A cult short film shown before screenings of Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 is set to be made as a feature length movie.

Black Angel was made on a shoestring budget by Roger Christian, who won Oscars for his work on Star Wars: A New Hope and short film The Bottom Dollar.
He plans to shoot scenes for the new feature in Scotland where the original Black Angel was filmed.
Proposed locations include Eilean Donan Castle, Glencoe and the Isle of Skye.
The original short was commissioned by Star Wars creator George Lucas.
Locations included Steall Falls in Glen Nevis, Loch Eck in Argyll and Dunoon Riverside Health Club's swimming pool.
Another location was the ruin of Bernera Barracks, an 18th Century red coats base in Glenelg.
The 25 minute-long film was made on a budget of Â£25,000.
Black Angel was shown in cinemas before screenings in Europe, Asia and Australia of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back in 1980.
It is an Arthurian tale of a knight, played by Tony Vogel, who rescues a princess while he is returning home from the Crusades.
Following screenings in 1980, the film's prints disappeared for decades and were believed to have been lost before they were found by a film studio archivist in 2012.
Last year, for the first time in 34 years, Black Angel was given public screenings in Scotland.
A 45-day crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo has been started to raise Â£66,000 towards the cost of producing the feature length film.
Christian said: "I have to return to Scotland, it is a major part of Black Angel.
"I need Eileen Donan Castle as it was such a mystical and mythological element of Black Angel. A truly romantic vision that is an essential element of the film.
"I wanted to film in Glencoe originally, so am determined to film there this time. Maybe Skye, it's fascinating and quite appropriate for Black Angel."
The film-maker added: "Sadly I need studios for sets, so have to go to Hungary where existing sets and studios exist and tax credits make it financially viable.
"Also, the film starts in the desert so we will be in Morocco for that."
Filming could start in September with John Rhys Davies, Welsh star of Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones, and Dutch actor Rutger Hauer, best known for his appearance in sci-fi movie Blade Runner, attached to the production.
Christian, who also worked on Star Wars films Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, believes the time is right for the movie because of the successes of TV series Game of Thrones and the Lord of the Rings franchise in attracting huge audiences.
He said: "Black Angel is exactly for that audience - a legend full of drama, romance and action as a lone warrior with the help of a renegade princess and guided by an ancient sorcerer tackle the evil Black Angel and his army of undead."


Scientists have come up with a better way to make silver nanoparticles, which are used in textiles and cosmetics.

The tiny metallic particles are often used because of their anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties - in wound dressings for example.
By using organic molecules to coat the particles, the researchers made them resistant to tarnishing, which has previously limited their use.
The work has been published in the journal Nature.
Previously, gold nanoparticles have been more widely used because they are more stable. Silver nanoparticles are cheaper, but tarnish too easily.
Now a team has developed a way to make stable silver nanoparticles on a larger scale than was possible before.
These nanoparticles are even more stable than their gold counterparts.
To manufacture the tiny particles, scientists created a mixture which combined silver atoms with organic molecules that formed an outer protective layer, and sulphur atoms that bridged the two.
"We had a big surprise when we looked at the structure of the different layers," said author Terry Bigioni from the University of Toledo in Ohio, US.
The nanoparticles were made up of 32 silver atoms arranged into a dodecahedral core. These were surrounded by what are known as "mounts": 3-D structures combining two silver atoms with five sulphur atoms.
The mounts held up the protective organic layer that surrounds the whole particle, Dr Bigioni explained.
It is this serendipitous, unique, and highly symmetrical structure that is responsible for the stability.
Nanoparticles are commonly grown using "seeds" - anchors to which the material clings in order for it to grow. This leads to many differently-sized particles being formed.
Another surprise from the research was that the seeds were not needed, and all the nanoparticles formed were the same size and identical in structure.
Once this unique structure has been created, the particle becomes an inert bystander that does not interfere with the growth of further nanoparticles. This means that large quantities of stable particles can be created.
"So far, we've only managed to destroy [the nanoparticles] at 400C," said Dr Bigioni.
Dr Rickard Arvidsson, from the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Sweden, highlighted potential environmental concerns for these ultra-stable particles.
"Generally, the persistence and stability of chemicals is associated with an environmental hazard, and there may be high environmental impacts when mining silver."
The stability and yield observed as a result of the new process has the potential to give silver nanoparticles the edge over those made from gold.
"We have an opportunity to study something very stable, and very unique. This will be big for materials science," Dr Bigioni explained.
The ultra-stable silver nanoparticles could find new uses in biomedical applications, the University of Toledo chemist said.
"As all the nanoparticles are the same size, testing their durability and effect in and on the human body is much easier than with conventional nanoparticles," he said.


Home Secretary Theresa May has abandoned plans to review the structure of counter-terrorism policing, because of the increased security threat level.

Mrs May had wanted to explore whether responsibility for dealing with terrorism should be transferred to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Switching counter-terrorism policing to the new body was  recommended by the Home Affairs Committee.
But the plans have been shelved until after the general election.
The decision will come as a relief to senior police officers who were thought to be against the move, BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said.
The threat level was raised to "severe" in August in response to events in Iraq and Syria.
The NCA, which was set up a year ago, already has sweeping powers to direct police forces to conduct investigations into serious and organised crime.
The UK's Counter-Terrorism Command currently sits within the Metropolitan Police, with the force working with both the security and intelligence agencies as well as regional police units.
But in a report earlier this year, the Home Affairs Committee said the Metropolitan Police was struggling after a series of "difficulties".
However, its proposed review will now not happen before May.
In a statement, the Home Office said: "The Home Office is committed to exploring the possibility of enhancing these capabilities in the longer term. And improving collaboration between police and agencies working on counter-terrorism and organised crime remains a high priority.
"But in light of the recent increase in the terrorist threat level we can confirm there will be no review of counter-terrorism policing during this Parliament."


BBC Proms in the Park outdoor music spectacular will be held in Colwyn Bay in September, BBC Wales has announced.

It features the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales and special guests.
The event at Parc Eirias concludes a Proms season which includes five performances at London's Royal Albert Hall.
The concert on 10 September will also be broadcast live. Tickets go on sale in May.
Rhodri Talfan Davies, director of BBC Wales, said he was delighted it was being hosted in north Wales.
Councillor Graham Rees, Conwy council cabinet member for tourism, marketing and leisure, said: "We're thrilled to welcome BBC Proms in the Park to Colwyn Bay and I'm excited to see yet another major event secured at Parc Eirias.
"Events are extremely important to Conwy county as they provide significant economic value for our many small businesses."


A father who supplied his teenage daughter with the drug MDMA and delayed getting medical treatment when she became ill has been jailed for five years and four months for killing her.

Jason Wilkes, 45, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the opening day of his trial at Maidstone Crown Court.
He had pleaded guilty to supplying a class A drug at an earlier hearing.
Chloe Wilkes, 17, died after falling ill at their home in Tunbridge Way in Ashford, Kent, on 27 July.
An inquest into her death was adjourned in August.
MDMA is the base that ecstasy is made from before it is mixed with other chemicals to form a tablet, and is sold as a powder that is snorted or swallowed.
Wilkes and his daughter had taken drugs, including ecstasy and cocaine, together at least three times before but text messages between them showed it was a regular occurrence, prosecutor James Mulholland QC told the court on Tuesday.
Two days before her death, Wilkes and Chloe had taken a gram of cocaine and a gram of MDMA between them, staying up all night.
The following day, Wilkes bought another gram of MDMA and each wrapped half a gram of it up in a cigarette paper and swallowed it with water - "a method of ingestion called bombing", the prosecutor said.
By 01:00 BST on 27 July, Chloe had started to become agitated and disorientated, Mr Mulholland said.
The court heard Wilkes failed to get medical help for Chloe for more than an hour - driving her first to a woodland area on the edge of Ashford, and then to an industrial estate where he worked, in an attempt to cool her down rather than taking her to the nearest hospital, which was less than three miles away.
He eventually called 999 at 02:01, telling the operator his daughter was not breathing and did not have a pulse.
Chloe died later that day in hospital.
The court heard, had he sought medical help for his daughter, hospital staff might have been able to stop her overheating, which caused her heart to stop.
A toxicology report showed Chloe had 3.1mg of MDMA per litre in her blood, enough to prove fatal.
Cocaine was also found in her blood, the court heard.
Wilkes, who split up with Chloe's mother when she was nine or 10, later told police his daughter had been taking drugs, including MDMA and ketamine, since she was 13 years old.
Sentencing him, Judge Philip Statman said: "You will lead the rest of your life knowing that your conduct led to the death of your daughter who in my judgment you loved.
"That's an enormous burden for you to have to carry with you, but it is not just your burden.
"She is lost to her mother, brother and her extended family, a life tragically cut short."
Det Insp Richard Vickery, from the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate, said Wilkes had "denied her the chance of survival".
"He was there as Chloe's role model and father. She was an impressionable teenager and she clearly looked up to her father.
"Not only did he legitimise the taking of class A drugs, he actively encouraged it," he said.


A woman has been found dead and a man fatally injured in a block of flats in Hertfordshire.

Officers sent to the scene at Leighton Court in Turners Hill, Cheshunt, found the woman dead and the man with a knife wound.
They were dispatched at 13:05 GMT after receiving reports of a disturbance.
The man died shortly afterwards from his injuries. The woman is also thought to have been fatally stabbed, a police spokesman said.
The force added they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.


Scott Sinclair led a clean sweep of awards for Celtic as he was named PFA Scotland's player of the year.

Sinclair, 28, has scored 25 goals in his debut season as the Scottish champions chase a domestic treble.
He beat team-mates Moussa Dembele and Stuart Armstrong, as well as Aberdeen's Jonny Hayes, to the award, which was voted for by his fellow professionals.
Celtic's Kieran Tierney was voted young player of the year, while boss Brendan Rodgers was named manager of the year.
The former Liverpool boss, who won the League Managers Association prize in 2014, has not lost a domestic game since arriving in Scotland.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here," Rodgers  said. "I have obviously been fortunate to have really good experiences and I was fortunate enough to win a similar award down in the Premier League in England, and that was very satisfying.
"And likewise here. It's a prestigious award and you only need to look at the people who have won it before me and the great history of Scottish coaches. I received it with great pride."
Parkhead striker Dembele made it four awards on the night for the club when his third goal in the 5-2 win over St Johnstone in February was voted goal of the season.
Hibernian's John McGinn claimed the Championship player of the year award after the Scotland midfielder helped the Easter Road side win promotion and reach the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
Livingston's Liam Buchanan won the League One player of the year award, with Shane Sutherland of Elgin City taking the League Two award.
The Scotland women's national team also won a special merit award after reaching this summer's European Championships.


Former England boss Steve McClaren has been confirmed as Derby County's new manager, just 17 months after he was sacked by the Championship club.

McClaren, 55, replaces Nigel Pearson, who left by mutual consent on Saturday after less than five months, with temporary boss Chris Powell returning to his role as assistant manager.
"I regret how my time at Derby ended in 2015," said McClaren.
"I am very motivated to put things right for the club and supporters."
McClaren left Derby in acrimonious circumstances in May 2015 following constant speculation linking him with the job at Newcastle.
He subsequently joined the Magpies but was sacked in March 2016.
Derby president and chief executive Sam Rush said: "We enjoyed some fantastic and memorable moments under Steve during his previous tenure in charge.
"Steve's arrival and subsequent work helped transform how we played our football.
"Steve's time at Derby came to a premature end and I know he regrets that greatly. He values hugely his relationship with our supporters and I know that he will work very hard to ensure that the special connection returns."
More to follow.


A scout leader and former IT trainer has been jailed for two years after police found thousands of indecent images at his home.

Ben McCarthy, 40, of Pendinas, Wrexham, admitted making indecent images by downloading them from the internet and possessing them as well as other extreme images.
A total of 87,232 images were found.
McCarthy had been involved in training others in child protection issues, Mold Crown Court was told.
He has been ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and he was banned from working with children in the future.
The court heard that there were 1,270 images and 478 movie images at the worst category A.
Many were found on a hard drive hidden under his bed when police, acting on a tip-off, raided his home in January.
The court heard how the defendant had been employed by Shropshire Council as an IT trainer and assessor between 2010 and 2013.
He was also "a well liked and popular" scout leader in the Wrexham area from 2010.
The defendant's wife knew nothing of what he was doing, the court heard.


Donald Trump's adversarial style during the campaign divided American voters like few campaigns in recent years.

The president himself has referred to "my many enemies" - but it seems they're getting a substantial boost from the new president.
Organisations that investigate, oppose, or lampoon the commander-in-chief are seeing a surge in support, in what's been dubbed "rage donation".
From civil rights to media types, the effect is widespread.
Planned Parenthood advocates for women's reproductive rights, including abortion - to which Mr Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are both opposed.
President Cecile Richards told the BBC more than 400,000 people had donated since the election - "an unprecedented outpouring of support" - some of which has been given jokily in Mike Pence's name.
But, she said, no level of donations would be able to match the federal funding the group receives - something which may now be under threat.
"We will never back down, and we will never stop providing the care our patients need. These doors stay open, no matter what," she said.
The Centre for Reproductive Rights, meanwhile, is trying to raise $1m in Trump's first 100 days
"We've had thousands of new donors in the last three months, many of whom have signed on to be monthly sustainers - donors who will be with us for the long haul," a spokeswoman said.
One of American's biggest environmental protection groups, the National Resources Defence Council (NRDC), was singled out by popular Comedian John Oliver late last year when he called on his viewers to donate following the election.
Since then, "we have seen an incredible response from the public," a spokeswoman said.
The "huge spike" continued through November and December, she said, slowing slightly in early January - before picking right back up at the inauguration.
"It's definitely driven by concern over President Trump's anti-environmental rhetoric and actions," the NRDC said.
The Sierra Club, another major environmental group,  reported 11,000 new monthly donors in the days following the election - nine times its previous record.
It's not just charities and fundraising that are seeing a positive bump from Trump. This week, it emerged that the long-running satire show Saturday Night Live was celebrating its highest ratings in decades.
Its numbers have grown by 22% overall - to 10 million viewers, the highest since 1995, according to Variety.
Alec Baldwin's portrayal of Mr Trump, which became wildly popular during the campaign, is now a weekly staple.
Strident Trump critic Stephen Colbert also beat his late-night rival, Jimmy Fallon, for the first time in years  in recent ratings - though there's not yet enough evidence to link late-night show ratings to politics.
Perhaps the biggest success story comes from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
In a single weekend - as they fought a legal battle against the president's controversial immigration order - the group clocked up $24m ($19.1m) in donations, six times what it usually receives in an entire year. The huge amount prompted the rights group to turn to Silicon Valley for help managing the funds.
Groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), the Southern Poverty Law Centre, and the National Immigration Law Centre have also befitted from social media campaigns.
Comedian Josh Gondelman, for example, felt uncomfortable with Mr Trump's close ties to the Patriots American football team. So he came up with the idea of donating $100 to the NAACP  every time his team scored a touchdown during the Super Bowl.
Coupled with a social-friendly hashtag (#AGoodGame), the idea took off, and brought in thousands of dollars in donations for civil rights groups across the US.
President Trump likes to tweet about the ("dishonest, lying") media. Most news outlets would say they don't oppose the president - but by nature, question and hold authority to account.
But in a world of "alternative facts" and misinformation, many are reporting more readers and subscriptions.
The ("failing, wrong, so false") New York Times, which the president said should fix its "dwindling" numbers, actually added 276,000 digital subscriptions in the last quarter - the biggest jump since it brought in a paywall.
And the ("angry, boring") Washington Post reported almost 100 million users on its website in both October and November last year, "greatly exceeding previous traffic records".
Meanwhile, subscriptions at the Wall Street Journal jumped 300% on the day after the election, and it reported 70% growth in new digital subscriptions year on year.
And the non-profit public interest news organisation Propublica reported a swell in donations in November, and has since published several investigative pieces on the president's administration.
US voters chose Mr Trump - he won by a large margin in the electoral college system although he did not win the popular vote. Despite a slip in approval ratings, he appears to retain plenty of popular support.
It's still too early to know if his policies have had a positive impact, but his supporters remain steadfast.
Conservative news outlets  such as Breitbart have surged in popularity, and Mr Trump's supporters have boycotted brands such as Kellogg's or Budweiser which are perceived to have taken a political stance against the president.
Mr Trump's unique style of Twitter diplomacy, however, has had a direct negative impact on some companies.
Shortly after taking office, the new president tweeted that Boeing's costs for Air Force One were "out of control", dropping their stock value. A similar tongue-lashing on fighter jets dropped Lockheed Martin's stock by more than 4%.
Now, that effect already seems to be waning - as Fortune magazine pointed out, when the president struck out at retailer Nordstrom  for dropping his daughter's fashion line, its stock actually rallied.
It may be that Mr Trump's rhetoric is no longer having the effect it once did, and is becoming a normal part of politics.
But with those opposed to the president's policies vowing they won't accept the new status quo, it remains to be seen if the "rage" effect will end up a steady revenue stream for the next four years.


An aid convoy bringing supplies into the besieged district of the central Syrian city of Homs became trapped for several hours after coming under fire.

The Syrian Red Crescent said it had been "a challenge" to get its staff and the UN team out of the area.
The organisation's Khaled Erksoussi said the convoy came under attack from mortars and gunfire as it was leaving.
The firing came on the second day of a three-day ceasefire to allow aid in to the old city quarter.
Mr Erksoussi said UN officials are now meeting the Syrian government to discuss whether it is safe to continue with the operation on Sunday.
The government and opposition are trading accusations about who is responsible for breaking the ceasefire, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from neighbouring Lebanon.
Relief officials had earlier said the plan to send supplies into the embattled area was extremely sensitive, given the reluctance by some on the government side to see supplies going into rebel-held areas.
Seven Red Crescent workers and a similar-sized UN team were "pinned down" in the old city area of Homs for several hours in the dark.
One of the drivers was injured when mortars landed close to their convoy and shots were fired at their trucks.
Mr Erksoussi said the group had taken refuge in "buildings and safe areas" until they were able to get out, shortly before 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT). They had to leave two of their damaged trucks behind.
"Although the team was shelled and fired upon we managed to deliver 250 food parcels, 190 hygiene kits and chronic diseases medicines," the Syrian Red Crescent said on Twitter.
The Red Crescent, in a joint operation with the UN, is trying to deliver food, water and medicine by truck to some 3,000 civilians in rebel-held areas.
On Friday, the first day of the agreed three-day ceasefire, more than 80 children, women and elderly people were evacuated.
Many of those evacuated on Friday looked frail and described extreme hardships inside the area, which has been under army siege for nearly a year-and-a-half.
They said bread had not been available for months, and many residents were gathering weeds and leaves to eat.
Vulnerable civilians such as children, old people and medical cases were brought out of the besieged area, sometimes carried by Red Crescent volunteers.
They told journalists that there were more people trapped in the city who had wanted to leave.
Homs has been a key battleground in the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The army launched a series of big attacks to recapture rebel areas in the Old City in the beginning of 2012, with almost daily bombardments.
Thousands have been killed, large areas have been reduced to rubble and many neighbourhoods lie in ruins.
The situation in besieged districts of the city since June 2012 was discussed during peace talks in Geneva a week ago, but the humanitarian aid deal was actually struck between the governor of Homs and the UN resident co-ordinator in Syria.
The Syrian government is making no connection between the Homs agreement and the peace talks, but it was first mooted by the mediator there, Lakhdar Brahimi, our correspondent says.
Another round of talks is scheduled to begin on Monday and the Syrian government has confirmed it will attend.


Fifa's new independent ethics chief says "nobody will interfere" with his task of keeping corruption out of football's world governing body.

Swiss attorney Cornel Borbely has succeeded Michael Garcia, who quit in protest in December.
Garcia was unhappy at how Fifa officials handled his investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Borbely said: "I don't take any orders at all from Fifa, none whatsoever."
The 36-year-old, who was Garcia's deputy, told Reuters: "I alone decide whether to open, conduct and conclude an investigation.
"I am completely independent of any Fifa officials, otherwise I couldn't, and wouldn't, do this job. Nobody interferes, neither the Fifa executive committee nor anybody else."
Borbely headed an economic crimes investigation unit in Zurich for three years and has worked as a prosecutor for a military tribunal.
He said anyone coming forward with information about alleged Fifa corruption could do so in confidence, with any tips "carefully evaluated".
The Swiss added: "I also have my eyes and ears open and if I see something that calls for it, of course I open a preliminary investigation."
Fifa has suffered a series of damaging allegations in recent years, including claims of corruption in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.
US lawyer Garcia was called in to investigate those allegations and produced a 430-page report last year.
However, when a 42-page summary of his findings was published, which claimed there had been no wrongdoing, Garcia complained to Fifa about its "erroneous" representation of his work.
Fifa dismissed his appeal, prompting his resignation, but has since agreed to release a redacted version of Garcia's full 430-page report.


Plans to replace a flood-hit bridge that split a Yorkshire town are being blocked by a landowner, an MP says.

The road bridge over the River Wharfe at Tadcaster partially collapsed last month and repairs could take a year.
Government flood envoy and Yorkshire MP Robert Goodwill said the landowner, Samuel Smiths Brewery, refused permission to build a temporary bridge to reconnect the town.
The brewery described the plan as "a waste of public money".
North Yorkshire County Council said it was concerned the brewery was objecting to the proposals.
In a letter to the authority, the brewery said the bridge's collapse was due to poor maintenance and said when it was repaired it should be widened to improve access for pedestrians.
The company said it would be happy then to provide land as that would offer "better long-term value" for the community.
It added it was providing, at its own cost, a temporary pedestrian access to the old railway viaduct across the river.  An aggregate path over the viaduct has already been installed by the county council.
Mr Goodwill said he was very "irritated" by the decision.
Conservative MP Robert Goodwill said: "It is vitally important that whilst they are mending the road bridge that we do have a temporary footbridge in place to ensure the town can continue to function.
"I do hope they [the landowner] will think again and let us get on with putting this temporary bridge in place."
Councillor Carl Les, for the authority, said it would pursue "every legal avenue" to build the footbridge in its preferred location, despite the landowner's objections.
He added: "We urge the brewery to reconsider... and allow the construction of the footbridge, which is so badly needed by residents and traders to reconnect the town."
The government said repairing the damaged 18th Century bridge was a "national priority" and has already granted £3m for its reconstruction.
It has offered a further £300,000 to pay for a temporary footbridge.


A major road in Swansea will have its speed limit set to 30mph for its entire length following more than 100 accidents over three years.

Carmarthen Road is the main route into the city centre from junction 47 of the M4 and some parts of it has a 40mph limit.
But Swansea council has acted in a bid to cut the number of accidents and fatalities.
As well as reducing the speed, cameras will also be installed at junctions.


David Cameron has nominated Lord Hill, the ex-leader of the House of Lords, to be the UK's next European Commissioner.

Lord Hill of Oareford is a former education minister with a relatively low profile outside Westminster.
A number of former senior ministers were tipped for the role, including Andrew Lansley and Lord Howard.
New European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker is to name his top team in the coming weeks, awarding different job portfolios to different countries.
Lord Hill is a former public relations executive who worked for John Major during the 1990s, including as political secretary during the negotiations on the Maastricht Treaty.
The nomination comes at a key time, with Mr Cameron seeking to renegotiate the UK's membership of the EU if he wins the next election and hold a referendum on the issue in 2017.
The peer's nomination will be presented by the prime minister to the European Council at a summit of the EU's 28 national leaders in Brussels on Wednesday.
If approved by the European Parliament, Lord Hill will serve a five-year term until 2019.
The appointment was seen as an important indication of the prime minister's strategy in Europe, with Eurosceptics in the Conservative Party urging him to pick someone who would take a tough line in negotiations.
In a press conference in Brussels, Mr Juncker said: "We have to take into account that the UK government will propose a list of competencies located in Brussels in order to repatriate them, to bring them back to the British Parliament, and other governments have ideas of the same kind.
"This will be a matter for negotiation. I will negotiate with David Cameron and with others and we will make a fair deal with Britain."
Analysis by James Landale
Lord Hill has kept his head down as leader of the House of Lords so it is just possible you might not have heard of him. But his appointment today is important.
Lord Hill claimed recently he didn't want the job, But today he said he was excited to play a part in reforming the EU. Jonathan Hill got the post because he is a highly effective operator and political insider. He ran John Major's policy unit at Downing Street, he set up and sold a successful PR business, before returning to government under the coalition.
He was also chosen because his departure will not prompt a risky by-election which the Conservatives might lose. Tory MPs said Lord Hill was eurosceptic enough to satisfy them but not so eurosceptic that he might be vetoed by the European Parliament.
The big question now is whether the new Commission president Jean Claude Juncker will consider him senior and experienced enough to win one of the big economic portfolios that Britain wants.
Lord Hill sought to resign from the government at the last major reshuffle in 2012 but was subsequently made leader of the House of Lords.
The Institute of Directors welcomed the nomination of Lord Hill of Oareford as the UK's next European Commissioner.
Director General Simon Walker said: "Lord Hill has a track record of rolling up his sleeves and getting on with the job at hand, and his proven ability to deploy these skills within the machinery of Whitehall will serve him well in Brussels.
"He is engaged with the business community and has a pragmatic approach to policymaking, both of which are crucial to the UK being able to secure a significant economic portfolio in the Commission. The task at hand is to deliver reforms which will benefit Britain, as well as make the whole of the EU more competitive, flexible and growth-orientated.
"It is now up to Lord Hill to set out clearly what his priorities will be in Brussels, to reassure the business community that he understands their concerns and that he is committed to making Europe more entrepreneurial and more business-friendly."
Katja Hall, deputy director general of the CBI, also welcomed Lord Hill's appointment and said he would be best-placed to "push for a more open, outward-looking and competitive EU" if Britain managed to secure a "key economic portfolio".
But she added: "Whatever the portfolio, we have the partners to turn reform into reality, so he must work hard cementing these alliances, making the UK's case in Brussels while also selling the benefits of the EU in the UK."
Names linked with the EU role in recent weeks included David Willetts, who quit the government on Monday, former Commons leader Andrew Lansley and former Conservative leader Lord Howard.
Mr Cameron's choice of Lord Hill as the UK's preferred candidate means that the government will avoid a by-election in the coming months.
Lord Hill will succeed Lady Ashton, who was nominated by Gordon Brown in 2009 and subsequently got the job of as EU high commissioner for foreign affairs.
However, he will not necessarily hold the same role with Mr Juncker set to award different portfolios - including the all-important economic ones - in the coming weeks.
Campaign group Open Europe said Mr Cameron had "clearly let other considerations," such as avoiding a by-election, "trump sending the highest profile candidate to Brussels".
Director Mats Persson said: "The chances of the UK securing one of the key portfolios in the next European Commission - internal market, competition or trade - have worsened but have not been completely squashed."
The Labour Party is calling on David Cameron to allow MPs to scrutinise Lord Hill's appointment after the prime minster suggested he was prepared to consider such a move.
In a letter to the prime minister Labour's shadow Europe minister Gareth Thomas said: "I'm sure you will agree that given the importance of the role, it is vital that such scrutiny takes place and that your nominee is able to demonstrate they are committed to an ambitious EU reform agenda, are capable of working across parties, and are able to demonstrate an ability to prioritise British interests.
"It would be disappointing if your nominee were only to face scrutiny from the European Parliament, and not our own, before their nomination is confirmed."


Police are appealing for the drivers of MG sports cars to come forward as part of an investigation into the death of a cyclist in North Yorkshire.

Patrick McDonough, 59, from Middlesbrough was found seriously injured at Buttertubs Pass near Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales on 4 October.
He died in James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough the following day.
North Yorkshire Police are looking for number of MG sports car drivers who were seen in the area at the time.
Detectives have contacted local motoring clubs in a bid to trace the car owners, but no-one has so far come forward.
Officers said that they are seeking the drivers as witnesses and said "there is no suspicion at this time, that they were involved".
Police also appealed for the occupants of a yellow car seen taking photographs in the area to get in touch.


A strain of the polio virus has been found at an international airport in Brazil, but there are no human cases, the World Health Organization has said.

A WHO statement released on Monday said the virus was found in samples taken from sewage at Viracopos International Airport in Sao Paulo state in March.
It said the local population's high immunity to the disease "appears to have prevented transmission".
Brazil has been polio-free since 1989 and has high vaccination coverage.
The virus was found in "sewage only" and subsequent analysis of similar samples have either been negative or only positive for "non-polio enteroviruses", the organisation said.
The WHO said the sample was a close match with a recent strain isolated in a case in Equatorial Guinea.
The risk of the polio virus spreading from Equatorial Guinea is described as "high" by the UN agency, but it said the risk from Brazil remained "very low".
Polio invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours. There is no cure for the disease but it can be prevented by immunisation.
Brazil's last national immunisation campaign was conducted a year ago and coverage in Sao Paulo state has been higher than 95%, the WHO said.
Polio: the facts
•A highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects children under five
•Can cause irreversible paralysis
•There is no cure, but polio vaccine given multiple times can protect a child for life
•Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan are the only countries left with endemic polio


Huddersfield Town defender Jason Davidson has joined Dutch side FC Groningen on a season-long loan.

Australia international Davidson joined the Terriers on a three-year contract in June 2015 following his release by West Bromwich Albion.
The 25-year-old made 30 appearances last season, but has not featured for David Wagner's side so far this term.
"He is obviously keen to play regular football and that is not something we can offer," head coach Wagner said.


Junior doctors in England may need to rethink plans to take part in next week's all-out strikes amid concerns some hospitals could struggle to cope, the regulator of the profession says.

Doctors are to take part in the first ever stoppages involving emergency care on Tuesday and Wednesday.
It will see medics walk out of A&E, intensive care and maternity units.
But the General Medical Council has now issued advice saying striking may not be the "right option" in some places.
And it urged those considering taking action to take "reasonable steps to satisfy themselves" that patients would be safe.
The GMC said it had not received any warnings from hospitals, but was making the judgement based on the scale of the walkouts being planned.
There has been concern raised by some that smaller hospitals in particular may find it difficult to cope during the stoppages.
NHS England is currently checking with NHS trusts that they have adequate contingency plans in place and is due to meet leaders at the British Medical Association on Thursday to discuss whether junior doctors are needed to come in anywhere.
There is an agreed escalation procedure in place which allows NHS bosses to ask the BMA to allow its representatives to request doctors do not strike if needed.
Plans will also be in place on the day to allow doctors to be called in if there is a major incident.
There have been four strikes in the contract dispute since the start of the year.
On each occasion, junior doctors have provided emergency cover.
But next week's walkouts - taking place from 08:00 BST to 17:00 BST on both days - will involve all services. Although consultants, nurses and midwives will still be working.
This has never happened before in the history of the NHS and comes after the government announced it would be imposing a new contract on doctors from the summer.
GMC chief executive Niall Dickson said he recognised there was "anger and frustration" in the profession, but added it was not up to the GMC to comment on the rights and wrongs of the dispute.
But he said: "For every doctor affected these are difficult and worrying times and feelings are understandably running high.
"We know all doctors will want to do their utmost to reduce the risk of harm to patients and this advice is designed to help them achieve that."
NHS England said it was talking to hospitals about the plans they were putting in place.
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The Sydney Sixers beat the Highveld Lions by 10 wickets to win the Champions League Twenty20 final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Nottinghamshire and England opener Michael Lumb scored 82 not out from 42 balls as Sydney chased down the Lions' 121 all out with 45 balls to spare.
Lumb, who was born in South Africa, hit eight fours and five sixes.
New Zealand spinner Nathan McCullum (3-24) and paceman Josh Hazlewood (3-22) were the pick of the Sixers' bowlers.
The Johannesburg-based Lions were sent in to bat in front of a sell-out crowd and soon crashed to 9-4.
Only a knock of 51 from Jean Symes saved the Lions from complete humiliation and they lost their final wicket from the last ball of the innings.
Lumb and fellow opener Brad Haddin (38 not out) were dropped during their innings but the result was never in doubt.
Sydney, who went through the tournament unbeaten, receive $2.5m (£1.55m) for winning the fourth instalment of the event while the Lions claim $1.3m (£806,000).
English representatives Yorkshire were knocked out in the group stages, while Hampshire were eliminated from the competition after losing their first qualifying match against Auckland Aces.


Ex-Crewe striker Dean Ashton says the sacking of Steve Davis as manager may have come "at the right time" if the League Two club are to stay in the EFL.

Former Alex captain David Artell, 36, replaced Davis on Sunday, with Crewe 18th in the fourth tier.
"Something's got to change," Ashton told BBC Radio Stoke. "Maybe a fresh approach will make the difference.
"Steve did a magnificent job when he came in, taking over from Dario Gradi, in the right manner and philosophy."
But the once-capped England international, 33, added: "It's been a long time now that they've been on a steady decline.
"Apart from a good couple of months at the start of the season, they've not really looked like turning it around.
"Steve can look back at Crewe with fond memories and be proud of what he did. From where they were when he came in, two Wembley trips, promotion and a trophy was brilliant.
"But the real worry is that if the slide continues, then you're looking at the Football League trapdoor which Crewe definitely don't want to go through.
"It was the right time for him to step aside and for someone else to take it on."
"They now have David, who was club captain in successful times, and his number two Kenny Lunt is a great coach who brings experience of what it's like to get to Championship level with Crewe.
"And it's absolutely vital they use (head of recruitment) Neil Baker. He's been there and done it. Any situation Crewe go into, he's got that experience. He's got a good calmness to him. He's not going to make rash decisions."
Ashton left Crewe for Norwich for £3m in January 2005 and his subsequent move to West Ham a year later earned the club even more money with a sell-on fee.
Previously, players such as David Platt, Geoff Thomas, Robbie Savage, Rob Jones, Neil Lennon, Danny Murphy and Seth Johnson all moved for big transfer fees.
But, for all the success of their highly-rated academy, Crewe have not received a seven-figure fee for a player since Luke Murphy left for Leeds United in 2013.
"You're always looking for that next player to come through to go on to bigger and better things," said Ashton. "Since they sold Luke Murphy on the back of Nick Powell to Manchester United and Ashley Westwood to Aston Villa, it's been difficult.
"The only worry is that it's getting more and more difficult for teams like Crewe to bring talent through as the big clubs widen their search and get all of the best players.
"Within the boundaries Crewe set, you don't have money to spend. You have to bring youngsters through, and it's very difficult down there to constantly rely on your youth policy."


Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas secured his maiden Formula 1 victory by holding off a late charge from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in the Russian Grand Prix.

Bottas jumped Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen at the start from his third position on the grid and dominated until the closing stages, when Vettel used a late pit stop to close up and pressure the Finn.
The four-time champion got to within a second and a half of Bottas with 10 laps to go but the Finn responded and kept Vettel at arm's length for the rest of the race.
Bottas' team-mate Lewis Hamilton capped a difficult weekend with a race to forget and finished only fourth behind Raikkonen.
Hamilton slipped to 13 points behind Vettel in the championship, with Bottas now only 10 adrift of the British three-time champion.
But Hamilton had reason to be grateful for Bottas' accomplished performance - without it, Vettel's lead would be 20 points and edging towards a clear win.
The race confirmed Ferrari's position as a match for Mercedes and the see-saw nature of the close competition between the two teams in what promises to be a very tightly contested title fight.
Ferrari took their first front-row lock-out for nine years on Saturday as Mercedes struggled to get the best out of the ultra-soft tyres on a single qualifying lap.
Much depended on the start in a race that was going to feature just a single pit stop for the frontrunners, and Bottas made a flier.
The Finn made a peach of a getaway, quickly drawing alongside Vettel on the outside on the long run down to the first chicane and out-braking the Ferrari around the outside.
From there, Bottas edged into the distance, building a five-second lead by lap 19.
Vettel brought the gap down to three seconds as Bottas negotiated traffic in the next eight laps before the Mercedes driver made his pit stop on lap 27, and Ferrari decided to use a different strategy to put Vettel back in the fight.
The German waited another seven laps before his stop on lap 34, the idea being to have fresher tyres on which he could push harder and hopefully pressure Bottas over the remaining 18 laps.
Vettel rejoined just under five seconds behind the Mercedes and immediately began to eat into the gap.
A mistake by Bottas on lap 38, running wide at Turn 13 and flat-spotting his right-front tyre, reduced the gap to 2.8secs.
With two laps to go, Vettel was less than a second behind and had the use of the DRS overtaking aid, but Bottas, negotiating traffic, also had use of the DRS on the main straight at the start of the last lap and had just enough pace to hold him off.
While his team-mate took a well-deserved win in only his fourth race for Mercedes since replacing world champion Nico Rosberg, Hamilton was largely anonymous.
He, too, made a good start, but he had to back out of an attempt to sneak past Raikkonen at the first corner and stayed fourth on the first lap.
He was immediately in trouble with high temperatures in his car - a problem that was also afflicting Bottas, who was able to manage it better because he was not following another car.
Hamilton tracked Raikkonen within two or three seconds for most of the first stint but lost ground due to a later pit stop and trailed in more than 20 seconds behind the Ferrari.
McLaren's troubled season hit a new nadir when Fernando Alonso retired on the formation lap with a lack of hybrid charge.
The two-time champion ground to a halt at the entry to the pits as he tried to get the car back to the garage.
Alonso has retired from all the races this season and said he was "sad", adding that the team needed to make progress fast with the Honda engine's recurring reliability problems.
The Spaniard is flying to the USA overnight to prepare for his first test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before his debut at the Indy 500 next month.
Alonso said: "Obviously frustrating - fourth race of the championship, four DNFs, this time we did not even make the start. That's sad but nothing we can do now.
"We come here, I drive as fast as I can, and hopefully the next one will be a little bit better."
Asked whether Honda's troubles were unacceptable, he said: "That is a question for the boss of the team and the McLaren Group. I am just a driver. I drive as fast as I can. I help the team but they have to look at the bigger picture."
Jolyon Palmer's race lasted only a few hundred metres as his Renault was involved in a crash with Haas' Romain Grosjean at the first corner.
Grosjean was trying to pass on the inside and was a significant way alongside but Palmer turned in anyway, saying he had no room to move outside because of another car.
Grosjean bounced over the kerb and the two collided, a second impact sending them both spinning into retirement.
Each blamed the other but the stewards decided to take no action, ruling neither was predominantly to blame.
Vettel has been saying for some time that starting the season well is one thing, but the key is to continue that way. That's a reference to the development race that will be even more intense than usual in the first season of a new set of regulations.
The Spanish Grand Prix on 12-14 May always marks the race where the teams bring their first big updates and this year will be no different. It's a track that provides a comprehensive test of a car's all-round capabilities and so closely matched are Mercedes and Ferrari that it is impossible to predict who will come out on top.
Valtteri Bottas, P1: "It's been quite a while, more than 80 races, but worth the wait, well worth the learning curve.
"This strange opportunity came to me over the winter and I have to thank the team for making this possible."
Sebastian Vettel, P2: "I tried everything to catch Valtteri. I thought there would be an opportunity on the back straight.
"I thought there was an opportunity but I was not sure what Felipe Massa would do and ended up losing out."
Kimi Raikkonen, third: "Unfortunately today we could only get third place but we'll try for better next time.
"I have had a little bit of a rough start to the season - far from ideal - but this week has been a step forward, but we still only finished third."


A record 13,000 people attended the 101st Southern Agricultural Show's opening day on Saturday, organisers have said.

But the event's secretary Sarah Comish said that may have been the case due to the vast majority timing their visit to avoid the dreadful weather on Sunday.
She said: "We experienced two extremes but Saturday was the busiest we have ever seen our show field."
Only about 100 visitors braved the driving rain on Sunday.
A ewe owned by the Kermode family from Orrisdale was crowned Supreme Champion.
The sheep was chosen ahead of hundreds of animals from all over the Isle of Man.
The two-day celebration of Manx agriculture was held at Great Meadow and saw the unveiling of a 10ft (3m) high sculpture of a bull crowned "supreme champion" during last year's centenary event.
Artist Darren Jackson's design, chosen by the public, is made from assorted "farming treasure".
As well as classes for traditional livestock, the weekend included local food and craft stalls, vintage machinery, children's entertainment and dog shows.


Cybercriminals are targeting people using Apple products as they are more likely to have disposable income, a security expert has warned.

Blogger Graham Cluley said that while malware was more common on Windows, Apple customers could not "afford to be lackadaisical" about security.
On Monday, he reported a text message scam that tried to trick people into handing over account information.
Apple's support site warns customers not to enter details on spoof sites.
The text message scammers sent out alerts to victims' smartphones, claiming their Apple ID accounts were going to expire. The message encouraged people to visit a fake website where they were asked to enter their account information.
"It tried to grab personal information and credit card details with the aim of committing identity theft," said Mr Cluley.
"They deliberately took advantage of people's trust in the Apple brand to steal information.
"Avoid clicking on links in emails because they might take you somewhere phishy. Instead go to the website directly and log in that way."
The spoof website has since been blocked by web browsers such as Chrome and Firefox.
Apple's support website says customers "should never enter Apple account information on any non-Apple website".
"In general, all account-related activities will take place in the iTunes application directly, not through a web browser," it explains.
On Tuesday, Mr Cluley reported on a second scam disguised as an update to Adobe Flash, which encouraged victims to install a new version of the software.
In a blog about a discovery by the security firm Intego he wrote: "The best advice for many users may be to ensure that you have configured Adobe Flash Player to automatically update itself."
Apple's Mac OS X operating system does have a safeguard, enabled by default, that prevents people installing software written by unknown developers. However, it appears the attackers were able to circumvent this.
"The fake Flash update attack appears to have used a stolen Apple Developer certificate, suggesting that some third-party Mac developers may be being sloppy about their own security and putting the rest of us at risk as a result," Mr Cluley told the BBC.
"The truth is that criminals will go where the money is.
"Apple products cost more than some of their competitors so it's likely that their customers have more disposable income.  That's cash which the bad guys would like to have filling their pockets."


Mothers are increasingly the primary breadwinners in their families, a new report has found, marking a dramatic shift in US household finances.

A record 40% of US homes with children relied on mothers as their main or only source of income, a Pew survey found.
Of the women supporting their families, 37% were married women who earned more than their husbands, while 63% were single mothers, the report said.
In the 1960s, just 11% of families were supported primarily by mothers.
According to the Pew report, married women with a higher income than their husbands tended to be older, white and college-educated.
They were likely to earn much more than single mothers, who on average tended to be younger, more likely to be black or Hispanic, and less likely to have attended an institution of higher education.
For married women, the median total family income was almost $80,000 (Â£53,000) compared to the median income of $23,000 for the families of single mothers.
In the US about one-quarter of all households are headed by a single mother and women make up nearly half the national workforce.
According to the study, which was based on census data, the employment rate among married women rose from 37% in 1968 to 65% in 2011.
The authors of the Pew Research Center report said it was unclear if the financial crisis had an effect on the trends.
But the study noted that since 2007, more women have said they wanted to work full time and fewer said they would prefer not to work at all.
The study also said that women's growing role in the workforce remained divisive.
While women in the workforce bring clear financial benefits to their families, the study said three-quarters of adults said it was harder to raise children if their mothers worked, and half said it was harder for marriage to succeed under those circumstances.
Yet most Americans do not believe women should return to a traditional role in the home.


UK universities could find it harder to recruit international students if the UK leaves the EU, suggests a survey.

Of 1,763 would-be students who had contacted or applied to UK universities, almost half said Brexit would make UK study less attractive.
But 17% told international student recruiters Hobsons that Brexit would make UK universities more attractive.
The Vote Leave campaign said it was crucial to ensure there were enough places for young people from the UK.
Hobsons managing director Jeremy Cooper said: "A vote for Brexit would represent a further challenge.
"For universities in the UK, the conditions for recruiting international students are tougher than ever before."
The survey participants had applied for or enquired about study at 15 UK universities - including two from the elite Russell Group and seven new universities.
Three-quarters were from countries outside the EU, two-thirds were interested in post-graduate study, just over half were female and almost two-thirds were aged under 24.
Of the 1,529 who expressed an opinion:
There was considerable variation between EU and non-EU students, with 82% of EU students saying Brexit would make the UK less attractive compared with 35% of non-EU students.
Although they admit accurate predictions are impossible, the researchers believe international student applications could be at risk if attitudes change as the survey suggests.
Based on 2014-15 figures, when there were 240,767, international students in the UK, 113,116 international students "could be at risk of being put off" studying in the UK, says the report.
It suggests the UK could potentially lose 50,056 EU and 63,060 non-EU students.
Paul Blomfield MP, co-chairman of the newly formed all-party parliamentary group for international students, called the report "worrying"
"Leaving the EU would make the UK a less attractive destination for study, and that is bad news for our economy," he said.
"Across the country, hundreds of thousands of jobs would be at risk."
His co-chairman, Lord Bilimoria, said the findings were consistent with views he had been hearing from around the world.
"It is not scaremongering," he said. "It is reality. The whole world thinks we should stay in the EU.
"International students are one of our biggest most important export earners.
"They affect our economy and our soft power - building bridges with our country for generations."
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, warned that "leaving the EU and putting up barriers to work and study are highly likely to mean that international students choose to study elsewhere, strengthening our competitors and weakening the UK's universities".
But a Vote Leave spokeswoman pointed out that only a small percentage of students from outside Europe believed the referendum result would make any difference to their opinion of the attractiveness of studying at a UK university.
"The UK has some of the best universities in the world and gaining a place is often extremely competitive. That's something we're rightly proud of as a country.
"Understandably, the calibre of our universities attracts a large number of applications from foreign students - but arguably the most important thing is to ensure that there are sufficient places for our young people."
And a spokesman for Scientists for Britain noted "a huge difference between the 'UK study less attractive' response from non-EU students (35%), who contribute up-front and pay higher tuition fees, and EU students, who pay lower fees and are eligible to access UK student loans".
"Given that the financial contribution of non-EU students is significantly more important to the UK Higher Education sector, we are reassured that the vast majority of non-EU students (65%) recognise that Brexit is much less of a concern for them, and may even level the playing field in terms of being able to secure student visas to study in the UK."


Arkansas has put to death its fourth inmate within a week after a dozen years without a single execution.

Kenneth Williams, 38, killed two people after escaping from a maximum-security prison where he was serving life for murdering a cheerleader.
His lawyers said he was intellectually disabled, but the US Supreme Court rejected his last appeal.
The four executions were carried out before the state's supply of a drug used in lethal injections could expire.
Williams was pronounced dead at 23:05 (04:05 GMT Friday), after briefly coughing and convulsing, witnesses said.
Convicted murderer Ledell Lee was first to be put to death last Thursday.
The next two, Jack Jones and Marcel Williams, were executed on Monday.
Four other death row inmates won reprieves.
State prosecutors have vowed to appeal and put them to death as well.
Williams was sentenced to life in prison for the 1998 murder of 19-year-old cheerleader Dominique Hurd. A jury had spared him the death penalty.
After a month in the penitentiary, he escaped on 3 October 1999 by hiding in a barrel used to carry kitchen refuse.
Not far from the prison, he encountered Cecil Boren, 57, on his farm.
He killed Mr Boren, shooting him multiple times, and stole his pick-up truck.
Williams drove north to Missouri, where he led police on a chase that caused the death of 24-year-old delivery driver Michael Greenwood.
Since being jailed, Williams has become an ordained Christian minister, and written his autobiography as well as a book warning against gang life.
Mr Greenwood's daughter sent a letter on Thursday to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, appealing for clemency.
"His execution will not bring my father back or return to us what has been taken, but it will cause additional suffering," Kayla Greenwood wrote.
She said her family had bought plane tickets for Williams' daughter and granddaughter to visit him one last time, even picking them up at the airport and driving them to the prison.
But the state's Republican governor said the inmate did not deserve mercy.
"Kenneth Williams murdered multiple people, and actions have consequences," said Mr Hutchinson in a statement.
Mr Boren's widow, who was to watch the execution, said earlier she was looking forward to seeing justice served.
"We've been waiting a long, long time for this," Genie Boren told local news station Fox 16.
"People have to be punished for things they've done."
The accelerated execution timetable was scheduled because the state's stock of a sedative, midazolam, used in lethal injections is due to expire at the end of this month.


Many farmers who graze common land in England could be eligible for backdated payments totalling millions of pounds.

The development follows a legal challenge from farmers with rights over common land in Gloucestershire.
The change to the Single Payments System comes after Defra announced a U-turn in how Common Agricultural Payments for commons are calculated.
Defra said the decision followed a challenge by those with rights over Minchinhampton and Rodborough commons.
It is believed the unclaimed amounts could add up to about Â£8m.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in the past each commoner had been able to claim on a proportion of the total eligible area of a common.
This was calculated according to the ratio of the rights a farmer held to the total number of rights recorded in the register for each common.
But, Defra said the existing system did not comply with European regulations and it hoped to create a "fairer system".
"The Rural Payments Agency will be writing to common farmers if they may be entitled to additional funding as a result of previous SPS claims," a Defra spokesman said.
"In many cases this will mean those farmers can expect higher payments than in previous years."
Peter Gardner, from the Minchinhampton Committee of Commoners, which was behind the challenge, said he gave the news a "cautious welcome".
Three years ago the committee won the right for a payment that led to graziers being paid a fifth of the total others received.
"It's not clear yet what it'll mean for the 1,320 people who have grazing rights, given that only a very small number of them actively use those grazing rights," he said.
"About 500 cattle are grazing on the Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons at any time."


Israeli police have questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a second time as part of an inquiry into corruption allegations.

The five-hour questioning at his Jerusalem home followed a slightly shorter session on Monday.
The PM is being investigated for allegedly accepting "improper gifts" worth thousands of dollars from businessmen, media say.
Mr Netanyahu has continually and strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Police said Thursday's questioning had also included a separate matter but gave no details and Mr Netanyahu's office has not commented.
Ahead of the first questioning on Monday, Mr Netanyahu had restated he was innocent and warned the media and political rivals that they should "hold off partying", adding: "Nothing will happen, because there is nothing."
Mr Netanyahu told his Likud party legislators earlier on Monday: "We hear all the media reports. We see and hear the festive spirit and atmosphere in television studios and in the corridors of the opposition.
"I want to tell them to wait for the celebrations. Do not rush... You will continue to inflate hot air balloons and we will continue to lead the state of Israel."
Opponents of Mr Netanyahu have called for an investigation into his affairs following a series of scandals in recent months - none of which has resulted in charges.
Netanyahu denies wrongdoing ahead of investigation


A cocker spaniel has been saved from a sticky end after eating a tube of expanding glue.

Eight-month-old Marley from Hitcham chewed through the tube of glue his owner was using for home improvements.
At first he showed no signs of illness, but within a week needed emergency surgery to remove a solid lump of adhesive from his stomach.
His owner Beverley King said her pet made a full recovery and was now "bouncing around" again.
Read this and more stories from Suffolk
Mrs King said her husband had been working upstairs when Marley came down with his paws covered in glue.
He was taken to the vet to have the glue removed and seemed fine, she said.
However he later became ill and had to be referred to a specialist veterinary centre near Newmarket, where the full extent of Marley's mishap was revealed.
He underwent a one-hour operation to have the ball of glue removed by a surgical specialist.
Mrs King, who slept by his side every night "just to be on the safe side", said her pet was due to have a final check up later.


An investigation is under way after a woman's body was found following a fire at a house in Hartlepool.

The discovery was made by emergency services called to an address on Westbourne Road, at about 08:25 BST.
Cleveland Police said the death was being treated as suspicious. The woman, who was described as elderly, has not yet been identified.
A post-mortem examination will be held later, and police have appealed for information.


The United States has expressed strong concern after China jailed Uighur academic Ilham Tohti for life.

Secretary of State John Kerry said he was "deeply disturbed" at the move. He and the White House both called for Tohti's immediate release.
China's foreign ministry said it was opposed to foreign interference in China's judicial sovereignty.
Tohti was jailed on Tuesday after Chinese authorities accused him of promoting separatism.
Several of his students have been arrested on similar charges.
Ilham Tohti has spoken out on behalf of the Muslim Uighur minority group, who live in Xinjiang in China's far west. He has called for dialogue between Beijing and the Uighurs as a way of reducing tensions.
In a statement, Mr Kerry called Tohti's sentence "retribution" by Beijing for Tohti's promotion of human rights for Uighur citizens, and said his detention "silenced an important moderate Uighur voice".
The White House said civil society leaders like Tohti play a "vital role" in reducing ethnic tensions in China.
"We stress the importance of Chinese authorities differentiating between peaceful dissent and violent extremism," it said.
In a daily press briefing on Tuesday evening, China's foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying was asked by reporters to explain Tohti's sentence.
She said: "China's judicial authorities made their ruling in accordance with the law. I would like to remind you that China is a country governed by the rule of law, and China's judicial authorities handled the case according to the law."
"We firmly oppose interference in China's judicial sovereignty and independence by any country."
In one of the few Chinese reports on the case, Xinhua said Tohti had used the Uighur Online site and classes that he taught at Beijing's Minzu University to advocate for separatism as well as attracted students and citizens to join him.
Tohti was detained in January after he criticised Beijing's strong response to a suicide car attack near Tiananmen Square carried out by Uighurs from Xinjiang.
China has been grappling with a spate of violent public attacks this year, which authorities have attributed to Uighur extremists inspired or aided by overseas terror groups.
In response it has launched a crackdown, arresting and jailing scores of people for terrorism activities. Several have been sentenced to death.
But Uighur activists say that China's strong-armed tactics in Xinjiang - including cultural and religious repression - are fuelling tensions.


A Polish university lecturer has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for plotting to ram a car packed with explosives into parliament.

Brunon Kwiecien, 48, was convicted of planning a terrorist attack, illegal weapons possession and inciting two students to carry out an attack.
He suggested he had been manipulated by Polish intelligence agents.
Kwiecien was said to be fascinated with Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik.
Right-wing extremist Breivik killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage in Norway in July 2011.
Kwiecien, a former professor at Krakow's University of Agriculture, was arrested in 2012.
Investigators believe he wanted to target parliament with four tonnes of explosives while then-President Bronislaw Komorowski and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk were due to attend, the trial heard.
"If Brunon Kwiecien hadn't been stopped, we would be talking amid the ruins of the state today," said judge Aleksandra Almert, according to the AFP agency.
While admitting he planned to carry out the attack, he also said he was subject to "provocation" by the intelligence services.
Kwiecien is the first Pole to be accused of terrorism, Polish media reported. He has no known links to established extremist groups.


Edinburgh have signed South African wing Duhan van der Merwe from French club Montpellier on a two-year deal.

The Springbok age-grade international, 21, joined the Top 14 club in July 2016 on an academy deal after two outings for the Blue Bulls in Super Rugby.
The 6ft 3in, 107kg (16st 9lb) wing has recently broken into the senior side and scored three tries in three games.
"I'm very excited to be joining Edinburgh," said Van der Merwe, who represented South Africa at U20 level.
"It's clear that the club has strong ambitions and I would very much like to play a part in that success.
"I've heard great things about the city and the people. My dealings with the club have already been very positive and I have been made to feel very welcome ahead of my arrival.
"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to express myself and build my future at Edinburgh."
Incoming Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill, who has observed Van der Merwe during his time in France as interim coach of Toulon, said: "Duhan is a talented young player and has the potential to become a real attacking threat in our backline.
"He's taken his chances at Montpellier in recent weeks so I'm looking forward to seeing him progress even further at Edinburgh."


Gregor Townsend's era as Scotland coach begins on Saturday in the stiflingly humid setting of Singapore and a stunning indoor stadium that will host a tier-one Test match for the first time.

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In the context of what is happening in New Zealand, this is rugby small fry, but nobody will convince any of the Scots or Italians of that when they run out in the National Stadium at around 8pm local time (13:00 BST).
For Scotland, who are trying to get off to a flyer under Townsend, and Italy, who are attempting to rebuild under Conor O'Shea, this is the biggest of big deals.
The 55,000-capacity stadium will struggle to get a crowd above 10,000, but the significance of the Test is sizeable all the same.
This is a new Scotland regime - not just Townsend, but also Dan McFarland, who is now in charge of the forwards, and Mike Blair, who is skills coach - and they have made no secret of the fact that they don't just want to win, they want to win playing a fast and furious brand of rugby.
"It will be hot," said John Barclay, who captains the side in Greig Laidlaw's absence. "But we back ourselves fitness-wise to adapt to the conditions.
"We want to play fast rugby. We're not shy about saying that. That is how we want to play the game.
"The key thing is to do everything with speed. Hopefully, you'll see a different way we approach it and sometimes it may not come off, but as long as the intent is there to play with speed, we'll reap the benefits of that."
Vern Cotter's Scotland were not exactly slouches in the way they played, but upping the intensity has been a feature of the way Townsend has prepared his players in their weeks together.
"Under Vern, we played quick rugby as well," said Barclay. "The intensity was high under him and he understood as a nation that that's how we have to play. It's how Gregor played at Glasgow and he's placed more of an emphasis on it."
Both line-ups have altered substantially since Scotland's 29-0 win at Murrayfield at the tail-end of the Six Nations. Townsend and his counterpart, O'Shea, have made nine changes apiece, some enforced, some tactical.
As much as Scotland will miss their three Lions - Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour and Laidlaw - as well as the rested Jonny Gray, the most grievous loss of all is Italy's. Sergio Parisse, the colossus of Stade Francais, has been given the summer off.
Scotland will be expected to win this with plenty to spare. The Italians are drawn largely from Zebre and Treviso, with 13 of their starting 15 playing their club rugby with the failing Pro12 sides.
Treviso finished 10th in the league last season, Zebre finished bottom in 12th. Between them, they won only eight Pro12 games in the campaign just gone. They lost 36.
O'Shea has an Everest-like mountain ahead of him as he attempts to change the fortunes of not just his Test team but everything that happens - or doesn't happen - underneath the top level.
For Scotland, the fascination will be seeing if they can deliver the increased tempo they've all been talking about.
Townsend is also exploring ways of increasing his player depth. Duncan Taylor, a wonderfully versatile footballer, is being given a run at full-back, while Damien Hoyland is given a chance on the wing.
This is a big day for Hoyland, who was viewed as the coming man last summer when selected to play against Japan. He hasn't been seen in a Scotland jersey since.
Townsend is not blessed with a lot of quality wide men. He could do with Hoyland laying down a marker against Italy.
WP Nel's return after a year out of the team with injury will have had Townsend paying homage to the rugby gods. If Scotland are to play at pace then they're going to need a stable set-piece and Nel is as formidable a tighthead as there is in the northern hemisphere. Had poor fortune not befallen him, he would surely be in New Zealand right now with the Lions.
Townsend has gone with a Gray-free second-row - Richie injured and Jonny rested. It's the first time in two years that neither Gray has started a Test for Scotland.
The new partnership is Tim Swinson and Ben Toolis. It's a combination that promises much given their club form of last season. Swinson was also terrific off the bench for Scotland in the Six Nations.
Barclay spoke on Friday about the 29-0 game at Murrayfield, Cotter's last as coach.
"The first half was very wet and it dictated quite a boring game with kicking and territory," he said. "The second half opened up a bit.
"You have to expect the unexpected with Italy. It's hard to predict what they are going to do, so we've just focused on ourselves. We have a new coach, new systems, new calling structures."
New players too. To Barclay at any rate.
There's a collection of youngsters in the squad that he's only just getting to know, the latest one being Lewis Carmichael, the young Edinburgh lock who has been loaned to Western Force in Perth in Super Rugby since March. With more of an eye on the future than the present, Carmichael has been invited to train with the squad to experience an international environment.
"That's why I love touring," Barclay added. "There are only five guys who were on the Australia tour five years ago. It's a bit surreal.
"There are guys here I don't know well and they don't know me very well. When I left Scotland (for the Scarlets in 2013), some of the guys were just young pups in the academy."
Barclay leads them on Saturday. Anything other than a comprehensive Scotland win will be deemed a shock.
Scotland: D Taylor (Saracens); D Hoyland (Edinburgh), M Scott (Gloucester), A Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), T Visser (Harlequins); F Russell (Glasgow Warriors), A Price (Glasgow Warriors); A Dell (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), WP Nel (Edinburgh), T Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), B Toolis (Edinburgh), J Barclay (Scarlets), J Hardie (Edinburgh), J Strauss (Glasgow Warriors).
Replacements: F Brown (Glasgow Warriors), G Reid (Glasgow Warriors), Z Fagrson (Glasgow Warriors), R Harley (Glasgow Warriors), M Bradbury (Edinburgh), R Wilson (Glasgow Warriors), H Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors), P Horne (Glasgow Warriors).
Italy: E Padovani (Zebre); A Esposito (Benetton), M Campagnaro (Exeter Chiefs), T Boni (Zebre), L Sarto (Glasgow Warriors); T Allan (Benetton), E Gori (Benetton - capt); A Lovotti (Zebre), L Bigi (Benetton), S Ferrari (Benetton), M Fuser (Benetton), D Budd (Benetton), F Minto (Benetton), M Mbanda' (Zebre), R Barbieri (Benetton).
Replacements: O Gega (Benetton), F Zani (Benetton), P Ceccarelli (Zebre), A Van Schalkwyk (Zebre), A Steyn (Benetton), M Violi (Zebre), C Canna (Zebre), T Benvenuti (Benetton).


A scooter borrowing scheme has been launched by Swansea council to help people get to work.

Six scooters are available on loan to people aged 17-64 and who live in the Swansea area from Â£36 a week.
The cost covers tax, insurance and maintenance of the scooter, as well as some training.
The Wheels to Work scheme will benefit workers who either do not have their own transport or find it difficult to use public transport.
Swansea council bought the scooters with money from the Welsh Government and funding from Unilever.


The killer of head teacher Philip Lawrence is to be released from prison, the Parole Board has said.

Learco Chindamo, 33, was 15 years old when he murdered the father of four outside St George's School in Maida Vale, north west London, in 1995.
The 48-year-old teacher had gone to the aid of a 13-year-old boy who was being attacked when he was fatally stabbed.
"We can confirm a three-member panel of the board has directed the release," a Parole Board spokesman said.
"The decision to release is a matter for the board, which is independent. Practical arrangements for the release are a matter for the Secretary of State. We are unable to comment further on the details of this case."
Chindamo stabbed Mr Lawrence through the heart following a stand-off at the school's gates on 8 December 1995.
A feared gang member, the Italian-born teenager was jailed indefinitely following his conviction at the Old Bailey.
He served 15 years and was paroled in 2010 but was recalled later the same year amid accusations he had intimidated and robbed a man at a cash machine. He was later acquitted by a jury.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "The re-release of life sentenced offenders is directed by the independent Parole Board once the board are satisfied they can be safely managed in the community.
"Their life licence lasts for the rest of their lives, and they may be recalled to prison at any time for breaching their licence conditions.
"Additionally, they will be subject to strict controls and restrictions for as long as their risk requires them."
The news comes just days after teacher Ann Maguire was killed in front of her pupils at Corpus Christi College in Leeds.


Elgin City and Forfar Athletic both made it six points out of six to top League Two.

Forfar won a seven-goal thriller against Cowdenbeath, while Elgin defeated new boys Edinburgh City 3-0.
Berwick Rangers moved into third with a 2-0 win over Annan Athletic.
Clyde had to settle for a 1-1 draw away to Stirling Albion, who picked up their first point of the season, while derby rivals Montrose and Arbroath also drew 1-1 at Links Park.
Ryan McCord endured a mixed day for Arbroath; scoring his first goal for the club before being sent off early in the second half.
Chris Templeman equalised for the hosts with his third goal in as many games.
Ross Forsyth atoned for an earlier error to earn Stirling a draw against Clyde.
His short back header allowed Sean Higgins to steal in and low over the goalkeeper, but six minutes later he fired a rocket of a shot into the back of the net, before his team-mate Ross Smith was dismissed near for a second bookable offence.
Shane Sutherland claimed a first-half double to add to Craig Gunn's earlier effort as Elgin netted three times in eight minutes to beat Edinburgh.
Gavin Swankie scored a late winner as Forfar beat Cowdenbeath 4-3 in an entertaining game at Station Park.
Craig Sives opened the scoring for the Fifers before the hosts levelled within three minutes when James Lister headed in Danny Denholm's floated corner.
Denholm then put Forfar ahead with a free-kick before Josh Peters added the home side's third early in the second half.
Goals from Nikolay Todorov and Lewis Moore saw the visitors level with 10 minutes remaining, but Swankie had the last word with his 87th-minute strike.
Berwick claimed a 2-0 win over Annan despite being reduced to 10 men early in the second half.
Steven Thomson struck in the fourth minute after Allan Walker's mis-hit volley was worked into the six-yard box.
The hosts took the slender lead into the half-time break but suffered a blow early in the second half when Johnny Fairbairn was shown a straight red card.
However, despite being a man down, Berwick added their second in the 65th minute thanks to Michael McKenna, who scored with a low shot from close range.


Fallout 4 has won the best game of the year at 2016's British Academy Games Awards.

It marks the first time its US-based developer Bethesda has won the prize. It did not win in any other category.
British indie titles Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and Her Story both won three awards.
London-based Rocksteady Studios walked away with best British game for Batman: Arkham Knight, its third and final game in the series.
John Carmack - the creator of Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Quake - was also honoured with a Bafta fellowship, the academy's highest honour.
He now works at Facebook's Oculus virtual reality division.
Mr Carmack told the BBC there was a "very good chance" VR titles would dominate 2017's ceremony.
"Award shows like this will tend to be kind of bellwethers about where things are going," he explained.
"[The games] won't dominate the market for some time yet, but they will be the exciting things that people are talking about."
Fallout 4 is an action-focused role-playing game set in Boston following a nuclear war. It contains hundreds of hours of storyline to explore.
Like last year's winner - Destiny - it had not won a prize in any of the other categories before taking the top award.
The studio's European managing director said he had not expected the result, and recalled that although Fallout is now one of gaming's biggest franchises, it too started out small.
"I'm genuinely humbled to receive this on behalf of Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios," said Sean Brennan.
"You don't have to have the multi-million dollar budgets to make great games - I've seen a huge amount of evidence for that tonight."
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture had been tipped for the top prize after being nominated 10 times across nine categories.
It won three of them: game innovation, music and performer.
The game is set in a fictitious Shropshire village in the 1980s and involves the player trying to find out what happened to the inhabitants who have disappeared.
Its pace is slow and the studio behind it said it wanted the title to have a distinctive English character.
"It was really important to us that it wasn't a chisel-jawed American hero going around fighting zombies," The Chinese Room's co-founder Jessica Curry told the BBC.
"It's kind of like the Archers," she added, referring to the BBC Radio 4 soap opera.
Her Story also won three awards: best debut game, best mobile and handheld title, and game innovation.
The game - in which players must try to solve a murder by sifting through a video archive of a woman being questioned by police - was developed by Sam Barlow.
The British 37-year-old said he had deliberately tried to do something "experimental" by focusing on an actor's performance to see if the idea would appeal.
Another award-winner with distinctive gameplay was Sundown.
Its developer - Mild Beast Games - has created a top-down stealth title in which characters are invisible until they are revealed by a light source.
Guns in the game shoot bursts of light rather than bullets.
The title took the the "ones to watch" prize for the Los Angeles-based developer.
Was Fallout 4 taking the best game Bafta the oddest result of the night?
Arguably, but you have to bear in mind that while a panel of judges produced the shortlist, the top prize was determined by the wider Bafta membership taking a vote.
That wasn't the case for the other categories, which were chosen by individual judging panels.
The Fallout series has been nominated six times and this is its first win. So, while this post-apocalyptic retro-future holds the attentions of its fans, it seems it didn't grab the "experts" to the same degree.
Are the games too big?
If they are that might account for the lack of success the Witcher 3 had this year. Like Fallout that game presented an enormous world; rich in content and incident.
That said neither game pushed the development of narrative nor involved the kinds of innovative approaches that the awards seem to favour.
Smaller games, built by smaller studios are, at least at the moment, much more likely to carry home the laurels.
Smite won the AMD eSports Audience Award - a new category that is voted for by the public.
The battle arena title is unusual for presenting its action from a third-party perspective behind each of the 71 gods the players can choose from.
This and other competitive multiplayer titles have become a popular spectator sport.
On Wednesday, it was announced that a new eGames international gaming tournament would make its debut in Rio during this summer's Olympic Games.


Veteran Bollywood actor and producer Shashi Kapoor is to be given the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema.

The 77-year-old, who acted in huge hits like Deewar and Kabhie Kabhie, belongs to the Kapoor family which has long dominated the Hindi film industry.
He has won several national film awards and was given the civilian award Padma Bhushan by the government in 2011.
He also acted in several British and American films.
Kapoor is the 46th winner of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award which is given by the government for "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema".
The prestigious award was also conferred on his father Prithviraj Kapoor, a theatre and film actor, and his elder brother Raj Kapoor, who was a well-known actor, producer and director.
Shashi Kapoor began his career as a child actor and appeared in 160 films, including a dozen in English like the 1983 Merchant Ivory production Heat and Dust.
He starred alongside Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan in some of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters of the 1970s and 1980s, including Deewar, Trishul and Kabhie Kabhie and won a huge fan following.
Soon after the announcement of the award on Monday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him on Twitter as a "stalwart of the film industry":
Congress party MP Naveen Jindal also congratulated the actor:
In a series of tweets, actress Shabana Azmi described him as a "trailblazer":
And author Shobhaa De said he was the "handsomest star ever":


Russia's Muslim community has never been united, and Russia's air strikes in Syria are threatening to stoke existing tensions.

The air campaign began a week ago, with Moscow declaring it was targeting positions of so-called Islamic State (IS) and other Islamists.
But Turkey and other Nato allies fear the principal targets are Syrian opposition groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia's Muslims tend to fall into three camps: those who support the Kremlin campaign, those who condemn President Assad and his allies but back actions against IS, and those who support IS.
More than 11 million Russians are Muslim, according to official figures that date back to 2011. But experts believe the true figure could be as high as 20 million - nearly 14% of the population.
Russia has more than 80 muftis who lead its Muslim community, but their influence and attitudes vary significantly.
Almost 6,400 of Russia's 7,000 mosques are controlled by muftis who are more or less loyal to state officials.
They supported President Vladimir Putin's decision to start air strikes on Syria - though in their statements pro-Kremlin muftis did not comment on Western allegations that many of the operations targeted moderate opposition groups.
High-stakes gamble Risks of air forces from Russia, Syria and Nato operating in close proximity
Why? What? How? Five things you need to know about Russia's involvement
What can Russia's air force do? The US-led coalition has failed to destroy IS. Can Russia do any better?
The close ties behind Russia's intervention
But some religious leaders in Russia do question Mr Putin's decision to strike.
"We don't know exactly where the bombs landed, so we can't be sure of anything," mufti Nafigulla Ashirov told the BBC. "However if Russian planes were targeting one of the sides of the civil conflict rather than IS positions - this can't be justified."
"IS is a force which came to Syria from abroad and people should resist it. However others shouldn't interfere in the civil war between pro-government troops and the opposition. This is an internal matter for the Syrian people.
"And this conflict should not be mixed up with resistance to IS," Mr Ashirov explains.
Most of Syria's opposition fighters are Sunni Muslims - like most of the Muslims who live in Russia.
Meanwhile, the forces supported by Moscow consist either of Alawites, who dominate the Syrian army, or Shias, who include Hezbollah forces from neighbouring Lebanon.
These are uncomfortable truths for some within the Russian Muslim community.
"Bashar al-Assad is well known for his actions against the Muslims of Syria," complains Muslim activist Ali Charinsky. "All Muslims are one community, one body - that is why we can't be happy about Russia's decision. None of my friends or the Muslims I know are happy about it."
But the idea of anyone openly protesting against Russia's action is highly unlikely, according to religious activist Ayrat Vakhitov, because of the fear of prosecution by the authorities.
He was himself arrested on several occasions by Russian security services in response to allegations of extremism.
However, the court ruled in his favour and the Russian security service, the FSB, even sent him an apology. Mr Vakhitov has since emigrated and supports the Syrian opposition while opposing IS.
According to the security services, nearly 2,500 Russians are currently fighting for IS and thousands more have gone to join IS from other former Soviet states.
But Mr Vakhitov insists few Russian Muslims support IS and their number is declining.
"Those whose friends or relatives have already joined IS support the radicals. They prefer to share their friends' positions," Mr Vakhitov explains.
"However, overall IS is losing support in Russia."
He believes the country's Muslims have begun to understand the reality of the Islamic State militant group. "The beautiful stories they tell are fake."


A man who lost his arm in a car crash 13 years ago has said he risks losing his independence if he is denied a new prosthetic by the NHS.

Adrian Barrass, 51, from Mexborough in South Yorkshire had his right arm amputated after a car accident in 2004.
He has applied for a new type of prosthetic after other types he was given did not work for him.
NHS England said patients can receive further treatment if the usual NHS care is not appropriate for them.
More on this story and others in Yorkshire
Mr Barrass said a new arm would make a "massive difference" to his life.
"Tying your shoelaces, spreading butter, it sounds so simple but you try doing it with one hand. It's horrible," he said.
"The little things would mean the most, like being able to put both my arms around my children."
He has applied several times to NHS England's Individual Funding Request (IFR) panel for a new type of prosthetic without success.
He is being supported by the Wentworth and Dearne Labour MP John Healey, who said specialists at Leeds Hospital believe Mr Barrass would benefit from the digital elbow prosthesis.
The MP said the NHS appeared to be "stonewalling".
In a statement NHS England said: "Following an IFR, patients are assessed to determine whether their particular condition means the treatment already available is unsuitable.
"Patients can receive treatments if it is determined their particular clinical situation means they are so different from others who have the same clinical condition that the usual NHS care is not appropriate for them."


Italy must step up efforts to contain a bacterial disease blighting olive trees in the southern province of Lecce, the European Commission has warned.

The Xylella fastidiosa bacteria also threatens citrus fruit and vineyards.
The Commission says at least 10% of the 11 million olive trees in Lecce are infected. It wants Italy to destroy infected trees and restrict any trade in species vulnerable to the disease.
New emergency measures are to be proposed by the Commission this week.
Thousands of hectares of olives are affected by the outbreak - a major worry for Italy, which is the EU's second biggest olive oil producer after Spain.
The Commission set out a range of measures to contain the outbreak last July, but says the situation has deteriorated since then and more action is needed.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says the disease, which kills trees by desiccation, is spread by various sap-sucking insects.
An EFSA spokesperson told the BBC that there remain "a lot of uncertainties" about the Italian outbreak, despite a comprehensive EFSA study of it published in January.
"Even trees not showing symptoms might carry the bacteria, which makes it really difficult. Just cutting down trees with symptoms might not be enough," he said.
Italian officials in Lecce say 15km-wide (nine-mile) buffer strips will be created around plantations which have infected trees. Those strips should be free of species vulnerable to the disease, so that the blight is contained.
Local officials, quoted by Italy's AGI news agency, suspect the disease entered Italy through ornamental plants imported from Costa Rica.
The Xylella blight has previously ravaged vineyards in California and citrus groves in Brazil, EFSA says.
A local campaign group called Peacelink disputes the EU data on the disease, however, arguing that a fungal infection is most likely to blame.
In a letter to EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, Peacelink says more than 500 olive trees treated for fungi have recovered since spring last year.
It says research by the University of Foggia pointed to fungi, rather than Xylella, as the cause.
Peacelink urged the EU not to destroy olive trees en masse in the affected area, saying such a move would be "totally unnecessary".