Militants have attacked an army base in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing at least 17 soldiers, the army says.

All four of the attackers were killed. Carrying guns and grenades they stormed a base in Uri, close to the Line of Control with Pakistan in a pre-dawn ambush.
Indian Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh reacted by calling Pakistan a "terrorist state".
It is the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir in two decades.
It comes as violent protests against Indian rule in the disputed region continue, with a strict curfew imposed.
More than 80 people, nearly all anti-government protesters, have died in more than two months of violence.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and Pakistan denied any role.
"This is an old tactic of India. They immediately put the blame on Pakistan without investigation," foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told the BBC.
But Mr Singh said on Twitter that "there are definite and conclusive indications that the perpetrators of Uri attack were highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped".
"I am deeply disappointed with Pakistan's continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups," he said.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson condemned the attack and said the UK "stands shoulder to shoulder with India in the fight against terrorism, and in bringing the perpetrators to justice".
Both India and Pakistan claim all of Muslim-majority Kashmir but only control parts of it.
Indian army military operations head Lieutenant-General Ranbir Singh said there was evidence the attackers were members of an Islamist militant group in Pakistan.
The terrorists had some items which had Pakistani markings on," he said.
Kashmir profile
The militants infiltrated across the Line of Control from Pakistan before attacking the base, west of Srinagar, an army officer told the BBC.
Gunfire and explosions were heard for several hours.
Many tents and temporary shelters caught fire during the attack, according to the army's Northern Command.
Twelve soldiers were killed by fires and the others died in gun battles, the Hindustan Times reports, citing army sources.
Disputed Kashmir has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan for more than 60 years, causing two wars between the neighbours.
A militant attack on an army camp in Uri in December 2014 saw at least nine members of the security forces killed.
The last attack of this scale on the Indian army was in June 2015 in Manipur, north-east India, when at least 20 soldiers were killed in an attack on a troop convoy.
With the Indian Home Ministry talking about a "cross-border terror attack", there is no doubt the raid  will make the already fraught relations between India and Pakistan even frostier.
But the truth is this latest upsurge in violence has a distinctly home-grown flavour.
The huge wave of protests against Indian rule that were prompted by the killing of a popular young militant on 8 July have been overwhelmingly by people from Indian-controlled areas of Kashmir.
The attack is likely to mean normal life in the province will continue to be paralysed by the curfew imposed by the security forces for some time to come.
The Indian government says it wants to discuss how to end the violence with local leaders, but so far its overtures have been rejected by separatists who insist that the issue of Kashmiri independence must be on the table.


On the retreat in the battlefield, wanted war crimes suspect and Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda has raised the white flag, fleeing to Rwanda and handing himself into the  US embassy in Kigali.

Known as "the Terminator", over the last two decades Gen Ntaganda has fought for several rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as well as serving as a general in the Congolese army - and is wanted by the International Criminal Court on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
It is unclear why he has chosen to surrender to the ICC - or why he chose Washington's embassy in Rwanda - neither the US nor Rwanda recognise the tribunal, unlike many other states in Africa and Europe.
But they will now have to co-operate with the ICC so that he can be transferred to The Hague to stand trial - or risk a diplomatic outcry at a time when the United Nations is spearheading new efforts to end the conflict in a country two-thirds the size of western Europe.
Despite denials by Rwanda's government, DR Congo has repeatedly accused it of backing Gen Ntaganda.
"The fact that he showed up in Kigali raises a lot of questions. He could have also showed up in Uganda [another neighbour of DR Congo], but he decided to do that in Kigali," Thierry Vircoulon, of the think-tank International Crisis Group, told the BBC.
"Was it because it was the only way out or because he also wanted to embarrass his former sponsor?"
Born in Rwanda and raised in DR Congo, Gen Ntaganda and President Paul Kagame's government in Kigali were once staunch allies, bound together by ethnic ties - both come from the minority Tutsi ethnic group which feels threatened since the genocide that saw hard-line Hutu militias kill some 800,000 people in Rwanda in 1994.
Gen Ntaganda fought for Mr Kagame against Rwanda's Hutu-led government in the early 1990s.
After Mr Kagame took power in 1994, Bosco Ntaganda served as a bulwark in eastern DR Congo against the Hutu militias that took refuge there after being driven out of Rwanda at the end of the genocide.
Gen Ntaganda also fought the Congolese government, accusing it of oppressing DR Congo's own Tutsi population living in the east, near the border with Rwanda.
He fled to the US embassy after his M23 rebel movement, which was formed last year after an army mutiny, split last month.
There was heavy fighting between rival factions in eastern DR Congo, which reportedly left Gen Ntaganda on the back foot.
It is not clear what caused the split, but forces loyal to Gen Ntaganda and ousted M23 political head Jean-Marie Runiga appeared to lose ground to troops allied with the movement's military chief Sultani Makenga.
An ally of Col Makenga, Col Innocent "India Queen'' Kahina, told Associated Press news agency that he saw Gen Ntaganda in the battlefield last week.
"We shot at him, but he got away,'' Col Kahina is quoted as saying.
"Apparently, he thought an almost sure prison sentence was better than his other options," DR Congo analyst Jason Stearns writes on the Congo Siasa blog.
Mr Vircoulon says Rwanda will be worried about Gen Ntaganda appearing in the dock at The Hague.
"He will have a lot of things to say at the ICC and his testimony may potentially be very damaging and could have huge consequences for Kigali."
For New York-based pressure group Human Rights Watch (HRW), should Gen Ntaganda stand trial, it would help end the culture of impunity in DR Congo.
"Ntaganda's appearance in the dock at a fair and credible trial of the ICC would send a strong message to other abusers that they too may face justice one day," HRW Africa researcher Ida Sawyer said.
The DR Congo conflict has been a major focus of the ICC since its formation more than a decade ago, with two cases finalised so far - the acquittal of militia leader Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui in December 2012 and the sentencing some six months earlier of his rival, Thomas Lubanga, to 14 years in jail for recruiting children into his rebel army in 2002 and 2003.
Gen Ntaganda was once allied with Lubanga, serving as his chief of staff in the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) rebel group.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Gen Ntaganda in 2006, accusing him of committing atrocities, along with Lubanga, in 2002 and 2003 - charges that are unrelated to the latest conflict involving the M23.
With more charges added against Gen Ntaganda in 2012, he now faces 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Profile: Bosco Ntaganda
Q&A: International Criminal Court
While Lubanga was captured by the DR Congo government in 2006 and put on trial, Gen Ntaganda evaded arrest and was integrated into the Congolese army.
But fighters loyal to him defected from the army last year after DR Congo's President Joseph Kabila hinted that the Congolese authorities would put the general on trial.
His appearance at the US embassy suggests the Rwandan government forced him to hand himself in, says Mr Stearns.
"Or he was so afraid of what would happen if they arrested him (or Makenga got a hold of him) that he made a run for the embassy?" he asks.
Despite the ICC's efforts to punish rebel leaders and various peace initiatives spearheaded by foreign governments - and 19,000 UN troops on the ground, violence has continued in eastern DR Congo - a largely lawless area hit by ethnic conflict and a battle over its mineral resources.
Currently, Uganda is mediating between the government and the M23 to end the conflict that has left hundreds of thousands homeless since last year, while UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed former Irish president Mary Robinson as his special envoy to the region.
Her appointment on Monday followed the signing of an agreement last month by 11 African leaders - including Mr Kagame, Mr Kabila and Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni - to help end the conflict in eastern DR Congo and possibly set up a special African Union intervention brigade.
"I plan to work closely with the leaders of the region to ensure that the presence of combatants in their territories is addressed by their respective governments, in the context of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework [signed by the leaders]," Ms Robinson said.
"In this respect, I call on states of the region to work with the International Criminal Court," she added.
Some analysts believe that with diplomatic pressure on Rwanda growing, it could not give refuge to Gen Ntaganda, leaving him with no option but to surrender in the face of the setbacks his forces suffered in the latest fighting.
Mr Stearns doubts that the conflict will end anytime soon, saying the agreement, which calls for the Congolese state to be reformed and for neighbouring countries to stop meddling in its affairs, was "very vague".
"Robinson will have to put meat on its bones. However, if Kabila manages to strike a deal with Makenga's M23, then logic of the framework [agreement] could easily fray," he writes.
"Kabila thought it was necessary to sign up to a relatively intrusive deal in order to bring an end to the M23 threat."
With the M23 splitting and Gen Ntaganda surrendering, DR Congo's government may be feeling more buoyant, but there is no room for complacency in international efforts to achieve peace - there are enough battle-hardened men in the region to fill the vacuum left by Gen Ntaganda.


Rates of breastfeeding in the UK are the lowest in the world, an international study shows.

The data, published in the Lancet, shows that only one in 200 women - or 0.5% - is still doing any degree of breastfeeding after a year.
That compares with 23% in Germany, 56% in Brazil and 99% in Senegal.
The researchers said it was a "widespread misconception" that breastfeeding was beneficial only in poor countries.
In the UK, 81% of mothers had tried breastfeeding at some point, but only 34% were breastfeeding at six months and 0.5% at 12 months.
In the US, 79% started, 49% were still going after six months and 27% after a year.
It is the worst record in the world. Breastfeeding is far more common in developing countries, but the UK figures are behind even similar countries in Europe.
Women in the UK are advised to feed their baby exclusively on breast milk for the first six months and then a combination of breast milk and other foods, however, it does not give a recommend end-point.
Breastfeeding is good for the health of the baby and lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Prof Cesar Victora, report author from the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil, said: "There is a widespread misconception that the benefits of breastfeeding only relate to poor countries.
"Nothing could be further from the truth, our work clearly shows that breastfeeding saves lives and money in all countries, rich and poor alike."
The Lancet report said breastfeeding in developed countries reduced the risk of sudden infant deaths by more than a third.
And in poorer countries, half of cases of diarrhoea and a third of respiratory infections could be avoided by breastfeeding.
Overall, the report's authors said that near-universal breastfeeding could save over 800,000 children's lives a year.
A commentary, signed by Save the Children UK and the World Health Organization, was critical of formula milk being promoted at the expense of breastfeeding.
It said: "The active and aggressive promotion of breast milk substitutes by their manufacturers and distributors continues to be a substantial global barrier to breastfeeding.
"Promotion and marketing have turned infant formula, which should be seen as a specialised food that is vitally important for those babies who cannot be breastfed, into a normal food for any infant."
Commenting on the findings, Sarah Redshaw, from the BabyCentre website, said: "It is crucial to bear in mind the various barriers and challenges faced by mums when it comes to breastfeeding.
"Generally mums are aware that breastfeeding is best for their baby but often don't get the right support if they encounter problems in the early weeks - which many, many do.
"As a result, significant numbers give up on breastfeeding."
Follow James on Twitter.


The final design for the new Bank of England £5 note entering circulation on 13 September has been revealed.

The note will feature the image of Sir Winston Churchill and will be made of plastic rather than cotton paper.
The Bank says the thin and flexible plastic banknotes will be cleaner, more durable - as they will last for five years - and harder to counterfeit than the current paper notes.
It admits that they may initially be prone to sticking together.
The use of thin, see-through polymer is a first for the Bank of England, which invested £70m in the project. Plastic banknotes are already in use in Scotland as well as other countries including Australia and Canada. They have also been used in Northern Ireland.
At an event at Churchill's birthplace of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the Bank is also releasing advice to businesses about dealing with the new polymer notes, which are 15% smaller than the current notes.
Brendan Doyle, of CMS Payments Intelligence, said: "Retailers and banks are going to have to invest over £200m to change ATMs, self-service checkouts and other equipment."
The decision to feature Churchill on the new banknote was made three years ago.
Bank governor Mark Carney said: "Our banknotes are repositories of the United Kingdom's collective memory and like Churchill, our new polymer notes will stand the test of time."
The new design includes a see-through plastic window featuring the Queen's portrait. The new notes will also feature holograms - such as one showing the maze at Blenheim Palace - and micro-lettering beneath the Queen's portrait with letters and numbers that are visible under a microscope.
Various elements such as size and colours are aimed to assist people who are visually impaired.
The artwork on the banknote will also include:
The image of Churchill has featured on currency before. He was the first commoner to be shown on a British coin when he appeared on the 1965 crown, or five shilling piece.
There are more than 329 million £5 notes in circulation, so it will take a year for the Churchill note to fully replace the current one featuring the social reformer, Elizabeth Fry.
She is the only woman, apart from the Queen, currently appearing on Bank of England notes, although Jane Austen will feature on the new £10 note issued next year.
The new £10 and £20 notes will also be printed on polymer. The Bank recently announced that artist JMW Turner will appear on the next £20 banknote, expected to enter circulation by 2020.
New polymer banknotes are also being issued in Scotland, although those issued by Clydesdale Bank are already in circulation.
The Bank of Scotland - one of the banking note issuing institutions in Scotland - announced on Thursday that its own polymer £5 banknote will be available in branches from 4 October.
The note is slightly smaller than the existing paper £5 notes in circulation, and the same as the Bank of England fiver.
It reuses the existing Bank of Scotland £5 design, with the front retaining the portrait of Sir Walter Scott and the reverse featuring the Mound in Edinburgh.
Notes are redesigned on a relatively frequent basis, in order to maintain security and prevent forgeries.


At the end of 2012 and throughout 2013, loyalist protests took place across Northern Ireland over the decision to fly the union flag at Belfast City Hall only on designated days.

Dozens of police officers were injured and scores of people arrested.
The protests also saw the middle-ground Alliance Party targeted, including a death threat against East Belfast MP Naomi Long and councillors' homes attacked in Bangor and Newtownards.
On Monday 3 December, 2012, Belfast City Council voted to fly the union flag at city hall only on designated days.
Nationalists at Belfast City Council had wanted the union flag taken down altogether, but in the end voted on a compromise from the Alliance Party that it would fly on designated days.
Unionists said they considered the changes to be an attack on their cultural identity.
A loyalist protest outside the building erupted into violence minutes after the motion was passed. Disorder also broke out in east Belfast.
Fifteen police officers were injured, as well as a press photographer and two security guards.
Police were criticised by Sinn Féin for not anticipating the violence.
Council staff removed the flag at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday. It is now only flown on 18 designated days.
Parades and flags are important symbols to loyalists, who describe them as expressions of their culture.
The decision at Belfast City Hall followed a difficult, but not explosive, marching season during which there were numerous arguments and disturbances over specific parades.
Many loyalists claimed that some nationalists were trying to erase their identity from Northern Ireland.
The unionists argued that the flag had flown for decades above Belfast City Hall and the other parties should have left it alone.
Former Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable Matt Baggott told a press conference on 7 January 2013, after four successive nights of disorder in east Belfast: "I am concerned that senior members of the UVF in east Belfast -  as individuals - have been increasingly orchestrating some of this violence.
"That is utterly unacceptable and is being done for their own selfish motives. There is no excuse whatsoever for violence, as we've said, and we will be investigating that and taking the appropriate action."
Previously, assistant chief constable Will Kerr had said members of both the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) had been involved in violence around flag protests and that "we're now seeing senior members actively involved in orchestrating the violence."
In the weeks before the city hall vote, up to 40,000 leaflets criticising Alliance were distributed in a joint operation carried out by Democratic Unionist Party and Ulster Unionist Party activists.
Alliance accused the unionists of a blatant attempt to ramp up tensions over the union flag issue.
Unionists insisted their defence of the flag was a matter of principle and they wanted peaceful, constructive protests.
However, with the involvement of loyalist elements, and others using social media, the protests took on a life of their own, spreading well beyond central Belfast.
Protests followed in towns such as Carrickfergus, Coleraine and Ballymena.
Roads were also blocked in parts of Northern Ireland.
The Alliance Party was the target of threats and violence. East Belfast MP Naomi Long was threatened as was councillor Laura McNamee.
An Alliance Party office was destroyed in Carrickfergus and councillors' homes attacked in Bangor and Carrickfergus.
Alliance holds the balance of power on Belfast City Council, and could have voted down the original motion to remove the flag on all days.
Instead it came up with a compromise, suggesting that the union flag should be flown only on designated days.
Many of the party's offices are in unionist and loyalist areas and towns, like Carrickfergus and Bangor and so are an easier target than those of other parties, although two Sinn Féin representatives were also threatened.


A rally in Nigeria to show support for Donald Trump as he was inaugurated as US president turned violent, injuring several people, police say.

The event in the southern oil hub of Port Harcourt was organised by a group supporting the independence of the south-eastern region of Biafra.
The group says it backs Mr Trump because he supports "self-governance".
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) allege 11 people died in clashes with security forces during the rally.
But a police spokesman in Port Harcourt told the BBC that only tear gas was fired and said some people were wounded in the scuffles.
At least one million people died in the 1967-70 civil war started by Biafran secessionists. Pro-Biafra protests have resumed over the last 18 months.
(IPOB) dubbed the event in Port Harcourt a solidarity rally and hundreds of supporters waved flags and chanted pro-Trump slogans.
Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the brother of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu - who has been held by the Nigerian government since October 2015 on treason charges - said Mr Trump had won their favour as he "supports the right to self-determination".
According to the AFP news agency, IPOB has also renamed its push for secession "Biafrexit", after the UK's Brexit vote to leave the European Union.
IPOB's campaign has gained momentum since the authorities detained Mr Kanu.
Human rights activists say the heavy-handed approach of dealing with the group has inflamed the tensions.


Ron Howard's ocean epic In the Heart of the Sea has flopped at the US box office, making just $11m (£7.25m) after debuting in more than 3,000 cinemas.

That still enabled the film to claim second spot, just behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.
The film was based on the true events which inspired the book Moby Dick and had an estimated $100m (£65.9m) budget.
"We stand behind Ron and his vision for the story," said Jeff Goldstein, a Warner Bros vice president.
"We believe in him. He's a terrific filmmaker. But some movies work and unfortunately some movies don't."
Howard is no stranger to movie success - his film Beautiful Mind won two Oscars back in 2002.
His other hit films include Frost/Nixon and Apollo 13.
But his 2006 adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, while a commercial success, failed to hit the spot with critics.
Warners, which has had hits with films including The Lego Movie, Godzilla and American Sniper, has also had its share of box office struggles with The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Jupiter Ascending and Pan.
Of course, Hollywood is bracing itself for the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which debuts this week.
Goldstein said he hoped that In the Heart of the Sea  would  benefit over the Christmas holidays by having opened before Star Wars.
"There's a cultural phenomenon around the corner," he said.
"Our hope was to get in in front of it and get some word of mouth so that when you get down to Christmas week - we leapfrog over this coming week - that you can break through the clutter of those other new movies."
All eyes will be on Star Wars' first week takings, which could threaten Jurassic World's debut of $208.8m to become the biggest launch in history.
The rest of the US box office was fairly evenly spread, with The Good Dinosaur in third place with $10.5m (£6.9m) and then Creed in fourth with $10.1m (£6.6m) and Krampus in fifth with $8m (£5.7m).


The government should ignore calls to limit future increases to the national living wage, a think-tank said.

The living wage of £7.20 per hour was introduced in April, benefitting more than a million staff aged 25 and over.
Some business organisations have been lobbying the government to restrain future increases in the hourly rate.
But the Resolution Foundation said that women, the young and older workers were most likely to lose out if future rises are limited.
Conor D'Arcy, policy analyst at the foundation, said some businesses were unhappy about a higher minimum wage, but the wage policy was pegged to typical hourly pay and therefore reflects changing economic circumstances.
Abandoning increases "would also be costly for millions of low paid workers, so the prime minister should stick to her guns", he said.
After the Brexit vote in June the government was lobbied by 16 trade associations who called on ministers to be cautious about future increases in the national living wage.
Low-paid workers are due to get above-average pay rises over the next four years as the policy approaches its target of paying 60% of average hourly pay.
Based on independent economic forecasts published by the Treasury, the Resolution Foundation expects it to rise to about £8.70 in 2020.
That is lower than the £9 forecast in the March 2016 Budget because overall wage growth is expected to weaken.
The projected figure for 2020 is likely to fluctuate in coming years as wage forecasts are updated and the impact of implementing Brexit becomes clear, the foundation added.
The think-tank has previously estimated that by 2020 the national living wage should benefit more than six million workers.
Many are predicted to gain directly, while some will benefit from a "ripple effect" as the new policy pushes up wages more generally.
The Low Pay Commission will meet in October to decide its recommendation for next year's national living wage increase.
The Resolution Foundation says that if there were no further increases relative to average hourly pay, then by 2020 low paid workers would lose as much as £1,500 from their prospective annual pay.
In early August, 21 trade associations wrote to the new business secretary, Greg Clark, asking him to "exercise caution" on the rate at which the living wage might rise, because of "economic uncertainties the country faces" after the Brexit vote.
A spokeswoman for Theresa May appeared to brush that aside, saying: "The prime minister has been clear about building an economy that works for everyone, and making sure that people earn a decent wage for a day's work is an important part of that."


A New Zealand man serving a life sentence for child molestation and murder who escaped to Brazil is now in custody, New Zealand police say.

Phillip Smith, 40, was arrested in a hostel in Rio de Janeiro by Brazilian police. He is expected to be extradited or deported.
Smith used a passport in his birth name, Phillip Traynor, to fly to Chile and then go to Brazil on 6 November.
He escaped while on a three-day release from a prison south of Auckland.
Smith was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996 after he murdered the father of a 13-year-old boy he had sexually abused between 1992 and 1995.
The family had moved house but he had tracked the boy to their new home in Wellington in December 1995.
He repeatedly stabbed the father, killing him. The boy managed to escaped and raise the alarm.
The victim, who is now 30, told New Zealand's Fairfax media after news of Smith's capture, that he could now stop sleeping with a knife under his pillow.
"It's great news, it's excellent," he said from his new home in Australia. "[I feel] relief, a bit of peace of mind that I can carry on with my life without having that fear over my shoulder."
Smith's escape has thrown Corrections and various other government agencies into controversy. It has led to calls for an overhaul of short-term prison release and the monitoring of high-risk offenders.
In an email Smith sent to Radio New Zealand he said he had planned the escape by running a criminal check on his birth name and discovering that it had not been red-flagged.
"My only anxiety was that somebody that knew me might happen to be at the airport at the same time to identify me,'' he wrote, according to Radio NZ.
He also said he had been able to fund the escape with money from various businesses he had run from prison.
Smith said he chose Brazil because he thought it would be more difficult to extradite him if he was caught, as the two countries do not have a formal extradition treaty.
He was arrested after a member of the public in Rio De Janeiro recognised him from images being circulated in hostels and tipped off police. Smith appeared in court after his arrest and has been remanded in custody for 60 days.
New Zealand Police Detective Superintendent Mike Pannett said in a press conference on Thursday that it was a relief to have Smith back in custody.
He would not, however, say how long he expected Smith to remain in Brazil.
"New Zealand will bring him back as soon as possible but we are reliant on the Brazilian justice system to process and deal with the situation," Mr Pannett said.
Criminal Bar Association President Tony Bouchier said police needed to be more thorough when checking the names of criminals.
"There's got to be a far more robust process gone through when police are entering people's names into their systems and starting somebody off with a criminal record," he told Radio NZ.
Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga urged a review of the incident "so we can make some decisions as to how we can improve how we have temporary releases done out in the community", according to Radio New Zealand.


Mae tafarn enwog y Mochyn Du yng Nghaerdydd wedi cael ei werthu i gwmni o Lundain, Brewhouse and Kitchen.

Fe gadarnhaodd prif weithredwr y cwmni, Kris Gumbrell wrth BBC Cymru Fyw eu bod wedi cwblhau'r pryniant ddydd Mercher, gan ychwanegu'r dafarn at 17 o safleoedd maen nhw eisoes yn rhedeg yn Lloegr.
Dywedodd y perchennog blaenorol, Gareth Huws ei fod wedi cael "15 mlynedd hapus iawn yn y Mochyn" a'i fod yn "diolch i'r cwsmeriaid am eu cefnogaeth ar hyd y blynyddoedd".
Ychwanegodd un Mr Gumbrell, ei fod "wrth ei fodd" â'r dafarn a'i fod yn "hynod gyffrous" i gymryd yr awenau.
Mae'r Mochyn Du, sydd wedi ei leoli ger maes criced Gerddi Soffia, yn adnabyddus am ei hethos Gymraeg, a dywedodd Mr Gumbrell ei fod yn awyddus i gadw at yr ymdeimlad hwnnw.
"Dydw i ddim yn siarad Cymraeg ond dwi wrth fy modd efo'r ffaith ei fod yn dafarn ddwyieithog, ac rydyn ni wedi ymgorffori hynny yn ein cynllun busnes," meddai.
"Rydw i'n fachan o Gaerdydd felly dwi wrth fy modd â'r lle. Rydyn ni wedi bod yn edrych am leoliad yng Nghaerdydd ers rhyw dair blynedd, a phan ddaeth y cyfle roedd rhaid i ni ei gymryd.
"Rydyn ni'n bragu ein cwrw ein hunain yn ein tafarndai, felly rydyn ni'n gobeithio cynnig ystod ehangach o gwrw yn y dyfodol gan gynnwys cynnyrch bragwyr lleol."
Ychwanegodd Kris Gumbrell fod y cwmni'n bwriadu gwario'n sylweddol ar adnewyddu'r dafarn "rywbryd yn y flwyddyn newydd", ond na fyddai unrhyw beth yn newid am y tro a bod staff wedi cael sicrwydd ynglŷn â'u swyddi.
Dywedodd Gareth Huws ei fod yn hyderus y byddai ymdeimlad Cymreig y dafarn yn parhau dan y perchnogion newydd.
"Dwi'n falch o ddeall bod y Mochyn yn pasio 'mlaen i Gymro balch, ac y bydd y staff a'r rhinweddau ieithyddol yn parhau," meddai Mr Huws.
Cafodd Brewhouse and Kitchen eu sefydlu yn 2011, a'r Mochyn Du fydd y lleoliad cyntaf i gael ei redeg gan y cwmni yng Nghymru.


Wales Women will host Japan at Ystrad Mynach on 11 June as part of their preparations for the 2017 Rugby World Cup.

Rowland Phillips' squad will face Japan after just over a month in camp preparing for August's World Cup in Ireland.
"The Japan match gives us a good chance to see how much we have improved," he said.
Wales have been drawn against New Zealand, Canada and Hong Kong in Pool A.


Police have renewed their appeal for information about a suspicious fire which destroyed garage premises in Dumfries.

The blaze at Howgate Street on Monday 7 November took more than 30 firefighters to bring under control.
Det Sgt Hugh McCombe said the incident was being treated as an "act of wilful fire-raising".
He said they were keen to speak to anyone who may have seen a lime green Vauxhaull Corsa stolen from the garage.
"This fire has caused a great deal of disruption to business owners and local residents," he said.
"This is a live criminal inquiry.
"Whatever information, no matter how insignificant you might feel it is, please contact the police."


Twice European Championship medallist Sycerika McMahon has announced her retirement from competitive swimming at the age of 22.

The Portaferry woman won two European gold medals in an outstanding junior career before landing silver and bronze medals at senior level in 2012.
McMahon also competed at the London Olympics in 2012 but has struggled for form in recent seasons.
"This was an unexpected and difficult choice," said McMahon on Tuesday.
"It is not easy to give up something that you have done your whole life.
"My sport took me to some unimaginable highs and it's been an honour for me to represent my country all over the world.
"I will always cherish the unforgettable memories I have from my career, as well as the friendships I made along the way."
McMahon set a host of Irish records across a range of events and distances but she acknowledged in her retirement announcement that she felt "I was capable of a lot more".
"Regardless, I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in helping me reach my goals over the years.
"I wouldn't have been able to live out my dream as an Olympian or take up a scholarship in the USA without you all."
After winning European junior medals in 2010 and 2011, McMahon won 50m breaststroke silver at the European Senior Championships in Hungary in 2012.
Later that year, the Northern Irishwoman won a European short course bronze medal.
McMahon went into the 2014 Commonwealth Games with high hopes of challenging for medals but struggled in Glasgow and she missed out on qualification for the Rio Olympics last year.


In the UK, many of us enjoy turkey, mince pies and presents on 25 December, but Christmas can be celebrated in different ways in other countries.

Newsround checks out ten festive traditions from across Europe.
In Poland, families traditionally gather for a meal on Christmas Eve, which is known as Wigilia. They will start eating when they see the first star in the night sky.
The meal has 12 courses, which will traditionally include carp, a kind of fish.
It will also include the family sharing a special bread wafer called "Oplatek", which symbolises forgiveness.
The grown-ups will give presents to each other on Wigilia, but children might receive presents earlier in the month, on Sw Mikolaj (St Nicholas) Day (6 December).
Christmas celebrations start early in the Netherlands, and parts of Belgium, as Sinterklaas - that is St Nicholas - arrives by boat on the last Saturday in November.
Sinterklaas doesn't live at the North Pole like Father Christmas though. For those in the Netherlands, he comes from Spain!
There is a rumour that if children have been naughty, they will be taken back to Spain on the boat!
He travels across the Netherlands dressed in red bishops robes. He also doesn't ride in a sleigh like Father Christmas is seen to do in the UK, instead, he travels on a white horse called Amerigo.
When he arrives, children leave a shoe out for him with a carrot or hay for his horse Amerigo.
Children usually get their presents on the evening of 5 December, which is known as Sinterklaas Eve.
Christmas starts on 8 December in Spain with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
On 22 December, there is a big lottery draw called El Gordo, which is covered on the television and on radio, where lots of people win money.
Children may be given some presents on Christmas Day, but traditionally they are opened on 6 January.
This is called Epiphany, when the Three Kings are said to have visited the baby Jesus and given him their gifts.
Like in Poland, the main Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve, called la Nochebuena.
On 28 December, Spain has their equivalent of April Fools' Day, called Holy Innocents' Day, when people play jokes on each other.
Again, Christmas Eve is a big celebration in Finland, while Christmas Day is quieter and spent relaxing at home with family.
In a city called Turku, a special ceremony happens, which many people watch on television or listen to on the radio.
At the ceremony, the beginning of the Christmas peace period is announced, which lasts from midday on Christmas Eve for 20 days.
Traditionally, people will eat special rice porridge and have plum fruit juice for breakfast on Christmas Eve. There is a tradition to hide almonds in the porridge and whoever finds them will have a lucky year ahead of them.
They may also visit a sauna to relax during the day, before the big celebrations in the evening.
Father Christmas is known as Joulupukki, which means "Christmas Goat". Because of this, people dress up in goat masks to deliver presents.
In Sweden, there is a special celebration on St Lucia Day, which is 13 December.
It isn't completely clear where the tradition of St Lucia came from, as there's a few stories that could have mixed together.
One story says that St Lucia was young Christian girl who was killed in the 4th Century because of what she believed in.
Swedish people mark this with many Lucia processions, led by a girl in a white dress with a crown of candles.
Children open their presents on Christmas Eve. The night before, they are expected to leave a bowl of porridge out for Tomten - their name for Father Christmas - so that he will leave presents for them.
Swedish people also have their main meal on Christmas Eve. This tends to be a big buffet called Julbord, which people are encouraged to visit several times to eat lots of food!
Norwegian children look out for two creatures at Christmas.
First is a creature like a goat called Julebukk, who is a present-carrying gnome. Then there is Jul Nisse, who guards farm animals and plays tricks on children if they don't leave porridge out for him.
They have to do this if they want presents to be left for them, which they open on Christmas Eve after the main meal.
Norway also gives the UK a Christmas tree every year, which stands in Trafalgar Square in London. This is to say thank you for helping Norway during World War II.
Celebrations in Germany start earlier in December on St Nicholas Day (6 December).
Children leave shoes outside of their front door, which Father Christmas - or Nikolaus, as they call him - will leave presents in if they have been good.
If they've been naughty, his servant Knecht Ruprecht will leave twigs for them!
A meal is eaten on Christmas Eve, which won't contain any meat. Children will also open their presents on 24 December.
Meat can be eaten in a feast on Christmas Day.
Epiphany (6 January) is marked in Italy when children will receive a stocking of sweets if they've been good or a stocking full of coal if they haven't.
This is brought by the Italian Christmas witch, who is called La Befana.
Some say she accompanied the Wise Men on their way to baby Jesus on Epiphany.
She is said to be old, ugly and wears bad clothes, because she is a symbol for the old year which has ended.
A bit like people in the UK might leave a carrot for Rudolph and a mince pie for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve, some families will leave a glass of wine and some food for La Befana.
Like with many families in the UK, lunch on Christmas Day is the most important meal.
Children in Iceland have to wait until the Christmas Eve meal is finished before they are allowed to open their presents.
Traditionally, the main dish of the meal is called Hangikjot, which is a leg of roast lamb.
They actually have 13 Father Christmases, called Yule Lads!
These mischievous characters are said to live in the mountains and visit towns one by one in the 13 days leading up to Christmas.
Children leave shoes out for the Yule lads, who will leave presents in them if they've been good, or rotten potatoes if they've been bad.
There is a tradition that says everyone must receive a new piece of clothing for Christmas.
If they don't, they might be eaten by a giant Christmas cat who belongs to the Yule lads' mum called GrÃ½la!
In many places in Greece, Easter is celebrated more than Christmas.
However, Christmas is still important. Children go from house to house on Christmas Eve, playing music and singing carols in return for treats to eat.
Before Christmas, fresh basil is wrapped around a wooden cross, which is used to sprinkle water around the house to keep away mischievous goblins called Killantzaroi.
Some people might also keep a fire lit which they think will stop the goblins causing chaos!
Presents are usually given on 1 January.


Tens of thousands of people have joined the Pride parade through central London.

The annual celebratory march, now in its 43rd year, stopped for a minute to remember the victims shot dead in a gay nightclub in Orlando.
The parade got under way in the West End with an increased visible police presence.
For the first time, the Red Arrows will fly past the march and a rainbow flag is flying at Parliament.
Justine Greening, Secretary of State for International Development, announced she is in a same-sex relationship as the event was in full swing.
She tweeted: "Today's a good day to say I'm in a happy same sex relationship, I campaigned for Stronger In but sometimes you're better off out!"
Her announcement came as the director of Pride London, Michael Salter-Church, said this year's campaign slogan is No Filter.
He said: "No Filter is a call to arms. A call for people to be themselves, to live as their true selves.
"Now that might sound too obvious but too many people already self-censor. On this weekend whilst we celebrate the LGBT community, be your true selves, try and live without filter because that's a really important message that we want spread around the UK and the world."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also joined the celebratory parade and singer Alesha Dixon will entertain revellers.
In a message before the march, he said London is "a city where the large majority of people of all communities, faiths and backgrounds, don't simply tolerate each other, but respect, embrace and celebrate our diversity".
At the scene: BBC reporter Catriona Renton
What a carnival atmosphere!
The buzz around the start of the parade was electric as we watched several people dressed as the character of Patsy from "Absolutely Fabulous" dancing on their bus with a giant high heeled shoe and lipstick on it.
Then the real stars of the show Edina and Patsy herself cut the ribbon. Then they were off.
Approximately 40,000 people from around 300 organisations paraded down Oxford Street in a sea of glitter and colour on their way to Trafalgar Square.
There was silence as people here paused to remember the 49 victims of the shootings in Orlando who were killed two weeks ago. The message was of solidarity.
The march takes place weeks after a gunman shot dead 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando in Florida.
The Metropolitan Police said it will mount a visible police presence to provide reassurance to those taking part.
Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe earlier said there was "no intelligence" to suggest the march or the city would be targeted, urging people to join in but "take reasonable precaution".
Organisers expect that more people will attend the event this year to show support for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender community.
Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who was involved in organising the first Pride, said people must unite against hate and this year both gay and straight Muslims will join the parade in a show of solidarity.
He said: "In the wake of the horrific mass murder of LGBT people by an Islamist gunman in Orlando, we are highlighting the need for dialogue, unity and solidarity between the Muslim and LGBT communities - to oppose all hate."
This year the parade will feature more than 100 Met Police officers and 200 military personnel, as the flypast will show support within the Armed Forces for the LGBT community.


Doncaster came from behind to stay four points clear at the top of League Two, beating Barnet 3-1 at the Hive.

John Akinde gave Barnet the lead after just 13 minutes with his 18th league goal of the season, pouncing on Niall Mason's back-pass.
But the league leaders were level almost immediately when Matty Blair split the Bees defence with a low cross and James Coppinger finished to equalise with 18 minutes on the clock.
Akinde might have put Barnet back in front when he attempted to round the keeper for the second time, but it was Rovers who took the lead.
John Marquis stabbed the ball home to end an almighty goalmouth scramble in the 28th minute and give Rovers the lead before Coppinger curled the ball into the bottom corner three minutes later.
Interim Barnet boss Rossi Eames threw on Simeon Akinola and Nana Kyei after the break but it was to no avail.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Barnet 1, Doncaster Rovers 3.
Second Half ends, Barnet 1, Doncaster Rovers 3.
Attempt missed. Jordan Houghton (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Michael Nelson (Barnet) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Michael Nelson (Barnet).
John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ricardo Santos (Barnet).
Alfie May (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Alfie May replaces Andy Williams.
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Paul Keegan replaces James Coppinger.
Corner,  Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Elliot Johnson.
Foul by Elliot Johnson (Barnet).
John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Joe Wright replaces Mathieu Baudry because of an injury.
Attempt blocked. Nana Kyei (Barnet) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Jordan Houghton (Doncaster Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
David Tutonda (Barnet) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jordan Houghton (Doncaster Rovers).
Attempt saved. Ricardo Santos (Barnet) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
John Akinde (Barnet) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Andy Butler (Doncaster Rovers).
Attempt saved. Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Simeon Akinola (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jordan Houghton (Doncaster Rovers).
Substitution, Barnet. David Tutonda replaces Harry Taylor.
Attempt missed. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high.
Mauro Vilhete (Barnet) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Mauro Vilhete (Barnet).
Niall Mason (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Jack Taylor.
Attempt missed. James Coppinger (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is just a bit too high.
John Akinde (Barnet) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Mathieu Baudry (Doncaster Rovers).
Corner,  Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Michael Nelson.
Substitution, Barnet. Simeon Akinola replaces Jamal Campbell-Ryce.
Substitution, Barnet. Nana Kyei replaces Tom Champion.
Foul by John Akinde (Barnet).
Andy Butler (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Foul by Curtis Weston (Barnet).


Guernsey's director of public health has issued a warning to pregnant women after a rise in chickenpox cases.

Dr Stephen Bridgman said pregnant women who had not had the disease and had come into contact with someone who had it should see a GP for a blood test.
St Sampson's Medical Centre and L'Aumone Surgery reported rises of just under 50% in the period from January to July this year, compared to last year.
These were estimates, as doctors are not obliged to report exact numbers.
However, Dr Bridgman also issued advice on Tuesday to islanders with illnesses affecting their immune systems.
"Any clinical condition causing immunosuppression will increase the risk of severe chickenpox infection and so these patients should also contact their GP if they have been in contact with chickenpox," he said.


The Conservatives will scrap the Severn Bridge tolls if they win the general election, Theresa May has said, predicting a £100m economic boost.

The pledge goes further than the existing plan to halve the tolls - currently £6.70 for cars - by 2018.
The Labour Party said it was committed to working with the Welsh Government to end the charges.
First Minister Carwyn Jones welcomed what he described as the "conversion" of the Tories to scrapping the tolls.
The prime minister and Conservative leader said the move would "strengthen links" between south Wales and the west of England.
"I want to ensure that our economic progress is shared across the United Kingdom," Mrs May said.
The two crossings will be operated by Highways England when they return to public ownership in 2018.  Annual maintenance costs are estimated at around £7m per year.
Several opposing politicians and parties reacted by pointing out they had been campaigning for the abolition of the tolls before the prime minister's announcement.
In the Senedd, Mr Jones was dismissive, telling AMs: "For how many years have we stood in this chamber demanding the end of the Severn Bridge tolls?
"I welcome their conversion but at the end of the day, let's face it, the Conservatives would not have abolished the Severn Bridge tolls if it wasn't for the strong action and strong position taken by this Welsh Government."
A UKIP Wales spokesman said: "This is yet another UKIP policy stolen by Theresa May and the Tories. UKIP has led the debate on this topic over the past year in the National Assembly.
"We are encouraged that the other parties agree with us now that it is election time, but they don't exactly have a very good track record in delivering on their promises."
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Mark Williams said: "The tolls on the Severn Bridge are a very real strain on local businesses and hold back the Welsh economy.
"The Liberal Democrats have long made the case for the tolls to be scrapped and now conveniently, just weeks before an election, Theresa May digs deep to find some good-will for Wales."
A Plaid Cymru spokeswoman said: "The Conservatives trying to coax Welsh voters to support them with promises of a cut to the Severn Bridge toll is laughable.
"They have spent years prevaricating and had ample opportunity to do this, but they have refused."


Pembrokeshire council has voted to restart its review of secondary education in the county.

The decision was made at a four-hour extraordinary meeting which some councillors described as a "shambles".
It comes a day after a second Haverfordwest secondary school, Sir Thomas Picton, was placed into special measures.
Tasker Milward school has been in special measures since July 2014.
In May, the council dropped plans to close the two schools and create a new 11-16 school, after protests over sixth form provision.
The cabinet member for education, Councillor Sue Perkins, had been facing a vote of no confidence at the meeting but was removed from her post yesterday.
The motion was then directed at the new cabinet member, Councillor David Lloyd, but he survived the no-confidence vote.
Councillors were meant to discuss a proposal to create a new 11-19 school in Haverfordwest, but the meeting took a new direction when council leader Jamie Adams instead proposed establishing a new sixth form strategy for the county.
The council has been consulting for more than a year on secondary education provision in Haverfordwest, St David's and Fishguard.
It has already been agreed that the secondary schools in St David's and Fishguard will send pupils aged over-16 to a new sixth form centre to be created at Pembrokeshire College in Haverfordwest.
But people in Haverfordwest protested against it, preferring instead to keep their individual school sixth forms.


People around the UK and all over the world are sharing messages of love and support following the attack in Manchester on Monday.

Twenty-two people were killed and many more injured in the attack, which took place after an Ariana Grande concert.
After the attack happened, the emergency services and many other people in Manchester came to help those in need.
There have been many stories of positivity, love and support shown by all those who have been helping the city to deal with what's happened.
Many people have shared heart-felt messages for those involved in the attack on social media, saying that their thoughts are with those affected.
US President Donald Trump has called those involved in attacks like this "losers" and offered his prayers to the people of the city.
People have also laid flowers in memory of those who have lost their lives in the attack.
In the photo below, a woman in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is seen laying flowers outside the British Embassy there - which is 1,400 miles away from Manchester.
One way that people are showing their respect to those who lives have been lost or affected by the attack is lowering flags so they are at half-mast.
The Prime Minister Theresa May said: "The police and emergency services have, as always, acted with great courage, and on behalf of the country I want to express my gratitude to them."
She said around 400 polices officers worked through the night, and many more doctors nurses "worked valiantly" and "tirelessly" to save lives and care for people.
"We saw the best of humanity in Manchester last night."
As well as the emergency services, many other people rushed to do what they could to help.
Nearby hotels opened their doors to help people and taxi drivers came out to work for free, to give people a lift home.
The day after the attack, queues of people were seen in the city waiting to give blood to help the medical services.
The Queen has expressed her sympathy for those affected and her "admiration for the way people of Manchester have responded with humanity and compassion."
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said: "I want to thank the people of Manchester. They gave the best possible immediate response to those who seek to divide us.
"It will be that spirit of Manchester that will prevail and hold us together."
A website has been set up to raise money to support families of people killed and injured in the attack. So far, over Â£770,000 has been raised.
Theresa May said: "The attempt to divide us met countless acts of kindness that brought people closer together and in the days ahead those must be the things we remember...The spirit of Manchester will never be broken."
"Every single one of us stands with the people of Manchester."
For more help if you are upset by the news, please follow the advice on this page.


Former gymnast Beth Tweddle says she's forgiven online bullies who attacked her during a Twitter Q&A last year.

The 29-year-old, who won a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics, was targeted as she was answering questions during a show about women in sport.
"I think it's always difficult when it's attacking how you look because there is not a lot you can do about changing that," she tells Radio 1.
"It is hard when you hear people saying you look like a horse."
Sky Sports was forced to issue a statement last January condemning the "unacceptable and offensive abuse" she received while answering sports-related questions in a slot called The Everyday Sexism Project.
One man tweeted, "Are all sportswomen lesbians?" while another said, "Do you think pregnancy is a poor injury excuse and women should be able to run it off?"
Beth says she was shocked but wasn't really tempted to reply.
"If you start to reply to them you're giving them the satisfaction that they know that you've read it - and it has hurt you.
"Whereas if you ignore it, because it is at the end of a computer or a phone, they don't even know whether you've seen it.
"If you start to retaliate it's only going to make it worse because then they'll retaliate back and it'll just end up as a Twitter war."
Beth competed at three Olympic Games and won three gold medals at world championships and six golds at European championships.
Since retiring in August 2013 she has made guest appearances on BBC show Tumble and was a judge on Junior MasterChef.
She also finished third in the final series of ITV's Dancing on Ice.
Beth, from Bunbury, Cheshire says she forgave most of the people who sent offensive messages because many said sorry.
"Quite a lot of the people that sent the comments actually apologised to me. They would later send tweets saying, 'We didn't realise how hurtful they would be.'
"A lot of the time you're sat behind a computer or behind a tablet phone or whatever it is that you use the social media on, and these people - they don't realise that actually it's a person at the end of that that's going to receive that Twitter message or that Facebook message.
"Whether they were told to apologise, I don't know, but I accepted their apology and I moved on from it."
Beth is speaking out as part of a week of shows on Radio 1 tackling cyberbullying.
She says if you're being bullied online, or in person, you have to tell someone.
"It is OK to speak about it and it's not always easy.
"You know what it's like when you're in school and there was something said to you. You don't want to say something in case the backlash is worse than what it is.
"But it's better than suffering in silence.
"The one thing that gymnastics taught me was, 'Before you sent the tweet, would you like your nan to read it?' And that is one thing that I've always stuck to."
You can hear more from Beth on Radio 1 Stories: Anti-Social Media on Tuesday night at 21:00 GMT.
Radio 1 has linked up with YouthNet to host an hour of live advice on how to deal with online bullying between 10-11pm every night (Mon-Thurs) and there's help at BBC Advice.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


Livingston remain two points clear at the top of Scottish League One after they beat nine-man East Fife.

Second-placed Brechin City and Alloa Athletic, who are third, also won against Peterhead and Stenhousemuir respectively.
Airdrieonians, who occupy the other promotion play-off place, beat Albion Rovers 2-1 to stretch their advantage over their opponents to five points.
And Queen's Park were 2-0 winners away to Stranraer.
At Livi, Liam Buchanan's strike in first-half stoppage time put the hosts ahead and Michael Miller's free-kick doubled their advantage before Kevin Smith netted to halve the visitors' deficit.
Mark Hurst was dismissed for a foul on Danny Mullen and Buchanan scored the resulting penalty before the visitors also had Paul McManus sent off.
Ross Caldwell scored a hat-trick as Brechin won 3-1 at Balmoor, Rory McAllister netting the hosts' consolation.
In Clackmannanshire, Alloa comfortably overcame bottom club Stenny, with Greig Spence's strike and Andrew Graham and Jamie Longworth's headers putting the Wasps in command.
Alistair Roy replied for the visitors but Kevin Cawley rounded off a 4-1 win to keep Alloa four points behind Livi.
Airdrie went ahead at Cliftonhill when Andy Ryan lashed into the top corner and Iain Russell doubled their advantage, Ross Stewart heading one back for Albion Rovers.
And goals by Dario Zanatta and Anton Brady secured the three points for the Spiders at Stair Park.


Charlton Athletic winger Cristian Ceballos has joined Sint-Truiden on a three-year contract.

The 24-year-old Spaniard featured only seven times for the Addicks and spent last season on loan at the Belgian top-flight club.
A product of Barcelona's academy, he joined Tottenham at the age of 18 but was released in 2015 after failing to make a first-team appearance.
Ceballos played just 301 minutes for Charlton during the 2015-16 season.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


US forces have launched missile attacks on Syria, a country in the Middle East.

The attacks were aimed at forces that support Syria's President Assad.
The American President, Donald Trump ordered the attacks because he believes that President Assad was behind a chemical weapons attack in Syria last week.
He said that he ordered "a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched.
It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons"
The Syrian army say six people have been killed in the missile attack.
President Assad says that he didn't have anything to do with the chemical weapons attack.
The UK government says it fully supports the US missile strikes on Syria.
Russia has condemned the missile attacks.
There has been a war in Syria for more than 6 years. Learn more about it with Newsround's guide.
You can find out more about chemical weapons here.
And if anything in the news upsets you, read our advice and helpful guide.


Harlequins prop Will Collier will be out for two months after having an operation on a broken ankle.

The 25-year-old, who came through the club's academy and made his first-team debut in 2011, sustained the injury in the 29-26 win over Sale on 7 January.
Meanwhile, fly-half Nick Evans will be out for a month with a fractured wrist suffered in the same match.
The pair add to Quins' injury list, which includes England internationals Joe Marler and Chris Robshaw.
Prop Marler is out for up to five weeks with a broken leg, while flanker Robshaw should return from a shoulder injury at the end of March.
Loosehead Mark Lambert remains out until mid-February, while centre George Lowe (back) is sidelined for another six weeks.
Sam Twomey (foot) and Harry Sloan are long-term absentees.
Australia lock James Horwill is expected to return from injury for the European Challenge Cup game against Stade Francais on 22 January.


Footage of a teenager recorded on the day she went missing 13 years ago has been released for the first time.

New shots of Charlene Downes, 14, who was last seen in Blackpool town centre, were discovered during a trawl of CCTV. Her body has never been found.
Her mother Karen said she was "disgusted" the footage had only just been found after years spent investigating the unsolved murder case.
Lancashire Police said it "understood" Ms Downes' views.
Nobody has been convicted over Charlene's death.
The footage has been released on the anniversary of Charlene's 2003 disappearance - as part of the forces "longest" murder investigation.
Ms Downes said: "What I can't fathom is why this [the footage] was never found in the previous investigation. This is the bit I'm absolutely disgusted with.
"At the same time I'm happy with the footage and now hopefully they [the detectives] can move forward and we can get some answers.
"I want closure now... We can't move on with our lives and it's just terrible."
Det Ch Insp Richard McCutcheon said: "I can understand [the family's] views. We have just found the images and that's why we are publishing them now."
Charlene is shown with her sister Rebecca in Bank Hey Street at about 15:25 GMT on 1 November, 2003, walking towards the Coral Island amusement arcade.
She went home but returned to Blackpool town centre later that evening.
That was the last time Charlene was seen.
Police said the clothes she is wearing in the footage are the same as when she vanished.
Det Supt Andy Webster said officers are looking at links between Charlene's disappearance and the "wider issue of child sexual exploitation" in Blackpool.
He said: "We have identified a number of people who could potentially be victims and offenders and we will be seeking to make arrests and prosecute abusers in the near future."
A judge cleared a man of Charlene's murder in 2008 after "grave doubts" were raised about evidence during his second trial. The jury in his first trial failed to reach a verdict.
A year later the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said police evidence-gathering errors contributed to the retrial's collapse.
The IPCC found strategic and tactical failure in the management of the material and several officers were disciplined with one forced to resign in 2011.
But this resignation order was overturned by a 2012 Police Arbitration Tribunal.


The taking of "upskirt" photographs of unsuspecting women should be a specific sexual offence, Labour says.

Ministers should close a "gap in the law" to prevent the taking of photos under women's skirts without their permission, the party says.
Labour has backed a petition to make the practice illegal under the Sexual Offences Act.
It was started by Gina Martin, who discovered men had taken photographs up her skirt at a music festival.
Writing for the BBC following the incident at the British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park last month, Ms Martin said: "I started to research how I could prosecute, and through conversations with lawyers, friends and organisations such as 'Safe gigs for Women' and 'Girls Against', I found out that upskirt photos aren't specifically listed as a sexual offence in England and Wales.
"Perpetrators don't often get charged with voyeurism, either - voyeurism laws only protect victims if they're in a private place like a changing room or at home. But I was at a festival - a public place."
She said the law needs to reflect that upskirt photography is "a sexual offence with a victim".
Upskirting is an offence in Scotland but it is more difficult to bring prosecutions in the rest of the UK.
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon has written to Justice Secretary David Lidington calling for a change in the law in England and Wales.
He said: "I am writing in support of the campaign, started by Gina Martin, to make disgraceful, invasive 'upskirting' photographs a sexual offence in law.
"The scope for people to take 'upskirting' photographs has clearly increased with developments in mobile phone technology since the enactment of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
"At present, there is a gap in the law that has allowed - and is continuing to allow - people who have taken such photographs in public places to escape prosecution. This needs to be changed."
Ms Martin's petition has attracted over 58,000 signatures.
Source: Prof Clare McGlynn


(Close): The pound rose to its highest rate against the euro since November 2007 on Thursday, climbing to €1.4350 at one point.

The euro fell against both the pound and the dollar as markets assessed potential interest rate moves over the next few months.
The European Central Bank is expected to maintain its loose monetary policy for some time to come.
However, markets are now waiting for rate rises in the UK and US.
On Tuesday, Bank of England governor Mark Carney said that the point at which UK interest rates may begin to rise was "moving closer".
And on Wednesday, US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen reiterated her view that US interest rates are likely to rise before the end of the year.
The euro fell 0.5% against the dollar on Thursday to $1.0894.
On the stock market, the benchmark FTSE 100 index closed 42.7 points higher, or 0.63%, at 6,796.45 with sentiment boosted after Greek lawmakers voted in favour of the latest bailout scheme.
Bigger gains were seen elsewhere in Europe, with Germany's Dax index up 1.53% and France's Cac 40 1.47% higher.
Dixons Carphone shares closed 1.45% higher after the electrical goods and mobile phone retailer reported a 21% rise in underlying full year profits.
The firm, created through a merger last year, posted profits of £381m after what it called a "terrific year".
Shares in Sports Direct added 0.27% after it reported a 21% rise in full-year underlying pre-tax profits to £300m.
The company said it would cut its core earnings target for 2016 to £420m from £480m after planned acquisitions in 2015 failed to take place.


A car driver has been stopped by police on the motorway after driving at speeds of up to 132mph.

The motorist was stopped on the MI8 on his way to work at about 13.30 BST, tweeted Humberside Police. The tweet said: "He wasn't late but he is now..."
In a later tweet the force said the driver had not got an immediate ban but had been reported to the courts.
The motorway runs from the M1 near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, to the M62 near Goole, East Yorkshire.
Tougher punishments for the most serious speeding offences came into force in England and Wales in April.
Under new guidelines, fines for drivers caught doing 51mph in a 30mph zone or 101mph on a motorway will start from 150% of weekly income, rather than the previous level of 100%.
In 2015 244 people were killed in crashes that occurred when a driver was breaking the speed limit on Britain's roads.


Metal-spiked traps have been discovered on a country path in Nottinghamshire.

The homemade objects, made of wooden boards with screws embedded, were found on Deerdale Lane near Bilsthorpe, near an area known locally as the desert.
Police, who were called to the area on Tuesday, said they had been placed in sand and covered in leaves.
Officers said they may have been intended to deter off-road bikes but could also have caused "considerable injury" to horses or walkers.
The area of undeveloped land close to the A614 has been popular with illegal bikers for years.
It has also been the focus of complaints from nearby residents, prompting a series of police crackdowns.


If you think they're super cute, then you'd better start booking your ticket to the Moomin ballet now.

But for those of you who find them a bit creepy - it's best to stay away from Helsinki in March because that's when the Finnish National Ballet is putting on the show.
This is the first time Tove Jansson's characters have been made into a dance.
"Although the body of the Moomins isn't the most flexible," the website promises they will feature in the show.
Other characters will "take care of the classical ballet part" in the production, which will tell the story of Comet Moominland.
"When everything is not well in the Moominvalley, Moomintroll and his friends heads to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains," explains the show's synopsis.
"In the Observatory they are told that the comet will hit the Earth within a few days. Will the Moominvalley survive?"
If you can make your way to Finland, adult tickets will set you back 42 euros (Â£32.50) each.
The show is said to be suitable for children over the age of four - but even if you're a bit older than that and still find the Moomins a little scary, you might also want an adult to accompany you.
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Indian police are questioning two men in connection with the rape of a four-year-old girl in the capital, Delhi.

The city's deputy commissioner of police, Vijay Singh, told the BBC that no arrests had been made yet.
The child is in intensive care after being found unconscious by railway tracks on Friday night. She had surgery for extensive injuries, doctors say.
The attack raises fresh questions over women's safety in Delhi after a 2012 gang rape and murder shocked the world.
The girl, who was found near her home in a poor neighbourhood in the north of the city, was slashed and had severe injuries on her body.
Her family allege she was lured with an offer of food or sweets by a group of men.
Delhi commissioner for women Swati Maliwal, who visited the child in hospital, described her injuries as "horrific".
At the scene: Vineet Khare, Keshav Puram, BBC Hindi
"What happened to us was bad, reprehensible," the victim's grandmother told me as she broke into tears.
She had her grandson of a few months clasped in her arm, while his five-year-old sister played nearby, unaware of the tragedy that befell her younger sibling last week.
The family lives in what resembles a small box, one of the hundreds lining a railway track, a familiar sight in urban India. To reach the house, one has to negotiate short, narrow alleys and clogged drains.
Locals said the incident happened across the railway track, a depressed piece of land littered with caked human faeces, where locals relieved themselves.
Most men in the area do small temporary jobs while women work as help in houses nearby. Shops selling liquor is a worry. The culprits were said to be drunk.
"Drunk men tease women when they go out to relieve themselves. There are no toilets," one woman said.
"We are worried about our children. We do not let them out for fear they might be taken away by unknown men."
The gang rape and murder of a student in 2012 in Delhi led to protests and new anti-rape laws in the country.
However, brutal sexual attacks against women and children continue to be reported across the country.
In 2014, a Delhi woman alleged that she had been raped by the driver of her Uber taxi.
In July, police arrested a man who confessed to sexually assaulting and murdering 30 children from in and around Delhi.
More than 1,500 cases of rape have been recorded by the police this year but there are believed to be many others which go unreported.


People sending text messages in the centre of the Belgian city of Antwerp have been provided with dedicated temporary "text walking lanes" so that they do not collide with pedestrians.

The initiative - some would say publicity stunt - is the brainchild of a smartphone store based in the city.
It says that a significant number of mobile phone breakages happen because of "text walking" collisions.
There are now believed to be more mobile phones in the world than people.
Figures released by mobile operators and associated companies show that there are about 7.5 billion mobiles in the world, compared to a world population estimated to be 7.2 billion by the US Census Bureau.
"You probably walk through the streets while texting or sending Whatsapp messages to your friends and don't really pay attention to your surroundings - only to whatever is happening on your screen," a spokesman for Mlab, a smart phone laboratory based in Antwerp, was quoted by Yahoo News as saying.
"This causes collisions with poles or other pedestrians. You could, unknowingly, even be endangering your own life while you 'textwalk' when you cross the street without looking up."


Mae cyfarwyddwyr y cwmni tu ôl i gynllun £425m Cylchffordd Cymru wedi cael eu cyhuddo o wneud honiadau ffug am gefnogaeth ariannol.

Mae AS Mynwy, David Davies eisiau i Michael Carrick a Martin Whitaker roi caniatâd iddo ryddhau recordiad o'u cyfarfod.
Dywedodd eu bod wedi gwneud honiadau ffug am sicrhau cefnogaeth ariannol gan gwmnïau General Electric (GE) a BMW.
Mae cyfreithiwr y cyfarwyddwyr yn dweud bod honiadau Mr Davies yn "ddarn o ffuglen".
Yn ôl Mr Davies, fe wnaeth Mr Carrick, prif weithredwr y cwmni tu ôl i'r fenter - Cwmni Datblygu Blaenau'r Cymoedd (CDBC) - ddweud ei fod wedi "dod a chyfalaf" o gwmni General Electric (GE) i gynllun arall yn Fleetwood, Sir Gaerhirfryn.
Dywedodd GE nad oedd wedi cynnig unrhyw gyfalaf ar gyfer y cynllun hwnnw, tra bod cwmni BMW yn dweud nad oedd "ar unrhyw adeg" wedi datblygu unrhyw gynlluniau mewn perthynas â chynllun Cylchffordd Cymru i ddatblygu'r trac rasio ym Mlaenau Gwent.
Roedd cyfarwyddwr arall CDBC, Martin Whitaker wedi dweud bod BMW wedi gwneud hyn yn yr un cyfarfod, meddai Mr Davies.
Dywedodd Mr Whitaker nad oedd am wneud sylw pellach, ac fe ddywedodd Mr Carrick bod y cyfarfod gyda Mr Davies yn un cyfrinachol.
Mae Mr Carrick yn gyfarwyddwr ar CDBC, ac fe dderbyniodd y cwmni yma grant o £2m gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn 2012.
Fe dalodd CDBC gwmni arall, Aventa Capital Partners Limited, bron i £1m.
Mr Carrick yw unig gyfarwyddwr Aventa, a dywedodd wrth BBC Cymru y llynedd ei fod wedi derbyn yr £1m am "wasanaethau".
Mae Mr Davies yn dweud ei fod wedi cael clywed gan Mr Carrick mewn cyfarfod y llynedd bod Aventa wedi "dod a chyfalaf" ar gyfer cynllun adnewyddu arall - sef argae ar draws yr Afon Wyre yn Fleetwood.
Dywedodd Mr Davies: "Fe wnes i ofyn am esiampl, a dywedodd Michael 'GE'.
"Fe wnes i ofyn 'wyt ti'n golygu General Electric', ac fe ddywedodd yntau 'cywir'."
Ond mae cwmni GE wedi cadarnhau mewn e-bost sydd wedi ei weld gan BBC Cymru nad oedd "wedi cynnig unrhyw arian" ac er ei fod wedi parhau i drafod agweddau technegol y cynllun, doedd y cwmni "heb gynnig dim mwy na hynny".
Mae BBC Cymru wedi clywed fod Mr Davies hefyd wedi gofyn cwestiynau i Mr Whitaker - prif weithredwr cwmni Cylchffordd Cymru - yn yr un cyfarfod.
Dyma'r cwmni sy'n gobeithio rhedeg y trac rasio os bydd yn cael ei adeiladu.
Dywedodd Mr Whitaker eu bod wedi cael "cyfarfod mawr" gyda BMW, oedd, meddai, am adeiladu 'Byd BMW' ar y safle, oedd am fod "ychydig fel Jurassic Park".
Ond fe ddywedodd BMW wrth Mr Davies mewn e-bost nad oes gan y cwmni "unrhyw gynlluniau am unrhyw brosiectau ar y safle" ac nad ydyn nhw "ar unrhyw adeg wedi datblygu'r fath gynlluniau".
Mae llythyr gan gyfreithwyr ar ran Mr Carrick yn dweud nad oedd unrhyw honiadau o'r fath wedi cael eu gwneud am BMW ac ni ddywedwyd wrth Mr Davies bod GE wedi rhoi arian i Aventa.
Dywedodd Mr Davies: "Maen nhw wedi gwneud honiadau sydd, yn syml, ddim yn dal dŵr ac maen nhw wedi gwneud honiadau yn dweud nad oedd fy fersiwn i o ddigwyddiadau wedi digwydd, sydd mewn gwirionedd yn fy nghyhuddo o ddweud celwydd.
"Wnaeth o ddim croesi eu meddyliau fy mod i, cyn i mi wneud yr honiadau hyn, a gyda'r manylder yr oeddwn wedi eu gwneud, wedi recordio'r holl gyfarfod."
Mewn ymateb, dywedodd cyfreithiwr ar ran Mr Carrick ag Aventa: "Honiad Mr Davies yw bod fy nghleientiaid wedi dweud fod 'BMW eisiau adeiladu parc thema BMW ar safle Cylchffordd Cymru'.
"Ni ddywedodd fy nghleientiaid y fath beth - sy'n cael ei gadarnhau gan eu nodiadau o'r cyfarfod.
"Mae'n dilyn felly fod yr 'anghysondeb' honedig yn ddarn o ffuglen, ac mai Mr Davies yw'r awdur.
"O ran yr honiad fod Mr Davies wedi clywed bod 'GE wedi rhoi arian i mewn i Aventa am gynllun adnewyddu sylweddol ar yr afon Wyre yn Sir Gaerhirfryn' - ni ddywedwyd y fath beth wrtho."
Ond wrth ymateb i hyn, dywedodd Mr Davies: "Mae fy sialens i Michael Carrick a Martin Whitaker yn syml - does dim cyfraith am wneud recordiad.
"Fe all cwestiwn godi am ei ryddhau heb gytundeb pawb oedd yn y cyfarfod.
"Rwyf am ryddhau hwn, rwyf am ddangos i bawb beth ddigwyddodd a gadael i bobl wneud eu casgliadau eu hunain am yr hyn sydd, ac sydd ddim, mewn cyd-destun, a'r hyn ddigwyddodd.
"Rwy'n eu hannog i gytuno i ryddhau'r recordiad o'r cyfarfod."


The Scottish government is examining whether new GPS technology could be used to help monitor sex offenders and domestic abusers.

The technology, which would be worn as an electronic tag, could tell controllers whether an offender is close to a restricted area.
These could include a children's playground or a victim's home.
Around 800 people are currently the subject of electronic monitoring in Scotland.
They wear tags either because they have been released early from prison or are on community sentences.
These tags work with a specific radio frequency, but advances in GPS technology developed in North America and Scandinavia appear to be more flexible and effective.
Ministers believe individually-tailored electronic monitoring can help reduce reoffending, by allowing offenders to maintain family connections and employment.
It comes as more than 100 experts meet in Perth to examine how Scotland could use advances in technology, including GPS, to improve the monitoring of offenders.
The conference has been organised as part of work being undertaken by a specially appointed Electronic Monitoring in Scotland Working Group, which is due to report to Scottish Ministers next year.
The event coincides with a new report from the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, which has found evidence that adopting GPS technology in addition to the current radio frequency method could be beneficial.
The research has explored the potential uses of GPS monitoring for a number of offence types, including domestic abuse, alcohol, sexual crimes, drug-related crimes and vehicle theft.
Speaking at the conference, Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "For more than ten years we have successfully used radio frequency technology in electronic monitoring and our current approach is working.
"However, I am keen to explore how we could make use of the latest in emerging technologies, such as GPS.
"On the face of it, GPS technology appears to offer potential opportunities for the management of sex offenders or to be used in cases of domestic abuse."


A Tube driver saw a woman being dragged along the platform by a train and fall down the gap, it has emerged.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is reviewing London Underground safety procedures after the woman fell under a train leaving Clapham South station.
She snagged her coat in the train doors and was dragged a short distance along the platform at rush hour on 12 March.
She became detached from the coat and fell into a gap between the train and the platform, hurting her head and arm.
The investigation will specifically review London Underground's (LU) safety arrangements for the safe dispatch of trains from its stations and the risk posed by items potentially becoming trapped in train doors.
At about 08:00 GMT a member of staff on the platform signalled for the train driver to begin closing the doors, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.
Because of an obstruction, one set of doors was unable to close properly and all the doors reopened.
The RAIB said the woman stepped out of the crowded carriage, intending to catch the next train, but as the doors shut again her coat became trapped, unbeknown to the driver who began to drive the train into the tunnel.
Checking the live platform-view camera in his cab, the driver saw "passengers stepping aside and a person moving with the train", it said.
He quickly applied the brakes but the train travelled about 60m (196ft) in total before it came to a halt.
"Before the train came to a stop, the passenger fell to the ground, off the platform edge and into the gap between the fourth and fifth carriages, having become separated from her coat," the RAIB said.


Martin Laird and Richie Ramsay are the leading Scots at Royal Birkdale after shooting two under par rounds of 68 on the opening day of The Open.

Ramsay partnered Matt Kuchar, one of three Americans to set the early pace at five under.
"Playing with Matt was great," he said. "He is just very consistent, it's almost controlled aggression."
Laird dropped shots at the first and 18th but the 34-year-old was able to roll in five birdies on the links.
"I bogeyed the first and the last and everything in between was really good," said the US-based Glaswegian.
"I hit the ball great and had two or three tap-in birdies, which is always nice on courses like this. That's as good as I've hit it in a long while.
"Generally speaking, over my career the harder the course, the better I play.
"I'm pretty good at working my round the golf course. My short game has got so much better over the past few years. I feel that's what gives me a chance when I come to these tournaments."
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Ramsay, also 34, bogeyed the sixth but went on to pick up three birdies.
The Aberdonian enjoyed his seventh Open appearance, taking time to check out the giant leaderboard on the 18th to see exactly where his name was.
"It's the yellow leaderboards and all that goes with it, that makes The Open what it is. It's just brilliant. It was nice to see my name was spelled right as well. That was good.
"My putt at the last was fantastic. Just rolled it up stiff and you can enjoy that 20-yard walk with the applause."
Paul Lawrie, champion in 1999, had four birdies in a level par round of 70, while David Drysdale finished on 72.
Amateur Connor Syme rolled in four birdies, including the final two holes, for a 73.
The 22-year-old from Fife just loved his first taste of the tournament, saying: "It was an amazing experience.
"You feel nervous walking round then you get to the first tee and then say to yourself this is what you practise for, the entrance onto the first tee. I then hit a good shot and made a good par."
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Russell Knox, the highest-ranked Scot in the field, endured another frustrating day, hitting only 44% of greens in regulation, as he carded a 74.
The world number 47 is in danger of missing the cut for the fourth time in five outings.
The 1985 champion, Sandy Lyle, who infamously walked off the Royal Birkdale course after just 10 holes in 2008, shot a 77 in the worst of the weather, which included a double bogey at the 10th.


The number of casualties on the A9 has fallen by 45% since the introduction of average speed cameras, according to a new report.

The A9 Safety Group report said fewer drivers exceeded the speed limit in the 21 months since the cameras were introduced between Dunblane and Inverness.
Fatalities on the road were down by almost 43% over the same period.
An average of 142,000 vehicles travel on the A9 every day.
A higher speed limit of 50mph for HGVs was introduced at the same time as the average speed cameras in October 2014.
The A9 Safety Group, whose partners include Police Scotland, Highland Council and Road Safety Scotland, said serious injury casualties between Dunblane and Inverness were also down by almost 63%.
SNP MSP for the Highlands and Islands Maree Todd said: "The A9's improving safety record is really reassuring news for the thousands of drivers that use Scotland's longest trunk road every day as well as those travelling over the busy Christmas holidays.
"There has been a sustained improvement in driver behaviour and a corresponding fall in collisions and casualties."
Construction work on a 10-year Â£3bn project to upgrade the road to a dual carriageway between Inverness and Perth began in September last year.
Ms Todd said: "Once completed, the dual carriageway will help grow the economy of the Highlands and Islands through improvements, road safety and journey times, as well as better links for public transport and the various tourist and recreational attractions along the route."
World Wildlife Fund Scotland director Lang Banks said: "Once again we continue to see the very clear safety benefits that average speed cameras have had by helping to enforce speed limits on the A9.
"However, alongside other tools, average speed cameras are also a cost effective way to reduce climate emissions as well as fuel costs for motorists.
"To reduce health-threatening levels of air pollution and our meet our climate targets, the use of average speed cameras and other approaches to help reduce excessive speeds should be seriously considered on all major roads across Scotland."


People who spend time in aquariums could improve their physical and mental wellbeing, a study has suggested.

As well as improving people's mood, the experiment showed "significant" reductions in participants' heart rates and blood pressure, the authors added.
Previous studies have linked contact with nature and improved wellbeing but this study is believed to be the first controlled experiment of its kind.
The findings appear in the journal Environment and Behavior.
"There have been a few studies that have looked at things like the number of bird or butterfly species in parks and researchers have asked people in those parks about how they felt," explained co-author Mathew White from the University of Exeter's European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH).
"Generally, people felt happier in parks that had more birds or more butterflies, although people did not really appreciate the levels of biodiversity."
Dr White told BBC News that there were a number of reasons why the team of researchers from the ECEHH, Plymouth University and the National Marine Aquarium were interested in the potential impact of aquariums on people's wellbeing.
"Firstly, we were particularly interested in aquatic environments," he said.
"Obviously most people cannot see different kinds of fish because they do not dive etc, so aquariums are a nice way to make the invisible marine environment just outside our doors visible and accessible.
"More fundamentally, we were interested in how natural environments could be brought to urban populations and to people who might not be able to access nature very well."
Blue gyms
Collecting data from participants in the aquarium provided the researchers with a unique opportunity to examine the links between human wellbeing and contact with nature.
"What we were able to do here was - as far as we know in the world's first controlled experiment: we knew exactly the number of species and the number of [fish] that people were looking at, and they were systematically altered over time - monitor people's heart rate, blood pressure and various changes in mood over a 10-minute period while they watched the very large tank (500,000 litres), " Dr White explained.
"As you might expect, people felt a lot more relaxed and significantly happier after watching the tank with more fish - in other words with more biodiversity - and there were significant drops in heart rates and significantly lower blood pressure.
"Most of the physiological changes happened within the first five minutes and then plateaued out, so it happened quite quickly and then stabilised. However, the psychological measures showed that the benefits continued over the entire exposure - people got happier and happier, basically."
In order to rule out the possibility that the participants were responding to the biodiversity in the tanks rather than the tranquil environment, the first set of data was gathered while the participants looked at an empty tank, which only contained rocks and lighting etc.
The experiments were carried out during the day while the aquarium was open so people taking part in the experiment were experiencing the normal conditions of the aquarium, such as noise etc.
Dr White added: "The first thing to notice is that people relaxed, even watching an empty tank, and the benefits increased as we introduced more fish over the course of about a four-week period."
The team were interested in exploring whether the experiment's results could be replicated in a medical setting.
"For example, if we were to put a live (video) link into Derriford (the local hospital) into waiting rooms or even into some of the wards and we could show clinically meaningful reductions in heart rate and blood pressure among specific groups, such as hypertension for example, it could be really important for medical reasons," Dr White suggested.
He also said the findings also highlighted another potential ecosystem service that humans received from biodiversity.
"If you flipped our study on its head, and you were to take fish away and be losing biodiversity, what we show is that the predicted losses in biodiversity over time as a result of climate change and other anthropogenic threats could actually undermine human wellbeing in a way that we have not really thought about.
"Potentially, the effects could be quite large and could be another effect of climate change etc that we have not really understood to date."


Scott Boden's 14th goal of the season eased Newport County's League Two relegation fears to dent Wycombe's play-off hopes.

Boden tapped home unmarked following good work from John-Christophe Ayina.
Wycombe came back strongly in the second half and debutant Rowan Liburd's effort rattled the Newport crossbar.
But Warren Feeney's side held on to secure their third successive home win to move 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
Wanderers are ninth and one point off the play-off spots following their second successive defeat.
Newport County manager Warren Feeney told BBC Radio Wales:
"It was a hard fought win. I told the players that it's not about performances, it's about results.
"Wycombe are very direct and get balls into the box but I thought we handled it very well and I'm pleased with the win.
"We're doing OK at the moment but we've got a lot of games coming up. We've just got to take each game at a time."
Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth told BBC Three Counties:
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"It's not a nice week with two away defeats, against Cambridge and this today.
"I thought we could nick something in the second half and get something from the game, but we didn't deserve to win.
"I thought the one bright spark was Rowan Liburd. He looks like he is going to score goals - he wants to shoot, he wants to turn defenders and get his shots away.
"I thought there were some individual battles lost today, some wrong decisions made. We all need to look inside ourselves, including me, to see what we could have done better and get it in place for next week. That is the only way you grow."


Plans to introduce new Wales-only GCSEs have been welcomed by academics and business leaders in a Welsh government promotional campaign.

The changes, from next September, include new exams in maths, English and Welsh.
GCSEs, A and AS levels in both English and Welsh literature and the Welsh Baccalaureate have been revised.
But some independent schools said they might sit England's GCSEs over fears the Welsh exams may "lack credibility".
The campaign will be launched on Monday at St Richard Gwyn school, Barry, which is taking part in the pilot project.
The Welsh government said the new qualifications will place a greater focus on developing skills, particularly literacy and numeracy, and are designed to better prepare young people for work or further study.
An outline of the changes were announced in July following concerns about improving education standards.
Next year's reforms have been set out on a website and include endorsements from an Oxford University admissions official and the University of Cambridge's vice chancellor Prof Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, who was born and educated in Wales.
The Welsh government accepted 42 recommendations through an independent Review of Qualifications for 14-19 year olds and said it had worked with people in education.
The Federation of Small Businesses' Janet Jones believed the reforms had focused on literacy and numeracy.
However, some fee-paying schools have opted to follow the new GCSE courses for England.
Welsh Independent Schools Council (Wisc) said in June it believed the Wales-specific courses starting next year may "lack credibility and portability".
But ahead of the school visit on Monday, Education Minister Huw Lewis said: "These improved qualifications will meet the needs of young people and help support the Welsh economy.
"They will be recognised as a mark of excellence, trusted, valued and respected by employers and universities not only here in Wales and the UK, but internationally."


A Somali member of parliament has been shot dead in Mogadishu in an attack by suspected Islamist militants.

Security officials said that Yusuf Dirir was killed when gunmen opened fire on his car.
Three workers from the Transport Ministry also died in a separate drive-by shooting on Saturday.
The attacks in the capital city came as a number of people were killed in clashes between al-Shabab gunmen and government troops in southern Somalia.
Police said that Mr Dirir had been killed when gunmen in a minibus blocked his route and sprayed the car with bullets.
"He was a man that has long served his country and wanted to see a united Somalia," said speaker of parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari.
Local media said that another MP had also been wounded in the incident and was in hospital.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the killings are the latest in a string of assassinations of politicians in the war-torn country.
Islamist militants from the al-Shabab movement shot dead Abdullahi Qayad Barre near the presidential palace in February by opening fire on his car.
At least five MPs were murdered last year and the group has said that it will continue to target MPs.
In another development, al-Shabab clashed with government troops early on Saturday in Awdigle district and Mubarak village, south of Mogadishu.
At least 17 people have reportedly been killed but the death toll has not been confirmed.
"We did not sleep last night because they exchanged shells and gunfire throughout the night," resident Afrah Hussein told Reuters news agency.
Al-Shabab, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda, was pushed out of Somalia's capital by African peacekeeping forces in 2011.
But since then, the group has carried out a series of gun and grenade attacks to try to overthrow the government and impose its strict version of Sharia law.


Nottingham Forest manager Mark Warburton says he wants a much smaller squad in the Championship next season.

The Reds, who had three different managers last season, used 42 different players as they avoided relegation to League One on goal difference.
"We came in to 33-34 players and we are trimming. We need a tight squad," Warburton told BBC Radio Nottingham.
"I want a squad of 21-22 players next year. A tighter squad is far more beneficial than a heavy squad."
Forest beat Ipswich 3-0 on Sunday to ensure their Championship survival - a result which sent Blackburn down despite their 3-1 victory at Brentford.
Warburton, who signed a two-and-a-half year contract when he arrived in March, used only 21 players in the last eight games of the season.
"I have seen enough from my time here so far to know a good pre-season and we can put a good marker down next season," the 54-year-old added.
"There is quality. Quality experienced players and quality young players, so all credit to the academy with Gary Brazil, Jack Lester and all the staff.
"I have good young ones coming through I can fall back on if I have a problem."


The wreck of the Titanic is to come under the protection of the United Nations cultural agency Unesco.

The agency says more than 700 divers have visited the site, 4,000m under water off the coast of Canada.
The ship will fall under the 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage once it passes the 100th anniversary of its sinking on 15 April.
The convention aims to prevent unscientific or unethical exploration.
Irina Bokova, director-general of Unesco, said the sinking of the Titanic was "anchored in the memory of humanity" and it was important to protect the site where 1,500 people lost their lives.
"There are thousands of other shipwrecks that need safeguarding as well... We do not tolerate the plundering of cultural sites on land, and the same should be true for our sunken heritage," she added.
The 2001 convention only protects vessels that sank more than a century ago.
The Titanic, built in Belfast, sank on its maiden voyage after setting off from the British port of Southampton.
It hit an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada en route to New York, sinking two-and-a-half hours later.