Donald Trump came into office promising to change the face of American politics and transfer power "back to the people".

After four weeks in the White House, he said "incredible progress" had been made, having signed some two dozen executive actions and put his signature to several bills.
He also fired his scandal-hit national security adviser and an acting attorney general, who defied his seven-nation travel ban, which later suffered an appeals court defeat.
So what has President Trump achieved so far? In the weeks and months to come, we'll be tracking the progress he makes on his agenda and how it is received by the American public.
One way President Trump is able to exercise political power is through unilateral executive orders and memoranda, which allow him to bypass the legislative process in Congress in certain policy areas.
He wasted little time in taking advantage of this privilege, quickly moving to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, cut business regulations and push ahead with completing the construction of two controversial pipelines.
While it may appear that President Trump has been signing executive actions at an unprecedented rate, he has signed less than President Obama did during the same period in office.
Mr Trump has used many of these actions to deliver on some of his campaign promises, but many of his promises cannot be fulfilled by executive action alone.
For example, his first executive order was designed to limit the effect of the Affordable Care Act, better know as Obamacare, but his promise of repealing and replacing it can only be enacted by Congress.
In-depth: The executive actions Trump has taken
What are presidential executive orders?
When Mr Trump took the oath of office on 20 January he did so with the lowest approval rating of any incoming president.
He dismissed those polls as "rigged" but the strength of the opposition to him was evident when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets the day after his inauguration.
Most presidents begin their term with strong approval numbers, but President Trump has bucked that trend. While both George W Bush and Barack Obama were enjoying approval numbers in the 60s after one month in office, Mr Trump is around the 40% mark.
Donald Trump: Unchained and unapologetic
Mr Trump won the election with low approval numbers so it's unsurprising they're still low, but the scandal over his team's contacts with Russia and his controversial travel ban have kept them falling.
Do the numbers matter? Maybe not, for now. Republicans control both the House and Senate so in theory he can pursue his legislative agenda without worrying about his ratings - as long as he keeps his Republican colleagues on side.
But if his ratings stay low or fall further, expect some dissenting voices to emerge in the party as Republicans start to worry about midterm elections in 2018.
For now though, there are signs that many of Mr Trump's supporters are happy with his progress - some we spoke to in Pennsylvania said he was doing "a fabulous job". You can hear their views here.
Russia: The scandal Trump can't shake
How and why did Trump's key adviser resign?
When Barack Obama became president in 2009, the US was in the midst of its worst recession since the 1930s, with the economy shedding 800,000 jobs in his first month.
But after a few dips later that year, the US economy saw its longest ever period of job creation. In total, 11.3 million jobs were created under President Obama.
President Obama and the tale of US jobs
Despite those strong numbers, President Trump described the economy as a "mess" and said he had "inherited many problems" from his predecessor.
He has vowed to create 25 million jobs over 10 years and become "the greatest jobs president... ever". We'll track the monthly jobs report to see what progress he makes.
President Trump has cited the strong stock market as a sign that his policies are already having an effect, saying there has been a "tremendous surge of optimism in the business world".
The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes all closed at record highs on 15 February in a partial sign at least that investors were encouraged by Mr Trump's planned infrastructure projects, deregulation and tax cuts.
But the president will need to avoid the backlash that followed his ban on immigrants coming into the US from seven mainly Muslim countries if he wants the stock market to continue hitting new highs.
All of the three major indexes fell slightly after Mr Trump's controversial executive order caused protests at airports across the country - and Silicon Valley lashed out at the president as well.
Latest news on the US economy
Immigration was President Trump's signature issue during the election campaign and he signed two executive orders on 25 January designed to fulfil his promises.
The first declared that the US would build a "physical wall" or similar "impassable physical barrier" - to the delight of all of those Americans who spent 2016 chanting: "Build the wall!"
It remains to be seen how Mr Trump will pay it, although he has repeatedly insisted that the US will recoup the costs from the Mexican government, despite their leaders saying otherwise.
There is already some 650 miles of fencing along the border, but we'll monitor what progress President Trump makes in turning it into what he has called the "Great Wall".
Who is going to pay for Trump's border wall?
Mr Trump's second executive order on border security said 10,000 more immigration officers would be hired to track down illegal immigrants - but extra funds will need to be signed off by Congress before this can happen.
His talk of a crackdown on illegal immigrants makes it sound as if they had an easy ride under President Obama, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest the opposite is true.
Between 2009 and 2015, the Obama administration deported more than 2.5 million people - most of whom had been convicted of some form of criminal offence or were recent arrivals - leading some to label President Obama the "deporter-in-chief".
At one point, Mr Trump pledged to remove everyone not lawfully in the US - more than 11 million by most estimates - but he backed away from that after the election.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has launched a series of raids across the country since Mr Trump was elected, but it's still too early to say if deportation arrests have increased.
Has Trump started a new deportation drive?
Is arrest of 'dreamer' a sign of things to come?
Healthcare was an early test for President Trump and the Republican Party.
President Obama's Affordable Care Act helped more than 20 million previously-uninsured Americans to finally get health cover - but Mr Trump said he would act quickly to "repeal and replace" it.
While the Republican-controlled Congress has started efforts to repeal what's know as Obamacare, it is unclear whether they will try to replace it completely or just repair elements of it.
Can Obamacare be repealed?
US patients await Obamacare's fate
The scheme has faced several problems along the way and premium hikes in 2016 helped the Republicans frame it as a failure during the election campaign.
But a report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found that 18 million people could lose their insurance within a year if Congress repealed parts of it without having a new system in place.
Senior Republicans have said legislation to replace it will be unveiled in March.


The financial services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is creating 807 jobs in Belfast over the next five years.

More than 300 of the posts are aimed at qualified accountants, as well as graduates, in the company's new financial advisory service.
The other 500 jobs be graduates recruited for "staff augmentation" teams in PwC's global client businesses.
The average salary is £21,000.
The jobs represent an investment of over £40m, including an Invest NI grant of more than £4m.
It is the latest in a series of major investments by professional services firms in Belfast.
In September, Deloitte said it would create 338 jobs at its 'digital hub', currently based in the city's Gas Works.
Earlier this year, EY said it was adding almost 500 jobs to its Belfast operation.
PwC in Northern Ireland already employs over 1,000 people, and has increased by more than 300 over the past two years.
The Belfast office has a number of centres of excellence which support the wider global business in areas such as data analytics and cyber security.
Paul Terrington, PwC regional chairman, said the decision to locate two new projects in Northern Ireland "reflects our confidence in the high standard of the local graduate pool".
"Over the years we've benefited from strong local talent, recruiting both accountancy graduates and graduates from other disciplines," he said.
First Minister Peter Robinson said the investment was "a tremendous boost to the Northern Ireland economy and is another significant vote of confidence in Northern Ireland's talent".
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said local graduates would be  "the foundation" for PwC's business activities worldwide.


Demand from homebuyers in Wales has fallen for the fourth month in a row but property prices are continuing to rise, latest figures have shown.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said anecdotal reports suggested the EU Referendum result was a factor.
July's figures saw the sharpest fall in demand since August 2014.
As a result, the balance for newly agreed sales dropped to its lowest level in eight months.
Haverfordwest estate agent Paul Lucas said there was much uncertainty in the market and buyers had become very cautious, while property salesman David James, of Brecon, said sales had stood up after Brexit but that now the number of sales were down slightly.
RICS's chief economist Simon Rubinsohn said: "The housing market is currently balancing a raft of somewhat mixed economic news alongside the latest policy measures announced by the Bank of England, which have already begun to lower cost of mortgage finance.
"Against this backdrop, it is not altogether surprising that near term activity measures remain relatively flat.
"However, the rebound in the key 12 month indicators in the July survey suggest that confidence remains more resilient than might have been anticipated."
Where can I afford to live?


The Italian navy says it will continue search and rescue missions for migrants in the Mediterranean in parallel with an EU operation starting on Saturday.

The navy has been picking up migrants in an operation called Mare Nostrum off the Libyan coast for a year.
But this year has seen a surge of migrant boats heading for Europe and at least 3,000 migrants have drowned.
A new EU operation, Triton, will have only a third of Mare Nostrum's budget, raising concern about future rescues.
Triton will focus on border control - tasks such as vetting asylum seekers once they are ashore, and coastal patrols - rather than search and rescue in international waters.
But Italy's Admiral Filippo Foffi told the BBC that EU-Italian naval co-operation must continue in international waters.
There has been no order to stop Mare Nostrum yet, Adm Foffi said. However, Italian officials have made it clear that they intend to scale down their operation, as the EU's Frontex border agency puts Triton into action.
Mare Nostrum was launched after hundreds of migrants drowned off the isle of Lampedusa, and was only intended to be a temporary mission.
So far EU countries have pledged to give Operation Triton six ships, two planes and one helicopter. Many more operational details are yet to be hammered out - including how much time they will spend in international waters.
"If we are only in territorial waters we won't see people in danger and if they die we won't see it," Adm Foffi warned.
He said he was waiting to see what resources Italy's EU partners would offer to Frontex, and stressed that Frontex was currently involved in search and rescue work, alongside the Italian navy.
Frontex "is not the owner of the capability" - it relies on member states offering personnel and equipment, he explained.
The UK has said it will not support future search and rescue operations to prevent migrants drowning in the Mediterranean.
Foreign Office minister Baroness Anelay said such operations could encourage more people to attempt to make the dangerous sea crossing to enter Europe.
There has been a rise in the number of migrants trying to reach Italy in the past year, with many setting sail from Libya packed into unseaworthy boats.
About 150,000 migrants - mostly fleeing violence in the Horn of Africa and Middle East - have been rescued by Italian ships over the past 12 months.


British banker Rurik Jutting has been found guilty of murder, but in Jakarta, as BBC Indonesian's Rebecca Henschke reports, the grisly fate of the two Indonesian women he killed was seen as just another migrant worker story gone wrong.

Indonesians are used to reports of violence and abuse of their migrant workers. The media here carries horror stories almost every month and President Joko Widodo has made protecting migrant workers one of his key policies.
Some cases have sparked protests outside foreign embassies as fellow workers shout out for the rights of the women labouring abroad.
But few of them get so brutally killed and there has been notably little coverage of the murder trial in Hong Kong of Sumarti Ningsih and Seneng Mujiasih, the two victims.
On social media no one is really talking about it and when they do there is little sympathy for the women.
"Sumarti was generous. That much is clear from the evidence in the house. Her driving force was to improve life for her family, to make them richer. Life may be peaceful in the village but she would have been all too aware of the possibilities of a life with more material comforts."
The story of Sumarti: Born in Indonesia, murdered in Hong Kong
Facebook provides a clue as to why sympathy for the two women may be in short supply.
"That's the risk of being a sex worker," wrote one Facebook user. "They want to get rich but they don't want to work hard."
Another wrote: 'I hope God forgives the sins of the killer and the victim."
It's certainly true that some on social media point out that no matter what your profession, nobody deserves to be tortured like that. But activists say that the way the murders were reported two years ago dehumanised the two women.
"They have been incredibly stigmatised by the press as sex workers who in some way deserve to be tortured and killed,"  Anis Hidayah, the executive director of Migrant Care says.
"People are now not as interested as they should be in their families receiving the justice that they deserve for this horrific crime."
She sees this case as a missed opportunity.
"Hong Kong has always been seen as a safe place for our migrant workers to work in but these murders show that is not the case. This trial is very important to remind the government that they have lots of work to do to better protect our women abroad."
Fellow migrant worker Lidya says she is devastated by the lack of sympathy for her friends, adding that even the media coverage has lacked empathy.
"I can't understand why after this horrific thing has happened to them people focusing on their profession as female entertainers," she told BBC Indonesian.
Struggling with loss
Outside the Hong Kong court on Tuesday, a group representing the two families distributed statements describing how the women only wanted to seek a better life and support their families back in Indonesia, who still live in grinding poverty.
Ms Mujiasih's family described her as an "outgoing" person who had many friends.
"As a child, she had no aspirations whatsoever and only told her mother 'When I've finished school, I want to work so Mama would not be miserable'," they said.
In distant Cilacap, deep in the Javanese countryside, Ms Ningsih's father Ahmad Kaliman has been deeply shocked by the updates he has received from the trial about how his daughter died.
"I didn't know before that my daughter was tortured badly before she was killed. She suffered so much and it makes the pain of her death even worse," he said.
"I wish I could go there and punish him myself. I don't care what people say about her job. For us, she is a good girl that tried to help her parents and her family."
Since her death they have been struggling to keep Sumarti's seven-year-old son in school.
"She was the one who paid for everything, I hope the judge orders her murderer to pay for the costs of Muhamad's education," says her mother, Suratmi.
"She cannot be replaced.  I still can't accept that she is gone. Every time I remember her, I go to her tomb, and pray," she said, her eyes filled with tears.
In the two years since her death nobody from the Indonesian government has visited them. And no-one took the time to tell them that the trial was even on. They learned that from reporters.
When the BBC arrived at their home ahead of the verdict, the family were out working in their rice fields.
They were surprised to learn this was the day the man who killed their daughter would be convicted.
It's in stark contrast to the media circus that took place in Jakarta just a few weeks ago when a wealthy young woman was found guilty of murdering her friend with a cyanide-laced coffee because she was jealous.
That trial was broadcast live on all the major news channel and both families were given hours of coverage.
But today there are no cameras standing by outside Ahmad and Suratmi's home waiting to hear their story.


Two men have stolen a five-figure sum of money during an armed robbery at a Post Office in Glasgow.

The men entered the Post Office in Quarrywood Avenue, in the Barmulloch area, at 07:55 on Friday.
They threatened a member of staff with a knife and demanded money before escaping with the cash.
The 27-year-old worker was said by police to have been badly shaken but otherwise unharmed by the ordeal.
Both suspects are white, and one of them was about 35-40 years old with short brown hair and wearing a black jumper.
Det Sgt Raymond Hunter said officers had been carrying out door-to-door inquiries and were in the process of collecting CCTV images from the surrounding area.
He added: "There are a number of other shops in this area and people may have seen the two men prior to or after the incident.
"I am therefore appealing to anyone who was in the area or any local residents to contact us - any information you have could assist our enquiry."


France's far-right National Front (FN) has replaced its leader for the second time in three days after a row erupted about Holocaust denial.

Jean-François Jalkh had been named as the interim president on Tuesday after Marine Le Pen stepped aside to fight for the French presidency.
Mr Jalkh denies claims that in past remarks he questioned the reality of Nazi gas chambers.
He is being replaced by Steeve Briois, one of the party's MEPs.
Like Mr Jalkh, Mr Briois is also one of the party's five vice-presidents. He is mayor of the National Front-run town of Henin-Beaumont in northern France.
"Mr Briois will take over the interim leadership and there'll be no more talk about it," fellow FN vice-president Louis Aliot - who is also Ms Le Pen's partner - told BFMTV news channel.
It is an unwelcome development for Ms Le Pen, who has worked hard to distance her party from its anti-Semitic roots - expelling her father from the party he founded over his comments that the gas chambers were a "detail of history".
On Friday, Jean-Marie Le Pen waded into the controversy again, saying that a speech at a memorial for gay policeman Xavier Jugelé, who was killed by a gunman, had "exalted" the concept of gay marriage. The speech was given by Mr Jugelé's widower.
Ms Le Pen herself drew strong criticism on 9 April when she suggested France was not responsible for a 1942 wartime round-up of 13,000 Jews, who were sent from France to Nazi death camps.
In a coincidental twist, Ms Le Pen's rival for the presidency, Emmanuel Macron, on Friday visited the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, where Waffen-SS troops murdered 642 people in June 1944 in the worst Nazi massacre in occupied France.
%
Emmanuel  Macron
%
Marine  Le Pen
Please enable Javascript to view our poll of polls chart.
The polling average line  looks at the five most recent national polls and takes the median value, ie, the value between the two figures that are higher and two figures that are lower.
Opinion polls taken since the first round on Sunday suggest Mr Macron, candidate of the En Marche (On The Move) movement, will easily beat Ms Le Pen in the second round on 7 May.
The majority of their former rivals have backed Mr Macron, although right-wing politician Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, who won 5% of the vote, has urged voters to switch their support to Ms Le Pen.
Meanwhile, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who won 20% of the vote in the first round, has declined to back either, telling his supporters they can make their own minds up, dismissing the run-off as a contest between extreme finance and the far right.
Pollsters have suggested that high levels of abstention by would-be Macron supporters or an unexpected event could upset the predictions.
In a move widely decried by her critics as a stunt, Ms Le Pen announced she was temporarily stepping aside as FN leader on Monday. She said she wanted to remain "above partisan considerations" as she campaigned for 7 May.
But when Mr Jalkh was announced as her replacement on Tuesday, excerpts surfaced of an interview conducted with academic Magali Boumaza in 2000 in which Mr Jalke questioned whether the Nazis had used the cyanide-based pesticide Zyklon-B in the gas chambers.
"I consider it technically impossible - I repeat, impossible - to use it... in mass murder,"  Le Monde daily (in French) quoted him as saying. "Why? Because you have to wait several days before you can decontaminate a place where Zyklon B was used."
He also praised the "seriousness and rigour" of arguments put forward by Robert Faurisson, who has multiple convictions for Holocaust denial.
Mr Jalkh denies making these remarks.
"He feels that the climate is not conducive for him to carry out this interim role," Mr Aliot told BFMTV.
"He wants to defend himself and he will be filing a legal complaint because he feels that his honour has been attacked and I can tell you that he firmly and formally contests what he is accused of."


The BBC is better protected than the government under Freedom of Information laws due to a "quirk of the drafting of the act", Jack Straw has told MPs.

Mr Straw, who helped write the Act, argued there were "ridiculous" drafting errors and it should be tightened up.
A Supreme Court case showed the BBC had "far clearer" exemptions in some areas than the government, he said.
The information commissioner has said fears about FOI's effect on policy-making are "greatly overdone".
The Commons justice committee is holding an inquiry into the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, introduced by the previous Labour government under Tony Blair.
Mr Blair has since said he was an "idiot" for introducing it - likening it to handing his critics a mallet with which to hit him over the head.
Asked about the comments Mr Straw laughed and told the committee: "It was his idea. I have an alibi."
He said the legislation had been a product of the "zeitgeist" of the early 1990s and "was not thought about in all that seriousness" before Labour came to power.
Mr Straw said it was "not a particularly well constructed act, intellectually" and suggested that areas that needed rewriting were those relating to protecting collective responsibility, protecting a "space" for confidential advice in policy making and a "ridiculous drafting error" that meant that if the rarely-exercised ministerial veto was used, it did not apply "for all time".
He said Labour had not thought clearly enough about how the Act would operate and, while he did not believe it should be scrapped, he had particular concerns about sections 35 and 36 with which there was a "very considerable problem".
Section 35 exempts information used in policy formulation and development from having to be released but it is not absolute and must be weighed against the balance of public interest. Section 36 relates to information which would "prejudice the maintenance of collective ministerial responsibility" or "inhibit the free and frank provision of advice or exchange of views".
The Labour government had believed it was establishing a "class exemption" with section 35 - effectively exempting all policy-based information rather than having to show any specific harm would be caused if it were released.
But he said, since then the FOI tribunal had suggested it only applied while policy was being developed, not afterwards: "That is crazy and it's not remotely what was intended."
"What needs to happen is that the law certainly needs to be clarified... my view is what you need is a class exemption, full stop, which exempts information if it relates to the formulation of government policy, ministerial communications etc."
Class exemption was also required for documents sought which might inhibit the provision of "free and frank advice" - and those which might undermine collective responsibility.
By a "quirk of the drafting of the act" the BBC had "ended up with far clearer class exemption than has any government", said Mr Straw.
He pointed to the Supreme Court ruling in February that the BBC did not have to publish the internal Balen report into its Middle East coverage. The court ruled that, once it was established that the information was held by the BBC to any significant degree for the purposes of journalism, it was exempt from disclosure.
Mr Straw said: "So it has a total class exemption for the operation of its internal decision making. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander in my opinion. If it's good enough for the country's largest journalistic institution it's good enough.
"The BBC's a very important institution but it's not actually running the government."
Committee chairman Alan Beith said it could be argued that the government was different because it was making decisions that affected people's lives "on an enormous scale".
But Mr Straw said collective responsibility and decision-making was "fundamental to the running of government".
"If you undermine collective responsibility, which is essentially what the [information] tribunal and the enthusiasts for FOI have been doing, then you will start to undermine government. And then, far from discouraging leaking and poor record-keeping, you will encourage it."
He said there should be "a space in which decision makers can think thoughts without the risk of disclosure" - and not just at the time.
"I'm very struck that this right to protect private space for decision-making is one which many in the media including the BBC seek to deny government but are very jealous about guarding for themselves."
Asked whether he agreed with Labour's recent FOI demands for publication of the "risk register" compiled ahead of controversial NHS changes in England, he said he had "loyally voted" with his party on the issue.
But he said, talking "generally" about risk registers, it had to be possible for officials to give ministers advice on risks, without it going public which would "set all sorts of hares running" for which it was not designed: "It must be, in my view, protected."


Kyle Edmund won the Buenos Aires Challenger event to improve his chances of making Great Britain's squad for the Davis Cup final later this month.

The 20-year-old beat Carlos Berlocq 6-0 6-4 in the clay court tournament.
The victory could move Edmund back into the world's top 100 and comes before GB face Belgium on clay in the Davis Cup final in Ghent from 27-29 November.
Dan Evans was selected ahead of James Ward and Edmund in the singles for GB's semi-final win over Australia.


A North Korean goalkeeper has been fined and banned for a year for deliberately conceding a goal that helped his side get an easier cup tie.

Jang Paek-ho was beaten by the opposition goalkeeper as North Korea lost 3-1 to Uzbekistan at the AFC Under-16 Championship in September.
The Asian Football Confederation also fined and banned the team's manager.
It said Yung Jong-su and Jang "brought the game into disrepute" with "the deliberate conceding of a goal".
Manager Yung was fined £4,000, Jang was fined £800 and North Korea's football association was fined £16,000.
Jang came rushing out of his area and appeared to duck underneath the Uzbekistan keeper's long kick forward.
As the ball bounced towards his net, Jang clearly still had a chance of preventing a goal, but he threw himself on the ground before he could reach it, allowing the opposition to take a 1-0 lead.
Uzbekistan's victory meant they played eventual winners Iraq in the quarter-finals.
By losing, North Korea finished second in their group - behind Uzbekistan. They went on to beat Oman in the last eight before losing on penalties to Iran in the semi-finals.
The four teams who made the last semi-finals all qualified for the U17 World Cup, to be held in India from 6-28 October 2017.
The AFC will allow North Korea to compete - without Jang and manager Yung - but said they would ban the team from the 2018 AFC U19 Championship if they "engage in similar behaviour" during qualifying for the event.


National League side Torquay United have signed defenders Aarran Racine and Jared Hodgkiss on loan from Forest Green and Kidderminster respectively.

Centre-back Racine, 25, had been on loan with York, but will now stay with the Gulls until the end of the season.
Former West Brom trainee Hodgkiss, 30, played with Torquay player-boss Kevin Nicholson at Harriers.
The right-back has also had spells at Aberdeen, Northampton and Forest Green, where he played 164 league games.
"They are both real men, real leaders," said Nicholson. "They are characters that I want. They will both come in and help the group we have got, both on and off the pitch."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.


Cameroon legend Samuel Eto'o announced that a charity match on Saturday in the Turkish city of Antalya - aimed at raising money for his foundation - was postponed until further notice following an attempted coup in the country.

A number of football stars were already in Antalya to support Eto'o, who currently plays for Turkish side Antalyaspor, including Nigeria's Kanu Nwankwo and Jay-Jay Okocha, Ghana's Stephen Appiah and Michael Essien and Ivory Coast's Kolo Toure.
Ghana-born Marcel Desailly, Carles Puyol, Deco and former England manager Fabio Capello were also there for the game between a World Stars side and Turkey Stars team which had been organised to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Fundación Privada Samuel Eto'o in Turkey.
Eto'o, a four-time African Footballer of the Year, took to his social media accounts to reveal the charity match had to be cancelled due to the unrest in the country.
"Dear all, I am sorry to announce that for security reasons, Eto'o Charity Match, that was supposed to take place today [Saturday] at 8pm at Antalya Arena, is postponed until further notice. I thank each and everyone of you for your continuous support and count on your understanding. #Love."
As well as Lionel Messi and Didier Drogba, Luis Suarez, Diego Maradona, Neymar, Eden Hazard, Francesco Totti, Xavi, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Andres Iniesta, Demba Ba and Arda Turan were all expected to travel for the game.
Established ten years ago, the Fundación Privada Samuel Eto'o charity was created as a non-profit organisation striving to raise awareness of the needs of the African continent.
Its goal is the protection of children and young people, providing emergency aid and encouraging education, basic health and social inclusion for the disadvantaged in order to help them create opportunities for the future, according to its website.
Eto'o, Cameroon's 54-goal all-time leading scorer, announced his retirement from international football in August 2014.
The former Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter, Chelsea and Everton player made his international debut in 1997 during a 5-0 defeat to Costa Rica.
He went on to become an Olympic gold medallist at Sydney 2000, scoring in the final against Spain to take the match to extra-time and also slotting home his kick in the penalty shoot-out victory.
Eto'o is the leading all-time scorer in the Nations Cup with 18 goals and he appeared at four World Cup finals - 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014 - playing in eight matches and scoring three goals.
His last match for Cameroon was the 1-0 defeat by Mexico at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.


A hotel which prides itself on the "worst view in the world" is set to attract international attention - because it is a collaboration with the famous street artist Banksy.
The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem looks out on the concrete slabs of the controversial barrier Israel has built in and around the occupied West Bank.
Israel says it is needed to prevent terror attacks. Palestinians say it is a device to grab land and the International Court of Justice has called it illegal.
The rooms of the hotel are also filled with the anonymous artist's work, much of which is about the conflict.
The owners say it will be a real, functioning hotel, opening on 20 March.
But the hotel is also part art gallery and part political statement.


Elgin City slipped out of the League Two promotion play-off zone with a goalless draw at Stirling Albion.

Stirling's Lewis McLear struck the post early, while at the other end team-mate Steven Doris cleared a Jamie Duff header off his own line.
The Binos reasserted themselves and Sean Dickson forced City goalkeeper Mark Hurst into a spectacular save.
After the break, Darren Smith made a burst through the middle for the hosts but fired just wide.


Chris and Gabby Adcock will this week bid to become the first British badminton world champions since 2006.

Britain's last world title was secured by Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson, while Chris Adcock partnered Imogen Bankier to world silver in 2011.
The Adcocks are the reigning European and Commonwealth champions.
"We have a good track record in Glasgow and hopefully we can get the crowd behind us and challenge for a medal," Gabby Adcock told BBC Sport.
The World Championships run from 21-27 August and are being held in the venue that hosted badminton events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
After receiving over £5m in the build-up to the Rio Olympics - where Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis won bronze - GB Badminton was hit with the "devastating" news late last year that it would lose all UK Sport support leading towards the 2020 Games.
As a result, half of the English players and support staff had to be cut from the programme in Milton Keynes.
"It was tough and a massive kick in the teeth, but as athletes and support staff we'll bounce back together," said Gabby Adcock.
The Adcocks, who married in 2013, remain part of a 12-strong group of English players looking to challenge for honours and despite their struggles off the court the pair claimed silver at the World Superseries Finals in Dubai and became European champions for the first time in April.
"Obviously it's been a lot harder and an emotional time when people have been losing their jobs, or unable to train but on court we've channelled that into working even harder," Chris Adcock told BBC Sport.
Gabby Adcock added: "Winning a medal would be huge and it's one of the wish-list to tick off.
"Commonwealths was one and Europeans was another so it's now world and Olympic medals and, as we're coming into our prime over the next four years, I feel like it's definitely achievable."
Chris Adcock continued: "It's been a painful time but we've moved on and even though UK Sport aren't funding us, our ambitions haven't changed."
The Adcocks as well as Ellis and Langridge and Scottish Commonwealth silver medallist Kirsty Gilmour have received first-round byes at the World Championships and begin their campaigns on Tuesday.


A British woman thought to have travelled to Turkey using her twin sister's passport has been arrested by counter-terror police at Luton Airport.

Jamila Henry, 21, was detained at a bus station in Ankara by Turkish police who suspected she was trying to get to Syria, the BBC understands.
She was deported and arrested by Metropolitan Police officers as she stepped off her flight from Istanbul.
Police said she was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.
Ms Henry, who grew up in Streatham, south London, is being held in police custody, Scotland Yard said.
She is believed to have travelled to Turkey using the passport of her twin sister Jalila.


Nearly 10 attacks were made on migrants in Germany every day in 2016, the interior ministry says.

A total of 560 people were injured in the violence, including 43 children.
Three-quarters of the attacks targeted migrants outside of their accommodation, while nearly 1,000 attacks were on housing.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to open up Germany to people fleeing conflict and persecution has polarised the country and boosted hate crime.
Germany is struggling with a backlog of asylum applications and there are fears about security following a series of terrorist attacks across Europe.
But the number of asylum seekers arriving in Germany in 2016 was 280,000, a drop of more than 600,000 from the previous year, following the closure of the Balkan migrant route and an EU deal with Turkey.
The issue is expected to feature heavily in parliamentary elections this September.
Sunday's interior ministry figures, which are preliminary, were released in response to a parliamentary question.
There was no comparison with previous years because attacks against individual migrants only started to be counted as a separate category in 2016.
In its statement, the interior ministry said it strongly condemned the violence.
"People who have fled their home country and seek protection in Germany have the right to expect safe shelter," the statement read.
Migrant crisis: A Syrian's struggle to become German
Swedish asylum shelter hit by blaze
MP Ulla Jelpke from the leftist Die Linke party said that the government was too focused on a perceived security threat from migrants while the real threat was coming from the far right.
"Do people have to die before the rightwing violence is considered a  central domestic security problem and makes it to the top of the national  policy agenda?" she said, quoted by the Funke media group.
"Nazis are threatening refugees and therefore our democracy."
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.


Traitors, jackals and vile liberals are just a few of the choice descriptions of Russia's opposition emerging from Chechnya in recent days, in a war of words that threatens to escalate.

It began on Friday when Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the southern Russian republic, labelled opponents of President Vladimir Putin "enemies of the people" and called for such "traitors" to be prosecuted for subversion, claiming they were working in league with the West.
Mr Kadyrov has now re-asserted his claims and gone even further in an online editorial for pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia.
Referring to a "half-witted rabble", he offered opposition activists the services of a Chechen psychiatric hospital to treat their "mass psychosis".
"I promise we won't spare the injections. We can do double," he wrote.
A boxer-turned-insurgent and now a self-styled "foot soldier" of President Putin, the man known simply as Ramzan is not someone many in Russia dare criticise openly.
Human rights groups have long accused him of presiding over widespread abuses in the Russian republic, and the key suspect in last year's shock shooting of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov beside the Kremlin walls had been deputy commander of one of his elite battalions. He was referred to by Ramzan as a "true patriot".
This time, the Chechen leader's comments appear to have touched a nerve.
The most dramatic response came from a little-known independent politician in Siberia, who raged against Ramzan on his Facebook page as the "shame of Russia".
"Why don't you get lost?" Konstantin Senchenko told him, and let "normal, honest people" work for the good of the country.
But the Siberian was soon eating his "hasty" words. The next day, he apologised profusely on Facebook for his "discourtesy", apparently after multiple calls from Chechnya.
Cartoons of his sudden change of heart soon spread on social media, depicting him begging forgiveness with a gun to his head.
In an ultimate humiliation, the shamefaced politician was seen in a video clip apologising personally to Ramzan for his "emotional outburst".
Activists on Twitter then took up the Siberian's insult with the hashtag #KadyrovshameofRussia.
Well-known opposition journalists followed that by filming themselves making fake, grovelling apologies to Ramzan "for existing".
One was filmed running on a treadmill with no trousers, just as a young Chechen man was forced to do recently after criticising Ramzan Kadyrov on Instagram.
Meanwhile, a group of prominent Russian liberals has begun gathering signatures demanding his resignation, and a St Petersburg politician has called on prosecutors to examine his statements for extremism.
But the backlash has only increased the tirade from Chechnya, where local politicians have been falling over themselves to express devotion to their leader.
None has outdone the speaker of parliament, Magomed Daudov, who posted a photograph of his boss holding back his huge, fierce dog on a leash and warned that Tarzan's teeth were "itching" - naming four well-known opposition figures whom the hound would presumably love to sink them into.
"Tarzan has become very frisky. We can barely restrain him," wrote the speaker in an Instagram post that attracted over 6,000 likes. "Just imagine what would happenâ€¦ If it weren't forâ€¦ Democracy."
There is some talk that this is all a show of strength by the Chechen leader: a reminder of the considerable forces at his disposal amid talk of a power struggle between Grozny and Moscow.
But the Kremlin has remained tight-lipped throughout, prompting others to conclude that it more likely endorses Ramzan's actions.
Parliamentary elections are due later this year and, with an economy battered by falling oil prices, there's concern that opposition groups could capitalise on potential social unrest.
"It's a message to all of those who don't agree with what's happening," argues former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who is now an opposition activist in exile and himself one of the obvious targets of Ramzan Kadyrov's ire.
"The authorities are afraid and they decided to frighten society," wrote Mr Khodorkovsky on his blog.
Another commentator has suggested that the Chechen leader simply wants to underline his loyalty to Moscow ahead of a wave of forced budget cuts and to ensure that the generous flow of federal subsidies to Chechnya does not stop.
Whatever the motive, the practice of singling out traitors is seen as particularly dangerous in the wake of Boris Nemtsov's murder.
A year ago, Putin loyalists were still beating the drum of patriotism following the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine; state TV was lashing out viciously at Kremlin critics; warnings that Ukraine-style revolutions would not be tolerated were rife.
Ramzan Kadyrov's latest outburst has resurrected the idea of an enemy within and the search for a scapegoat.
"The situation is very tense now," Mr Senchenko, explained by phone from Krasnoyarsk, pointing to Russia's mounting economic problems.
That concern is what motivated his own Facebook rage against Chechnya's leader.
"Some people really think there are enemies of the state and it's not clear what can enter their heads," he warned.  "So we need to be careful."


Bolton Wanderers could make a decision on new ownership before Saturday's home game against Queens Park Rangers, BBC Radio Manchester understands.

It is understood that three parties are interested in buying Wanderers from current owner Eddie Davies.
Banker Roger Tamraz, Bolton Wanderers Supporters Trust and a consortium led by Dean Holdsworth are in the running.
The Championship club are scheduled to appear in the High Court on Monday over an unpaid tax bill of around £3m.
Bolton could face the threat of a winding-up order from Revenue & Customs if they fail to pay their tax bill, but avoided an immediate order in January before their case was adjourned until 22 February.
The Trotters are £172.9m in debt and currently under a transfer embargo for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.


A hospital trust has admitted causing the death of a baby who suffered "catastrophic head injuries" after five forceps delivery attempts failed.

Thomas Beaty died 26 hours after an emergency Caesarean section at the Royal Oldham Hospital in April 2014.
His parents Hannah, 33, and Martin, 35, were "saddened" at the hospital's "inevitable" admission.
The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has apologised. It has introduced new guidelines for using forceps.
Greater Manchester North coroner Lisa Hashmi wrote to the trust, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Department of Health, after his inquest in April.
She stated that guidance on forceps use "at the time of Thomas's birth was found to be ambiguous, misleading and potentially open to misinterpretation".
The Beaty family's solicitors Slater Gordon said the trust, which runs the hospital, admitted the baby died as a result of head injuries sustained from the repeated use of forceps and being pushed back into the womb.
The inquest recorded a narrative verdict.
Mrs Beaty said: "We wanted answers, we wanted the hospital to be accountable for what they had done, but we also wanted change so that other families wouldn't have to go through what happened to us."
"I don't think forceps should be used at all, not if there's even the slightest risk that another baby could suffer like our son," she said.
Gill Harris, chief nurse at trust, said: "We have introduced a maternity services improvement plan.
"We have introduced new guidelines around the use of forceps during delivery and the staff involved have been retrained."
The trust said the NHS Litigation Authority had admitted liability in a letter to the Beaty family's solicitor.


China's Vice-President Xi Jinping will attend a China-Asean trade event, state media say, after emerging from an unexplained two-week absence.

Mr Xi, tipped to become China's next leader, appeared in public on Saturday.
His failure to attend a series of meetings with foreign figures had fuelled feverish speculation over his health and a potential power struggle.
China is due to hold a party congress next month that will see major changes in the top echelons of leadership.
However, no date has been set for the meeting, which is being watched closely.
Mr Xi will attend the opening ceremony and ''some other important activities'' of the 9th China-Asean expo in the southern city of Nanning later this month, Xinhua news agency reported.
It is not clear if Mr Xi will be meeting leaders from the 10-nation regional bloc who will be at the event from 21 to 25 September. Burmese President Thein Sein is among those scheduled to attend.
Mr Xi cancelled meetings with four foreign dignitaries visiting China in the past fortnight, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The uncharacteristic move in a country highly conscious of protocol sparked off a series of rumours over the state of Mr Xi's health, with suggestions ranging from a back injury to more serious conditions.
His ''disappearance'' and the lack of an official statement, coupled with there being no clear date for the party congress, also prompted speculation of a power struggle within the Communist party.
Some analysts said that some of the seats on the nine-strong politburo Standing Committee could still have been unallocated.
There have also been suggestions that the number of seats for the top leadership ranks may be reduced from the current nine to seven.
On Saturday, China's official news agency carried a brief report of Mr Xi's visit to the China Agricultural University in Beijing with a photograph showing the vice-president smiling and walking with other officials.
On Thursday, Mr Xi was cited in state media for the first time in 12 days, expressing condolences over the death of a former general.
During his absence, searches for Mr Xi's name on China's Twitter-like weibo micro-blogging sites were blocked.


Wales football manager Chris Coleman has been awarded an honorary degree from Swansea University.

Coleman, 46, who is from the city, was presented with the master of science (MSc) accolade at the University's Great Hall on Wednesday.
He was recently appointed an OBE after guiding Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 - its first major tournament in 58 years.
He said he was "delighted and honoured" with the award.
"It means so much that the recognition comes from my home city," he added. "I accept on behalf of all my family and friends who have helped me succeed in my chosen profession."
Swansea's honorary degree awards are made annually to recognise those who have made outstanding contributions to the university, region and Wales.
Coleman, whose side was knocked out by eventual Euro 2016 winners Portugal, was granted the freedom of Swansea in October.


The January transfer window looked destined to close with a bit of a whimper until it burst into life with a host of deadline-day moves in which, surprise, surprise, Celtic were not the only club to dip their hands into their wallet.

The Scottish Premiership leaders and reigning champions paid more than £2m to rip midfielders Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven away from League Cup final opponents Dundee United in the biggest move of the window.
But second-top Aberdeen also showed some ambition by paying about £300,000 for St Mirren midfielder Kenny McLean, while United responded themselves by buying forward Robbie Muirhead from Kilmarnock.
Motherwell also paid out for Kidderminister Harriers midfielder Marvin Johnson, but the Scottish Premiership lost its top scorer, with midfielder Tony Andreu heading to Norwich City from Hamilton Academical., while Billy Mckay headed to Wigan Athletic from Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
So who are the key signings for each club and how successful were their summer acquisitions?
Key January move:The trend of Celtic being the only Scottish club to pay any more than a pittance in transfer fees was broken as the midfield talent that is Kenny McLean, who for so long appeared to be destined for English football, added to the strong squad being assembled at Pittodrie.
How did they fare?:Marquee summer signing David Goodwillie has gone some way to resurrecting his reputation after his ill-fated spell at Blackburn Rovers, while Jeffrey Monakana returned to Brighton having failed to improve his. However, it is the form of goalkeeper Scott Brown and defender Ash Taylor, until the latter suffered serious injury, who provided the rock on which Aberdeen's fine season has been built despite arriving relatively unheralded from England's lower leagues.
In: Kenny McLean, midfielder (St Mirren, £300,000); Lukas Culjak, defender (Borussia Dortmund).Loan: Donervon Daniels, defender (West Bromwich Albion).
Out: Loan ended: Jeffrey Monakana, midfielder (Brighton and Hove Albion). Loan: Craig Storie, midfielder (Brechin City); Craig Murray, defender (Ayr United).
Key January move:Celtic waited until deadline day before making the big move of the January window, with blossoming pair Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven arriving from Dundee United. However, the retention of fellow midfielder Kris Commons on a new contract could prove just as astute.
How did they fare?: Craig Gordon proved to be the bargain of the summer, with the goalkeeper rekindling his international form on his return from long-term injury. Of Celtic's other summer acquisitions, only on-loan Manchester City striker John Guidetti impressed and even his form has shaded.
In: Stuart Armstrong, midfielder (Dundee United, undisclosed); Gary Mackay-Steven, midfielder (Dundee United, undisclosed); Michael Duffy, midfielder (Derry City, undisclosed).
Out: Filip Twardzik, midfielder (Bolton Wanderers, undisclosed); Marcus Fraser, defender (Ross County); Paul George, midfielder (Dunfermline Athletic). Loan ended: Joe Inge Berget, midfielder (Cardiff City). Loan: Stuart Findlay, defender (Dumbarton); John Herron, midfielder (Cowdenbeath); Paul McMullan, forward (Stenhousemuir); Jordan Hart, goalkeeper (Annan Athletic).
Key January move:If Paul Hartley can get the careers of Stephen McGinn and Alex Harris back on track after the midfield pair's recent blips at Sheffield United and Hibs respectively, it could go a long way to securing a top-six place for Dundee.
How did they fare?: Dundee recruited a host of well-kent Scottish top-flight faces as Paul Hartley reshaped his promoted squad, but it was Greg Stewart, a striker plucked from relative obscurity with Cowdenbeath, who has outshone the lot with his 14-goal contribution.
In: Stephen McGinn, midfielder (Sheffield United); Paul Heffernan, forward (Hibernian); Kostadin Gadzhalov, defender (Dubrudzha Dobrich); Ben Priest, defender (Wolverhampton Wanderers). Loan: Alex Harris, midfielder (Hibernian).
Out: Peter MacDonald, forward (Greenock Morton); Arvid Schenk, goalkeeper; Nicky Riley, midfielder (Peterhead); Cammy Kerr, defender (Peterhead). Loan: Martin Boyle, forward (Hibernian); Phil Roberts, midfielder (Alloa Athletic); Dylan Carreiro, midfielder (Arbroath); Jamie Reid, midfielder (Elgin City).
Key January move: Despite United trying to suggest that the recruitment of five players compensated for the sale of Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven to Celtic, the midfield pair's departure can only weaken their hopes of defeating the Glasgow side in both the Scottish Cup quarter-finals and League Cup final.
How did they fare?: Jackie McNamara plundered Poland, Norway, England and the Netherlands for new talent, but it was his raid on Rangers for Charlie Telfer that turned out to be his steal of the summer. The young midfielder who struggled to find a place in a Rangers team in League One became a Premiership hit.
In: Robbie Muirhead, forward (Kilmarnock, £150,000); Henri Anier, forward (Erzgebirge Aue); Ryan McGowan, defender (Shandong Luneng Taishan); Paul Dixon, defender (Huddersfield Town); Simon Murray, forward (Arbroath, undisclosed).
Out: Stuart Armstrong, midfielder (Celtic, £2m); Gary Mackay-Steven, midfielder (Celtic, nominal); Mark Wilson, defender (Dumbarton). Loan: Keith Watson, defender (Hibernian); Darren Petrie, midfielder (Dumbarton); Ola Adeyemo, forward (East Fife); Jordan Moore, forward (Queen's Park); Marc McCallum, goalkeeper (Arbroath); Simon Murray, forward (Arbroath).
Key January move: The big decision for Hamilton during January was who would replace Norwich City-bound manager Alex Neil. Big defender Martin Canning was handed the job despite big-name wooings from the likes of Rino Gattuso, but Neil's deadline-day raid for Premiership top scorer Tony Andreu will not help the new player-manager recover from a difficult start.
How did they fare?: Recruiting Michael McGovern from Falkirk proved to be an astute move, with the goalkeeper proving again to be top-flight quality, while Dougie Imrie took the step back up to the top-flight in his stride.
In: Guillaume Beuzelin, assistant manager (Dumbarton); Chris Swailes, head coach; Nico Sumsky, midfielder (Dukla Banska Bystrica); Lucas Tagliapietra, defender (Milsami Orhei); Nigel Hasselbaink, forward (Veria); Lee Lynch, midfielder (Limerick).
Out: Alex Neil, manager-midfielder (Norwich City, undisclosed); Tony Andreu, midfielder (Norwich City, undisclosed); Mikael Antoine-Curier, forward; Jason McGrath, forward.
Key January move: For the second window in a row, there have been no significant additions to John Hughes' squad. And the sale of Billy Mckay to Wigan Athletic leaves Yogi without a recognised experienced striker and having to rely on that total football to which he aspires.
How did they fare?: The only senior summer signing, former Hibs midfielder Lewis Horner, has only made one substitute appearance and that was back in August.
In: None.
Out: Billy Mckay, forward (Wigan Athletic, undisclosed); Ibra Sekajja, forward (Livingston).
Key January move: Allan Johnston overcame a difficult first season at Rugby Park only to exit the manager's post after expressing his disappointment at the deadline-day sale of forward Robbie Muirhead to Dundee United.
How did they fare?: Josh Magennis has played more games than anyone for Kilmarnock this season, but the striker's statistics - just four goals - highlight where the problem has been this season for Kilmarnock, who have been unable to find a replacement for Kris Boyd.
In: None.
Out: Allan Johnston, manager; Robbie Muirhead, forward (Dundee United, £150,000); Ross Davidson, midfielder (Albion Rovers).
Key January move: Manager Ian Baraclough has brought in a host of faces from the English lower leagues he knows so well, but it could be the return of Motherwell old boy and former Scotland midfielder Stephen Pearson that provides the midfield influence that steadies the sinking ship that led to Stuart McCall's departure.
How did they fare?: Henrik Ojamaa and Lionel Ainsworth proved to be less exciting additions than expected considering their first spells at Fir Park, with the former heading back to Legia Warsaw.
In: Marvin Johnson, midfielder (Kidderminster Harriers, undisclosed); Stephen Pearson, midfielder (Kerala Blasters); Nathan Thomas, forward (Plymouth Argyle). Loan: George Long, goalkeeper (Sheffield United); Conor Grant, midfielder (Everton); Anthony Straker, defender (York City); Louis Lang, defender (Nottingham Forest).
Out: Kenny Black, assistant manager. Loan: Morgyn Neill, defender (Ayr United). Loan ended: Henrik Ojamaa, forward (Legia Warsaw).
Key January move: Thistle will be hoping that striker Lyle Taylor makes as big an impression on loan from Scunthorpe United as he did at Firhill last season. However, the arrival of Callum Booth from Hibs could be just as significant as they have struggled to compensate at left-back following Jake Carroll's injury and return to Huddersfield Town.
How did they fare?: Former Gretna midfielder Abdul Osman impressed on his return to Scottish football from Crewe Alexandra as a controlling influence in the centre of the park. In contrast, former Blackpool striker Nathan Eccleston exited after only six months at Firhill.
In: Ryan Finnie, defender (Rangers). Loan: Lyle Taylor, forward (Scunthorpe United); Callum Booth, defender (Hibernian).
Out: Aaron Muirhead, defender (Falkirk); Nathan Eccleston, forward; Lee Gallacher, goalkeeper (Stenhousemuir). Loan ended: Jake Carroll, defender (Huddersfield Town). Loan: Liam Lindsay, defender (Airdrieonians).
Key January move: Much may rest on the shoulders of former Hearts midfielder Rueben Palazuelos, most recently in the Greek top flight, if Ross County are to escape the deep relegation trouble in which they find themselves.
How did they fare?: Most of Derek Adams' plethora of summer signings have been ditched by successor Jim McIntyre, with only goalkeeper Antonio Reguero, on-loan Celtic midfielder Jackson Irvine and returning Cardiff City playmaker Filip Kiss getting into double figures in terms of starts.
In: Rueben Palazuelos, midfielder (Ermis); Raffaele De Vita, midfielder (Cheltenham Town); Darvydas Sernas, midfielder (Wigry Suwalki); Craig Curran, forward (Nuneaton Town); Marcus Fraser, defender (Celtic).  Loan: Cameron Burgess, defender (Fulham)
Out: Yoann Arquin, forward (St Mirren); Darren Maatsen, forward (Den Bosch); Lewis Toshney, defender (Cowdenbeath)
Key January move: Danny Swanson could be a shrewd deadline-day acquisition should the clever midfielder recapture the form that led to a move to English football from Dundee United.
How did they fare?: Simon Lappin has added some much-needed class on the ball to the Saints midfield on loan from Cardiff City.
In: George Hunter, forward (Spartans). Loan: Danny Swanson, midfielder (Coventry City).
Out: Gary McDonald, midfielder (Peterhead); Scott Stevenson, midfielder. Loan: Dylan Easton, midfielder (Dumbarton).
Key January move: The deadline-day sale of Kenny McLean could prove deadly for St Mirren's hopes of avoiding relegation, the midfielder not only being the Buddies stand-out performer but being a useful stand-in up front as their striker's fired blanks.
How did they fare?: Of the the three strikers brought in by Danny Lennon, two have departed under successor Gary Teale, none having proved capable of compensating for captain Steven Thompson's spells of injury, while two loan signings failed to make the grade despite being schooled at English champions Manchester City.
In: Yoann Arquin, forward (Ross County); Kieran Sadlier, midfielder (West Ham United). Loan: Emmanuel Sonupe, midfielder (Tottenham Hotspur); James Dayton, midfielder (Oldham Athletic).
Out: Kenny McLean, midfielder (Aberdeen, £300,000); James Marwood, forward (Forest Green Rovers); Declan Hughes, midfielder (Cowdenbeath); Ross Caldwell, forward (Greenock Morton). Loan ended: Adam Drury, midfielder (Manchester City); Ellis Plummer, defender (Manchester City).


A council has hired a private security firm to stop more travellers taking caravans onto a public car park.

The local authority has paid the company about £1,400 to patrol the area at Jaywick in Essex.
Tendring District Council said about four caravans had parked at Beach Car Park on Tuesday.
Councillor Paul Honeywood said: "It's an extra cost but the idea is to make it significantly less desirable for the group to remain there."
The council said it was believed to be the same group of travellers which parked a month ago on land where Jaywick's market and car boot sale is held.
It said it had spent £20,000 this year on court actions and cleaning-up at illegal encampments.
Mr Honeywood, who is the cabinet member for housing, said: "[Security] was there to allow the caravans to leave the car park - and prevent them from returning or any new ones being allowed on."
The security firm would be at the car park for 24 hours and then make periodic checks.
A 'direction to leave' has been issued to the travellers and, if they remained, a summons to appear in court was likely to be issued on Friday, a Tendring spokesman said.
Council staff issued three £50 penalty notices at Beach Car Park to vehicles which were not displaying parking tickets.


Glasgow Warriors have signed fly-half Brandon Thomson on a two-month contract and have extended wing Rory Hughes' stay with the club until May 2019.

South Africa Under-20s cap Thomson, whose father is Scottish, will provide cover for Finn Russell during his Six Nations participation with Scotland.
Thomson, 21, has played six times in Super Rugby for the Stormers.
Hughes, 23, returns to Glasgow's line-up for Friday's meeting with Scarlets after agreeing his new two-year deal.
And with New Zealander Dave Rennie replacing Warriors' Scotland-bound head coach Gregor Townsend next season, Hughes revealed extending his stay was an "easy decision".
"I'm looking forward to Dave Rennie coming in," Hughes said. "It'll be good to learn from him."
Hughes has played 24 times for the Warriors since 2014, scoring three tries in the process, and has two Scotland caps.
And Townsend added: "Rory is an important member of our squad and it's great that he's decided to continue his career at Scotstoun.
"He's played really well this season and there is a lot more to come from him in the future."
Of Thomson's arrival, Townsend said: "It's a bonus for us to be able to bring in someone of Brandon's quality and potential during a period when we have a number of players away on Test duty.
"He has fitted in really well so far and even training in the snow yesterday didn't seem to phase him."
Thomson added: "I was over in Zimbabwe playing a warm-up game for the Stormers when I got the call to say I could fly over here and it all happened pretty quickly.
"I came over with the main goal of getting some experience and it's good to play in a different environment and for a great club.
"I'm structured, physical and I like to run the ball out wide and keep the game loose."


Germany has decided to send weapons to equip 4,000 Kurdish fighters defending areas of northern Iraq against Islamist militants.

Rifles, machine guns, grenades, anti-tank systems and armoured vehicles would be sent, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said.
Correspondents says it is rare for Germany to export weapons into an active conflict zone.
The US, Italy, France and Britain are also arming Kurds in northern Iraq.
"This is in our security interest," Ms von der Leyen said, adding that the shipments would be made in three tranches starting this month.
The weapons will be flown to Irbil in Kurdish-run northern Iraq, via Baghdad.
The equipment has been in German depots for a long time, much of it dating back to the Cold War, German ARD TV reports.
Some German politicians have voiced concern that the weapons could end up in the wrong hands.
"This isn't an easy decision for us, but it's the right decision in a situation that is difficult in every way," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The government said Germany had a "humanitarian responsibility... to help those suffering and to stop IS [Islamic State militants]".
Germany has already sent humanitarian aid to the Kurdish region to help refugees displaced by IS, which is persecuting Shia Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and other minorities.
The arms will come from German army depots, and will include 30 Milan anti-tank rocket launchers with 500 rockets, ARD TV reports.
Milan launchers have already been used by combatants in Syria, and IS fighters are believed to have them. The Milan can hit targets at a distance of 2,000m (6,500ft).
Germany will also send 240 armour-piercing bazookas, 8,000 G3 rifles with two million rounds, and 8,000 of the newer G36 rifles, with four million rounds. Forty MG3 machine guns are also on the list, and 8,000 pistols.
More than 100 military vehicles will also be sent - mostly troop transporters.


Russian investigators have arrested a regional governor, saying they caught him red-handed taking a €400,000 (£325,000; $444,500) bribe.

Kirov region governor Nikita Belykh was held in a Moscow restaurant.
Investigators posted a picture which purports to show the governor of the central region at a table with cash from a bribe.
Mr Belykh has been a Kremlin critic, but the investigators say there is no political subtext to the case.
On Friday, the Russian investigative committee (SKR) published a photograph on its website, saying it showed Mr Belykh and piles of 100-euro notes laid out before him.
They say he is suspected of accepting the money, personally and through an intermediary, in return for protecting dodgy investment business in the region.
Mr Belykh, who once led the opposition Union of Right Forces, has made no public comment on the issue.
SKR spokesman Vladimir Markin pointed out that - "anticipating hysteria" from Mr Belykh's supporters - there was no political background to his arrest.
Mr Belykh becomes the third Russian governor to be arrested on suspicion of corruption in just over a year.


Hundreds of people have attended the funeral service of Saminder Sagoo - a radio presenter and former "boy band" member who helped found one of Birmingham's first Sikh temples.

Sagoo, 76, died on 5 December. He was one of the first presenters on commercial Asian station Radio XL.
A horse-drawn hearse featuring a "jazz funeral band" stopped at his former music shop and played an Elvis track, after leaving the Small Heath temple.
Crowds watched the procession pass by.
Updates on this story and more from Birmingham
Sagoo died after suffering stomach cancer and leaves his wife Gurmit, three children, four grandsons and four granddaughters.
Mourners packed into the temple and gathered in front of an open coffin.
His daughter Rani Godfrey Sagoo said her father's motto had been: "Fulfil your passions but live your life in harmony with the world."
The musician and presenter's music collection, which dated from the 1930s, featured more than 50,000 tracks and Radio XL said he had been able to "showcase his wealth of musical knowledge" during three shows a week.
"He will be remembered for being the presenter with the husky voice, always impeccably dressed in suit and tie, and his loyalty to the station, as well as being a committed family man," a statement said.
"Sam Sagoo will remain an unforgettable name for Radio XL and likewise for all his friends and fans worldwide."
His love of music inspired his son Bally Sagoo, who has achieved worldwide recognition as a music producer.
Bally told his Facebook followers his father would "always be my hero and the person responsible for everything I am today but above all, he will always be the superstar in my world".
More than 800 people commented on this post, many sharing their memories and paying tribute.
Saminder Sagoo's daughter said the family were "a bit overwhelmed" by the response to her father's death.
"His legacy will be to live, to love and to be kind to everyone," she said.
Sagoo, who was born in India and grew up in Uganda, moved to Birmingham as a young man.
He went from working as a motorcycle engineer for manufacturing firm Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) company in the 1960s to running a music shop in Coventry Road, Small Heath.
Ms Godfrey Sagoo said: "He sold everything from Bollywood to Wham! and Frankie Goes to Hollywood."
He was also, she said, in "the first Asian boy band" who were called the Musafirs and released a single in 1968.


Bayern Munich could face a fine after their supporters delayed Tuesday's Champions League tie at Arsenal by throwing rolls of paper onto the pitch in protest over ticket prices.

The game was stopped shortly after kick-off as stewards cleared the playing surface at Emirates Stadium.
Under Uefa rules, clubs are liable for the conduct of their fans and may be subject to disciplinary measures for acts including the throwing of objects.
Bayern beat Arsenal 10-2 on aggregate.
A group of visiting fans also held up a banner which read "without fans football is not worth a penny", having made a similar protest in a Champions League group match at Arsenal last season.


A laboratory in Lanarkshire has started harvesting stem cells from children's teeth.

It's hoped the cells can be used in a cure if the children develop a disease later in life.
The American company BioEden will cryogenically store the cells in return for a monthly fee.
Relatively few stem cell therapies are currently in use but hundreds more are being researched.
The company - and its customers - are pinning their hopes on the promise of regenerative medicine.
That aims not just to halt the attack of a disease but repair the damage it has done. Scotland is already a major centre for research in the field.
Tony Veverka, BioEden's group chief executive, said the company is pitching its product squarely at the parents and grandparents of children aged between five and 12, when stem cells are vigorous and teeth get wobbly.
"We harvest the stem cells from teeth - the young teeth of children," he explained.
"So BioEden are effectively the 21st century tooth fairy."
BioEden, which is headquartered in Austin, Texas, says it was the world's first tooth stem cell bank.
It has 20,000 customers in 60 countries worldwide.
Mr Veverka said: "We are a commercial operation and we offer a commercial service.
"We charge a monthly subscription fee to harvest the stem cells and store them.
"Effectively, it costs Â£12.95 a month."
When the tooth fairy calls, BioEden's customers pop a child's milk tooth into - appropriately enough - a little milk to help preserve the cells.
If they are in Europe it arrives at the Motherwell laboratory of BioEden's partner Precious Cells.
There the tooth is cleaned and the stem cells extracted.
Each tooth contains a relative handful of cells but they can be grown in the lab until they number several million.
They then go into cryogenic storage at BioEden's facility in Yorkshire.
Because they have been extracted from teeth, these are mesenchymal stem cells capable of becoming one of a number of cell types: bone, cartilage, muscle or fat.
The Precious Cells lab is already experienced in handling another type: hematopoietic stem cells, which can give rise to all the other types of blood cells.
They are extracted from a baby's umbilical cord.
As well as banking blood cells as a commercial service the company has set up a charity, Precious Cells Miracle, which seeks donations of umbilical cord blood.
The aim is to create a database of hematopoietic stem cell to help fight blood diseases worldwide.
The head of clinical services at Precious Cells, Dr Victoria Robertson, concedes it's still early days for stem cell research but it has huge potential.
"Stem cells are probably the most exciting cell type that there is out there at the moment," she said.
"They have the potential to regenerate tissue, to modulate the immune system, depending on what kind of stem cell they are.
"The possibilities in some ways are endless - but obviously there's still a lot of work to do to find out what all those possibilities might be."
Hundreds of stem cell research projects are under way. Some may never lead to treatments, others may be years away.
But for some ailments stem cell therapy is already a reality. BioEden say there have already been some withdrawals from their bank to treat conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and cleft palate.
And because the stem cells have come from the donor's own body they can't be rejected.
In an ideal world, customers of a stem cell bank would never have cause to make such withdrawals.
Others will  hope that, by the time disease does strike, research has produced a therapy capable of being treated by their child's banked cells.
BioEden are in effect inviting parents and grandparents to invest not just in their children's futures, but in the future of science itself.


People with epilepsy are facing discrimination and many worry about leaving their homes in case they have an attack, a survey has suggested.

The condition affects more than 600,000 people in the UK, making it one of the most common neurological conditions.
Scottish charity Quarriers commissioned a study of experiences of epilepsy, which surveyed 505 people across the UK.
One woman in Glasgow said she was mugged while having a seizure.
More than two-thirds of the 505 people interviewed in the ComRes poll admitted to worrying what members of the public would say or do if they had a seizure.
A third admitted this concern led to anxiety about whether to leave the house, while just over half believed discrimination was widespread.
About the same amount of respondents felt others treated them differently after they revealed they had the condition.
Sara Brannan, who lives in Glasgow with her 10-year-old daughter Mary-Jo and husband Paul, said she had money taken from her while she was having a seizure.
She said: "A man, who I now think may have been a drug addict, must have been standing behind me and spotted an opportunity.
"He told the gathering crowd I was his girlfriend and had overdosed. He took my money and my shopping bags.
"I've been told people have stepped over me while I've been lying unconscious.
"I was once kicked out of a shop just before I was about to take a seizure after asking for a glass of water so I could take a tablet to try to prevent it coming on.  I guess the shopkeeper thought I was an addict of some kind."
Gerard Gahagan, head of clinical services at Quarriers, said: "Around one in 100 people in the UK suffer from epilepsy, so there is a high probability perpetrators of the discrimination could actually have a relative or friend who is avoiding revealing they live with the condition because they fear what the reaction will be."
Quarriers will open a new Â£6.4m epilepsy centre in Govan in Glasgow next year.
The number of people with epilepsy in Scotland has increased by almost 40% in just six years, according to figures which came out at the end of last year.


Theresa May has said the UK economy remains strong despite Brexit concerns which have hit the pound and seen growth forecasts for 2017 reduced.

Sterling has fallen to a 31-year low against the dollar while the IMF cut its GDP forecast for next year to 1.1%.
But, as the FTSE 100 rose to an 18-month high, Mrs May said the outlook was "more positive" than many expected.
The PM told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg that her job was to make the process of EU exit as "smooth as possible".
But she also acknowledged it would not be "plain sailing" and there would be "bumps in the road".
Mrs May will give her first leader's speech to the Conservative conference on Wednesday against a backdrop of Brexit-induced jitters in foreign exchange markets.
The pound has continued to slide since the prime minister said official negotiations on the terms of exit would begin by next March at the latest and indicated that she was seeking restrictions on freedom of movement rules - a move seen as incompatible with remaining a member of the EU's internal market.
In its latest economic analysis, the IMF said the UK would grow by 1.8% this year, slightly higher than previously forecast in July, saying consumer spending remained robust and market reaction to the EU vote had been "reassuringly orderly". As it released its report, the FTSE 100 share index rose above 7,100 for the first time since May 2015, close to its record high.
The prime minister's language was notably less flamboyant about the possible swoops and dips of the economy than her chancellor, hardly known as an audacious orator.
But like any political leader at any political gathering, her responses are of the moment, of the time.
This week Theresa May wanted to show to her party members, who are largely Eurosceptic, that she is committed to leaving the EU - without giving anything away about how the government will proceed - and show a calm, brave face to the country.
Behind closed doors cabinet ministers express very different views about what our status outside the EU will be.
Read more from Laura
But the IMF expects a significant slowdown in the UK economy next year, with growth down to 1.1% compared with 2.2% in 2015 and the 2.2% forecast before the Brexit vote, amid concerns about the outcome of the UK's negotiations with the rest of the EU.
Mrs May told the BBC's political editor that the negotiations would be complex but that the UK economy was in good shape, with employment at a record high and inflation at a record low.
"Currencies, of course, go up and down," she said. "If you stand back and look at the fundamentals of our economy, which are strong, if you look at the other economic data that has been around in recent weeks, if you look at the most recent forecasts that are now coming out for growth in our economy this year, all of that is more positive than people had expected it to be."
Chancellor Philip Hammond has suggested the government will boost spending, through increased borrowing, to mitigate the impact of any weakening in economic conditions.
Mrs May said this was the right approach. "What the government needs to do is ensure that we are, in terms of the process of Brexit, making that as smooth as possible," she said.
"What matters is that we are clear about the deal we want to get for the British people. That's the right deal, a deal that ensures that British businesses have the maximum opportunity to trade with and operate within the European Union".
Asked about her authority to lead the government and to pursue policies not in the Conservatives' 2015 manifesto, she said certain "adaptations" had to be made in response to the Brexit vote and rejected calls for her to seek a mandate from the people through an early general election.
"What we need is stability. You've talked about the economic situation, you've talked about markets. Actually what markets want is stability and a general election would give them instability."
Speaking earlier on BBC Radio 4's Today, she said the UK should not be approaching the negotiations thinking what aspects of the EU membership it should keep, but should be thinking about what kind of relationship it wanted with the EU and the wider world as a "sovereign, independent" country.
"I am going to be ambitious as we go into discussions," she said. "I want British businesses to be able to trade with the EU and operate within the EU and EU businesses to be able to operate within the UK.
"It is not about the UK, in some sense, being a supplicant to the EU but the reciprocity here - a good trade deal is going to be a benefit to us and the EU."
Opposition parties have accused the prime minister of making light of the economic difficulties which lie ahead.
Jon Ashworth MP, Labour's shadow minister without portfolio, said: "The 'bumps in the road' she talks about are real threats to our economy, yet she's recklessly ploughing on, putting jobs and prosperity at risk." And Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "These 'bumps' as she blithely calls them, are people's jobs and livelihoods. She seems as out of touch as her ministers."
On the third day of the conference, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said further controls on the number of foreign workers and students coming into Britain may be needed to reduce levels of net migration.
Mrs May said she was still committed to the government's goal of reducing net migration from more about 320,000 currently to less than 100,000 but declined to say whether this was achievable by 2020 and said there was no single measure that would bring it about.


Many Chinese-made counterfeit products are now of "better quality" than the genuine article, the founder of ecommerce giant Alibaba has said.

Jack Ma's comments at Alibaba's offices in Hangzhou, China, come amid concerns about the numbers of fakes for sale on its platforms like Taobao.
Alibaba has been accused by other retailers of tolerating the sale of counterfeits.
But Mr Ma said the company would "do anything" to tackle the fakes.
"The problem is that the fake products today, they make better quality, better prices than the real names," he said on Tuesday.
"The exact factories, the exact same materials, but they do not use their names."
But he said Alibaba was "more and more confident than ever that we can solve the problem."
Taobao, Alibaba's popular online shopping platform, tightened controls earlier last month on its sale of luxury goods, requiring sellers to show proof of authenticity.
China's People's Daily newspaper also reported that authorities were launching a campaign to clean up e-commerce, counterfeit and poor quality products.
In May, Alibaba was suspended from the International Anti Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) watchdog over piracy concerns.
More than 250 members, including Gucci America and Michael Kors, had said they would leave the IACC in protest at Alibaba's membership.
The company later said the IACC's decision was a "step in the wrong direction and regrettable".


Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he does not believe in a bailout offered by eurozone leaders - but is willing to implement it.

Mr Tsipras described the deal as "harsh", but said it was the only way for Greece to remain in the euro.
The conditional plan depends on austerity measures being passed through parliament, where Mr Tsipras faces resistance among his own MPs.
Despite the growing dissent at home he said he has no plans to resign.
Defending the deal in an interview on state television, he said: "I assume responsibility for all mistakes I may have made, I assume responsibility for a text I do not believe in, but which I signed to avoid disaster for the country, the collapse of the banks."
He said he had battled not to cut wages and pensions, arguing the terms agreed were milder than those in previous deals.
Bailout deal at a glance
Europe's media stress drama of Greek deal
Tough test for Tsipras
France buoyed by Brussels agreement
But he also attacked Greece's creditors, saying "they wanted to take revenge".
Meanwhile Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who chairs the Eurogroup of finance ministers from euro countries - a key figure in the weekend's fraught negotiations - said he was "angry" at Mr Tsipras for urging Greek votes to reject a similar package of austerity measures in a referendum.
"You can't promise things that you can't bring about," he told Dutch television.
Mr Tsipras said the referendum had helped secure a better, more long-term deal.
His interview comes on the eve of the vote in Greece's parliament. The measures, including pensions and VAT reforms, must be passed by Wednesday.
A number of Syriza MPs are likely to rebel and the junior coalition party, the Independent Greeks, have offered only limited support.
Alexis Tsipras had one over-arching theme in this interview - that Greece was backed into a corner in these bailout talks, left with no other option than to sign what he called an agreement he didn't believe in but would avoid disaster.
The prime minister called it a "bad night" for Europe, adding that Greece was suffering post-traumatic stress.
The interview will remind the public of the pressure he was under but won't stop dissent in his party.
The legislation is likely to pass because of opposition support, though Mr Tsipras will almost certainly reshuffle his cabinet soon after to bring in people committed to the cuts.
Greece also faces an immediate cash-crisis. Banks have been shut since 29 June, and the International Monetary Fund says the country has missed another debt repayment, to go further into arrears.
Mr Tsipras warned banks are unlikely to reopen until the deal, which includes up to â‚¬86bn (Â£61bn) of financing, is ratified, and this could take another month.
A suggestion of providing Greece with emergency funding under the EU-wide European Financial Stability Mechanism has been opposed by Britain, which is not part of the euro but is an European Union member.


As soon as the Russians began beefing up the military airport near Latakia and ferrying in military equipment and men, it was clear they were putting down a marker.

Big-power politics apart, the step was entirely logical within the dynamic of the evolving and mutating conflict in Syria.
The Russian intervention is a game-changer which opens a new chapter in the ever-escalating Syrian saga and lifts it to a yet higher level of crisis.
It carried a clear message: Russia will not allow the regime of Bashar al-Assad to collapse, although Moscow insists it is not wedded to him in person.
Until the Russians threw him this lifeline, it seemed as though the embattled Syrian leader was doomed.
The tide began to turn early this year. The Western-backed regional powers supporting the anti-Assad rebels - mainly Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey - started working more closely together.
On the ground, the rebel groups similarly began pulling more closely together.
The Americans - in addition to their ill-conceived and ill-fated "train and equip" programme - began pumping in more money and hardware.
As a result, by the spring, the rebels had made significant advances in both the north, (Idlib province) and the south.
In public speeches, President Assad acknowledged that his forces suffered a crippling manpower problem that meant they would have to give up some areas in order to protect more important ones.
The stage seemed set for a steady erosion of the parts he controls, with his diminished domain coming under increasing pressure - perhaps to the point of collapse.
He had already pulled all the obvious rabbits out of his hat nearly three years ago when he was similarly strapped and on the brink.
His Iranian allies stepped in then with increased military support and encouraged their Hezbollah and other Shia militia allies to join the fighting on the ground, where they have played a key role in some areas.
Russia also stepped up military supplies.
But that survival seam was limited. Hezbollah's resources are not infinite.
Neither the Iranians nor the Russians seemed able to come up with enough to tilt the balance back the other way.
For the West, this opened the tantalising prospect that Moscow and Tehran, desperate not to lose their massive strategic investment in Damascus, might agree to make the necessary sacrifice for a settlement - the removal of Mr Assad and his inner circle - and come to terms on a transition of power that would leave state structures in place but under new, if perhaps not dissimilar, management.
But the Russian intervention has turned that into wishful thinking. It is clearly aimed at redressing the balance that was skewed over the past year by the Americans and their allies, regional and outside.
That doesn't necessarily mean a settlement is ruled out, but if it happens, it won't have the built-in assumption that the regime was on the verge of defeat.
The Russian move is more likely to tilt the balance back to an even playing field, to hold the line, rather than to turn the advantage heavily in the other direction.
To do that, large numbers of quality ground troops would be needed, something Moscow has ruled out.
Which could mean an even lengthier period of destructive stalemate lies ahead.
The Russians will likely use their air power to supplement the Syrian air force in support of embattled Syrian army forces wherever they are most under pressure, playing a role similar to that of the US and its allies in support of the Iraqi and Syrian Kurds.
The latter are combating so-called Islamic State militants, but that is hardly Russia's priority, whatever it may say.
If it was, its jets would be hitting Raqqa in concert with the Western coalition, not the towns north of Homs where regime forces are locked in battle with non-IS rebels, some of them backed by the West.
The manner of the surprise Russian intervention clearly shocked Washington and its allies, and set back any prospect of productive settlement talks for the moment.
But it's worth remembering that the two sides have some shared strategic objectives.
Both want to contain, and preferably altogether destroy, the militants of IS.
Neither wants a regime collapse and rebel victory that would inevitably mean Islamic militants taking over Damascus, even if the flags had different shades of black.
But it's a big jump from that to agreement on a diplomatic way forward out of the daily bloodbath.
And at the core of the knot, as ever, is the future of Bashar al-Assad - not just his own person, but everything he stands for, and what kind of Syria his departure would make way for.


A man suspected of buying a £450,000 house with the proceeds of drug dealing has had to surrender the property to the National Crime Agency (NCA).

A possession order had been granted against Arran Coghlan, 44, at the High Court on 20 July, for the house in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.
Coghlan, who has previously been cleared of killing three people, had fought the order for four years.
But the High Court ruled his appeal had "no real prospect of succeeding".
Coghlan was given 90 days to hand over the keys to the house he bought in 2007, and an NCA spokesman has now confirmed the property was vacated last month.
He said a decision on its disposal would be "made in due course".
At a proceeds of crime hearing in 2012, a judge said Brook Lane Chapel had probably been bought with the profits of drug dealing in the Stockport area.
Mr Justice Simon ruled that Coghlan had "engaged in unlawful conduct as a drug dealer" and lived on the proceeds from 1999 until at least April 2004.
The NCA argued that Coghlan's relatively meagre legitimate income over the relevant timeframe could not have covered the thousands he pumped into "extravagantly" restoring the house.
The ruling opened the way for the NCA to seize the property under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Coghlan claimed the NCA based its case against him on "fraudulent misrepresentations" but the High Court upheld its decision that his appeal had "no real prospect of succeeding".
Charges were dropped against Coghlan in 2010 when he was accused of shooting dead Stephen Akinyemi in a fight at his home in Alderley Edge.
He was also cleared in 1996 of shooting Chris Little dead at the wheel of his Mercedes in Marple, Stockport.
Seven years later he stood trial and was cleared of the murder of drug dealer David Barnshaw, who was kidnapped and forced to drink petrol before being burned alive in the back of a car in Stockport in 2001.


Fines for dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets are set to double.

The fixed penalty for dog fouling currently stands at £40 but from 1 April it will be raised to £80.
The measure was said to be supported by 63% of people asked in a YouGov poll by Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Community safety minister Paul Wheelhouse said: "We believe the increased penalty will act as a greater deterrent for people who do not take responsibility for their pets."
The Scottish government said it was also working with councils to consider how more unpaid penalties could be collected.
Mr Wheelhouse added: "Dog fouling is not only unpleasant, it can also pose potentially significant risks to health, particularly to children.
"We are clear that dog owners who do not clear up after their pets are breaking the law.
Derek Robertson, the chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said the increased fine sent a "clear message" to dog owners.
He added: "However, increased fines form only part of the solution and that is why we have called for national leadership and a more strategic integrated and coordinated approach to conserve and improve Scotland's local environmental quality."
The new penalties carry exemptions for blind people in charge of their guide dog and disabled people with physical impairments which affect their ability to lift or carry everyday objects.


Iraq's government has called for volunteers to fight against Islamic State and help retake the city of Ramadi.

A cabinet statement said a voluntary recruitment drive was necessary to fill shortages in squads in the west of Anbar province.
Thousands have fled Ramadi since its capture by IS on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the US National Security Council said it was considering "how best to support local ground forces".
Spokesman Alistair Baskey told AFP that some of the measures may include "accelerating the training and equipping of local tribes and supporting an Iraqi-led operation to retake Ramadi".
A more detailed announcement could come within days.
President Barack Obama has been briefed by advisers and "reaffirmed the strong US support" for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Islamic State militants have been setting up defensive positions in Ramadi, witnesses say.
After a Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday, the Iraqi prime minister vowed to prosecute forces who fled the city in the wake of the IS attacks.
Mr Abadi said the Iraqi people needed to "stand unified" and called for voluntary recruitment to the army. He also pledged to recruit and arm tribal fighters.
Fleeing Ramadi residents face tough choices
On the frontline in Anbar province
The council also issued a fresh plea to the international community to help Iraq's "war against terrorism".
The loss of Ramadi, capital of western Anbar province, is a blow for both the Iraqi government and US strategy in the area, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.
Retaking it is a massive challenge to the Iraqi government, which has had to appeal to the Shia militias despite risks of a sectarian backlash from sending them deep into the Sunni heartland, our correspondent adds.
Some 3,000 Shia militiamen are said to be "on standby" at Habbaniyah military camp, some 20km east of Ramadi, in preparation for an attempt to recapture the city.
The United Nations says some 25,000 people have fled the area in recent days, with many having to sleep in the open.
Streets in the city are deserted, but some shops have been forced to open by IS fighters.
Militants were also going door-to-door looking for government sympathisers and throwing bodies in the Euphrates river, residents said.


Samsung Electronics has been hit by falling sales for its smartphones and semiconductors.

The "difficult business environment and slowing IT demand" sent net profit for the fourth quarter to December down by 40% to 3.2tn won ($2.7bn, Â£1.9bn).
The South Korean giant warned it would be difficult to maintain profits this year at the same level as 2015.
Revenue for 2015 fell 5.6tn won to 200.6tn won ($165.5bn, Â£116bn) compared with the previous 12 months.
Strong competition from cheaper Chinese rivals such as Xiaomi and Huawei at the bottom of the market, as well as Apple at the premium end, has dented Samsung's smartphone sales.
The Galaxy S6, the most recent top-of-the-range handset launched last April, failed to excite consumers and the company has struggled to maintain market share.
Jake Saunders, Asia-Pacific director at ABI Research, told the BBC: "It's showing that they are under pressure - about half of their revenue comes from mobile devices.
"Xiaomi is getting traction in markets like India and Indonesia, which are very large markets for smartphone devices and it's also where we see strong growth.
"The overall market only grew by a little bit over 2 % in 2015 so they are going to have a tough time," Mr Saunders cautioned.
Samsung forecast single-digit percentage growth in both smartphone and tablet sales amid "softening demand and intensifying competition".
"Despite this challenging environment, the company will focus on increasing smartphone shipments and maintaining a double-digit margin through releases of competitive devices," the firm said.
Its other core business, semiconductors, has also met headwinds following weaker demand for personal computers.
Samsung makes components for the iPhone, which is itself facing a slowdown in sales.
Apple said on Tuesday it expected to report the first year-on-year decline in iPhone sales in the current quarter.
Shares in Samsung Electronics fell 2% in Seoul.