:00 BST to go to a day nursery in nearby Holland Road but did not arrive.
Police were called at 17:30 when family members realised that they had not returned home.
Mr Roche is described as white, 5ft 10in (1.78m), stocky, with dark hair.
His children are three-year-old Joey and 18-month-old Betsy, who was in a very distinctive black "Bugaboo donkey stroller" buggy with a pink hood. There is also a step and a "saddle" by the handle bar.
Det Insp Mick Jones from Sussex Police said: "We are searching the local area and are keen to hear from anyone who has spotted Robert and his children.
"If you see them or know where they might be, please let us know right away on 101 or 999, quoting serial 1053 of 14/08.
"We also ask Robert to get in touch with us so that we can arrange to meet and confirm that he and the children are ok.
"We are not treating the disappearance as suspicious at this stage but it has not happened before and we are naturally very concerned for Robert and especially for his children."


The Scottish government has pledged to push ahead with legislation make it an offence to park on pavements.

There is dispute over whether Holyrood has the power to change the law, with talks with Westminster underway.
Ministers want to legislate to prevent parked cars from causing a problem for guide dog owners, wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs.
Transport minister Derek McKay said the issue should be addressed by the next government, if not this term.
He said the issue should be championed by any incoming government after next year's Scottish Parliament elections if the current administration was not able to resolve it before then.
He said: "I'm giving a commitment from this government, that if we are re-elected we will legislate on this area.
"But what I'm also doing is working on a cross-party basis to flag up to everyone that if we have consensus from parliament, any incoming government might wish to legislate."
Consultations on the matter have previously won broad support in Scotland, but confusion remains over which parliament has jurisdiction.
Action against pavement parking has also been examined in England and Wales, but talks have been held over giving MSPs power to change the law on the subject.


I haven't been in Greece for three weeks but I am told it is eerily quiet and - in respect of tourism - surprisingly busy.

No demos on the streets of Athens - even though the Syriza government is poised to agree and implement yet more austerity and liberalisation measures, mandated by creditors and of the ilk that till recently it characterised as hateful.
And Greece's resorts are teeming: Athens airport expects 25 million arrivals this year, up from 21 million; the incremental 4 million are not all eurozone and IMF officials intent on turning the country into a protectorate run from Brussels, Frankfurt and Washington (home of the IMF).
Maybe holidaymakers were hoping to be on the ground for euro break-up history. Or more likely Greece simply looks like a wonderful place to take the kids compared with resorts closer to territory controlled by the so-called Islamic State.
But why aren't the Greeks manning the barricades in protest against already-announced, painful VAT increases and pension cuts, and in anticipation of swingeing reductions in farm subsidies, controversial privatisations and the opening of professions and industries to the harsh wind of competition?
Well it may be the calm before the revelation later this week of just how much Alexis Tsipras has conceded to obtain â‚¬86bn of new credit from the eurozone and (well maybe) the IMF, in the third bailout of this cripplingly indebted country.
Surely at the very least Greek citizens will be curious to learn why Mr Tsipras is rushing to agree terms that he and his colleagues eschewed when elected at the turn of the year.
Presumably the explanation is that Greece's near-death experience in July - the closure of banks and the collapse of economic activity - turned Syriza into disciples of TINA ("there is no alternative").
What is striking of course is that Tsipras remains remarkably popular, in spite of conspicuously failing to deliver an end to fiscal (tax and spending) austerity.
Worse, his standoff with the rest of the eurozone has saddled Greece with monetary austerity too: the continued partial closure of the banks mean they have no money to lend.
Not that many Greek companies have the confidence to ask for a loan for investment, but if retailers and wholesalers can't get adequate credit to obtain credit from abroad, Christmas will be cancelled (70% of shops' orders are placed in September and October, bankers tell me).
There is the vice, in both senses of the word. Greece is suffering from a vicious economic squeeze, which will undoubtedly further impoverish Greek people.
So for all the relief throughout the eurozone that Syriza has finally been battered into submission, the new bailout will only hold if Tsipras can offer hope of better times ahead.
Many would say that good economics and politics requires creditors to ease the burden of Greece's unsustainably large debts by between a third and a half.
So if this new bailout deal is to be that extraordinary thing, a path to genuine recovery, Brussels and - especially - Berlin will need to avoid triumphalism and manifest debt forgiveness in the face of Athens' capitulation.


The Swedish government has decided to reintroduce military conscription - a move backed by the country's MPs.

The decision means that 4,000 men and women will be called up for service from 1 January 2018, a defence ministry spokeswoman told the BBC.
They will be selected from about 13,000 young people born in 1999, who will be asked to undergo a military assessment, Marinette Nyh Radebo said.
Non-aligned Sweden is worried about Russia's Baltic military drills.
In September, a Swedish garrison was restored to Gotland, a big island lying between the Swedish mainland and the three ex-Soviet Baltic states.
Ms Nyh Radebo said the return to conscription was prompted by "the security change in our neighbourhood".
"The Russian illegal annexation of Crimea [in 2014], the conflict in Ukraine and the increased military activity in our neighbourhood are some of the reasons," she said.
The 13,000 who undergo the military tests will be a mixture of volunteers and conscripts. "You are part of the conscript system once you've done the tests - men and women are treated equally," Ms Nyh Radebo said.
"The authorities choose the ones who are willing, interested and motivated."
Russian menace pushes Sweden towards Nato
Norway breaks tradition to host US troops
Baltic warning of Russian test for Nato
Poland to sign up 35,000 paramilitaries
The conscripts will serve for nine to 12 months. The aim is to encourage them either to become military professionals or, later, to join the reserves.
"If we want full and trained military units, the voluntary system needs to be complemented by compulsory military service," Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
Sweden had military conscription until 2010, but previously only men were drafted.
Ms Nyh Radebo said that "70% of parliament is behind the decision to strengthen the military and co-operation with the countries around us".
The closest co-operation is with Finland, she added.
Sweden and Finland are not in Nato, but co-operate closely with the alliance. Their Nordic neighbours Norway and Denmark are in Nato.
The Swedish recruitment system will be modelled on Norway's, Ms Nyh Radebo said.
A Swedish government report on defence priorities for 2016-2020 says recruitment of reserve squad leaders, soldiers and sailors has "proved to be problematic".
It details a range of measures to boost Swedish military capabilities, citing "the deteriorating security situation in Europe, particularly in light of the Russian aggression against Ukraine". Deeper defence co-operation with Finland is "critical", it says.
According to a 2015 research paper by Barbara Kunz of the IFRI Security Studies Center, Sweden has about 52,000 full-time military personnel - 20,000 of them permanent staff and most of the others Home Guard members.
Most of the 28 EU member states abolished military conscription. France and the UK - the main pillars of Nato defence in western Europe - made their armed forces fully professional (France in 2001, the UK in 1963).
Germany suspended conscription in 2011, but provision for it remains in the constitution. There is a debate now about reintroducing some form of national service.
During the Cold War, national service meant that West Germany could mobilise 495,000 soldiers and boost the numbers to about 1.2 million if necessary with reservists.
Turkey has the second-largest armed forces in Nato, after the US military. Turkey has conscription for all men over the age of 20. They must serve between six and 15 months.
Neighbouring Greece - a Nato partner - has compulsory military service (nine months) for men from the age of 19. Cyprus - a longstanding source of Greek-Turkish tension - also has conscription.
Denmark and Norway have limited conscription, but their forces are overwhelmingly professional. Estonia and Lithuania - small Baltic states wary of Russian moves near their borders - have similar recruitment policies.
Finland however requires all men from the age of 18 to serve up to 347 days in the armed forces. They are later counted as reserves and can be required to take military refresher courses. For women military service is voluntary.
In Russia all men aged 18-27 have to spend a year in the armed forces.
Ukraine brought back conscription in 2014, when tensions with Russia escalated.
Switzerland operates a militia system, whereby men have to serve periods in the armed forces from 19 to 34 years of age, and keep their equipment at home.


Skepta and David Bowie are among the stars expected to win at the Brit Awards on Wednesday night.

The grime star and the late rock icon are up for best British male. Other nominees at "music's biggest night" include Beyonce, The 1975 and Bastille.
Performances will come from Ed Sheeran and Little Mix, as well as US stars Katy Perry and Bruno Mars.
The show kicks off at 19:30 on ITV and you can follow the red carpet action on BBC Music News Live from 15:00 GMT.
Dermot O'Leary and Emma Willis have been drafted in to present the ceremony at London's O2 Arena, after original host Michael Buble pulled out to care for his young son, who is receiving treatment for cancer.
Willis, a mum-of-three who presents The Voice UK and Big Brother, said she hoped she could "do him proud".
"Every part of me sends so much love and all the best wishes in the world to Michael and his family at such a difficult time," she said.
The star will introduce performances from the following acts:
This year's ceremony is notable for its recognition of grime, which re-emerged from the underground last year, asserting its position as the UK's biggest musical movement since Britpop.
Skepta, who won the 2016 Mercury Prize for his self-released album Konnichiwa, is favourite to win best breakthrough artist; while fellow grime MCs Stormzy and Kano are also up for awards.
Bowie - who died in January last year - is likely to prevail in the best British male category, as the music industry takes itschance to honour one of rock's most recognisable and influential figures.
His haunting swansong, Blackstar, is also up for best British album.
Pop group Little Mix tie with Skepta for the most-nominated act of the night  - each has three - but the girl band look like they will be locked out of their categories, best group (likely to go to The 1975), best video (One Direction) and best single (Clean Bandit, for Rockabye).
Meanwhile, Beyonce and her younger sister Solange Knowles are both up for best international female, after releasing albums about race and politics last year.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


About 100 children and young people took part in a triathlon in Cardiff.

The participants, aged between three and 22, swam, cycled and raced at the event at Cardiff Metropolitan University
Organisers Bigmoose said disabilities included cerebral palsy, epilepsy, blindness and Down's syndrome.
The charity said the event was geared towards individual goals, with 120 volunteers accompanying the children and their families.


Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin is buying a 20% stake in Spanish football club Atletico Madrid for â‚¬45m ($52m; Â£34m) as he looks to diversify his business empire further.

He heads China's biggest property company Dalian Wanda, which has been buying up big foreign brands amid a weak domestic real estate market.
This includes US cinema chain AMC and luxury British yachtmaker Sunseeker.
It will be the first Chinese company to invest in a top European football club.
"This investment will not only provide a golden opportunity for young Chinese players sent overseas by Wanda to be selected by leading European football clubs," Mr Wang said in a statement.
"It will also strengthen the quality of Chinese football and narrow the gap between the rest of the world."
Last season, Atletico Madrid won the title in Spain's top football competition La Liga and reached the final of the Uefa Champions League.
However, the club has struggled financially in recent years, accruing more than â‚¬500m in debts.
The purchase by Mr Wang, who is one of China's richest men, could help to bring in new fans from the lucrative Asian markets and Chinese sponsors.
The 60-year-old is known to be a big football fan and owned one of China's most successful teams from 1994 to 2000.
There has been a growing trend of Asian billionaires buying into indebted or struggling European football clubs.
Malaysian tycoon Vincent Tan owns Welsh club Cardiff City, AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes is chairman of London's Queen Park Rangers, and Singaporean businessman Peter Lim owns a controlling stake in Spanish team Valencia.


Rolls-Royce has warned that its profits for this year could be as much as 13% lower than last year.

It said the recent sharp fall in oil prices had "increased uncertainty for many of our markets and customers".
Rolls said profits in 2015 would be between £1.4bn and £1.5bn, having previously said they would be flat or 3% lower at worst.
Underlying pre-tax profits in 2014 fell 8% to £1.62bn, roughly in line with guidance given in October.
Underlying revenue fell in 2014 for the first time in a decade, dropping 6% to £14.6bn, on lower defence spending and commodity prices.
"Since we last gave guidance, the external environment has deteriorated in some of our major markets," the company said.
"In particular, oil prices have halved over this period, creating increased uncertainty for many of our markets and customers, particularly in Marine Offshore."
Shares in Rolls-Royce fell in early trade but then recovered to close up 4.3% at 944.50p.
'Challenging conditions'
Rolls-Royce chief executive John Rishton said: "We have met guidance for 2014 revenue and profit in challenging conditions while continuing to build strong foundations for future growth."
He added 2014 had been "a mixed year" and said the company was taking decisive action to improve its financial performance, which included a major restructuring programme.
Rolls-Royce is restructuring its aerospace division, which it said last year is expected to lead to the loss of 2,600 jobs.
By the end of 2014, 545 people had left the company voluntarily. The majority of job cuts are expected to be completed this year.
The world's second largest manufacturer of aircraft engines also closed five plants and is in the process of consolidating production in steering gear in Norway.
In its civil aerospace business, Rolls Royce said it had invested in capacity required to meet its order book, but delays in a number of customers' programmes had meant that some of some of this extra capacity had come on stream before it was needed, leaving the firm with underused facilities.


Cheltenham Town manager Gary Johnson has joked he nearly did not sign new midfielder Harry Pell after he spilled coffee over his carpet.

Pell, 23, became Cheltenham's fifth signing of the summer on Thursday.
The player himself revealed: "His wife put on a lovely spread and I managed to spill coffee all over their cream rug."
And Johnson told BBC Gloucestershire: "I nearly didn't sign him because of that, coffee all over my brand new carpet."
Johnson added: "He apologised nicely and I let him off and hopefully if he puts in the performances I think he is going to put in he will more than make up for it."
Johnson is excited about the impact the former Bristol Rovers, Hereford, AFC Wimbledon and Eastleigh player can have at the club, who were relegated to the Conference at the end of the season.
"Over the years as I watched him as a teenager at Hereford I thought he had an old head on young shoulders," he said.
"Because of that I followed his path, some clubs he done OK at and some he didn't do what I think he can produce and maybe a different manager can bring out the best out of him. That's what he needs, a manager who can link with him.
"He is a very good athlete, a big fellow at six feet, four inches.
"He will be imposing and we have to make sure he is does a lot in both penalty areas. He can dictate a game if he wants because he has that ability and personality and the big thing for me is he is a winner."