Ireland all-rounder Kevin O'Brien is looking forward to getting their World Twenty20 campaign started against Oman in Dharamsala on Wednesday.

The Group A opener is followed by games against Bangladesh and the Netherlands as the Irish aim to secure top spot and a place in the Super 10 stage.
"You always get a thrill playing in a major tournament," said O'Brien.
"We haven't seen much of Oman but they are going to be up for it and hoping to take a couple of scalps."
He added: "Both opening groups are very, very strong. Each team has their own attributes and ways of winning games of cricket.
"Bangladesh have played excellent cricket in the last year or so. They've been very fortunate to have the Asia Cup on just before this World T20, so they'll obviously be very very difficult to beat.
"The Netherlands have beaten us twice in the last two T20s we've played so they will be up for the challenge again."
Ireland have reached the second stage of the World T20 just once, back in 2009 while it's the first tournament in charge for new coach John Bracewell.
O'Brien believes Ireland have the right balance in their squad to progress to Super 10 matches against hosts India, Australia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
"We've got a nice blend here in Dharamsala - we've obviously a lot of experience, with a little bit of youth and flair thrown in, which is what you need.
"So I think it's as good as any other squad that I've been involved in.
"We just need to play consistent cricket over the next three games, and fingers crossed it's enough to get through to the second phase."


A protest has been held over proposals to cut one of the Wrexham's two full-time fire engines and 24 firefighter posts.

The event coincided with the opening of a new £15m combined fire and ambulance station in the town.
Campaigners said the "great and the good should not be allowed to gloss over the cut."
North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority have opened a consultation on the plan, which aims to save £1m by 2020.
Campaigner Marc Jones said there were concerns that progress made in fire prevention work would be "undone" if the cuts took place.
"The great and the good will be present but they should not be allowed to gloss over this plan to cut the fire service in our borough and beyond," he said.
Cerith Griffiths, secretary of the Fire Brigades Union Wales, said it understands the financial pressure the fire authority faces.
He added: "But the number of people we save has increased over the last year.
"We would argue against getting rid of any fire engines. We have to keep the service as it is."
Authority chairman Councillor Meirick Lloyd Davies said the new joint fire and ambulance station will "allow greater co-ordination" when responding to incidents.
Mr Davies said that removing an appliance from Wrexham could make the savings required without closing a fire station altogether.
He added: "As a fire authority we have also had to recognise that there are financially challenging times ahead.
"These decisions are not easy ones and I can fully appreciate that people may feel strongly about what we have to consider."
Burns victim Gary Edwards joined the protest.
He said: "I don't want anyone to go through what I've been through. It's been 13 years of hell.
"If you cut the amount of people fighting fires, that's going to increase the numbers of people being injured."
The consultation closes in December.


The leader of Nigeria's senate, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy have pleaded not guilty to forgery and criminal conspiracy charges.

Mr Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu are accused of trying to forge the senate rules in order to help them secure their positions.
If found guilty they face up to 14 years in prison.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been at loggerheads with Mr Saraki as his party did not want him as senate leader.
Mr Buhari's preferred candidate was not present when the senate elected its president last year.
Mr Saraki's opponents say that that election was not valid and was conducted under rules which they allege were forged.
The case could have widespread political ramifications, correspondents say.
The accused arrived at court in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, in bus accompanied by senate colleagues, the BBC's Chris Ewokor reports.
Mr Saraki is also involved in another court case in which he is accused of false asset declaration, a charge he denies.


SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has said another independence referendum would not form any part of a post-election deal with Labour, but the renewal of Trident remained a "red line".

She was speaking to BBC Scotland on day two of the general election campaign.
Elsewhere, Scottish Labour launched a £175m Scottish anti-poverty fund.
The Scottish Lib Dems pledged £800m to improve the NHS in Scotland and the Scottish Conservatives criticised changes to stamp duty.
Voters across the UK go to the polls on 7 May.
On day two of the campaign, the main parties in Scotland will be pushing hard on their key messages.
Speaking on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Sturgeon said another referendum was not an issue in this general election, but Trident remained a deal-breaker.
She said: "The general election is not about independence, it's about giving Scotland a louder voice in Westminster, making sure that Scotland's interests are protected and that the issues that matter to us are up the agenda.
"We're not going to get a referendum as a result of this Westminster election and that's not one of the issues that we would be seeking to secure."
But she insisted the renewal of Trident remained a "red line" issue for the SNP in any post-election deal with Labour.
Ms Sturgeon said: "Under no circumstance would we ever vote for the renewal of Trident or the spending of money on the renewal of Trident.
"In terms of any formal arrangement with Labour, I've made clear and I can't make clearer, Trident is a red line."
Labour leader Ed Miliband said earlier this month there would not be a Labour/SNP coalition in the event of a hung parliament.
Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy pledged to establish a £175m fund aimed at "waging a war on poverty" during a visit to a food bank distribution centre in Edinburgh.
Mr Murphy said: "If it was not for the generosity of their fellow Scots, tens of thousands of people, including thousands of children, would be going hungry tonight.
"Scottish Labour promises to end the need for food banks. The causes of poverty are complex, which is why our plan is wide-ranging, from capping energy bills and banning rip-off rents to setting up a Scottish anti-poverty fund to provide practical help."
Ruth Davidson, Scottish Conservative leader, was also in the capital where she criticised the Scottish government's change to stamp duty and highlighted new figures which the Tories claim reveal the "true impact" of the new Land and Building Transaction Tax on home-buyers.
She said: "The Scottish Conservatives are the only party at this election which will campaign for a fair deal on tax for Scots. John Swinney has the funds to afford a tax cut for all homebuyers in Scotland.
"It's time he passed it on and ditched his tax on aspiration."
Meanwhile, healthcare was the focus for the Liberal Democrats' Scotland spokesman Alistair Carmichael as he visited a distillery in Inverurie.
He pledged an extra £800m for the NHS in Scotland, saying it was needed to tackle the extra pressures facing the health service from new treatments being available and people living longer.
But Mr Carmichael recognised that, because health is a devolved issue, it would be up the the Scottish government to decide whether the extra money would be spent on the NHS.
He said: "We value the NHS. We want to see it grown and adapt to the community it serves. That's why we're prepared to put our money where our mouth is."
What are the top issues for each political party at the 2015 general election?
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
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London Irish director of rugby Nick Kennedy has signed a new long-term contract with the club.

The 34-year-old helped The Exiles make an immediate return to the Premiership in his first season in charge.
Technical director Brendan Venter and assistant coaches Declan Danaher and Paul Hodgson have also agreed new deals, having been appointed last July.
"We're delighted the coaches have committed their long-term futures," chief executive Bob Casey said.


The latest news gives us an updated snapshot of the state of the NHS in different parts of the UK at a time when the service is under intense pressure and the subject of heated political debate.

The problem, as always, is that the figures are not in synch - Wales and Northern Ireland data for accident and emergency waiting times are for the month of December, while NHS England has come up with its latest weekly figures, up till Sunday, 11 January.
And what's happening in Scotland? Well we have no new figures since September and they will not be updated until February.
So what do we learn? There is confirmation, if it were needed, that the pressures on hospitals are being felt around the UK and posing challenges for both Westminster and the devolved administrations which run health.
Wales, like England, is recording the worst outcomes relative to four-hour waiting-time standards since current data-recording protocols were introduced over the last decade.
It is worth noting that in the week ending 11 January, the number of attendances at English A&E units fell slightly and the proportion seen within four hours was up by three percentage points compared with the previous week.
This was the week which saw a dozen hospitals declaring "major incidents" in a bid to clear the backlog in A&E and discharge as many patients as possible to free up beds.
But there will still major pressures on the service and the number of delayed transfers of patients was the highest this winter.
What is described as an "unprecedented increase in demand for ambulance services" has been given as a reason for a change in ambulance response policy in parts of England.
A row blew up in December after a leaked memo suggested that ambulance priorities might be changed because of pressure on the system.
An option under discussion was to reduce the number of conditions labelled as "Red 2", the second most urgent category.  The government has now announced its plans.
The statement from Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt sets out a new a policy to be piloted in the South West of England and London.
The conditions branded "Red 1" and "Red 2" will remain the same, with a few actually moving up to "Red 1".
But the length of time before an ambulance is dispatched will be increased from 60 to 180 seconds.
The logic is to give more time to decide on priorities and avoid dispatches to cases which turn out to be less urgent than first believed.
Mr Hunt has made clear the changes have been made purely on clinical advice. NHS England and ambulance chiefs argue they will eliminate " inefficiencies" and "distortions" created by attempts to hit the eight-minute response time national target.
But Labour's response was that in the worst winter for the NHS in years it was the wrong time to experiment or relax operational standards.
A letter to the Health Secretary from Keith Willett,  NHS England's director of acute care, suggests he would have liked to go further and downgrade some conditions from "Red 2" because those patients didn't derive clinical benefit from the arrival of an ambulance within eight minutes.
This was the thrust of the leaked memo last month.  He acknowledges that the idea needs further discussion and could not be introduced short-term.
Reading between the lines, the Health Secretary seems to have decided that the changes to ambulance protocols flagged up in the December memo are too controversial.
What remains to be seen is whether the more limited shift in policy flagged up today becomes a political hot potato.


The Welsh Government has said it was "extremely concerned" over news of 27 job cuts in Wales by the BBC's production arm, BBC Studios.

Welsh Language Minister Alun Davies has written to the corporation seeking assurances over the future of factual and drama production in Wales.
BBC Studios has announced plans to cut about 300 staff across the UK.
Its director Mark Linsey said the proposals will help "provide even greater value to licence fee payers".
BBC Studios is a recent created division of the BBC which encompasses its in-house TV programme making in genres such as drama, factual and entertainment.
Mr Davies, who has responsibility for the Welsh Government's broadcasting policy, said: "I was extremely concerned to learn of this announcement and its implications for the BBC in Wales, especially the loss of 27 jobs."
The minister said he supported the Bectu union as it seeks assurances the redundancies will be achieved through voluntary means.
In a letter to BBC Director General Lord Hall, Mr Davies said: "Throughout the BBC Charter Review process, the Welsh Government has expressed concern about the BBC Studios proposal.
"We are not persuaded that a significant scaling back of BBC in-house production - which may well be the outcome of an entirely market driven approach to commissioning within the BBC - would be beneficial overall."
Mark Linsey, director of BBC Studios, said: "A strong, creative and competitive BBC Studios is crucial to maintaining the BBC's role as one of the world's great programme makers and ensuring that in-house production at the BBC has a secure future.
"With the removal of an in-house guarantee, we need to be able to develop programmes and projects for a variety of broadcasters, and compete effectively for the finest talent.
"The changes announced [on Thursday] will help us to reshape in response to a new landscape and provide even greater value to licence fee payers."


Strikers Obafemi Martins and Kelechi Iheanacho are in Nigeria's squad to face Swaziland in a two-legged World Cup qualifier in November.

"It was a bit of a shock, but a nice shock," Martins, who was last called up in March 2013, told BBC Sport.
"I'm very happy, because I have always worked hard, supported and respected all the players picked by the coaches."
Iheanacho has been selected only days after starring for Manchester City in the cup win over Crystal Palace.
The 19-year-old scored and made two assists in his side's 5-1 victory on Wednesday, a performance which brought high praise from his club manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh needed to bring in strikers following the recent decision by Emmanuel Emenike to retire from internationals.
Martins last played for his country in March 2013 for a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Kenya.
Despite being his country's most in-form striker last year, alongside Ikechukwu Uche, he was omitted from the Brazil 2014 squad.
However his good form has continued this season - he has struck 15 goals for MLS side Seatlle Sounders - and Martins is determined to make the most of his Super Eagles recall.
"I thank coach Oliseh for this great opportunity. I'm just looking forward to going out there and playing for Nigeria again," he said.
Another player returning to the international fold is Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi, who missed Nigeria's last competitive game against Tanzania in September due to suspension.
Former Nigeria international Oliseh has also kept faith in English Premier League trio of John Mikel Obi, Odion Ighalo and Alex Iwobi.
But there is no place in the squad for Kenneth Omeruo or West Ham's Victor Moses, who pulled out of Nigeria's friendlies against DR Congo and Cameroon two weeks ago.
Swaziland will host the first leg of the World Cup qualifier in Lobamba on 13 November, with the return leg at the Adokiye Amiesiamaka Stadium in Port Harcourt four days later.
The winner will advance to the final group phase to decide Africa's five representatives at the tournament in Russia.
Nigeria squad:
Goalkeepers: Carl Ikeme (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Sunshine Stars); Dele Alampasu (Club de Sportivo Feirense, Portugal)
Defenders: Abdullahi Shehu (Uniao da Madeira, Portugal); Kalu Orji (Enugu Rangers FC); Elderson Echiejile (AS Monaco, France); Chima Akas (Sharks FC); Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz, Germany); Godfrey Oboabona (Caykur Rizespor, Turkey); Efe Ambrose (Celtic FC, Scotland); Austin Oboroakpo (Abia Warriors)
Midfielders: Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio, Italy); Paul Onobi (Sunshine Stars); John Mikel Obi (Chelsea FC, England); Rabiu Ibrahim (AS Trencin, Slovakia); Wilfred Ndidi (KRC Genk, Belgium); Sylvester Igbonu (FC UFA, Russia)
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium); Odion Ighalo (Watford FC, England); Ezekiel Bassey (Enyimba FC); Alex Iwobi (Arsenal FC, England); Obafemi Martins (Seattle Sounders, USA); Kelechi Iheanacho (Man City, England)


An assembly investigation into the flying of two unauthorised flags has been suspended while a police investigation is ongoing.

An Irish tricolour and another flag appeared on flag poles over Parliament Buildings for a time on Wednesday.
Contractors working at Parliament Buildings have been asked for a report by the assembly authorities.
The contractors are working on the site renovating parts of the roof and fourth floor.
The assembly said that the flags were removed as soon as it was made aware of them.
Speaker Mitchel McLaughlin briefed members of the Assembly Commission on Thursday about the incident and confirmed that the assembly would suspend any investigation as a police investigation is ongoing.
The move was criticised by DUP assembly member Paula Bradley who is a member of the Assembly Commission.
"The assembly is attempting to hide behind the ongoing police investigation to delay any proper investigation into the obvious security breakdown which allowed someone to erect an unauthorised flag on Parliament Buildings," she said.
Sinn FÃ©in's Martin McGuinness has described the fallout as "much ado about nothing".
"I think we have far greater problems to deal with," the deputy first minister said.
"I would prefer to keep the focus on trying to find a way forward so that we can continue to deliver for all of the people that we represent."
However, Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott said people should respect Northern Ireland's constitutional position.
"Clearly, what we want to make sure of is that people respect the constitutional position of Northern Ireland.
"Maybe it was a prank.  If people come forward and accept what they did, that would be possible."
John Dallat of the SDLP said he believed it was a prank and he did not feel provoked by it.
"The previous day, I went up to Stormont to do my work and there were two union flags. I didn't get palpitations," he said.
"We are in a pluralist society - perhaps we should put one flag on the roof for each tradition and keep everyone happy."
TUV leader Jim Allister said it was "a serious breach of protocol and absolutely unacceptable".


Two top Brazilian businessmen have been arrested as part of a major investigation into corruption at state-owned oil giant Petrobras.

Marcelo Odebrecht heads the Odebrecht group - Latin America's largest construction conglomerate.
Also detained is Otavio Azevedo, boss of Andrade Gutierrez, another top construction company.
Investigators allege firms paid corrupt officials in order to get lucrative Petrobras contracts.
The scandal has rocked Brazil's governing Workers' Party, with top politicians accused of taking bribes.
But President Dilma Rousseff, who chaired Petrobras when much of the corruption is believed to have taken place, has been cleared of involvement.
Odebrecht is one of Brazil's most successful construction firms - with a huge presence in countries like Angola and Mozambique.
Among its many works is the Sao Paulo stadium used in the opening of last year's Fifa World Cup.
Just last month its president took pride in the fact that his company had not been implicated in the wide-ranging investigations into Petrobras.
But today Marcelo Odebrecht is under police custody.
Even before the Petrobras scandal, Odebrecht was accused by critics of benefiting from close relations with the Brazilian government.
The accusation led Brazil's investment bank BNDES to reveal details of how much money it lent to Odebrecht to build infrastructure projects in Cuba and Angola.
Now Odebrecht is at the centre of Brazil's costliest corruption scandal.
Odebrecht had been named by former Petrobras executives as one of the companies that allegedly paid bribes in exchange for contracts with the oil firm, but until now the firm had not been targeted by investigators.
Odebrecht said in a statement (in Portuguese) its offices had been raided, and arrests had been made, but called them "unnecessary" as it had been co-operating with the authorities.
Andrade Gutierrez also said it was co-operating, according to the Reuters news agency, but had no connection to the investigation into Petrobras.
Announcing the arrests, a police spokesman said the operation sent a "clear message" no one would escape their attention, no matter how big they were.
Petrobras' investments alone represent 2% of Brazil's gross national product, and its downturn has harmed a national economy struggling as a result of low commodity prices.
The corruption scandal has cost Petrobras over $16bn (Â£10bn), including $2bn (Â£1.2bn) that went straight to corrupt executives and firms.


Ar ben-blwydd Radio Cymru yn 40 mae golygydd yr orsaf wedi dweud bod yn rhaid diogelu'r gwasanaeth craidd.

Yn ôl Betsan Powys mae'n rhaid canolbwyntio ar gynnal un orsaf genedlaethol ond hefyd sicrhau bod cynnwys Radio Cymru ar gael ar bob platfform newydd.
Ddydd Mawrth mae gorsaf arbrofol Radio Cymru Mwy yn dod i ben.
Roedd y cynllun peilot yn rhoi'r pwyslais ar "fwy o gerddoriaeth a hwyl" ac yn rhan o ddatblygiadau digidol y gwasanaeth i nodi'r pen-blwydd.
Ond mae rhai yn dweud bod angen buddsoddi mewn sianel radio newydd yn y Gymraeg.
Dyna yw barn y ddarlledwraig Beti George, oedd yn un o gyflwynwyr Radio Cymru pan ddechreuodd yr orsaf.
"Mae'n anodd, mae'n anodd, mae'n anodd achos - un sianel. Sut yn y byd allwn ni blesio pawb gydag un sianel?
"Does dim gobaith i ni blesio pawb gyda un sianel. Ac mae'n drueni na fasa 'na ddwy sianel, o leia."
Mae'n galw ar y BBC i gynnig mwy nag un opsiwn i wrandawyr Cymraeg.
Un sianel 'ddim yn ddigon'
"Fel rhywun sydd wedi gweithio i'r BBC ar hyd y blynyddoedd, dw i'n disgwyl i'r BBC i sylweddoli nad yw un sianel Gymraeg ddim yn mynd i ddiwallu anghenion y genedl," meddai.
"A dwi'n meddwl y dylen nhw ystyried, a hefyd gweithredu ar yr angen yma i gael dwy sianel."
Mae mudiadau iaith fel Cymdeithas yr Iaith hefyd wedi galw am greu gorsaf radio newydd.
Un arall sydd am weld mwy nag un orsaf Gymraeg yw'r awdur Sion Jobbins o Aberystwyth.
Mae o'n dweud y dylai rhan o'r arian gafodd ei wario wrth sefydlu sianel deledu Gymraeg fod wedi cael ei roi tuag at sefydlu ail orsaf radio Gymraeg.
Mae creu ail orsaf radio yn y Gymraeg yn annhebygol.
Ond mae Betsan Powys, yn cydnabod bod yn rhaid addasu a chwrdd ag anghenion cynulleidfa heddiw.
Mae hefyd yn pwysleisio bod angen cadw'r gwrandawyr ffyddlon.
"Dwi'n credu hynny yn sicr, ym mêr fy esgyrn, bod hi'n bwysig a bod ni'n cofio bod ni'n orsaf radio genedlaethol, un orsaf, a'n bod ni'n gwarchod beth mae hynny'n ei olygu yn ei graidd ac yn ei gynulleidfa graidd," meddai.
"Ond dwi hefyd yn gallu gweld, fel unrhyw un sy'n edrych ar y ffigyrau gwrando, bod yn rhaid chwalu rhywfaint hefyd a bod yn ddewr er mwyn edrych ymlaen at y deugain mlynedd nesaf.
"Rhaid peidio cau'r drws er mwyn gwarchod y craidd yn unig. Dwi'n meddwl y byddai hynny yn gamgymeriad."
Dywedodd fod yna her enfawr yn wynebu'r gwasanaeth yn y dyfodol, a bod yn rhaid wynebu'r ffaith y bydd y galwadau a'r gofynion yn cynyddu, ond y bydd llai o arian ar gael.


Space thriller The Martian, in which Matt Damon plays an astronaut stranded on Mars, has landed at the top of the North American box office chart.

The movie, directed by Ridley Scott, took $55m (Â£36m) over the weekend, according to studio estimates.
That puts it on a par with the Oscar-winning Gravity, which took $55.8m two years ago and holds the record for the biggest October opening on record.
The Martian is based on author Andy Weir's book of the same name.
BBC Entertainment Live: News updates
Nasa and the European Space Agency acted as consultants in an attempt to make the film as scientifically accurate as possible. 3D screenings accounted for 46% of its weekend receipts.
Meanwhile, last week's top film Hotel Transylvania 2 slipped to second place with takings of $33m (Â£22m) and drug war thriller Sicario was in third with $12.1m (Â£8m).


Northern Ireland play Ukraine today and all eyes will be on their performance on the pitch.

16 June 2016 Last updated at 07:16 BST
But what about when they're off the pitch? Leah gives you a behind the scenes tour of the stadium, Stade de Lyon.
She heads into the dressing rooms, the ice baths and sees how the pitch is made perfect ready for the match.


The Scottish government's Land Reform Bill needs to be "enhanced and strengthened" to deliver the "radical changes needed", MSPs have declared.

A report from the rural affairs and environment committee said the land management proposals need "more work".
The bill was also rejected by delegates at the SNP conference in October, who argued it should be strengthened.
Landowners say the bill as it stands would have "far-reaching and detrimental consequences" for business.
The Land Reform Bill proposes a series of changes, including an end to business rate exemptions for shooting and deerstalking estates, giving communities a right to buy land to help sustainable development, and making information on who owns land and its value more readily available to the public.
MSPs on the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee were asked to prepare a report on the proposals.
Convener Rob Gibson said the committee shared the government's aim of delivering "radical" land reform, but said some parts as drafted "require more work to deliver their ambitions."
He said: "Key issues - such as improving transparency on who owns, controls and benefits from land, making the rent review process fairer and more transparent, and creating a better environment for investment in holdings by both tenants and landlords - require either further consideration or more detailed explanation."
Aileen McLeod, the minister for environment, climate change and land reform, said there was an "energising and exciting debate" around the topic, and said the Scottish government "welcome suggestions to improve and strengthen the legislation".
She said: "There is no doubt that the Land Reform Bill represents the most radical and ambitious programme yet, and is a vital next step in our land reform journey.
"We have an incredible opportunity to secure real, and potentially life-changing, benefits for people and communities across Scotland, and we look forward to exploring the ideas and suggestions of the committee to further strengthen the bill.
"The measures in the bill make important changes to specific rights and responsibilities over land, including provisions to increase the transparency of land ownership. It also puts Scottish communities at the heart of land reform by empowering them through a right to buy land to further sustainable development."
Landowners and gamekeepers have voiced concerns about some of the provisions of the bill, and welcomed the extra scrutiny brought by the committee.
A spokesman for the Scottish Gamekeeper's Association backed "a more robust assessment of economic, social and environmental impacts" of parts of the legislation, in particular ending the exemption from non-domestic rates for shootings and deer forests.
He said: "We are pleased the committee has recognised the fundamental role these activities play in rural communities.
"The Scottish government needs to provide a more rigorous analysis of community and economic impacts if it is to justify the removal of exemptions which currently remain in place for many similar rural industries such as aquaculture, forestry and farming."
David Johnstone, chairman of Scottish Land and Estates, said the committee had made a "very important intervention" on some topics, but voiced fears about making the bill "more radical".
He said: "The Land Reform Bill, as it stands, will have far-reaching and detrimental consequences for land-based businesses across Scotland, which employ many thousands of people and make a major social, economic and environmental contribution to rural communities.
"There has been so much rhetoric surrounding the bill that has been about 'righting historic wrongs' or 'giving lairds a bashing', that many landowners fear the bill could be in danger of becoming more about inflicting punitive measures on landowners rather than about meaningful reform to benefit all.
"We wholeheartedly agree that Scotland's land should be used for the benefit of the many and believe that both private and community ownership have an important role in delivering that benefit. We will continue to work constructively with the Scottish government and parliamentarians to achieve that objective and appeal for the contribution of land-based businesses to be recognised during the remainder of the parliamentary process."


A German-born architect has been presented with a medal from the Edinburgh College of Art 70 years after he was denied it during World War Two.

Antony Wolffe, 94, was awarded the City of Edinburgh Medal for Civic Design in 1944, but then refused the honour because of his nationality.
He was given his medal on Monday at the opening of a retrospective exhibition of his student drawings in Edinburgh.
He said: "I am chuffed. I never thought this would happen."
Born in Berlin in 1920, Mr Wolffe fled Nazi Germany and arrived in Scotland in 1937. He won a scholarship to study at Edinburgh College of Art the following year.
His student years in Edinburgh were interrupted due to his status as an 'enemy alien', with a period of internment in Canada and the Isle of Man.
In May 1944, after finishing his college year with the highest marks, he was awarded the prestigious medal.
However, in the weeks before D-Day, it was decided that he should not receive the prize as giving the award to a German was seen as too politically sensitive at the time. Another student was offered the medal instead, but turned it down.
After his college years, Mr Wolffe spent the majority of his time in Dumfries and Galloway. He retired in 2012, at the age of 92.
In 1994, he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to architecture.
Mr Wolffe said: "It is wonderful and extraordinary. I've lived longer than I ever thought I truly would, so to see this exhibition of my work and to finally receive this medal, it is quite exciting."
The free exhibition of Mr Wolffe's work has been organised by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and the Edinburgh College of Art.
It can be seen by members of the public between 10:00 and 16:00 from 27 to 30 January at the college's Minto House.


The Taliban have confirmed that their long-time leader, Mullah Omar is dead.

30 July 2015 Last updated at 15:38 BST
The Taliban have not provided details on where or when he died, but the Afghan government says he died two years ago in Pakistan.
What do we know about the shadowy former leader?
BBC News explains, in one minute.
Video by: Mohamed Madi


A thief nicknamed "Spiderman" has been jailed for his part in one of the most daring art thefts in recent years.

Vjeran Tomic had admitted the 104m euro ($110m;£89m) heist during which he took five paintings - including an Henri Matisse and a Pablo Picasso - from the Musee d'Art Moderne in Paris in 2010.
Jean-Michel Corvez, accused of ordering the heist, and Yonathan Birn, who hid the paintings for a period, were given seven and six years respectively.
The artworks are still missing.
The three have also been ordered to pay the City of Paris 104m euros in compensation, on top of additional fines.
Tomic, 49, who earned his nickname climbing into the apartments of Paris's wealthy residents - and has had several convictions - told police he broke into the museum hoping to steal a piece by French cubist painter Ferdinand Leger.
But after the alarm failed to go off, he decided to take the other four, including ones by Georges Braque and Amedeo Modigliani, because he "liked" them.
Tomic was accused of cutting through a padlocked gate and breaking a window to get into the gallery, which had been waiting for its alarms to be fixed for several weeks at the time of the heist.
He was arrested in 2011 for the 2010 theft.
Birn, 40, later told investigators he had thrown the paintings away in a panic. He broke down as he was sentenced and told the court he would have returned them if he knew where they were, according to French media reports.


Bones discovered in a cave on Eigg have been linked to a massacre of almost the entire island's population during a clan feud in the 16th Century.

More than 50 bones were found after tourists found some of the remains in the isle's Massacre Cave last year.
Analysis by archaeologists at Historic Environment Scotland has dated the remains to the time of the killings.
About 400 islanders, who were members of the Macdonald clan, were murdered by a raiding party of Macleods from Skye.
The islanders had been hiding in the cave for three days when they were discovered.
Macleods blocked the narrow entrance to their hideout with heather and other vegetation before setting the material alight.
The Macdonalds were suffocated by smoke and their bodies left in the cave.
It is believed that the massacre happened in or around the year 1577.
The history and legends of Eigg in the Small Isles can at times read like George R R Martin's popular Game of Thrones fantasy series, or TV adaptation of his books.
Like Martin's tales, the island has stories of giants and episodes of bloody violence.
In 617AD, Christian pilgrim St Donnan was beheaded and his fellow monks murdered.
Legend tells of the killings were carried out by large female warriors who lived on the Sgurr, volcanic outcrop that dominates the skyline on Eigg.
Then in the 16th Century, there was the tit for tat violence of the Macdonald-Macleod clans feud.
It saw a chieftain's son beaten and left for dead in a small boat that is said to have drifted back to his home in Skye.
His father, Macleod of Dunvegan, swore to avenge this act, leading to the Eigg Massacre in a secluded cave.
Over following centuries, various parts of skeletons were taken away by souvenir hunters before the authorities later intervened at the request of islanders and all remains that could be found were interred in Eigg's graveyard.
But tourists visiting the cave in October found a number of bones. Archaeologists went on to recover a total of 53 bones.
Camille Dressler, a historian on Eigg, believes the new discovery may have followed a natural disturbance of soil which revealed the remains.
She hopes the bones, which are also to eventually be interred in the isle's graveyard, will stimulate new research of the massacre and the history around it.
She told BBC Radio Scotland that the killings happened during a long standing dispute between the Macdonalds of Clanranald and the Macleods of Dunvegan on Skye.
Hostilities were escalated by the arrival of a party of Macleods on a small island off Eigg during a storm.
Ms Dressler said: "They helped themselves to cattle and perhaps molested some of the girls looking after the cattle.
"So a party of Eigg Macdonalds crossed over to the island and dispatched the Macleods, reserving the worst fate for the first son of the chief of Macleod of Dunvegan by breaking his limbs and putting him adrift in a little boat without oars, condemning him to a slow and painful death.
"It is said he drifted all the way back to Dunvegan and the chief swore he would have his revenge on the people of Eigg."
A fleet of warriors was sent out from Skye but their galleys were spotted by a watchman on Eigg and the islanders fled the cave.
Its entrance was said to be hidden behind a waterfall.
When the raiders landed they only found an elderly woman who told them nothing of her fellow islanders' hiding place, said Ms Dressler.
Searches for the rest of the residents proved fruitless and the Macleods destroyed the Macdonalds' homes before setting off back to Skye.
It had started snowing and shortly after returning to sea the raiders spotted an islander, who had been sent out from the cave to check if the Macleods had left, against a snow-covered cliff face.
Ms Dressler said: "The Macleods immediately landed back on Eigg and followed the islander's foot prints in the snow to the cave."
The waterfall was diverted and the cave's entrance blocked with flammable material.
Ms Dressler said: "Macleod of Dunvegan hesitated at the last moment and decided the Macdonald's fate should be left to the judgement of God.
"If the wind blew inland from the sea he would have the material lit. If the wind blew from the land to the sea, it would not."
The wind blew in from the sea.
The remains of the massacred Macdonalds were found for years afterwards.
Hugh Miller, a 19th Century geologist, described seeing skulls covered in green mould and writer Sir Walter Scott also visited the Massacre Cave.
Victorian tourists took pieces of bones as souvenirs before all the remaining bones that could be found were buried in Eigg's graveyard at the request of concerned islanders.
Ms Dressler believes last year's discovery may have followed a natural disturbance of soil which revealed the bones to the modern day tourists.
She added: "Some people don't like to go into the cave because of the narrow entrance and they reflect on this as the place where so many people perished."


The Scottish Football Association has failed to have Rangers goalkeeper Steve Simonsen's suspension for breaking rules on gambling extended.

The 35-year-old was given a two-match ban - one suspended until the end of the season - after being found guilty of betting on a total of 55 games.
SFA compliance officer Tony McGlennan said the ban, issued by an independent panel, was "unduly lenient".
But another independent tribunal upheld the original decision.
Simonsen has not played since the ban was served last month, losing his place to Lee Robinson and then fit-again Cammy Bell.
"The process has been a burden on Steve, both personally and professionally, and we are all glad it is now over and he can concentrate on his football career," said PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart.
And, speaking to BBC's Good Morning Scotland, Wishart said: "The one game suspension that he did serve meant he lost his place in the Rangers first team at that point and he hasn't been able to get it back since.
"So, it has an effect on him in terms of appearance money, and also perhaps even his ability to get a new contract at the club.
"One of the difficult things for everybody to understand is the circumstances behind the charges that were brought to him. I'm actually bound by the SFA judicial panel regulations and not able to explain the mitigating circumstances behind it.
"I thought it was a fair and reasonable suspension from the outset."
This is the first time a compliance officer has appealed against the decision of an independent panel, with regulations enabling them to do so introduced at the start of the season by the SFA.
Rangers chose not to contest the original punishment at the time.


The stars of new Disney film Queen of Katwe have praised the "uplifting" view of Africa it portrays on screen.

"It's very refreshing - not just for myself but indisputably for the audience," David Oyelowo told the BBC.
The British actor was speaking on Monday after the film's BFI London Film Festival premiere.
Directed by Mira Nair, the Disney film tells the true story of a young Ugandan chess champion.
"When we've seen African stories in the past they've been big, political subject matter - whether it's genocide, dictators, disease, child soldiers," Oyelowo said.
"But this [film] - about a 10-year-old girl from a slum who goes onto become a chess champion, someone who triumphs in the acquisition of her dream - is something that anyone can relate to."
Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o plays the mother of Phiona Mutesi (newcomer Madina Malwanga), a girl living in an impoverished district of the Ugandan capital Kampala who discovers a chess club run by a missionary (Oyelowo).
Nyong'o told the BBC it was vital that the film showed an honest portrayal of the continent.
"The fact that we have this uplifting story with the Africans front and centre of their own narrative - Africans saving themselves from their own situation - is really powerful for Africans and everyone else who will get to watch this film," she said.
Last week, Oyelowo made headlines with a speech in which he said he moved to the US because of the lack of opportunity for black actors in the UK.
Speaking at the BFI London Film Festival's Black Star Symposium, the Selma star issued a plea for a more diverse UK film industry.
Asked on Monday how confident he was that it would be achieved, Oyelowo said: "I don't know  - we've all been talking about it for long enough... to be sceptical about how soon things are going to change.
"But this film is indicative of something very positive: the fact that Disney made this movie, if you look at the films programmed at the LFF this year and the work that companies like Pathe and Film4 are putting out.
"There are very commendable strides being taken - hopefully those examples will permeate."
Queen of Katwe opens in UK cinemas on 21 October.


A British man who died in the Paris attacks "didn't stand a chance of getting out", according to one of his friends who had worked at the venue.

Nick Alexander, 36, was selling merchandise in the Bataclan concert hall on Friday night when he was one of more than 80 people who were killed.
His friend David Gray said it would have been difficult for him to escape.
"He didn't stand a chance of getting out because the merchandise stall is so visible.
"It's in such a vulnerable position. It's one of the first things you see when you go in the front door.
"The emergency exits are at the sides of the stage, so everything was stacked against him," he said.
Mr Gray, who is from Norwich and works as Ed Sheeran's merchandiser, said he last saw his friend of ten years "only a few weeks ago" at an Eagles of Death Metal gig at the University of East Anglia.
"He was always very generous and always made you feel welcome. He always helped younger people coming into the business.
"It was more than a job to him, he loved music and he lived for it and the only comfort is that he died doing what he loved," he said.
Updates on this story and more from Essex
The 48-year-old said he will miss his friend's smile and will think of him every time he sets up his stall.
"I'm back out on the road this week and I considered whether I wanted to do it but the show must go on," he added.
Mr Alexander grew up in Colchester and attended the town's St James's Primary School and Colchester Royal Grammar School. He went on to study at university in Liverpool.
His girlfriend Polina Buckley broke down while she visited a makeshift vigil outside the French consulate in New York.
She said he was "someone who was the brightest person in the world" and added: "I cant imagine my life without him."
His parents Barry and Sheelagh Alexander, who live in Weeley, issued a statement on Saturday saying he was "everyone's best friend - generous, funny and fiercely loyal."
His friend Gemma Taylor told BBC Breakfast that he was a "caring" person who was "always thinking of others".
"Nick was just one of those people who are so rare nowadays.
"He was everybody's best friend. He was a devoted man to his family and to his friends. He was just everybody's best friend, literally - he was so loyal," she said.
An online memorial fund has been set up for Mr Alexander's family by his friend Miguel Benavides. The page has so far raised more than $57,500 (Â£37,835).


Refinement over reinvention - that has been Nigel Pearson's approach to ending Leicester City's 10-year Premier League absence.

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In a moment of heartache at Vicarage Road, where their hopes of winning promotion were dramatically ended by Watford last term, the Foxes' path had already well and truly been set.
Eleven players who lined up against the Hornets last May were on hand to help finish the job 10 months later as Leicester beat Sheffield Wednesday - a victory that ultimately proved enough to secure their top-flight status with six matches remaining.
Pearson and his team gave BBC Late Kick Off Midlands an all-access pass for an exclusive insight into the side's evolution from the nearly-men of 2013, to head of the class in 2014.
"If everyone improves by a couple of percent, it very quickly adds ups. That is really what it's about," said Pearson.
In a term made famous by Great Britain's incredibly successful Olympic track cycling team at London 2012, 'marginal gains' has become the mantra adopted at City's Belvoir Drive training ground.
The results are the riches of the Premier League and a 21-game unbeaten run that has taken them there.
But it all starts with the team behind the team - from Pearson's management staff, scouts, match analysts, sports scientists, strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists and nutritionist.
"We are all trying to work towards the same thing," said Pearson.
"The margins of error are very, very small and it's becoming even more of a fine line between success and failure.
"We have experienced the highs and lows in the last 13 months - it is difficult to quantify the work you do, but ultimately we are trying to improve on every level we can.
"I am fortunate and very privileged to work with a lot of people who are experts in their own field, and their attention to details in contributing to results is valued by myself and the players."
For all the tactics mapped out in Pearson's office, weights lifted in the gym, drills run on training ground and match footage edited this season, the whole plan was masterminded in a Shropshire pub last May.
City's head physiotherapist Dave Rennie, who has been with the club for 15 years and worked under 20 different managers, said a pint of beer seemed like the logical place to start after getting to within two wins of promotion.
"We are British and went to the pub, so we had two days at Nigel's father in-laws pub in Shropshire which was fabulous from what I can remember," said Rennie.
Seconds after Leicester City's Anthony Knockaert had a penalty saved at one end, Troy Deeney sealed Watford's aggregate win in an extraordinary finish to their play-off semi-final in May.
"It proved a non-threatening environment for us to talk as a group of people. It was at that point that we went away as staff and de-briefed the positives from the season and discussed where we really needed to go in terms of changing the philosophy a little bit more.
"We were almost at a level where we thought things were right, but there were little areas we thought we could improve."
With match analysis software uploaded to tablet computers, development has been hardwired into the Foxes.
No moment or yard is unaccounted with players plugged in the instant they arrive at Belvoir Drive, as every player studies their previous performance before being hooked up to a GPS system and heart monitor.
"I'm preparing for training whilst watching my game at the weekend, so it gives me the opportunity to watch while I keep working," midfielder Matty James said.
"Attention to detail has played a key part throughout this season."
In a season where Leicester saw no reason to fix what was not broken, shrewd transfer dealing has still proven crucial.
Assistant manager and head of recruitment Steve Walsh - who had an 18-year association with Chelsea as a scout and worked with Jose Mourinho before leaving in 2006 - saw reason to sign 33-year-old Poland international Marcin Wasilewski, despite the player having suffered a horrendous broken leg while playing in Belgium in 2009.
"He had a difficult time, had that double leg break, but we did some research on how he had got back," said Walsh.
"We asked him if he could come in so we could have a look at him on trial.
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"This is a player with 60 caps for Poland and once we brought him in we could see that. He fit the bill and has been an excellent purchase."
A lot can be said for the amount of faith invested at Leicester City this season, with Pearson the longest serving manager on duty in the Championship.
Rennie had already seen Pearson come and go, guiding City to promotion from League One in 2008-09 then to the Championship play-offs the following campaign in a successful first spell.
Two managerial appointments later, including the big-spending reign of Sven-Goran Eriksson, and Pearson was back at the King Power Stadium.
"We have seen lots of different management styles, we have to roll with a few and duck a few others," said Rennie.
"That is football and can be very unsettling - Nigel has provided us with a good period of stability.
"He is very very innovative, what he is clever at doing is utilising the other member of staff. He gets us behind him then drives us forward."


A man has been charged after schoolboy on work placement died following an industrial accident in Aberdeenshire.

Michael McLean, 17, was fatally injured at Denholm Oilfield Services in Inverurie in August last year.
Michael, from Kincorth in Aberdeen, was on his last day of a summer placement.
Police Scotland said a 21-year-old man had been charged in relation to the industrial incident, and that a report has been submitted to the procurator fiscal.


Malaysia Airlines has settled damages with the relatives of most victims of the MH17 crash, the lawyer representing the victims, Veeru Mewa, says.

Flight MH17 was shot down exactly two years ago over territory held by pro-Russian separatists, killing all 298 people on board, most of them Dutch.
Dutch media say there are no further details because both parties have agreed to secrecy.
A memorial service was held for the victims on Sunday near Schiphol.
Under the Montreal Convention, which regulates air travel, airlines must pay damages of up to about  $145,000 (Â£109,000) to victims' families, regardless of the circumstances of a crash.
Exactly how much each individual is awarded depends on the circumstances.
Sunday's anniversary was also the deadline for submitting damages claims.
Now an agreement has been reached, a long process for the relatives has come to an end.
Dutch prosecutors say they are still waiting for Russia to provide information on the downing of Flight MH17.
The West and Ukraine say Russian-backed rebels were responsible but Russia accuses Ukrainian forces.
Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in July 2014 at the height of the conflict between Ukrainian government troops and pro-Russian separatists.
Last year, a Dutch report concluded it was downed by a Russian-made Buk missile, but did not say who fired it.
Some families of the victims are suing Russia and its President Vladimir Putin in the European Court of Human Rights.
Separately, families of six Malaysia Airlines crew members who were killed filed a lawsuit on Thursday blaming the carrier for the tragedy.
They accuse the company of negligence and breach of contract.


A search which was launched off the Aberdeenshire coast following an alert from a personal locator beacon found it was coming from a boat in a driveway.

The alarm was raised at about 10:15 just north of Stonehaven.
The search involved a lifeboat from the town and one from Aberdeen.
Coastguards said it was called off after the emergency beacon was traced to a residential driveway.


Maria Balshaw wants to make the Tate "the most culturally inclusive institution in the world", which she thinks it is far from being at the moment.

"We are about a third of the way down the road," she says.
Having been one the major players behind Manchester's recent cultural renaissance, she takes on the leadership of the Tate with palpable energy and ambition.
Her intention, she says, is to change the Tate in the next 20 years as much as her predecessor - Sir Nicholas Serota - changed it in the last two decades.
Given that he oversaw the transformation of the museum from a respected gallery in Pimlico (with a regional outlet in Liverpool) into a global mega art brand, it is a bold claim.
Sir Nicholas built his Tate empire with bricks and mortar, refurbishing existing galleries and creating new venues such as Tate Modern. Balshaw will take a different approach with her expansionist agenda, focussing more on people rather than real estate.
Roughly speaking, according to statistics collected by the newly-renamed Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, around 50% of the British population visit a museum or gallery at least once a year, meaning - of course - 50% do not. These absentees are her target audience.
She says: "We should absolutely reasonably expect 75% of the population to love the fact we have a national collection and feel happy to be visiting Tateâ€¦ and every young person should be given the opportunity to think and play and experiment in the spaces Tate holds. And that is a big, big shift."
Her clarity of vision is impressive, but her ability to explain how it will be realised is less exact. She wants to usher in "an easier language to talk about the joy of art" but couldn't be specific beyond saying that arcane words should be either avoided or explained.
She talks of a radical transformation in audience profile, of a lack of representation of people from BAME background among the staff and in the sector more generally. But when it comes to the organisation she is now leading, which is to be the agent for the change she desires, she says, "it's not that we need to change anything particularly".
There is no doubt she is sincere in her ambitions, and probably more capable than most in the museum and gallery world when it comes to broadening the audience.
But if she is to be successful in her aims she will need to take a leaf out of Sir Nicholas's job application for the Tate director's job back in the 1980s - in which he wrote that for the institution to change he would need to grasp the nettle.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. Follow my Twitter feed: @WillGompertzBBC  If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Russian hackers who gained access to the White House computer system last year were able to read President Obama's unclassified emails, the New York Times has reported.

It said the breach was far more intrusive than previously admitted.
Officials have conceded that sensitive information was in the unclassified system the hackers accessed.
The discovery of the hacking in October led to a partial shutdown of the White House email system.
"The hackers, who also got deeply into the State Department's unclassified system, do not appear to have penetrated closely guarded servers that control the message traffic from Mr Obama's BlackBerry, which he or an aide carries constantly," the New York Times said.
"But they obtained access to the email archives of people inside the White House, and perhaps some outside, with whom Mr Obama regularly communicated. From those accounts, they reached emails that the president had sent and received."
The paper quoted White House officials as saying that no classified networks were compromised, and that the hackers accessed no classified information.
Many senior officials have two computers in their offices, one which works on a highly secure classified network and another for unclassified communications, the paper said.
But it said that officials have conceded that the unclassified system often contains information that is considered highly sensitive, including schedules, email exchanges with ambassadors and diplomats, debate about policy and forthcoming personnel deployments and legislation.


Eight people have been killed and scores injured after police clashed with protesters during a by-election in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Paramilitary forces fired bullets and shotgun pellets as people protesting against Indian rule stormed polling stations near Srinagar on Sunday.
Separatist leaders had called for a boycott of the vote.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old territorial dispute between India and Pakistan.
India accuses Pakistan of supporting separatist sentiment in Kashmir, but Islamabad denies this. Both countries claim Kashmir in its entirety and control different parts of it.
The region has seen heightened tension and increased unrest since July last year when influential militant Burhan Wani was killed by Indian forces.
Reports said the voter turnout in Sunday's election was a mere 7% - the lowest in three decades.
Two schools were set on fire by unknown protesters, The Times of India reported.
Security was tightened on Monday across the region - roads were blocked with barricades and some train services were also suspended.
Rebel groups in Indian-administered Kashmir have for decades called for either independence or a union with Pakistan.
These groups have rejected local elections and urged voters to boycott Sunday's poll, which took place after a politician resigned over what he described as the "anti-people" agenda of the Indian government.
The Indian government deployed tight security ahead of the polling, with 20,000 additional troops sent to the area.
Internet services were also shut down in an attempt to hold a peaceful poll.
On Sunday thousands of protesters charged into polling stations in the Budgam district.
The state's chief electoral officer Shantmanu told AFP news agency that protesters damaged and snatched voting machines.
Clashes erupted when police and troops moved in and used tear gas - and later opened fire - on protesters, who fought back by pelting stones.
Mr Shantmanu told reporters later that there were more than 200 incidents of violence including petrol bomb attacks and a polling station set on fire.
Polling had to be suspended in some places, while voters generally stayed away.
Another by-election, to fill a separate parliamentary seat, is set to take place in the Anantnag district on 12 April. The results of both polls are expected on 15 April.
Farooq Abdullah, a former chief minister for Indian-administered Kashmir and a candidate for the by-election, has condemned the violence.
He told reporters: "Elections should have been peaceful. This government has failed in giving a peaceful atmosphere for people to come and vote."


The Duke of Cambridge has completed his final shift as an RAF search and rescue pilot at Valley on Anglesey, according to BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt.

Prince William's last shift was thought to have been on Tuesday.
It has been reported he could return to his regiment in London, the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals, which would allow him to carry out more royal engagements in support of The Queen.
The duke has said the island has been a "special place" for him.
His final shift brought to an end a three-year posting on Anglesey.
In a speech at Anglesey Show in August, the duke thanked the island's people for being so welcoming to him and his wife.
"I know that I speak for Catherine when I say that I have never in my life known somewhere as beautiful and as welcoming as Anglesey," said the duke.
"I know that both of us will miss it terribly when my search and rescue tour of duty comes to an end next month and we have to move elsewhere.
"From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making my wife and me so welcome when we arrived here, as you do thousands of visitors each year."
He said the island had been their first home together and would always be an "immensely special place for us both".
"Catherine and I look forward to returning again and again over the coming years with our family," he added.
The duke graduated as a search and rescue pilot in September 2010, having started his training at Valley the previous January.
He carried out his first rescue in October 2010 during his first full operational shift.
The BBC's royal correspondent Peter Hunt tweeted that Prince William's last shift at RAF Valley was on Tuesday.
He also tweeted that it was not yet in the public domain what the duke was going to do next.


After a woman with a tantrumming toddler was asked to leave John Lewis (the store has since apologised), BBC News looks at some stories from parents shared on the CBeebies Grown-Ups Facebook page who have encountered strangers with slightly more sympathetic responses to their children.

My son Dominic decided to have a complete meltdown tantrum in the middle of Tesco.
It's something I'm used to, but being tired and busy I got a bit flustered whilst letting him get on with it.
I was standing there with my shopping bags and I was bright red in the face when a lady came over and gave me a Mars bar.
She said: "I think you'll need this when he's finished". She was spot on and it was much appreciated.
About 35 years ago, after a seating mix-up, John Cleese and his daughter and her friends ended up sitting behind us at a show-jumping event.
Seeing that my little sister not only recognised him, but was as clearly bored with the horsey stuff as he was, he spent the next couple of hours pulling faces and generally doing whatever he could to make her giggle.
Whether it was a performer's inner spotlight kicking in, or just empathy with my sister, he made it a brilliant evening and stopped the inevitable shuffling and bored whining in its tracks.
I was in a shop when a lady looked at my 10-week-old baby daughter Connie and said how gorgeous she is.
I saw my four-year-old son's face and the lady immediately said how gorgeous he is too. We're having a few jealousy issues at the moment, which isn't helped when people just concentrate on the baby, making Charlie feel bad.
That lady made his day - she's magic.
I was struggling coming out of the post office with a pram and a man came up and helped me - it turned out to be comedian Lee Mack.
After helping me, he walked off - so he wasn't even coming into the shop anyway. He's come on purpose just to be helpful.
My three-year-old boy ran off to the other side of the store when I was at the self-checkout at Sainsbury's.
I had no choice but to leave everything and run after him. He's very fast and I'm 36 weeks pregnant - not a good combination.
I lost it a little bit after he refused to stand up properly so almost had to drag him kicking back to the till. I was in tears at this point and a bit fed up. The lady manning the checkout took over, asking him questions and distracting him while I paid and got myself together.
She then made sure I was OK to drive and helped me out the store with my son and bags.
Thanks lady at checkout, it really helped.
On a flight to Tenerife my three-year-old was sitting a next to a lady travelling on her own. He spent the whole time talking to her, asking hundreds of questions and leaning over her to look out of the window.
When I tried to discourage him from bothering her she said she didn't mind and that she'd never had kids and having someone to talk to would make the journey more enjoyable for her. She certainly made the flight easier and allowed me and my husband to deal with our baby who wasn't so happy on the flight.
On the return flight a young girl spent the entire four hours pulling faces at my baby to keep her amused. She was my saviour.


New TV series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. achieved the highest ratings for a US drama debut in nearly four years, according to ABC.

The comic book spin-off attracted 12.2 million viewers on Tuesday night, despite going up against the American version of The Voice and NCIS.
The series launches in the UK on Channel 4 on Friday 27 September.
It stars Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, a hit character from Marvel movies Avengers Assemble and Iron Man.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is one of the autumn's most eagerly anticipated new series, with producers hoping to translate the success of the film franchise to the small screen.
The action-packed US drama follows the adventures of a skilled team of agents from a global law-enforcement organisation.
They are tasked with investigating super-human individuals and unusual events.
S.H.I.E.L.D. ranked first in its time slot among viewers aged between 18 to 49 but NCIS was the most-watched show overall with 20 million viewers, according to figures from Nielsen.
So far the critics have been largely positive, with the Huffington Post highly impressed by episode one.
"ABC nailed it with this new series," wrote Jason Hughes. "Everything about this premiere worked."
Avengers screenwriter and director Joss Whedon, who also created long-running series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, returned to his TV roots to help steer the pilot.
He developed the show with his brother Jed Whedon and sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen. The Huffington Post's Hughes added: "Whedon's signature snappy dialogue and light-hearted charm can be seen throughout."
However James Hunt of Den of Geek was not entirely convinced.
"It's certainly not a bad piece of TV - the plot mostly makes sense, the cast is mostly good, and there's an undeniable thrill in seeing the likes of Coulson and Hill (actress Cobie Smulders) on screen outside the movies," wrote Hunt.
"But it's also not as good as it should have been: it looks a little economical, the pace is meandering, and it doesn't seem to know what story it's actually trying to tell."
Marvel's big screen interests continue throughout the next two years with Thor: The Dark World due in cinemas next month starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier will be released in 2014 and The Avengers: Age of Ultron is scheduled to start filming in 2014.


US President Donald Trump has stirred debate by asking why the American Civil War happened, and pondering whether it could have been "worked out".

In a radio interview, he suggested the conflict might have been avoided if President Andrew Jackson had still been in office.
The 1861-65 Civil War between the northern and southern states was principally caused by slavery.
Mr Jackson, who was president from 1829-37, was a slave-owner himself.
"I mean, had Andrew Jackson been a little later you wouldn't have had the Civil War," Mr Trump said in an interview with a Washington Examiner reporter, broadcast on Sirius XM.
"He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart.
"And he was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War. He said, 'there's no reason for this.'"
Critics suggested the president appeared to believe Jackson was still around during the secessionist conflict, although he died 16 years beforehand.
Mr Trump continued: "People don't realise, you know, the Civil War, if you think about it, why?
"People don't ask that question, but why was there the Civil War?
"Why could that one not have been worked out?"
Mr Trump has frequently likened his campaign to that of the populist, seventh US president. In March he even visited Jackson's tomb in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the interview, Mr Trump noted that Jackson "had a very, very mean and nasty campaign" and "unfortunately it continues".
The president's remarks were labelled "totally bizarre" by the Washington Post.
But the journalist who conducted the interview played down the criticism of Mr Trump.
"Context is everything," tweeted Salena Zito.
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How much has the president achieved so far?


Wigan moved within one point of Super League leaders Castleford with an eight-try win against Catalans Dragons.

Three Wigan tries in five minutes, two for Tom Davies and one for Joe Burgess, established a 16-0 lead for the hosts.
But Catalans were level at 16-16 by half-time through Fouad Yaha, Tony Gigot and Louis Anderson.
Wigan's Liam Forsyth and Anderson swapped tries before Forsyth, Burgess, Liam Marshall and Liam Farrell touched down for match-clinching scores.
The victory was Warriors' third in succession and lifted Shaun Wane's side up to third in the table, above Salford, who beat Toronto Wolfpack in the Challenge Cup fifth round on Sunday.
Castleford's defeat at Hull FC means the top five clubs in Super League are separated by only two points.
Wigan assistant coach John Winder: "In the first half we were just a bit slack with the ball.
"Our completion rate was around 50% at half-time, so we just turned over too much cheap ball. They are too good a side to do that to and they took some chances on last play and came up with some points.
"Going in at 16-16 we were really disappointed, but in the second half we controlled the ball a lot better, probably simplified it a bit and played more direct and got the result."
Catalans head coach Laurent Frayssinous: "In effect it was the start that did us.
"The errors we made with the ball cost us because we had to defend a lot.
"Our errors with the ball in the first half cost us and so did our defence in the second. We know what we need to work on."
Wigan: Escare; Davies, Forsyth, Burgess, Marshall; Williams, Leuluai; Nuuausala, Powell, Flower, Isa, Farrell, O'Loughlin.
Replacements: McIlorum, Tautai, Sutton, Navarrete.
Catalans Dragons: Gigot; Bosc, Duport, Thornley, Yaha; Walsh, Myler; Casty, Anderson, Garcia, Moa, Belmas, Aiton.
Replacements: Bousquet, Margalet, Simon, Da Costa.
Referee: Gareth Hewer


Brooks Koepka will take a two-shot lead over Jordan Spieth into the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament.

The American sank three birdies on the back nine in a five-under 65 to move to 16 under as compatriot Spieth (67) bogeyed the last to drop to 14 under.
Americans Matt Kuchar (65) and Bud Cauley (68), and Spaniard Sergo Garcia (68), are tied for third at 13 under.
Overnight leader Ben Crane struggled to a 72 to fall six off the pace at the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Texas.
US Open champion Spieth had held the outright lead but he hit his tee shot on the 14th into water and had to hole a 23-foot bogey putt to drop only one shot.
However, there was a two-shot swing on the hole as Koepka sank a 20-foot birdie putt to take the lead.


Nathan Hughes is fit and ready to replace Billy Vunipola when England face Australia on Saturday, says assistant coach Paul Gustard.

Saracens number eight Vunipola will be out for at least three months after injuring a knee against Argentina.
Wasps forward Hughes, 25, missed the 27-14 win over the Pumas because of a foot problem, but is now back in camp.
"He's had a weekend off, he's feeling fresh, and he'll crack on with training today," Gustard told BBC Radio 5 live.
Gustard said Vunipola, 24, is a "huge loss", but added his absence presents an opportunity for other players.
Along with Hughes, Jack Clifford and Josh Beaumont can also operate at number eight, while Teimana Harrison played there for the whole of the second half against Argentina.
"We've got options," said Gustard. "We will look around at what the best fit is and we will try some different combinations [in training].
"When somebody gets injured, it is an opportunity for somebody else to step in. Other players need to step up to the mark and take their chance."
Following the victory over Argentina, England head coach Eddie Jones accused the Australian media of showing disrespect towards his team.
The Australian also voiced his concerns over the way the Wallabies scrummage.
Australia boss Michael Cheika responded by saying Jones has tarnished his legacy in his homeland as a result of his "vitriol".
"Eddie's legacy is 11 months with England as far as we are concerned," said Gustard.
"He's helping foster a culture and environment of a team that can win things."
However, scrum coach Neal Hatley admits the England management do have "concerns" over the way Australia scrummage.
"We are not going to be pointing them out to anybody," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "We pride ourselves on the way we scrummage, and we will back the referee to do what he's got to do."
Jones' side are one win away from equalling the England record of 14 straight victories, set by Sir Clive Woodward's men in 2003.
Centre Jonathan Joseph told BBC Radio 5 live: "I wasn't aware of that, but I don't think records are a thing we are massively focused on.
"We treat every game individually. We want to go out there and give our fans and our families what they deserve, which is another win."


South Korean officials have criticised North Korea after it apparently resurrected a Cold War-era method of contacting spies.

In recent weeks, mysterious strings of numbers have twice been broadcast over the radio from the North.
A spokesman for the South's Unification Ministry said it couldn't be sure about North Korea's "hidden intentions".
But it urged the North to "desist from such outdated practices".
The numbers were picked up on Radio Pyongyang last Friday, officials have said.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted government sources as saying the 12-minute broadcast began shortly after midnight, with a female voice saying: "I will give review work to No. 27 exploration agents."
The announcer then read: "On page 459 number 35, on page 913 number 55, on page 135 number 86, on page 257 number 2," and so on.
A similar two-minute broadcast took place on 24 June, the AP reported.
South Korean intelligence authorities are trying to work that out, but they are now on alert for "possible provocations".
Such broadcasts were used frequently during the Cold War as a way of getting coded messages to spies in the field or to activate sleeper agents.
Spies would use a hardcopy reference book to decode the numbers into instructions.
Yonhap reported that North Korea had not broadcast number codes since 2000 - it has recently preferred to use the internet for its communications.
The broadcasts come after a spike in tensions between North Korea and South Korea over the North's nuclear and missile tests, and retaliatory international sanctions.
This month, South Korea and the US announced an agreement to deploy an advanced missile defence system, sparking an angry response from Pyongyang.
On Monday, it fired three ballistic missiles into the sea, later saying it had tested nuclear detonators that could be used in a pre-emptive strike on the South.
Prof Remco E Breuker, a Korean expert at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told the BBC that while North Korea could genuinely be trying to contact "sleeper agents" in the South, it could also be an attempt to step up pressure "by ostentatiously signalling agents in South Korea who aren't there".
"In other words, it's a mock-up like some of the missiles shown in one of Pyongyang's military parades."
He says that in the modern era, "it is much easier to use the internet or mobile phones to communicate".
Alistair Coleman, North Korea media analyst at BBC Monitoring, says these messages will cause alarm in the South, but the there's every chance they are a bluff.
Stories like this are lapped up by South Korea's ever-hungry media scene, he says, and it is not unknown for Northern propagandists to allow the South to use this hunger against itself.
In the past, the North has spread the idea that its fleet of "stealth" biplanes could be used to attack Seoul's main airport, he adds.
Whether such an attack is possible is questionable, but the televised military exercises were duly spread throughout the world's media.


The strain put on airline pilots has been in the spotlight since the co-pilot of a Germanwings flight crashed his plane into the French Alps in March.

French investigators say it was intentional and that Andreas Lubitz had practised a rapid decent on a previous flight. There have also been repeated questions about his mental state.
So how much pressure are pilots under?
John (not his real name) found himself exhausted after 36 years in the industry.
He told the BBC: "I just found it impossible to go to work. I felt very close to tears, as I had done on various occasions at the end of shifts, without really understanding what was happening.
"I just couldn't really function on any level."
His view is that rotas created by computerised rostering programmes to allow the minimum rest periods between shifts, and the pressure for a quick turnaround at airports, are creating unacceptable pressures on pilots.
John said: "We start work very early in the morning. We do very long duty days, with multiple flights during the day.
"The physiological effects on one's body of compression and decompression - it can be extremely stressful as the companies continue to ask for more and more."
We visited the holiday villa in southern Portugal that houses Nova Vida Recovery - a team of therapists that John turned to when he felt he could not go on.
About a fifth of the patients at Nova Vida are pilots and the number is increasing. One of the therapists who runs the clinic told how pilots often cover up a personal crisis.
Andrew Vincent, the centre's director, said: "The psychological testing or psychiatric testing is very limited and a lot of people who have depression or stress can quite easily give the answers they feel the doctor needs in order to tick them off.
"I think because of the stigma behind it, because of the fear of losing the job, a lot of people would keep that hidden."
That is a view echoed by John.
He said: "I think pilots are very go-minded people. They like to get the job done, so they do try to keep on going as long as they possibly can and then finally maybe something snaps."
John was in a minority who have to leave the cockpit for good. Around 90% of pilots who visit Nova Vida do eventually get back to work - but it takes time and continuing help from therapists and their employers.
The International Air Transport Association told the BBC: "The aviation industry takes the issue of pilots' mental health very seriously and is open to well-thought-out ways to make any aviation system even more robust.
"The industry will continue to look closely at its procedures."
Prof Robert Bor, a psychologist working with the aviation industry, believes the annual medical assessment for pilots should be more rigorous.
He said: "Whether it is a rogue trader in a bank, whether it is an airline pilot who is not simply suicidal but homicidal, there is always a risk that that person will literally go under the radar.
"However, with closer monitoring, and more scrutiny of pilots, it is less likely to happen."


The UK will not become a "safe haven" for migrants in Calais, David Cameron has warned, after hundreds continued their attempts to cross from France.

The prime minister warned illegal immigrants would be removed, as migrants told the BBC they remained determined to reach the UK.
Mr Cameron was speaking after people gathered for a third night at fencing at the Channel Tunnel freight terminal.
Over 3,500 attempts have been made this week to get into the tunnel.
New fencing supplied by the UK government is being installed in Calais and Eurotunnel said it would protect the platform area where vehicles are loaded on to the train shuttles to "stop the migrants... trying to jump on to the train shuttles there".
Meanwhile, Kent Police has for the first time asked for neighbouring forces to provide officers to help in the policing of Operation Stack - where lorries wait on the M20 in the county when Channel crossings are disrupted.
Highways England said there were nearly 6,000 lorries parked on the motorway as part of Operation Stack, which will continue into the weekend.
Eurotunnel said security guards and police logged more than 300 attempts to enter its site in Calais overnight on Wednesday. The figure was down from 1,500 the previous night, a drop the company attributed to an increased French police presence.
Speaking in Vietnam during his tour of South East Asia, Mr Cameron said: "Everything that can be done will be done to make sure our borders are secure and make sure that British holidaymakers are able to go on their holidays," he said.
The prime minister said the situation was "very testing" because there was a "swarm of people coming across the Mediterranean, seeking a better life".
The Refugee Council attacked Mr Cameron's use of the word "swarm" as "irresponsible, dehumanising language".
Labour leadership contender Andy Burnham said the comment was "disgraceful", while Lib Dem leader Tim Farron described it as "deeply alarming" as he was talking about "some of the most desperate people in the world".
The last official estimates suggest there are about 3,000 migrants in the port town in northern France.
It is not known how many migrants have reached Britain in recent months via the tunnel although MP Keith Vaz said police had told him 148 were held in Folkestone on Tuesday after about 2,000 migrants breached security in Calais.
Meanwhile, Kent County Council said its children's social services department was under "enormous strain" - it is currently caring for 605 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Raihan Jan, 24, a clerk from Afghanistan, said he had travelled through Iran, Turkey, Greece and Italy before reaching Calais four days ago.
"We know it's very dangerous, but there is not another way to go the UK," he said.
English literature graduate Mohammad Al-Mohammad, 26, said he had fled Syria's civil war, arriving in France three months ago.
The Eurotunnel rail shuttle has been delayed in recent days, but is now operating to schedule.
Conservative MP David Davies has echoed calls for the Army to be sent to Calais and urged the government to build camps in the countries migrants were from so they could be "sent back in a kind and humane fashion".
Senior UN official Peter Sutherland said demands for migrants to be kept out of the UK were "a xenophobic response to the issue of free movement".
Humza Yousaf, the Scottish government's Minister for Europe, said: "By refusing to take its fair share of vulnerable migrants... the UK government has turned its back on those in desperate need of help and, in turn, has contributed to the situation that has now developed."
Lucy Williamson, BBC correspondent
As night fell on Wednesday, the road towards the Channel Tunnel started to come alive. Groups of 10 or 12 migrants moved steadily along the darkened highway, jackets pulled close, hoods up.
After a day of discussion in Paris and London over how to secure the tunnel, and fresh deployments of riot police, the determination of Calais' migrants seems unchanged.
They include people like Jamal - an Ethiopian who arrived here on Wednesday.
He said he'd spent most of his adult life doing military service in the Ethiopian army, had spent 10 days drifting in the Mediterranean, and had crossed six different European countries to get here.
Not once had his dream of reaching England wavered. For Jamal, a barbed wire fence, or brush with police, might change his tactics, but probably not his goal.
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The police are still using the type of 4x4 in which four officers were killed, Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd has told an inquest.

He said he was confident that they are safe and fit for purpose.
The four constables died when the armoured vehicle crashed and caught fire in County Down in November 2008. They were travelling down a dark, wet road to help a colleague.
The drivers family said the vehicles are unsuitable.
ACC Todd stated that he did not think that the driver of the Shogun, Constable James Magee, had been driving beyond the safe limits of the car or that particular road, and that the Shogun was not an unsuitable choice for him to make that night.
He said: "If I'd been the driver on that night, I would have acted in the same way."
He was unable to confirm whether the non-driving officers had received training in the use of the vehicle's escape hatches.
"I can't look at any of the families here today and tell them hand on heart that the officers who died were trained in the those escape hatches. I'm not able to do that," he said.
ACC Todd confirmed that there was no evidence of testing the Mitsubishi Shoguns when they were first purchased and modified with armour, but that testing since the accident has reassured him of the vehicle's safety.
He said that he would not have continued to allow officers to use those vehicles if he had any remaining concerns.
Due to the rural nature of policing in Newry and Mourne, combined with the high threat level, armoured saloons are simply not appropriate a lot of the time, he said.
The following steps had been taken since the accident, he said:
ACC Todd was the district commander covering Newry and Mourne at the time, and was responsible for 700 officers.
He was the final witness to the Coroner's inquest, and told the court that he had been present for most of the evidence because "these were my people".
Constables Kevin Gorman, James Magee, Kenny Irvine and Declan Greene were killed by a fire in their 4x4 after it crashed.
The crash, near Warrenpoint was the single biggest loss of life in the PSNI's history, and the exact cause of the accident has not yet been established.
A lawyer for Kevin Gorman said that Mr Gorman's family believe the officers were in a vehicle that was unsuitable for the task and which could have contributed towards the accident.
A verdict is expected on Friday.


A sculptor says he is "amazed" one of his works which had been stolen years ago has been recovered after being spotted on television.

John W Mills' bronze horse, "Curved Neck Grace", was taken from a garden in St Ipployts, Hertfordshire, in 2009.
It was spotted by the owner's daughter during a BBC Inside Out East report from a traveller's site in Dunstable.
"I never expected to see it again," Mr Mills said after police brought the horse statue to his studio to identify.
"Normally when a sculpture gets stolen, you suspect it's either gone for scrap, or out of the country or destroyed.
"I was amazed to hear it was so close to home."
Hertfordshire Police said the rightful owner had bought the sculpture in 1983 and had displayed it in her garden for 26 years before it was stolen.
The owner's daughter spotted what she believed to be the statue when watching Inside Out in November, before contacting Mr Mills and the police.
"As soon as we received the report, we quickly began to make inquiries and were delighted to confirm that it was the stolen 'Curved Neck Grace' when we visited the site," said Sgt Jon Vine.
"We hope that the statue will now go to a good home and will be displayed in a safe environment where people can fully appreciate it."
Mr Mills said he would welcome the opportunity to work on the statue again.
"If it goes to auction, I'd like the opportunity to make sure it's in good condition and has new fixings.
"It would be very nice to work on a piece that old."


A new haul of comets around distant stars has been unveiled, more than doubling the number we know of.

The first such "exocomet" was discovered in 1987 but since then only three more had been found.
At the 221st American Astronomical Society meeting in the US, astronomer Barry Welsh gave details of seven more.
Proving that comets are common in the Universe has implications for their role in delivering water or even the building blocks of life to planets.
Comets such as Halley's Comet, which makes a long, elliptical path passing near the Sun every 75 years, make themselves known through their long "tails" of gas and debris that come off as they approach their host stars.
It is this that Dr Welsh and his collaborator Sharon Montgomery of Clarion University have measured, using the McDonald Observatory in Texas.
The exocomets' tails absorb a tiny amount of their host stars' light - and the absorption changes with time as the comets speed and slow.
With patient observation, the pair came up with seven new exocomet sightings.
In our Solar System, many comets come from the Kuiper belt, a disc of debris beyond the orbit of Neptune, and from the Oort cloud, an even larger and more distant debris disc.
Dr Welsh explained that these discs were characteristic "leftovers" of planet formation as we now understand it.
"Imagine a 'cosmic building site', where the building has already been made - the planets," he told BBC News.
"We're looking at what's left: the bricks, the mortar, the nails - the debris discs have comets, planetesimals, and asteroids."
But something must disturb the comets' orbits, putting them on a course toward their star.
While collisions between comets might do that, it is believed that the gravity of planets nearby can do the job.
In fact, in 1987 when the first exocomet was spotted around the star Beta Pictoris, it was hypothesized that a planet may have been responsible - and in 2009, a giant planet was found here.
Recent years have seen a marked focus on exoplanets, with 461 new candidates and the prospect of billions more that are Earth-sized announced on Monday.
The new study helps illuminate the interplay between those planets and the debris discs from which they came - and in turn help to explain how our own Solar System formed.
"It looks as though the planet building process is very similar in many, many cases - and in order to prove that you need to look not only at the final product and also at the things they were made from," Dr Welsh said.
The finding of more and more comets also raises the possibility that comets could play a crucial role in delivery services.
"There are two theories: one is that comets early on in our Solar System's history brought ice to the planets, the ice melted and formed oceans," Dr Welsh explained.
"And the other one, perhaps a bit more far fetched, is that the organic [molecules in comets]â€¦ were the seeds of life on planets. And if comets are so common throughout all planetary systems, then perhaps life is as well."


"Divisive" and "anti-immigrant" rhetoric by UK politicians during the EU referendum helped to fuel a spike in race hate crimes in the weeks before and after the vote, a UN body has said.

It said prominent political figures had "failed to condemn" racist abuse and created prejudices during the campaign.
Some 3,198 hate crimes were reported from 16-30 June - a 42% rise on 2015.
The UK government said it had a zero tolerance approach to hate crime, backed by strong and effective laws.
The EU referendum was held on 23 June - when the UK voted to leave the European Union.
Abuse peaked on 25 June - the day after the result was announced - when 289 hate crimes and incidents were reported across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A further 3,001 reports of hate crimes were made to police between 1 and 14 July - equivalent to more than 200 every day.
The report - by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - said it was "seriously concerned" at the sharp increase, and expressed concerns at the negative portrayal of immigrants in the UK and a rise of racist online abuse.
It said the EU referendum campaign had been marked by "divisive, anti-immigrant and xenophobic rhetoric".
The report added: "The committee remains concerned that despite the recent increase in the reporting of hate crimes, the problem of underreporting persists, and the gap between reported cases and successful prosecution remains significant.
"As a result, a large number of racist hate crimes seem to go unpunished."
Members also said they remained concerned at the "negative portrayal" of ethnic minority communities, immigrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in the UK, including coverage by the media.
It said the UK government's anti-terrorism Prevent strategy had created "an atmosphere of suspicion towards members of Muslim communities".
It urged the government to review the counter-terrorism measure to ensure it does not "constitute profiling and discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin".
The report also criticised plans to replace the Human Rights Act of 1998 with a new British Bill of Rights, warning that it could lead to "decreased levels of human rights protection".
Imogen Foulkes, BBC Geneva correspondent, said the report had made some "pretty blunt criticisms".
She said it had called for politicians to be "much more open about condemning abuse" and for strict sentences against those guilty of expressing hatred.
"There are laws in Britain against hate crime that the UN feels are not being used and that therefore there is a climate of impunity," our correspondent added.
David Isaac, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said the organisation shared the UN's concerns and supported its call for "effective investigation and prosecution of all acts of racist hate crime".
"There are concerns that the acrimonious and divisive manner in which the referendum debate was conducted exacerbated worrying divisions in British society, and has been used by a minority to legitimise race hate", he said.
"Political parties need to come together and show leadership, working with the relevant crime prevention agencies," he added.
A UK government spokeswoman said the UK had "one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry".
"We keep it under review to ensure it remains effective and appropriate - and recently published a comprehensive new Hate Crime Action Plan to drive forward the fight," she said.


Wrexham responded to their shock midweek FA Cup defeat to Stamford with victory over Bromley in the National League.

Shaun Harrad volleyed home his third goal in as many games to give Wrexham the lead in the final minute of a poor first half.
Blair Turgott found himself unmarked in the Wrexham area to fire past Shwan Jalal and bring Bromley level.
But Gerry McDonagh secured Wrexham's win with 10 minutes remaining.
The Dragons, with Dean Keates and Andy Davies in caretaker charge, move up to 14th in the table while Bromley fall to 17th.
Wrexham caretaker manager Dean Keates told BBC Radio Wales: "I couldn't be more proud of the lads.
"They've gone out and shown great character. It was about stopping the rote - the club's not been on a good run.
"It's just positive that we got the result and I'm over the moon for the lads. They've turned it around and got a 2-1 victory they fully deserved."
Match ends, Wrexham 2, Bromley 1.
Second Half ends, Wrexham 2, Bromley 1.
Substitution, Bromley. Reece Prestedge replaces Lee Minshull.
Goal!  Wrexham 2, Bromley 1. Gerry McDonagh (Wrexham).
Substitution, Wrexham. Callum Powell replaces Rob Evans.
Substitution, Bromley. Tobi Sho-Silva replaces Jamie Philpot.
Substitution, Wrexham. Leo Smith replaces Tyler Harvey.
Goal!  Wrexham 1, Bromley 1. Blair Turgott (Bromley).
Substitution, Wrexham. John Rooney replaces Antony Barry.
Second Half begins Wrexham 1, Bromley 0.
First Half ends, Wrexham 1, Bromley 0.
Goal!  Wrexham 1, Bromley 0. Shaun Harrad (Wrexham).
Blair Turgott (Bromley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Dave Martin (Bromley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Tyler Harvey (Wrexham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


If Theresa May was seeking to ramp up UK-India trade in smiles, salutes and friendly rhetoric, she'd have a world class deal already.

The prime minister shared a long lunch, a long chat and two public platforms with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi and she's sure to spend more time in future cultivating a personal and economic relationship she sees as vital to British prosperity after Brexit.
But sealing a comprehensive trade deal demands more than smiles and salutes.
India wants more visas for students and workers. Theresa May has shown no inclination to offer any broad commitment to a more liberal approach to Indian migration.
There is no cap on visa numbers. The official UK line is Britain's doors are open to the "brightest and the best". Yet the UK is widely seen in India as wanting "free trade in everything except people".
And Mrs May's anxiety to reduce net migration into the UK to the tens of thousands is well-known and frequently stated.
Today the prime minister promised to allow Indian travellers, maybe 10,000 over the coming two years, to pass UK immigration more easily at ports and airports - as easily as UK travellers.
Successful high value travellers, of the kind most countries are keen to welcome, would have extra help and advice for their families and themselves.
However, Mrs May also wants India to do more to facilitate the return of Indians who have overstayed their legal limit in the UK. That might mean more effort approving the documentation needed to return an overstayer home.
Again, the British desire to bear down on net migration lies at the root of a tension in relations between the two countries.
If Britain is going to make a success of Brexit in the broadest sense, it is vital to cultivate India, a trade market which has shrunk even as the Indian economy has grown.
The political obstacles at home on the road to Brexit have yet to be negotiated. The challenges beyond already look daunting.
Swashbuckling, dashing, gloriously reckless. Just a few of the epithets you'll never, ever, see applied to Theresa May. Yet it's hard to think of anyone who's had a more successful few months in today's politics. If she was a cricketer, she'd be Geoffrey Boycott.
And if the Yorkshire and England cricket legend was here in New Delhi, he'd probably sing her praises. Which, as it happens, he is and he did.
"She'll be like Margaret Thatcher," he told an admiring gaggle of cricket-loving journos who spotted him the the Taj Palace Hotel.
"She's good. She doesn't need my advice. She's got a few more strokes than me."
"She has views and she's strong. Life is about integrity and principles - it should be. We want politicians like that with integrity, with principles, with honesty."
As any Test Match Special listener could tell you, when Geoffrey likes someone, he says so.
And generally doesn't stop.