Julian Draxler is rated as one of the best young attacking midfielders in European football.

The 20-year-old is a member of Joachim Low's heralded Germany squad who play rivals and fellow World Cup 2014 qualifiers England at Wembley on Tuesday.
The Schalke player discusses what he thinks of the England squad, Germany coach Joachim Low, his World Cup hopes and the possibility of playing in the Premier League.
How well do you think Germany will do at the World Cup?
I think we can say we are one of the favourites, but there are a lot of very strong nations. The World Cup in Brazil is always something special - we have the temperature and different climate to consider. I think we can do very well and reach the final.
Which England players would be good enough to play for the Germany team?
For the starting XI, I think Wayne Rooney. I like him very much. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard could play in every team in the world so why not for Germany? (Discussion in background with Schalke's press officer about goalkeeper Joe Hart, but opts for Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer) OK, next question...
Do you think Germany have produced more and better young players than England in the last five years?
(Background laughter) We have a lot of good young players in Germany and we have a very good national team. In English football we see many good players - like Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey (Draxler is interrupted and told that Ramsey is Welsh). (Laughs) Let's talk about Jack Wilshere…
What is the difference between the styles of Germany and England?
That's a difficult question to answer. I can speak about us. We have very talented footballers who play nice football, short passes, fast passes, and we have players like Mesut Ozil who can make a difference. The last games of England I didn't see. But my opinion is that they work football and we play football (laughter).
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So England work hard when they play football and Germany play more attractive football?
At the moment I would say yes, but if we lose against England you can say I was wrong (more laughter).
What do you know about Wembley?
It's a very traditional stadium. We know about the legendary Wembley goal [1966 World Cup final]. It has always been a dream to play there and hopefully I'll get the opportunity.
You know England might be looking for revenge after what happened at the 2010 World Cup?
I think it's always been like this - Germany or England have always looked for revenge.
Do you think Germany will win?
I don't know. I can't see the future.
When you started playing football did the coaches focus on technical ability or physical strength?
It was always technical. I love to play with the ball. I don't have the body of [wrestler turned actor] Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. In professional football you have to have the good body, but it's not my main strength.
What is Joachim Low like as a coach?
I've never seen him lose control. He analyses the game. It doesn't matter if it's 3-0 to or against us, he's always in control. He wants to make the team better and has done a very good job in the last few years. He's signed a new contract, so Germany can be happy about it.
What has he told you about your future and what does he want from you?
He said I'm very talented and that I can do very good things with the ball. I have to improve my game without the ball and learn to defend better. But he wants to have me in the team and improve the way I play and help me improve myself. I'm very proud that I can work with him.
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Who advised you to choose football as a career?
My father, because he also played for Schalke. He didn't become a professional, but he played for the under-19s - he wanted me to live his dream. And now that I've made it, he's very proud.
What does he want from you now?
My father is never satisfied - he always wants the best from me. If I play badly, he will tell me. It doesn't matter if I'm 20, 25, 30 or if I win the World Cup twice. If I play badly he will tell me. He wants me to improve myself and make the best out of my talent.
Are you critical of yourself?
I am kind of critical. Some games you are good and some you don't do that well. I often look at my games on TV and see what I can do better. I think that's a good way. If you want to reach something you have to try to work hard - that's what I try to do every day.
What ambitions do you have?
I'm very proud to play for Schalke and the national team. We have so many good players. I have dreams. I'm very young. I want to win titles and play for the biggest teams in the world.
Would you like to play in the Premier League and do you think you are ready?
I like English football. I like the Premier League of course - it's one of the best leagues in the world. You have big clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea - of course it's a big dream to play for one of them. I have my favourite team, but at the moment I'm at Schalke. I don't want to talk about other clubs. If I state Arsenal or Manchester United, maybe I'd read it tomorrow in the newspapers (laughs).


Arcelor Mittal is no longer welcome in France, its minister for industrial recovery, has said, accusing the steelmaker of "lying" and "disrespecting" the country.

The multinational angered workers and the government when it announced a plan in October to close two furnaces at its steel plant in Florange.
It gave the government a grace period of 60 days to look for a new owner.
The Mittal family said they were "extremely shocked" by the comments.
"We no longer want Arcelor Mittal in France because they didn't respect France," Arnaud Montebourg told French business daily Les Echos.
The minister, who previously opposed the closure of a Peugeot factory, accused the company of "overwhelming lies" and said the Florange closure breaks a promise made by chief executive Lakshmi Mittal during Mittal Steel's 26.9bn-euro (Â£21.8bn) takeover of Arcelor in 2006, which was strongly opposed by French ministers.
The problem "isn't the furnaces in Florange, it's Mittal", said Mr Montebourg.
Mr Mittal, the Indian-born chief executive, is expected to meet with President Francois Hollande on Tuesday to discuss the group's operations in France.
The talks come ahead of a deadline on Saturday which Mr Mittal gave the state to find a buyer for the two idled blast furnaces in Florange, a traditional steel town in north-eastern France.
The government says it has received two offers, but only for the entire site. Mr Mittal has refused to sell the full operation, which employs a total of 20,000 workers.
As a result, Mr Montebourg has said he is exploring how to seize the entire Florange site should Mr Mittal refuse his demands.
According to the French newspaper, Mr Montebourg's idea "would be a partnership with a minor manufacturer, the time to stabilise activity" in Florange.
Jean-Louis Borloo, a conservative politician and a former environment minister, also supported Mr Montebourg's efforts.
"France's steel industry needs to live - there are 2,200 people on the site, 22,000 Arcelor Mittal employees in France and globally, there are 75,000 [employees involved in steel]," he told France Inter radio.
"And the idea that the government, along with its sovereign wealth fund and partners like Eramet and Ascometal (mining and metallurgical groups), reflect upon a temporary state control... does not seem inappropriate."
The Mittal family said they were "extremely shocked" by Mr Montebourg's attacks on the steelmaker.
One person close to the group said: "These are pretty violent comments towards a group that employs 20,000 people in France."


A host of international authors - including seven Nobel laureates - have called for an end to attacks on journalists in Mexico.

The writers took out a full page advert in Mexican newspaper El Universal to defend the right of all journalists to be free from fear and censorship.
The statement by the PEN International writers group was signed by 170 of the world's most acclaimed authors.
PEN says 67 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since 2000.
Among those signing the declaration "to the journalists and writers of Mexico" were Nobel laureates JM Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer, Toni Morrison, Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, Mario Vargas Llosa and Derek Walcott.
Other famous signatories included Chinua Achebe, Margaret Atwood, Ariel Dorfman and Salman Rushdie.
"We, writers from around the world, stand with you and all Mexican citizens who are calling for the killing, the impunity, the intimidation to stop," the newspaper advert said.
"These violations diminish us all and threaten the right of Mexican citizens to live lives both safe and free from censorship," it went on.
"We call on your government to apprehend and prosecute all who have silenced your colleagues and seek to silence you".
Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.
The majority of the killings have been linked to organised criminal gangs, with journalists targeted because of their coverage of drug-trafficking.
There is also widespread intimidation, and some media practice self-censorship to protect their staff.


Brandon Bostian, the driver of the speeding Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia, has said he has no recollection of the crash.

The 32-year-old suffered concussion, and required 14 stitches in his head, his lawyer Robert Goggin told ABC News.
An eighth body was recovered in the Amtrak rubble on Thursday, fire officials said.
Officials said all 243 passengers who were on the train are accounted for.
The train was going 106mph  (170km/h) before derailing on a curve where the speed limit is 50 mph.
Federal investigators don't know why the train was travelling that fast.
A cadaver dog did a search of the area and found the eighth body, which was sent to the medical examiner's office. The identity will only be revealed if the family chooses to, Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter said at the news conference.
Mr Goggin, who is speaking for Mr Bostian because he hasn't given a statement to law enforcement yet, said Mr Bostian remembers coming into the curve, trying to reduce the speed of the train and then getting knocked out. He doesn't remember using the emergency brake.
Mr Bostian is cooperating with police and consented to a blood test along with giving up his mobile phone. He claims not to have been drinking or taking drugs.
Mr Nutter said the driver was "clearly reckless and irresponsible".
"Part of the focus has to be, what was the engineer [driver] doing? Why are you travelling at that rate of speed?" Mr Nutter said.
He defended his choices of words at the news conference.
"I don't think any common sense person would think it was OK to travel at that level of speed knowing there was a significant speed restriction on the curve," Mr Nutter said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), however, was not as quick to blame Mr Bostian. Accident investigators want to give Mr Bostian some time to recover from shock before they start talking to him about the accident.
The victims of the Amtrak derailment
Mr Bostian worked for Amtrak as a conductor for nine years. He became a driver in 2010. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2006.
Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman said the agency expects to have limited service from New York to Philadelphia by Monday with the possibility of full service Tuesday.
He pledged to have Positive Train Control, which may have prevented the accident, installed in the entire Northeast Corridor by year's end.
Amtrak has been working on installing the system since 2008.
"We will probably be the only railroad in the Western Hemisphere with Positive Train Control," Mr Boardman said.


Burglars have broken into an outhouse, unwrapped Christmas presents and then stolen the most expensive gifts.

The burglary took place some time overnight on 28 November at Grange Avenue in Stockton.
Stolen presents included a Samsung Galaxy S4 tablet, children's tracksuits, three Jasper Conran dresses, electronic toys and a Makita still saw.
Cleveland Police believe some of the goods may already have been sold.
Homeowner Claire Hunter said she was devastated after discovering the theft.
She told BBC Tees: "I went downstairs and saw the paper opened, the mess.
"It was hurtful, stealing is one thing but from children at Christmas is another."


Lewis Toshney's second-half header earned a win for Raith in a closely-fought encounter with Dumbarton.

Both sides wasted good chances in the first half to take the lead.
However, the deadlock was broken when the visitors failed to deal with a free-kick, and Kyle Benedictus' cross found the head of Toshney.
Kevin Cawley almost provided a perfect cross for Eamonn Brophy to finish but the striker could not get to it as Raith held on to claim the win.


Piracy off the Somali coast costs the international community up to $8.3bn (£5.1bn) a year, a new report from the Geopolicity consultancy estimates.

That sum could reach $13-15bn by 2015, it says. It calculates that a pirate can earn up to $79,000 a year.
"Given the supply and demand for piracy services... there is plenty of room for expansion," the report warns.
The EU Navfor anti-piracy force says 23 vessels and 530 hostages are currently being held.
Geopolicity, which specialises in economic intelligence, forecasts an annual increase of 200-400 in the number of pirates operating off the Somali coast.
Piracy cost between $4.9bn and $8.3bn in 2010, it estimates, taking into account the effect on maritime trade volume, the expanding area in which pirates operate and the more sophisticated tactics used to combat them.
Piracy risks becoming a problem across African, Mediterranean and Pacific Rim waters, it warns.
Total income to pirates and from piracy was $75m-$238m in 2010, the study says. And it highlights the earning potential of pirates in an impoverished country with few other opportunities, no government and no rule of law.
While an individual pirate could earn $33,000-$79,000 a year, the next best alternative would bring in only $500 annually, or $14,500 over a lifetime.
The consulting group highlights what it calls the "Pirate Value Chain" of pirates, financiers and sponsors.
"Pirates are visible and known, financiers are harder to track, and sponsors remain invisible," it says.
Geopolicity says its research charts "largely unknown territory", underlining the "relatively weak application of economics to the problem of piracy".
"The supply of pirates, therefore, is closely related to the expected benefits of being a pirate and the associated risk-adjusted costs," the study says.


A law allowing assisted suicide in Scotland needs tougher safeguards to protect doctors and patients, medical experts have warned.

Doctors who specialise in palliative care have been giving evidence to MSPs on Holyrood's health committee.
Questions were also raised about how the backbench bill would affect people aged 16 to 25.
Supporters said the plan had widespread public backing, but critics have argued a change in the law would be unethical.
The Scottish government does not support a change in the law.
The Assisted Suicide Bill would give people whose lives have become intolerable through a progressive degenerative condition or terminal illness the right to seek the help of a doctor to help end their lives.
The legislation, which has begun its passage through parliament, says the final act must be carried out by the person seeking to end their own life.
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Palliative Care Lead Clinician for Wales and Crossbench Peer, said the bill did not include adequate safeguards for patients.
She said the issue of coercion was a danger, and also argued that doctors should not be involved in the decision-making process, which she said should be left to the courts.
"If you want to look at how to improve this bill, I think you should not make the doctor be the person who sits in judgement over whether or not they are suffering enough to be eligible for assisted suicide," she said.
"What you do is you maintain that doctor's duty of care to do everything they can to improve that person's quality of life and to carry on providing care."
It is not illegal to attempt suicide in Scotland, but helping someone take their own life could lead to prosecution.
In England and Wales, the Suicide Act 1961 makes it an offence to encourage or assist a suicide or a suicide attempt, which is almost identical to the situation in Northern Ireland.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has to approve any assisted suicide court action in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In 2010, Keir Starmer, then the DPP, issued guidance that made it clear that family or friends who travelled with a loved one to the Swiss suicide group Dignitas would not risk prosecution.
The guidelines were the result of a case brought by Debbie Purdy, a terminally ill woman, who in 2009 won a legal ruling requiring the DPP to set out whether her husband would be committing an offence if he accompanied her to Dignitas to end her life.
Scotland's prosecution service, the Crown Office, has issued no such guidance.
Assisted suicide is legal in Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium as well as Switzerland.
Dr David Jeffery, from the University of Edinburgh, warned the bill did not give enough legal protection to doctors and would make it difficult for them to discuss depression and suicide with patients.
He said: "Doctors, by their oath, stay on the side of no - they can't kill patients.
"We're confident in that and that enables us, in all sorts of ways, not just these difficult conversations, it enables us to feel confident using large doses of drugs where they are necessary to combat pain.
"We feel confident in that we are protected by the law."
The Committee also heard evidence from Dr Pat Carragher from the Children's Hospice Association Scotland, who said he had "profound concerns" about how the bill could affect young people and possibly give parents the power to end their child's life.
He said the Adults with Incapacity Act allowed parents to apply for legal attorney.
"I'm not sure the bill gives me any reassurance that parents couldn't take that one stage further and decide that what was in the best interests of their child would be assisted suicide," he said.
The Assisted Suicide Bill, which contains a series of safeguards which aim to prevent abuse of the legislation, was brought forward by the late independent MSP Margo MacDonald, who died last year after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
It is now being championed by Green MSP Patrick Harvie, who said there was "substantial public support" for the principle behind the legislation.
He said: "I believe this bill represents the continuation of a long term trend toward respect for the right of people to make choices about their own lives, in an informed and supported way, and to decide what kind of assistance they need."
But those opposed to legal assisted suicide, including the campaign group Care Not Killing, have described it as "unnecessary, unethical and uncontrollable".
A spokesperson for the organisation, said: "We do not want the state-sanctioned killing of old, ill and disabled people of all impairment.
"We want support for people to live - not to die."
The health committee, which will also hear from faith groups and campaigners on both sides of the debate, will spend the next few months taking evidence before reporting to parliament in the spring.
MSPs will then get the opportunity to pass or reject the bill.
In 2010, a similar piece of legislation was defeated by 85 votes to 16, with two abstentions, by MSPs who were allowed a free vote on the proposals, rather than on party lines.


Britain's new European Commissioner will spearhead EU efforts to tackle terrorism, organised crime and cyber-security, it has been announced.

Sir Julian King, a career diplomat, was nominated by ex-UK PM David Cameron to replace Lord Hill, who resigned after the Brexit vote.
Lord Hill had been in charge of the financial services portfolio.
Downing Street said it welcomed the commission's decision, saying security was a "vital issue" for the EU.
Sir Julian - who has worked in the diplomatic service for 30 years, including most recently as Britain's ambassador to France - must be approved by MEPs and EU officials before taking up the position.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "The UK will continue to fulfil our rights and obligations as a member state until we leave the EU and the prime minister has been clear that we will be an active player, so it is right that we should continue to have a Commissioner role.
"Security is a vital issue for all member states and co-operation across the EU can help to better protect us all from the range of threats we face."
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker - who made the appointment - said security was a "pressing challenge" and the wave of terror attacks in France, Germany and Brussels underlined the need for "swift progress".
By Adam Fleming, BBC political correspondent in Brussels
The joke in Brussels was that the UK would be awarded the plum job of looking after paper clips until Britain leaves the European Union at some point in the next few years.
No-one's joking now because Sir Julian has been awarded a heavyweight portfolio.
He will be put in charge of the EU's efforts to tackle terrorism and organised crime. He will grapple with what to do about fighters returning from Syria and Iraq, cyber-security and the spread of illegal weapons.
No doubt this will please PM Theresa May whose main contribution during the referendum campaign was to say that the EU was useful for fighting cross-border crime.
But look more closely at the job description issued by the Commission President Jean Claude Juncker.
Sir Julian will report to one of the vice presidents, Frans Timmermans, and "support" the work of the commissioner responsible for migration, Dimitris Avramopolous. And many of the powers in these areas are jealously guarded by the member states themselves.
And of course, he will have to go through a grilling by a committee of the European Parliament, when MEPs return from their holidays in September.
All 28 EU countries have a European Commissioner, with each one taking responsibility for a different policy area, from telecoms to fish.
If Sir Julian gets the green light, he will take up his post at a time when the UK's relations with the EU are at an all-time low following the decision to end its 43-year membership of the organisation, previously known as the European Community.
He would be expected to play an important role as a "conduit" between the UK and the other 27 member states during the talks over the UK's exit.
Sir Julian will report to a series of vice-presidents who form Mr Juncker's top team.
During a career spanning decades in the diplomatic service, Sir Julian held a number of senior positions in Brussels, including acting as a senior aide to a previous EU commissioner.
Previous UK commissioners have included high-profile political figures such as Lord Patten, Lord Kinnock and Lord Mandelson.


Alastair Cook is the best opening batsman in international cricket, says former England captain Graham Gooch.

England skipper Cook hit 263 runs in 836 minutes of his side's first innings in the drawn first Test with Pakistan.
Scored in reply to Pakistan's 523-8 declared, it was the longest ever innings by an Englishman and the third-longest in Test history.
"It was one of the great innings," Gooch told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek programme.
"Ali has always been very mentally strong, his concentration and application have always been there from a young age," added the 62-year-old, who worked as England's batting coach between 2012 and 2014.
"I think Alastair is the premier opening batsman in world cricket and has been for a number of years. He's been playing for nearly 10 years but he's still only 30.
"The best years for a batsman are from 25 to 35, with the really premium years probably from 27 to 33, so he is right in the middle of his best period."
Cook is already England's record run-scorer in Tests, with 9,593 from his 120 Tests, at an average of 47.49, having passed Gooch's previous record of 8,900 earlier this year.
"He should go well past 10,000 runs and really, the world is his oyster," added Gooch, a mentor for Cook since his emergence at Essex.
"I don't think he will have any problems fitness-wise. The only question is whether you can retain your mental stability, that drive and hunger.  That tends to go first and then there is danger you get burnt out."
Cook's stamina-sapping innings in Abu Dhabi has seen him rise to eighth in the world rankings for batsmen, with team-mate Joe Root second behind Australia's Steve Smith.
England eventually fell agonisingly short of victory in the first Test. Having dismissed Pakistan for 173 in their second innings they required 99 to win but had to settle for a draw, 25 runs short of their target, as bad light stopped play.
Gooch said the umpires' decision to take the players off was "not good for the image of the game".
"You want to be out there entertaining people. Obviously they had taken a reading from the day before and went with that but common sense should prevail.
"In the past the umpires asked the batting side if they wanted to stay on. Obviously England would have liked to. I don't think the average person on the street would understand why they went off."
England head coach Trevor Bayliss says he expects the International Cricket Council to look at ways to avoid matches finishing in such a way.
"At some stage in the future something probably should happen. We are in the entertainment business and the game doesn't go on without the fans," he told BBC Sport.
"But every team has been on both sides of the equation, so everyone's aware of what happens. There are no real arguments."


More evidence has been discovered of a reported massacre in 2014 of up to 600 inmates at Badoush prison near Mosul, Iraqi forces say.

The Shia-led Hashd al-Shaabi forces said human remains had been found at the site "with prison uniforms".
So-called Islamic State (IS) is alleged to have killed hundreds of inmates, most of them Shia Muslims, when it seized Mosul in 2014.
Badoush prison was recaptured earlier this week.
A spokesman for the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary forces, Karim Nouri, said the bodies had been "lined up in a way that indicates they were shot dead in groups".
On Saturday, Iraqi forces said that a "large mass grave" had been found that contained the remains of hundreds of "civilian prisoners who were executed by (IS) gangs after they controlled the prison during their occupation of Mosul".
The news follows a 2014 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) which said that hundreds of male inmates were murdered by IS gunmen at the time.
"We are waiting for forensic teams and human rights officials to begin unearthing the grave to uncover the whole story," Mr Nouri said on Sunday.
After Badoush prison was seized in June 2014, some 1,500 inmates were rounded up and transported by lorry to an isolated stretch of desert about 2km (1.2 miles) away, survivors told HRW.
According to the rights group's report, IS gunmen separated the Shia inmates from the Sunnis and Christians and then marched them to a ravine, where they were forced to kneel along its edge.
The Shia inmates were shot in the head or back with assault rifles and automatic weapons, according to the survivors, who escaped by pretending to be dead or because they were shielded by the bodies of victims who fell on top of them.
The Iraqi army's 9th Armoured Division and allied militiamen recaptured Badoush prison, north-west of Mosul, last week.
A statement released by the Iraqi forces did not say whether they found anyone who was being detained by IS.
On Sunday, the Iraqi military said it had retaken two more neighbourhoods in the western district of Mosul from IS. Iraqi security forces said they now control more than a third of west Mosul.
Iraq's government launched an operation to retake Mosul in October, and announced that the city's eastern side had been liberated in January.
Troops are now continuing their push into the more densely-populated west.


Scotland's business minister has blamed "continuing austerity" for a sharp rise in personal insolvencies.

The last quarter saw insolvencies rise year-on-year by 17.3% to 2,839, according to official figures.
Paul Wheelhouse claimed there was "no question" austerity had led to "more people suffering the anxiety and distress of insolvency".
The Scottish Conservatives called on the Scottish government to do more to help people deal with personal debt.
Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB), which administers the process of bankruptcy and records corporate insolvencies, said personal bankruptcies increased by 11.2% year-on-year to 1,289 in the three months to 30 June.
Protected trust deeds rose 22.9% over the same period to 1,550.
The number of debt payment programmes under the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) - which allows debtors to pay their debts in full without facing insolvency - were also up by 16.8%, to 597.
A total of Â£9.4m was repaid through DAS in the latest quarter, up from Â£9.3m repaid in the same period last year.
Responding to the figures, Mr Wheelhouse said: "On the personal insolvency front, there is no question that continuing austerity has led to incomes being squeezed and more people suffering the anxiety and distress of insolvency as a result.
"But it is nevertheless important we acknowledge that the longer term trend of people accessing statutory debt relief and debt management solutions is a declining oneâ€Ž and numbers of people falling into insolvency are around half of the levels reported at the turn of the decade."
The Scottish Conservatives said the personal insolvency figures showed "just how much some are struggling".
Finance spokesman Murdo Fraser said: "It's incredibly worrying to see such a sharp increase in the number of Scots going bankrupt.
"Given the lacklustre growth in the Scottish economy over the last year, we are starting to see the consequences of it as more and more people are struggling in a sea of debt.
"These individuals will be going through an incredibly tough time and it is incumbent upon the Scottish government to do all they can to support them.
"One step the SNP could take immediately would be to boost long-term economic growth and job creation by reversing their tax hikes that have made Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK."
The latest AiB figures also showed a sharp drop in the number of Scottish businesses becoming insolvent or entering receivership.
In the last quarter, there were 200 corporate insolvencies - a drop of 24.5%.
The figure included 118 compulsory liquidations and 82 creditor voluntary liquidations.


A court in Istanbul has issued an arrest warrant for US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen over Turkey's recent failed coup, media reports say.

The warrant accuses Mr Gulen of "ordering the 15 July coup attempt", the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkey has repeatedly urged the US to extradite Mr Gulen. He denies any role.
Turkey has cracked down heavily on those it believes responsible for the coup attempt, with much of the emphasis on perceived supporters of the cleric.
Tens of thousands of public sector workers have been suspended or dismissed, with many having their passports cancelled. There has also been a massive reshuffle of the military.
About 18,000 people have been detained or arrested.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also pledged to tackle businesses linked to Mr Gulen.
He told heads of the chambers of commerce in Ankara on Thursday: "This organisation has an extension in the business world. Maybe it is what they are most powerful at. Because it is a rule: no project can be successful without financing.
"We are determined to totally cut off all business links of this organisation, which has blood on its hands."
More than 270 people died in events surrounding the coup attempt.
Mr Gulen lives in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania.
Turkey has yet to make a formal request for his extradition. The US has said its judiciary will consider a request when filed. It also asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement, which Turkey says it has supplied.


Students face mounting debts during their university years, with many having to work for years before paying them off.

20 October 2015 Last updated at 12:45 BST
But Anna Bowes, of SavingsChampion.co.uk, argues that compound interest - which means interest builds up more significantly over time - and good habits mean students should think about saving during their studies.
Video journalist: Kevin Peachey


Nicola Sturgeon has hit out at the UK government for maintaining a "cloud of secrecy" around its plans for the Brexit negotiations.

PM Theresa May refused to give a "running commentary" on the talks when pressed by the SNP's Angus Robertson on membership of the single market.
Mrs May said her government would not "reveal our hand prematurely" over the UK's negotiating position over Brexit.
The first minister said "there must be greater transparency" from Westminster.
Mr Robertson, leader of the SNP at Westminster and a candidate to be the party's deputy leader, accused Mrs May and her ministers of "waffle" for repeatedly insisting that "Brexit means Brexit".
During the weekly session of prime minister's questions, he pressed Mrs May to say whether she would argue for the UK to remain part of the single market post-Brexit.
She replied that she would seek "the right deal" on trade in goods and services, but added: "We will not take decisions until we are ready, we will not reveal our hand prematurely and we will not provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of the negotiations."
In a later statement at Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that she was "concerned" by this approach.
The first minister said: "I accept that while negotiations are under way there are aspects of that which have to be done behind closed doors. But I do not think it is acceptable to have a cloud of secrecy hanging over the UK government's negotiating position.
"I don't think it's acceptable to have a prime minister who is unable or unwilling to answer the simple question of whether we should remain in the single market or not.
"The UK government I suspect right now I think is using phraseology like that to mask the fact that it doesn't yet have a clue what it is seeking to achieve let alone what its chances are of achieving that are.
"But before we get too much further into this, there must be greater transparency from the UK government so people from across the UK can judge whether or not what the UK is trying to achieve meets our national interests or not."
Ms Sturgeon, who also said she did not believe that the prime minister had a "mandate" to take the UK out of the single market, proposed setting up a series of debates at Holyrood on the impact of Brexit.
She invited opposition leaders to bring forward topics for the Scottish government to raise in the talks, saying she would not accept Holyrood being "window dressing in a talking shop" over the negotiations; "we expect our engagement to be meaningful".
Responding to Ms Sturgeon's comments, a UK government spokesperson reiterated Theresa May's view that it would "not be right to provide a running commentary or reveal our hand prematurely."
The spokesperson added: "The Department for Exiting the European Union is leading the UK's negotiations to leave the European Union and establish the future relationship between the EU and the UK.
The government has committed to working very closely with parliament, devolved administrations and a wide range of other interested parties on this approach."
During the Holyrood debate, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said she was concerned about Ms Sturgeon's talk of a second independence referendum.
She said: "The first minister declares that independence will be considered if it is the best or only way to protect our membership of the EU. Can the first minister honestly tell the chamber under what circumstances and on what issue she has ever concluded that it isn't the best option for Scotland?"
Fellow Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw accused the first minister of making a "belligerent" and "self-defeating" statement.
Ms Sturgeon replied that she sought to act in the interests of all the people of Scotland, and said it was her job to be belligerent in doing so.
Labour's Kezia Dugdale voiced backing for the first minister, but questioned whether Ms Sturgeon was seeking membership of the single market or of the European Union as a whole.
Ms Sturgeon said her preferred outcome remained full EU membership.
She added: "I've said all along that I will examine all options to protect Scotland's interests. There's no doubt that what I see as the best option is to retain our membership of the European Union, and I will be working to seek to do that. But I'll also be working along the way to seek to protect all of the aspects of EU membership that we possible can.
"That's what I mean by not ruling out any options - because if it does turn out that the only way to protect our membership of the EU is to consider, and I stress consider, whether we should be an independent country, then I don't think it's right to take that option away from the people of Scotland."
Amid speculation that UK Labour Jeremy Corbyn may not support staying in the single market, Ms Dugdale later wrote to Ms Sturgeon underlining that "Scottish Labour is an autonomous party", saying she would "continue to support" the first minister's "efforts to maintain Scotland's relationship with Europe".


Who will really call the shots if we have a hung Parliament?

With numerous parties expected to win seats it is not easy to check all the permutations for forming a coalition or how a minority government could get its legislation through.
But mathematicians have a tool for working out how power is distributed under such circumstances - it's called the Banzhaf Power Index.
This is based on calculating the proportion of cases in which each party could provide the swing votes that would convert the losing side into the winning side.
The BBC Radio 4 programme Campaign Sidebar asked Hannah Fry, a mathematician at University College London, to calculate the Banzhaf power index (BPI) for some plausible electoral scenarios.
This is what she came up with:
This analysis can apply not only to coalition negotiations but also to a minority government trying to get legislation passed on a vote-by-vote basis almost daily.
From the perspective of the mathematical calculations, it makes no difference whether Labour or Conservatives are the larger of the two main parties.
This assumes a predicted five constituencies won by Sinn Fein, whose MPs do not take up their seats at Westminster. That means that the effective threshold for a Commons majority is 323.
If the Lib Dems get 30 and the smaller parties get 20, then 273 seats could be a key target for the two big parties. That's what they would then require to achieve a majority without needing the backing of the SNP.
This is illustrated by the two scenarios above. In the first one the SNP power score is already much higher than its proportion of seats, but in the second it's the same as the lower of the top two parties.
Unless the Lib Dems get more than 30 or so, which is the maximum of most forecasts, they are in a much weaker position than the SNP if that gets about 40.
That's because on these scenarios matters are so finely balanced that the SNP could probably just provide the swing votes for a majority, but the Lib Dems couldn't do so without the additional assistance of the smaller parties.
If one of the two big parties pulls far enough away from the other but is still significantly short of a majority, then the Lib Dems would move into the same power league as the SNP. If the biggest party is very close to a majority then the other small parties could tip the balance and start to catch up too.
Clearly these are only some possible, if plausible, scenarios. The Banzhaf Power Index can equally well be used to look at other outcomes at Westminster. Perhaps the political parties need to recruit some mathematicians - if they haven't already done so.
Martin Rosenbaum is the editor of Campaign Sidebar


A man has died after reportedly jumping into a river in Staffordshire "to cool off" in hot weather.

The 46-year-old was pulled from the water by emergency services at Waterside Road, Burton-upon-Trent, on Monday night.
He was treated by paramedics but later died in hospital, said Staffordshire Police.
Ch Insp Steve Maskrey said: "Tragically, this incident proves just how dangerous open water can be."
He added: "Although it may seem fun at the time, the public need to be aware that swimming in open water brings many dangers including the risk of drowning, catching diseases and hypothermia."
The police force initially said the man had been pulled from a canal, but later confirmed it was the River Trent.


A rapist has had his jail sentence doubled to 20 years by judges at the Court of Appeal.

John Dennis, 43, from Redditch, Worcestershire, who raped four women over 16 years, was jailed for 10 years in April at Birmingham Crown Court.
Judges declared the term was "unduly lenient".
Lady Justice Rafferty said "this was a chronicle of cold, callous sexual degradation of four women", with the youngest a vulnerable 15-year-old.
The judge, sitting in London alongside two others, described the offending as "grave" and emphasised the need to impose a sentence to "deter others".
Dennis, who watched proceedings via videolink from prison on Wednesday, had been convicted of five counts of rape and three of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
A four-year extended period on licence imposed by the trial judge remains part of his sentence.
Solicitor General Robert Buckland asked the Court of Appeal to look at the 10-year term "under the unduly lenient sentence scheme because of the seriousness and magnitude of rapes committed over a sustained period of time".
Speaking after the ruling, he said: "John Dennis's highly predatory behaviour caused untold misery to his victims, who should be commended for finding the courage to come forward.
"I hope that the doubling of this sentence to 20 years offers some degree of comfort to them and reassures the public that offences of this kind will be treated with the utmost seriousness and the perpetrators will serve a long time in prison."


South Korea has detected signs that the North is preparing for a fifth nuclear test, President Park Geun-hye said.

She did not elaborate on what the signs were, but ordered the military to be prepared, Yonhap news agency said.
It comes after reports in local media about increased activity at the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where the previous nuclear tests took place.
A new test would be further defiance of tougher sanctions imposed by the UN last month.
"We are in a situation, in which we don't know whether North Korea could stage provocation as a move to overcome its isolation and to consolidate its internal unity," Ms Park said told her top aides, Yonhap reported.
In January, the North conducted its fourth nuclear test and a rocket launch a month later, raising tensions on the peninsula.
Observers have been saying another test could come before North Korea holds its Workers' Party congress in Pyongyang in May.
Experts believe the North does not possess the technology to mount a nuclear device on an intercontinental ballistic missile - although it has made progress in recent years on its nuclear weapons programme.


Greece has secured a tentative deal with the eurozone to unlock the latest tranche of financial aid.

The two sides have agreed a batch of reforms that will be presented to the Greek Parliament on Thursday.
The eurozone countries insisted on the measures before releasing €2bn (£1.4bn) in loans and up to €10bn in support for the banks.
The agreement will help pave the way for further payments under the country's third bailout.
The eurozone has agreed to provide Greece with up to €86bn in total.
Like the first two bailouts, the third, which was agreed in July, came with an extensive list of conditions that Greece had to meet before it receives instalments of the loans.
It has so far received €13bn under the third programme.
The next payment had been held up by differences between the two sides over protection from repossession for home owners in arrears with their mortgages and about reforms to the banks.
These and other issues have now apparently been resolved although Greece still has work to do to put the measures it has agreed into effect.
Of the €12bn of delayed funds, €2bn is for general support for the Greek government budget. The remainder is for recapitalising the banks - repairing their financial foundations so that they can function effectively.
The banks are also asking private investors to come up with some cash, but a contribution from the bailout will also be needed.
The Greek Finance Minster Euclid Tsakalotos described it as a difficult negotiation and said the pressure to get the deal finalised came from the need to support the banks.
The eurozone has also held out to Greece the possibility of debt relief after a review of progress under the new bailout.
However, it has said that relief would come in the form of longer delays before repayments start or finish, not a reduction - or so-called "haircut" - in the amount that has ultimately to be repaid.


Two Iranian men have been rescued after spending eight hours in the English Channel in an inflatable dinghy.

The suspected migrants were picked up about a mile and a half off the Kent coast in the early hours by a lifeboat crew concerned for their safety.
They were located after staff on a passing ferry spotted the light from their mobile phone.
Both men had not eaten for two days and were said to be cold and in a state of shock.
They were taken into Dover Harbour and treated by paramedics before being handed to the authorities.
Andy Roberts from Dover RNLI said: "The Pride of Canterbury P&O ferry, leaving Dover harbour, spotted a very weak light that flashed occasionally and they slowed down and diverted towards this light.
"It was a mobile phone that was being held up.
"They [the migrants] had been at sea for in excess of seven hours and they were very cold and rather shaken up but Dover lifeboat diverted because of their condition and concern."
The pair had called 999 for help at about 02.30 BST saying they did not know where they were but the RNLI were unable to locate them until they were spotted by the ferry.
A spokesman for the Home Office said the two man were "handed to immigration officials by Kent Police for questioning".
He said border security was "paramount" and they always worked with partners to "detect and deter" people who tried to reach the UK illegally.


Hal Robson-Kanu says Wales have little room for error in their remaining 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Wales are third in their qualifying group after four consecutive draws, four points behind leaders Serbia with five games remaining.
On Thursday manager Chris Coleman will name his squad for the qualifier against Serbia in Belgrade on 11 June.
"It goes without saying how important it is," the West Bromwich Albion forward Robson-Kanu said.
"We'll come together, be ready and try and get the result which we know we can.
"In every competitive international game to have to try and get points and the one in the summer will be no different."
Wales will hold a training camp at the Vale do Lobo resort in Portugal ahead of the qualifier in Serbia.
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale and Aston Villa defender Neil Taylor are suspended for the game.
Liverpool youngsters Ben Woodburn and Harry Wilson are set to be included in the senior squad after being omitted from the Wales Under-20 squad at the Toulon Tournament.
Everton defender Gethin Jones, who spent the second half of the 2016-17 season on loan at Championship side Barnsley, could also be named in the squad.
The 21-year-old was born in Perth, Australia, and the Socceroos have been keen to bring the Porthmadog-raised youngster on board.
Jones, who has captained Wales sides at various levels including the Under-21 side, turned down an invitation to join Australia's development squad camp in Spain in March.


Some residents have said they are angry at plans to develop a former shirt factory into an apartment block in Londonderry.

Martin Construction will convert the iconic Sinclair building on the Abercorn Road into 52 apartments,
There will also be 36 new flats behind the building and seven terraced houses at Wapping Lane are to be converted into 14 apartments.
The developer said residents were consulted at several public meetings.
Catherine Pollack , who lives opposite the building on George Street, said the plans won't meet the needs of the community.
"I'm not saying that housing is not something that we should be considering, it's the type of housing and the fact that we would like people to stay there long term and create a community with the people of the Abercorn Road and the Fountain.
"That is an area of high need, for jobs, training and businesses to be developed in that area."
Donna McCloskey, from the Triax neighbourhood management team, said residents have not been fully consulted.
"The actual development of the factory is not a concern but it's the lack of consultation. For anyone who knows the area, it's overrun by traffic at the minute from the city centre and residents can't get parked as it is.
"There are many properties in the Fountain area that could be used instead so it's not for a demand for housing."
A spokesperson for Martin Construction said the redevelopment was not only extremely important to built heritage but would also bring much needed employment and help address the housing crisis in the city.
"We adhere to a very strict letting procedure which we apply to all of our residential rental properties and this will be the same with the apartments at the Abercorn Factory development. Like most of our other larger apartment buildings, we will also have a '24 hour' on site manager."
The developer said the plans had been amended to address concerns.


A man's body has been found at a retail park in the Republic of Ireland after what is thought to have been a workplace accident.

He was found dead at Navan Retail Park on Navan's Athboy Road in County Meath just after 06:00 local time.
The Garda Síochána (Irish police) has started an investigation.


A wheelchair user has been treated in hospital after being attacked by thieves in his own house.

The 55-year-old victim answered the door of his home in Wallace Court, Prestwick, to a woman at about 16:30 on Sunday.
As they spoke, a man pushed his way into the house, attacked the wheelchair user with a knife and demanded money.
The couple stole more than Â£1,000 before escaping. Detectives believe it was a targeted attack.
The victim was taken to Ayr Hospital for treatment to a neck injury. His condition was described as "stable".
The suspects are both white and in their early 40s. The man was about 5ft 10in tall, slim and was wearing a blue beanie hat, jeans and a blue fleece.
The woman was between 5ft 6in and 5ft 8in tall, slim and had long, dark hair. She was wearing a dark jacket which may have had white writing on the back.
Det Insp Alan Sommerville said: "Thankfully the man was not seriously injured during the attack but it was a terrifying and very nasty experience for him.
"I do believe that he was targeted and would appeal to anyone who recognises the descriptions, who may have seen the couple hanging about either prior to or after the robbery, to contact police."


Oxford has persistent problems with "fatbergs" because only 5% of food outlets are correctly disposing of oil, fat and grease, Thames Water has said.

The company said more than 20 tonnes of fat and waste end up in the city's Park End Street sewer alone each year.
Thames Water said it mixes with waste such as wet wipes and hardens, blocking the city's sewer system.
The company found 80% of 200 eateries surveyed did not have any grease-trapping equipment.
Updates on this story and more from Oxfordshire
Spokeswoman Becky Trotman said in Oxford the problem "seems to be getting worse" and a blockage the size of two double-decker buses was removed in February.
She said food outlets are being urged to fit grease-trapping equipment that prevents oil from being washed into the city sewers.
A further 15% of food outlets were found to be using ineffective grease traps, while less than half of managers and owners surveyed knew what they were.
Thames Water regional manager Sean Walden said: "It was particularly useful to speak to business owners about their responsibilities.
"The majority are keen to learn more about what they can do to help reduce fatbergs, which is really encouraging."
In 2014 a fatberg caused the sewer under Hollybush Row to collapse and work to remove it caused caused traffic delays in the centre of Oxford.


The Department of Communities is to recruit 170 staff to work on a contract it has been awarded by the UK's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

It involves assisting the delivery of Universal Credit, Child Maintenance and Personal Independence Payment services.
Another 100 workers will be redeployed from offices with surplus staff.
The Department of Communities already employs approximately 1,400 staff who provide services to claimants in Great Britain on behalf of DWP.
The 170 new posts will be offered, in the first instance, to people who have been successful in previous civil service recruitment processes.
The jobs will be shared between sites in Belfast and Armagh and will need to be in place by April 2017.
Communities Minister Paul Givan said: "This additional investment is clear acknowledgement by DWP that they value the high quality services currently being provided by our staff."


Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the club "will try" to sign a central defender this summer.

Eliaquim Mangala is expected to depart, which would leave City with Vincent Kompany, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi as established centre-backs.
"We don't have too much more to spend but we are going to see," said Guardiola, speaking before Saturday's friendly against Tottenham (23:00 BST).
City have spent about £200m this summer - £120m of that on three full-backs.
This month, England right-back Kyle Walker moved from Spurs for £45m, Brazil international Danilo joined from Real Madrid for £26.5m and France left-back Benjamin Mendy was recruited from Monaco for £52m.
They join Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva (£43m) and Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson Moraes (£35m) in arriving at City this summer.
City have also been linked with moves for Arsenal's Chile forward Alexis Sanchez and another Monaco player, £160m-rated 18-year-old France striker Kylian Mbappe.
However, Guardiola declined to answer questions on that duo, stating that "they are Arsenal and Monaco players".


Amid all the claim and counterclaim about anti-social-hours payments, on-call duties and long working days, it's easy to get bogged down in the detail of the junior doctors dispute.

But as we prepare for the second strike by medics in England in the contract row on Wednesday, it's worth stopping for a moment to ask why this row matters.
Of course, how much doctors get paid for working weekends is clearly important to them - and, as taxpayers, the rest of us. And if the quality of care at weekends improves as a result of this contract, as the government argues it will, it goes without saying that matters too.
But there is another element to this dispute, which is arguably much more fundamental than either of these issues: it's about the changing nature of healthcare - and how we respond to it.
Since the health service was created in the aftermath of World War Two, it has gone from a service where patients either died or were cured of their illness to one where people are surviving but having to sometimes live with debilitating conditions.
It's a success story in many ways. We are now surviving heart attacks, strokes and cancer in a way that would have been unimaginable when the NHS was formed in 1948.
But that has brought with it challenges. There are about 15 million people living with what are classed as chronic illnesses such as dementia, heart disease and diabetes - for which there is no cure. Many of these people are elderly and need careful support and care.
15m
people in England have a long-term health condition
By 2025, that could be18m
70% of the NHS Budget is spent on caring for them
It has meant that hospitals are now full of incredibly sick and frail patients who would simply not have been alive 20, perhaps even 10 years ago. One in four hospital beds is occupied by dementia patients, for example.
That means the lives of junior doctors are very different to what they were in previous generations.
More is being asked of them in terms of dealing with large numbers of ill patients. One medic told me how at weekends she could regularly be in charge of 80 really sick patients - all of whom ideally need huge amounts of care and support. The doctors feel run ragged and undervalued.
It is this that is clearly contributing to the "high level of discontent" in the workforce referred to by Sir David Dalton, the hospital chief executive brought in to negotiate with the British Medical Association, in his letter to ministers after the latest breakdown of talks.
But this isn't just unique to junior doctors. A similar theme has emerged in general practice where last week we heard that many GPs feel they can no longer provide adequate care to their patients, while demands from care homes meant there needed to be a complete re-think of how their residents are cared for.
This is because as hospitals have had to cope with more and more really sick patients, a lot of the care that was once done there has been pushed out into the community. GPs now run asthma clinics, provide diabetes care and even carry out minor operations, while dealing with patients who are living with a range of different illnesses.
Now a lot of people may say, 'So what? There are lots of different jobs where people could argue more and more is being asked of them too. What makes being a doctor so special?' The simple answer - and it is one the profession puts time and time again - is that the work they do affects people in a much more profound way than other professions. What, after all, could be more fundamental than an individual's health?
And so, even when this dispute is over, we will still be left with an even more intractable problem.
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Oldham Athletic have brought in left-back Jamie Reckord on a one-year deal and re-signed Bradford Park Avenue midfielder Luke Woodland.

Reckord, 24, is former Wolves trainee spent the last two seasons at Scottish Premier League side Ross County, but left them in April.
He previously spent time on loan at Northampton, Scunthorpe, Coventry, Plymouth and Swindon while at Wolves.
Woodland, 20, was at Oldham on loan in 2013 and joins on a six-month deal.
He has won five caps for the Philippines.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A group of researchers in South Africa has developed a filter that can purify water straight from the bottle.

It sits inside a tube that can be fitted on top of a bottle and purifies water as it is poured on a cup.
The designer behind the filter, Dr Eugene Cloete, from the Stellenbosch University in South Africa, says the filter is only as big as an ordinary tea bag.
He says the product is cost-effective and easy to use.
"We are coming in here at the fraction of the cost of anything else that is currently on the market," says Dr Cloete on BBC World Service.
According to him the filter will not only stop harmful bacteria from getting into the water, it will also kill them.
"We cover the tea bag material with nano-structured fibres, and instead of tea inside the tea bag, we incorporate activated carbon.
"The function of the activated carbon is to remove most of the dangerous chemicals that you would find in water."
He says that the function of the fibres is to create a filter where harmful bacteria is physically filtered out and killed.
According to the World Health Organisation the number of people who can access clean drinking water has been improving steadily across the globe. But there are millions of people - many in Sub-Saharan Africa - who still do not have access to drinkable water.
The filter will also improve the taste of the water says Dr Cloete. "If you take ordinary tap water that you get in the city," he says, "that is chlorinated for instance."
But with the new filter, "the activated carbon will remove the chlorine so the water will actually taste better," he says.
Dr Cloete says his team wants to have an impact on 1.2 billion people around the world who do not have access to safe drinking water.
He says there have been extensive interest about the filter since the invention was announced.
"We have had many, many inquiries from aid organisations and from philanthropists who are quite prepared to sponsor these filters to people that need them most," he says.
But there are also commercial potentials, "for those people who go camping and those people who go hiking and so on," he adds.


A group of pensioners at a day care centre in County Tyrone have made a plea to prevent its closure.

They say the service is a "lifeline" for their mental health and well-being.
The Western Trust has outlined proposals to close the service at Owenkillew community centre in the village of Gortin.
Fermanagh and Omagh District Councillors are due to raise the issue at a meeting later on Tuesday.
The Western Trust has suggested users be bussed to a similar facility in Newtownstewart, about eight miles away.
Ita Flanagan, 82,  suffers from Parkinson's disease and is confined to a wheelchair.
She started attending the day care service in Gortin after her husband died.
She said she did not think she would be able to go to the alternative facility.
"It's a 14 mile round journey and it's not very pleasant sitting on a wheelchair in a bus on a bendy road which is not very well surfaced.
"I don't see the necessity to move because we have everything so well where we are in Gortin.
"So please just listen to our plea, we're just looking to be left where we are and that the decision-makers will listen to our plea and see the sense of it."
Rosalla McCrory is a 96-year-old retired nurse who lives a short distance away from the Gortin centre.
"It's the loneliness that gets you. I have bad eyesight and I no longer drive so I'm dependent on people taking me out," she said.
"I'd like to say please don't close Gortin. We all like it, we all benefit so much for it and we all look forward to going there. It's a lifeline."
Ita and Rosalla are two of 14 pensioners who attend the centre every Monday.
In a statement the Western Trust said that in August it was agreed to move forward with the recommendations contained within the Reform of Day Care Services Consultation Feedback Report.
The existing service users will get the same quantity of day care they currently receive, but it may be in a different facility that better meets their need.
The Trust will review current transport services to ensure that all service users can be accommodated in a timely manner. It will undertake to give feedback on the consultation process and is committed to implementing its plan by 31 March 2016.


It was a moment that will go down in entertainment history - when La La Land was wrongly given the award for best picture at the 2017 Oscars.

The team behind the film were in the middle of their speeches before it was revealed the accolade should have gone to Moonlight.
However, it is not the first time the wrong winner - or loser - has been announced at an awards ceremony or live on TV.
Wrong envelope
A little piece of paper was the cause of confusion at the 2016 Mobo awards when the prize for best song was given to the wrong winner.
R&B trio WSTRN kept their award for almost an hour before it was revealed it should have gone to MC Abra Cadabra.
Hosts Rickie Williams and Melvin Odoom announced the error, explaining "someone picked up the wrong envelope".
What a way to steal someone's thunder.
Mobo Awards give out prize to wrong winner
It was possibly the shortest reign in history.
One minute Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, was being hailed as the winner of Miss Universe, the next she was watching "her" crown being placed on the head of Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.
In a mistake of truly universal proportions, 2015 contest host Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner and the winner's sash and crown were put on the wrong woman. Harvey then had to tell the world a terrible mistake had been made. Awkward.
Miss Colombia mistakenly crowned as winner
The organisers may have got this one right, but one high-profile member of the audience certainly disagreed.
Singer Taylor Swift had just won best female video for her song You Belong With Me at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. However, Kanye West didn't agree with it.
Before Swift managed to utter a single thank you, the rapper snatched the microphone from her and proceeded to tell the audience - and everyone watching on TV - that Beyonce should have won.  Cue opened-mouthed shock from Miss Swift.
Kanye West's rants, the best so far
"I'm feeling sick about this," Australia's Next Top Model presenter Sarah Murdoch uttered to the astonishment of viewers.
Kelsey Martinovich had already been crowned as 2010 champion by public vote and was halfway through her acceptance speech.
Murdoch - wife of Lachlan Murdoch, the eldest son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch - then announced the actual winner of the TV contest was 18-year-old Amanda Ware.
"This is what happens when you have live TV, folks," Murdoch added.
Australia's Next Top Model show crowns wrong winner
Not so much announcing the wrong winner, as announcing the correct loser at the wrong time.
X Factor host Olly Murs had to apologise to 2015 contestant Monica Michael after he announced to the nation that she was leaving the talent show.
In fact, he had miscounted the votes from the four judges, thinking that three judges were sending Monica home. It was actually tied two-two and it went down to the public vote.
She lost the vote anyway - but everyone then thought it was a fix.
Olly Murs apologises to X Factor Monica Michael
The UK public had been voting to decide who would represent the UK at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, with bubblegum pop group Scooch and solo singer Cyndi both among the hopeful finalists.
So there was understandable confusion when hosts Sir Terry Wogan and Fearne Cotton simultaneously announced different winners live on air.
Moments later Cotton announced that Scooch had indeed won the public vote. A BBC statement later apologised for the gaffe but confirmed Scooch had won and would be making the trip to Helsinki. Meanwhile, Cyndi's hopes of Euro glory were well and truly Finnish-ed.
Scooch later finished joint 22nd out of the 24 Eurovision finalists.
Gaffe mars Scooch Eurovision win
Somewhat bizarrely Michael Jackson actually accepted a non-existent award at the 2002 MTV video music awards.
The show happened to be held on the "King of Pop's" birthday, and after calling him on stage to receive a birthday cake, singer Britney Spears told the audience she considered him to be the "artist of the millennium".
Jackson then began a full acceptance speech.
"When I was a little boy growing up in Indiana if someone told me that one day as a musician I'd be getting the artist of the millennium award, I wouldn't have believed it," he said.
He thanked God, his mother, Diana Ross and magician David Blaine, among others.
Singer Katy Perry accepted the award for best international song during France's 2009 NRJ Music Awards, held in Cannes.
However, the gong wasn't actually meant for her. It should have been awarded to Rihanna.
Perry's embarrassment was eased slightly by the fact she did legitimately win best international album for her One of the Boys album at the same awards ceremony.
SacrÃ© bleu.
DJ Brandon Block stumbled on stage at the 2000 Brit Awards believing he had won something.
In fact, Rolling Stones' guitarist Ronnie Wood and American Beauty actress Thora Birch were in the middle of presenting the best soundtrack award to the film Notting Hill.
Block later recalled that - having been enjoying the corporate hospitality to the full - he had been duped into thinking he had won an award by his mates, and had obligingly trooped up to collect it.
It ended with Block being manhandled by security and Wood throwing his drink over him.


Eleven Nobel peace prize winners have urged the UN to "end the human crisis" of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims in a letter criticising Aung San Suu Kyi.

In the open letter, the group said the government crackdown on the population amounted to "ethnic cleansing".
More than 34,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee military operations in Rakhine state, according to the UN.
Ms Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, is accused of failing to protect the minority group.
"A human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity is unfolding in Myanmar," the group, which includes South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, wrote in a letter to the UN Security Council.
"If we fail to take action, people may starve to death if they are not killed with bullets," it added.
The group, consisting of Nobel laureates, politicians, philanthropists and activists, said it was "frustrated" that Ms Suu Kyi, herself a Nobel laureate, "has not taken any initiative to ensure full and equal citizenship rights of the Rohingyas".
At least 86 people have been killed in operations in Rakhine state, launched after armed militants attacked border posts in Maungdaw on 9 October, killing nine policemen.
Earlier this month the government of Myanmar was criticised by the UN over its treatment of the minority Rohingya Muslim population.
Myanmar's government said it was conducting counter-terrorism operations in the region and has denied reports of killings and other abuses.
Most of the displaced Rohingya have fled across the border into Bangladesh.
On Friday, director general of Myanmar's ministry of foreign affairs, Kyaw Zaya, told Reuters news agency that Myanmar recognised that 2,415 of its citizens were in Bangladesh, adding that they were welcome to return.
The estimated one million Muslim Rohingya are seen by many in mainly Buddhist Myanmar as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. They are denied citizenship by the government despite many having lived there for generations.
Communal violence in Rakhine state in 2012 left scores dead and displaced more than 100,000 people, with many Rohingya still remaining in decrepit camps.
They face widespread discrimination and mistreatment.
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented Rohingya are estimated to live in Bangladesh, having fled Myanmar.


Liverpool should not have its own mayor following next year's elections for a post covering the whole city region, opposition councillors have said.

The Liberal Democrats and Green Party said the role, held by Joe Anderson, should be scrapped as it will duplicate much of the city region mayor's remit.
He has launched a petition aimed at sparking a referendum which could lead to the return of a leader and cabinet.
The Labour Party said the Lib Dems were ignoring public support for a mayor.
Lib Dem leader Richard Kemp said his petition needed 17,000 signatures to trigger a referendum.
Green Party Councillor Lawrence Brown also called for a return to the former structure of having a leader and cabinet.
"We believe the current system puts too much power in the hands of one person and away from individual councillors," he added.
The Liverpool City Region mayor - to be elected in May 2017 - was created as part of former chancellor George Osborne's plans for a Northern Powerhouse.
The region comprises Liverpool, St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton, and Wirral, as well as Halton in Cheshire.
Mr Anderson on Wednesday lost out to Steve Rotheram in his bid to become Labour's candidate.
The other parties have yet to declare their candidates.
Liverpool's city mayor is currently elected every four years - Mr Anderson comfortably retained the role earlier this year.
Mr Kemp said having two elected mayors - as well as a ceremonial lord mayor - was too complicated.
He said: "It's for the people of Liverpool to decide what system of government they want.
"Constitutional change should be the prerogative of the people of Liverpool, not the politicians of Liverpool, and that's why we'll be taking that petition out to them.
"If they support it, we'll have a referendum," he added.
A Labour Party statement said:  "Joe Anderson has just been re-elected with over 51,000 votes because he delivered on all his promises from the 2012 election.
"Almost 100,000 people took part in the democratic process of electing the mayor this year, and the Lib Dems are trying to pretend that didn't happen."


Somerset batsman Marcus Trescothick is still years away from retirement, says director of cricket Matt Maynard.

The 40-year-old stepped down as the county's captain on Thursday.
The opener, who made his Somerset debut in 1993, has scored 23,531 first-class runs and played 76 Tests for England between 2000 and 2006.
"As long as Marcus retains that enthusiasm, he can still be around for a few more years yet," Maynard told BBC Somerset.
"Brian Rose [former England batsman] took on a fearsome West Indies side at the age of 45 and Brad Hodge [41-year-old ex-Australia batsman] is still playing Big Bash cricket."
Maynard insists Trescothick, who scored 1,284 County Championship runs at an average of 45.85 in 2015, remains one of England's best batsmen and will continue to be a prized asset for Somerset.
"He is still one of the best batsman in the country," added Maynard. "I want him to carry on playing. He is a great ambassador for the club and he is an inspiration the all of the young players coming through."


A mystery dog disease that killed two pets in Wiltshire at the end of last year has been confirmed as Alabama Rot.

At least four dogs were suspected of contracting the illness after being walked in the same woodland near Marlborough in the run-up to Christmas.
The disease, causing skin lesions and potential kidney failure, was first identified in the US in the 1980s.
David Walker, from Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, said: "At least we now know what we're dealing with."
Several suspected cases of Alabama Rot, or cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), were reported in December after dogs were walked in West Woods near Marlborough.
One of the dogs - a cocker spaniel called Pippa - died just before Christmas.
Test results have now confirmed the animal, along with another dog in Salisbury, both had Alabama Rot.
Owner Jessica Worthington said Pippa developed sores on her legs after walking in West Woods.
"Unfortunately after a few days Pippa's condition deteriorated and she was showing signs of kidney damage," she said.
"Not long after that - despite trying many intensive treatments - we unfortunately lost her."
Mr Walker, who treated Pippa, said even before the toxicology reports came back positive, there were "very strong" suspicions that it was CRGV.
"This is a very rare disease which affects very few dogs but the best thing pet owners can do is be vigilant and if they're seeing skin lesions of unknown cause then go and speak to your local vet."
Possible cases of Alabama Rot were identified in 71 dogs across England between November 2012 and March 2014.


A bill to tackle online abuse and cyber crime is being introduced by Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts.

It aims to make it an offence to post content that is discriminatory, threatening and causes distress.
Internet service providers and social media firms would be forced to remove offensive material.
The 10-minute rule bill being presented on Wednesday would need UK government support but has already secured cross-party backing.
It would combine measures against digital crime from about 30 different existing laws and aims to update regulations covering online surveillance, monitoring and abusive digital content.
"The existing laws are fragmented and inadequate and must be made fit for purpose without delay," Ms Saville Roberts said.
Business leaders have called cyber crime one of the biggest threats facing firms, after an attack on TalkTalk in 2015.


A man who has just turned 75 is planning to run 75 marathons over 75 days to raise Â£75,000 for charity.

Ray Matthews from Maltby, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, is to start the first 26.2-mile run on Saturday.
Most of the marathons will be around his home county but he will also complete two in France, he said.
It is to raise funds for Newman School in Rotherham which caters for a range of special educational needs and disabilities.
Mr Matthews described the plan as a birthday present to himself that would last 75 days.
"I like doing extreme distance challenges," he said.
His last distance challenge was to run 150 miles in 36 hours when he was 71.
"I hoped that would take me to the extreme edge of what I was capable of - and it didn't," he explained.
Most of the marathons have been organised by running clubs around South Yorkshire.
However, two are being held in St-Quentin, France, Rotherham's twin town.
He started running as a "little lad" as part of his boxing training and "has an ability to keep putting one foot in front of the other more times than other people".
Mr Mathews intends to run into Newman school on 14 September at the end of the challenge with "my arms aloft", he said.
He hopes to raise money to improve the external areas of the school and provide new equipment.
Katharine Ryan-Murray, deputy head teacher at the school said: "It's such an amazing event, we wish him all the best.
"We're delighted he's fundraising for the school".


A Saudi student at the University of Wisconsin-Stout has died after being assaulted by an unidentified man.

Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, was attacked on Sunday outside Topper's Pizza in downtown Menomonie, Wisconsin, near his university.
Local media reported police found Mr Alnahdi unconscious and bloodied. He died on Monday.
The motive of the crime is unclear and police have asked for any information about a possible assailant.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported the suspect was a white male, about 6ft.
According to a statement on Facebook by the university, Mr Alnahdi, was in his third year of studies pursuing business administration.
University chancellor Bob Meyer said: "Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers go out to Hussain's family in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, and his friends at UW-Stout."
The Minnesota Council on American Islamic relations said in a tweet they were "monitoring" the death of Mr Alnahdi.


A Guernsey fisherman has made one of his strangest catches ever - an unmanned boat from the US.

The 5ft (1.5m) boat, named Crimson Tide, had been released thousands of miles away across the Atlantic by students in New Jersey.
The boat was launched in South Carolina by Morristown-Beard School on 1 December 2012 to test the effect of tides and the weather.
Paris Broe-Bougourd came across the boat while fishing on 16 February.
On the deck were images of pupils from a class at the school.
He contacted the school students who had left contact details on the boat.
The fisherman said: "I found it about two and a half miles south of Guernsey.
"We read all the information on it and discovered where it had come from."
The boat has GPS for tracking and it had a sail that had snapped off.
Mr Broe-Bougourd said: "I am going to repair all the damage, put a new sail on it and take it to the north of the island and set her off again.
"I have spoken to the school and they asked me to let it go.
"It's more interesting that it is still out there rather than keep it as a souvenir."
Teacher Lisa Swanson said: "We were using the boat as a way to study the physical geography of the Earth, the currents and the weather.
"We could see on the GPS that the boat wasn't moving any more.
"The students heard about the storms you have had and feared the worst."
She said the school hoped to exchange information about the project with a Guernsey school.
"We had put in goodies, a flash drive and a T-shirt into the boat, but those have been lost," she said.
"We hope it will go south to the Canaries and then back to us eventually.
"It will be quite an adventure."


Swansea's match against Stoke next Saturday is probably the club's biggest since the 2011 Championship play-off final, says manager Paul Clement.

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Saturday's 1-0 Premier League defeat at Watford leaves Clement's side two points behind 17th-placed Hull City with five games remaining.
Under Brendan Rodgers, the Swans won promotion to the top flight by beating Reading at Wembley in May 2011.
"With the position we are in, Stoke becomes a must-win game," said Clement.
"It is probably the biggest game the club has seen in a few years, probably since the play-off final."
Clement has previously been dismissive of the notion of "must-win" games.
"I've been asked a lot since I joined, 'is that a must-win game?' but there were still lots of games to play," he said.
"Now the next game is huge. We have to win, we have to beat Stoke. The players know that, what we need is to embrace this pressure.
"When the pressure is gone, we won't be able to stay in this league. So we have to continue to believe. We have three home games at the Liberty and with the fans' support, hopefully it will be enough."
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, who Clement tried to sign prior to his retirement, says Swansea's poor form is down to a lack of confidence.
"I understand if Paul Clement seemed downcast at full-time," he said. "It was disappointing from Swansea's perspective - the one thing you expect as a manager is effort and a desire to get out of the situation they are in.
"That was slightly lacking from the start. Swansea were short in their energy and what they put into the game.
"It's a confidence issue - they are on a bad run and gave sloppy balls away throughout the game.
"It looks like a straight fight now between Swansea and Hull for that last relegation position.
"I watched Hull today and they are a team creating chances. You can see that they have some momentum."
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Clement said defender Alfie Mawson was distraught after his mistake led to Etienne Capoue's winning goal for Watford.
"I hope Alfie Mawson would have learned after the last game, because he was taking some risks in that one," Clement said. "I said to him at half-time: 'That has to be it now.'
"He's a good player and he will learn from it. He's going to end up being a very good player, but his job is to keep it simple.
"Alfie is really upset, he knows he's made a big mistake."


A paralysed man has been able to walk again after a pioneering therapy that involved transplanting cells from his nasal cavity into his spinal cord.

Darek Fidyka, who was paralysed from the chest down in a knife attack in 2010, can now walk using a frame.
The treatment, a world first, was carried out by surgeons in Poland in collaboration with scientists in London.
Details of the research are published in the journal Cell Transplantation.
BBC One's Panorama programme had unique access to the project and spent a year charting the patient's rehabilitation.
Darek Fidyka, 40, from Poland, was paralysed after being stabbed repeatedly in the back in the 2010 attack.
He said walking again - with the support of a frame - was "an incredible feeling", adding: "When you can't feel almost half your body, you are helpless, but when it starts coming back it's like you were born again."
Prof Geoff Raisman, chair of neural regeneration at University College London's Institute of Neurology, led the UK research team.
He said what had been achieved was "more impressive than man walking on the moon".
The treatment used olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) - specialist cells that form part of the sense of smell.
OECs act as pathway cells that enable nerve fibres in the olfactory system to be continually renewed.
In the first of two operations, surgeons removed one of the patient's olfactory bulbs and grew the cells in culture.
Two weeks later they transplanted the OECs into the spinal cord, which had been cut through in the knife attack apart from a thin strip of scar tissue on the right. They had just a drop of material to work with - about 500,000 cells.
About 100 micro-injections of OECs were made above and below the injury.
Four thin strips of nerve tissue were taken from the patient's ankle and placed across an 8mm (0.3in) gap on the left side of the cord.
The scientists believe the OECs provided a pathway to enable fibres above and below the injury to reconnect, using the nerve grafts to bridge the gap in the cord.
1) One of the patient's two olfactory bulbs was removed and the olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) were grown in culture
2) 100 micro injections of OECs were made above and below the damaged area of the spinal cord
3) Four strips of nerve tissue were placed across an 8mm gap in the spinal cord. The scientists believe the OECs acted as a pathway to stimulate the spinal cord cells to regenerate, using the nerve grafts as a bridge to cross the severed cord
Before the treatment, Mr Fidyka had been paralysed for nearly two years and had shown no sign of recovery despite many months of intensive physiotherapy.
This programme of exercise - five hours per day, five days a week - has continued after the transplant at the Akson Neuro-Rehabilitation Center in Wroclaw.
Mr Fidyka first noticed that the treatment had been successful after about three months, when his left thigh began putting on muscle.
Six months after surgery, Mr Fidyka was able to take his first tentative steps along parallel bars, using leg braces and the support of a physiotherapist.
Two years after the treatment, he can now walk outside the rehabilitation centre using a frame.
He has also recovered some bladder and bowel sensation and sexual function.
Dr Pawel Tabakow, consultant neurosurgeon at Wroclaw University Hospital, who led the Polish research team, said: "It's amazing to see how regeneration of the spinal cord, something that was thought impossible for many years, is becoming a reality."
Mr Fidyka still tires quickly when walking, but said: "I think it's realistic that one day I will become independent.
"What I have learned is that you must never give up but keep fighting, because some door will open in life."
The groundbreaking research was supported by the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation (NSIF) and the UK Stem Cell Foundation (UKSCF)
UKSCF was set up in 2007 to speed up progress of promising stem cell research - the charity has to date contributed ï¿¡2.5m
NSIF was set up by chef David Nicholls after his son Daniel was paralysed from the arms down in a swimming accident in 2003.
To date the charity has given Â£1m to fund the research in London and a further Â£240,000 for the work in Poland.
A key difference with Mr Fidyka was that the scientists were able use the patient's olfactory bulb, which is the richest source of olfactory ensheathing cells.
This meant there was no danger of rejection, so no need for immunosuppressive drugs used in conventional transplants.
Most of the repair of Mr Fidyka's spinal cord was done on the left side, where there was an 8mm gap.
He has since regained muscle mass and movement mostly on that side.
Scientists believe this is evidence that the recovery is due to regeneration, as signals from the brain controlling muscles in the left leg travel down the left side of the spinal cord.
MRI scans suggest that the gap in the cord has closed up following the treatment.
None of those involved in the research want to profit from it.
Prof Geoff Raisman said: "It would be my proudest boast if I could say that no patient had had to pay one penny for any of the information we have found."
NSIF said if there were any patents arising, it would acquire them so as to make the technique freely available.
The complex neural circuitry responsible for our sense of smell is the only part of the nervous system that regenerates throughout adult life.
It is this ability that scientists have tried to exploit in stimulating repair in the spinal cord.
Every time we breathe, molecules carrying different odours in the air come into contact with nerve cells in the nose.
These transmit messages to our olfactory bulbs - at the very top of the nasal cavity, sitting at the base of the brain.
The nerve cells are being continually damaged and must be replaced.
This process of regeneration is made possible by olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), which provide a pathway for the fibres to grow back.
Mr Nicholls said: "When Dan had his accident I made him a promise that, one day, he would walk again.  I set up the charity to raise funds purely for research into repairing the spinal cord.  The results with Darek show we are making significant progress towards that goal."
Prof Wagih El Masri said: "Although the clinical neurological recovery is to date modest, this intervention has resulted in findings of compelling scientific significance."
The consultant spinal injuries surgeon, who has treated thousands of patients in the UK, added: "I have waited 40 years for something like this."
All those involved in the research are keen not to raise false hopes in patients and stress that the success will need to be repeated to show definitively whether it can stimulate spinal cord regeneration.
The scientists hope to treat another 10 patients, in Poland and Britain over the coming years, although that will depend on the research receiving funding.
Dr Tabakow said: "Our team in Poland would be prepared to consider patients from anywhere in the world who are suitable for this therapy.  They are likely to have had a knife wound injury where the spinal cord has been cleanly severed.
Sir Richard Sykes, chair of the UK Stem Cell Foundation, said: "The first patient is an inspirational and important step, which brings years of laboratory research towards the clinical testbed."
"To fully develop future treatments that benefit the 3 million paralysed globally will need continued investment for wide scale clinical trials,"
Prof Raisman has spent more than 40 years studying how to repair the spinal cord.
In animal studies he showed that OECs injected into the rat spinal cord could reverse paralysis.
In 2005, Prof Raisman was approached by a Polish neurosurgeon who had begun researching how to apply the technique in humans.
Dr Tabakow carried out an initial trial involving three paralysed patients who each had a small amount of OECs injected in their damaged spinal cords.
While none showed any significant improvement, the main purpose of the study was achieved, showing that the treatment was safe.
Panorama's To Walk Again is on Tuesday 21 October at 22:35 BST on BBC One.


Film-maker Danny Boyle and the director of the Tate Gallery have written a letter criticising the sale of a Henry Moore sculpture by a London council.

Last month, Tower Hamlets Council announced it would sell the bronze sculpture Draped Seated Woman after "unprecedented" budget cuts.
But Sir Nicholas Serota and Boyle said the proposal "goes against the spirit of Henry Moore's original sale".
The figure, which could fetch £20m, was bought for £6,000 in 1960.
Moore, a well-known socialist, sold the sculpture at a fraction of its market value to the former London County Council on the understanding that it would be displayed in a public space and might enrich the lives of those living in a socially deprived area.
The bronze sculpture, nicknamed Old Flo, was installed on the Stifford council estate in 1962 but was vandalised and moved to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 1997.
In October this year, Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman announced his decision to sell the sculpture:  "It is with great regret that I take this decision but we are faced with a stark choice in these times of recession."
Sunday's open letter in the Observer was led by the artist's daughter, Mary Moore, with other signatories including artist Jeremy Deller, architect David Adjaye, Richard Calvocoressi, director of the Henry Moore Foundation and Peter Murray, director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
"While we understand the financial pressures that Tower Hamlets faces, we feel that the mayor's proposal goes against the spirit of Henry Moore's original sale to London County Council at a favourable price on the understanding that it would be placed in East London," they said.
"The presence of the sculpture in Stepney was a demonstration of the postwar belief that everyone, whatever their background, should have access to works of art of the highest quality.
"We appreciate that times have changed and that the costs of protecting the sculpture are demanding, but we believe that there are a number of sites in the borough where the work could be safely placed for the benefit of the community.
"We hope that Tower Hamlets will reconsider and find a suitable location that continues to honour Moore's idealistic vision."
MPs Rushanara Ali (Bethnal Green and Bow) and Mary Creagh (Wakefield) also added their names.
Metal theft
The council said the rising threat of metal theft and vandalism made it too expensive to insure the artwork, should a suitable public venue be found on council land.
Speaking in October, a Council spokesperson said: "As the borough does not have the funds required to insure or maintain the upkeep of the work, releasing these necessary funds will enable the council to support front-line services."
The council is having to make cuts of £100m per year over the next three years.
Sir Nicholas called the sculpture "one of Moore's most important and largest single figures... a figure of great dignity and humanity".
"This £20m, if it is as much as £20m, will only make a small contribution to that overall problem. It's a one-off, selling the family silver," he told the Observer.
A final decision on the sale is expected to be made later this week, with a view to the sculpture being sold at auction in February.


A man died in a head-on crash after an elderly driver fell asleep at the wheel, a court has heard.

Margaret Christopher, 81, of Southport, Lancashire, was part-way through a six-and-a-half hour drive to west Wales when she collided with David England's car at Lovesgrove near Aberystwyth.
Swansea Crown Court heard she drove straight on at a left-hand curve.
She admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was given a 14-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.
Prosecutor Francis Jones told the court Christopher, then aged 80, was en route to her daughter's home in Broad Haven, Pembrokeshire, to look after her daughter's dog while she went on holiday in March 2015.
She had taken two breaks already, the last one at Machynlleth - about 18 miles (29km) away - but felt she needed another one and had been looking for a layby to stop at when the collision occurred.
Mr England, 67, was initially conscious and able to talk to emergency services but died at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff two days later from injuries to his heart and central nervous system.
His daughter Rhian England, a passenger in the front seat, suffered fractures to her arm and leg and spent three months in a wheelchair.
The court heard doctors had thought Christopher would also die in the first two days after the crash, and she had no recollection of what had happened or why.
Mr Jones said other drivers thought Christopher had not even tried to take the bend and there was no sign she had braked.
Both cars were in good condition, the road was well-surfaced and the weather was fine while speed was not a factor, Mr Jones said.
In a victim impact statement, Mr England's widow Mair said she thought of her "soulmate" all the time.
Defending, Andrew Nuttall said Christopher thought about Mr England and his family every day.
"She understands very well that words give little comfort to the family. But all she can say is that she is very, very sorry," he said.
"She really has no idea what happened. She has decided never to drive again."
Judge Huw Davies told Christopher: "Age caught up with you in a tragic way and without warning.
"You think you must have fallen asleep. There is no other explanation for what happened."
He said Christopher had "taken a chance" by undertaking such a long journey at her age.
Christopher was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to pass an extended driving test should she ever want her licence back.