The world's most powerful man is about to meet one of it most influential women.

A snowstorm forced the cancellation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's planned visit to Washington on Tuesday. The forecast for Friday's meeting is much brighter - meteorologically, at least.
But with the exception of their ability to effect profound change upon the western world, President Donald Trump and Angela Merkel have little in common.
He is flamboyant, impetuous and prone to rhetoric which sets alarm bells ringing in Berlin. She is reserved, pragmatic and lingers over decisions.
He lambasted her open door refugee policy. She opposed his travel ban.
But the relationship they strike is likely to have lasting consequences for the future of Europe - and beyond.
Mrs Merkel, who is said to have been studying Mr Trump's speeches and even an old interview with Playboy magazine, appears to have concluded that the way to the president's heart is through business.
She is taking the chief executives of BMW and Siemens and the manufacturer Schaeffer along with her.
Together they are expected to reinforce the mutual benefits of the transatlantic economic relationship. They are expected to emphasise that 810,000 people are directly employed by German companies in the US.
The chancellor and chief executives will need to talk tough. President Trump has already hinted at higher import taxes for countries such as Germany that have a trade surplus over America.
More on Trump and Merkel:
For talks that will last all of two hours there is a lot on the agenda.
Nato, the Middle East and international terror, for a start. Germany's defence spending is currently 1.23% of GDP, but Mrs Merkel is expected to reassure President Trump of its existing commitment to increase that gradually to Nato's 2% target.
And there's a lot to disagree on.
On climate change, German will insist on the importance of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, while Mr Trump's support for the Paris climate deal is unclear.
Germany is also seeking a unified response to Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine and a commitment to sanctions if the terms of the Minsk ceasefire agreement are not met.
Expectations in Berlin are not high.
It is unlikely that the Merkel-Trump pairing will replicate the warm and trusting political alliance between the chancellor and President Obama, which survived the revelation that the Americans had listened in to Mrs Merkel's phone calls.
It is also election year for the chancellor.
Donald Trump is deeply unpopular among Germans. A recent poll for the national broadcaster found that trust in the US under his administration had fallen to a new low and was on a par with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Angela Merkel needs to walk a diplomatic tightrope. She has to build a working relationship with Mr Trump without appearing to sacrifice her own values or disappoint those keen to cast her as the West's last defender of those democratic ideals.
She has already reminded Mr Trump of his obligation to common values and explained the Geneva Conventions to him.
Mrs Merkel has made it clear that she is still in instruction mode, stating her intention to explain to Mr Trump "that for us nationality and membership of the EU are two sides of the same coin".
Theresa May aside, Mrs Merkel is the first EU leader to meet with America's new president, who supports the UK's decision to leave the union. She will be keen to emphasise the importance she attaches to holding the fragile European project together.
This may be billed as a getting-to-know-you visit, and as Angela Merkel put it: "It's better to talk with than about someone."
But governments around the world will be watching closely for clues as to how America's relationship with Germany and with Europe is likely to evolve. And what that means for the wider world.


Morecambe goalkeeper Barry Roche has signed a new one-year deal with the League Two side.

The former Republic of Ireland youth international, 35, has committed to a 10th season for the Shrimps after his move from Chesterfield in 2008.
The ex-Nottingham Forest stopper memorably scored a last-minute goal in February 2016 against Portsmouth.
"Barry had another excellent season last year and is a big member of the squad," said boss Jim Bentley.


Polish President Andrzej Duda has announced he is vetoing a controversial law to replace Supreme Court judges with government nominees.

Three key judicial reforms have been passed by Poland's parliament, prompting days of demonstrations across the country.
Before they become law, they require approval by the president.
The changes have also set Poland's right-wing government on a collision course with the European Union.
The European Commission had threatened to impose sanctions this week if the reforms were not scrapped.  European Council President Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, had warned of a "black scenario that could ultimately lead to the marginalisation of Poland in Europe".
"As president I don't feel this law would strengthen a sense of justice," Mr Duda said in a statement broadcast on national television. "These laws must be amended."
He said he was vetoing two of the new laws but approving a third, which gives the justice minister the right to name the heads of Poland's lower courts.
The Law and Justice (PiS) government has strongly rejected claims that the reforms are a move towards authoritarian rule and has expressed disappointment at Mr Duda's decision to wield a veto.
Mr Duda had already intervened last week in an attempt to find a compromise and his latest step came as a surprise.
He is himself a former member of the populist ruling party and he had already rejected a meeting on the crisis with Donald Tusk.
He said he had discussed the reforms at the weekend with legal experts as well as judges. The most influential voice, he said, was that of Zofia Romaszewska, a veteran dissident from the communist era who told Mr Duda she did not want to go back to the days when "the general prosecutor could do virtually anything".
She was jailed during the years of martial law in the early 1980s but is now one of the president's advisers. Ms Romaszewska told Polish media it was completely out of the question for the attorney general to take charge of the Supreme Court.
Opposition MPs also praised the role of protesters in influencing the decision.
Demonstrations have taken place in dozens of Polish cities, from Poznan and Lublin to Krakow, Gdansk and Warsaw, and there have been calls for the protests to continue.
Mr Duda warned that no change should lead to a separation of the state from society.
Poland's judicial system is widely seen as slow and reforms are seen as necessary. "I'm absolutely a supporter of this reform, but a wise reform," said President Duda.
The three reforms give the justice minister and MPs broad powers and have prompted alarm from the US, as well as the EU.
The president's initial compromise plan last week watered down the government's bid to push through its nominees for the National Judiciary Council, by requiring the support of another political party.
In his statement, the president said he regretted that a draft law on reforming the Supreme Court had not been handed to him before a vote in the lower house of parliament, the Sejm.
The president also took issue with the strengthened role of the justice minister, who also acts as attorney general in Poland.
In theory, the Polish parliament could now challenge the president's veto.
Law and Justice has a simple majority in the Sejm but needs a three-fifths majority if it decides to reject Mr Duda's decision. It could theoretically achieve that with the support of a smaller party, Kukiz'15, but that is not seen as certain.
A more likely step would be to spend the next weeks redrafting the two bills that the president has turned down and seek his approval. The protest movement has celebrated its success so far but is now pushing for the president to veto the third reform as well.
Much now depends on the man seen as the real power behind the government, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.


Assistant manager Chris Davies says Celtic want to win the Scottish Premiership under their own steam, rather than rely on Aberdeen dropping points.

Brendan Rodgers' side are 25 points clear at the Premiership summit.
They will retain the title with nine games remaining, if second-placed Aberdeen lose to Hearts on Saturday, and Celtic beat Dundee a day later.
"It's not something that we've spoken about or focused on," Davies said.
"For that to happen it would involve us relying on someone else - what we've done this season is just rely purely on ourselves, and that's what we'll always do."
Davies admits the squad will probably watch the Aberdeen match, but says preparing for their own task at Dens Park is the priority.
"We're focusing on Dundee, they've had a good February so we know it's going to be a difficult game," he said. "We're just focusing on that, the game plan, how we can perform and we can control that.
"We can control how we can perform. We can't control what happens at Aberdeen. If it happens, it's great but it's not something we're worried about."
Celtic have not lost a domestic fixture this season, winning 26 league matches and drawing two, while lifting the League Cup in November, and reaching next month's Scottish Cup semi-finals.
In the process, the Hoops racked up 22 consecutive league victories - a run that was only halted on Sunday, when rivals Rangers held them to a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park.
"The bigger picture for us is that it's been a fantastic season and we've performed consistently," Davies added. "I think it's 35 games domestically unbeaten - 33 wins, two draws and a winning run I think of 28 games before the weekend.
"That will be one of the best domestic runs in the history of football, I would have thought, because we've really performed well."
Midfielder Callum McGregor says being so close to sealing the title at this stage of the season is a "great achievement", but insists, even if Celtic wrap up the title this weekend, the champions want to preserve their unbeaten record for the remainder of the campaign.
"It's that relentlessness to go and get there - it would be great to get over the line maybe this or next week," he said.
"Of course, the manager is always saying to everybody, be relentless in every game that we play. When we get across the line, there's no way we're going to take the foot off the gas, we want to keep going and keep wining games, so that's the way it's going to be."


Former Dundee United left-back Barry Douglas has completed his transfer to Turkish top-flight club Torku Konyaspor from Lech Poznan.

The 26-year-old has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with the team from Konya who sit seventh in the country's Super Lig.
Douglas told the club website: "I'm very excited, very happy. I have opened a new chapter in my career."
He said his goal was to help his new side qualify for the Europa League.
Douglas helped Lech win the Polish title for a seventh time last season, but they presently lie sixth in the Ekstraklasa.
Konyaspor manager Omar Korkmaz Metropolitan said he hoped the Scot would force his way into the side by continuing the form he showed with the Poles.
Douglas began his career with Queen's Park and moved to United in the Scottish top flight in 2010.
He switched to Poland after three years at Tannadice.


The stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child officially opened to the public in London on 30 June.

31 July 2016 Last updated at 13:45 BST
The story is set 19 years after the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
In the new play, Harry Potter has grown up and his own kids are going to school.
It's in two parts and lasts more than five hours.
Watch all the build up to the opening.


Norwich City have sacked manager Alex Neil after just over two years in charge at the Championship club.

Neil, 35, helped the Canaries earn promotion to the Premier League after joining the club in January 2015, but they suffered relegation last season.
City had failed to win in five games under the former Hamilton boss, leaving them nine points outside the top six.
First-team coach Alan Irvine will take charge of the team for Saturday's game with relegation-threatened Blackburn.
A club statement said: "The board has taken the tough but unanimous decision, believing it is in the best interests of the club for a new manager to be in place through a crucial summer transfer window."
Norwich were second in October, but have won just seven of their last 24 Championship games and dropped to eighth.
They were thumped 5-1 at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday - their 10th away defeat of the season - and drew 1-1 with lowly Bristol City on Tuesday in Neil's last game in charge.
Neil held his usual pre-match press conference on Friday, just hours before he was sacked, and told BBC Radio Norfolk that the Canaries had not lived up to expectations this season.
"There was an expectation for us, from the squad, from the management, from the fans, from everybody connected with the club, that we would have a better season than we've had," he said.
"All I can do is work as hard as I can to make it better. Sometimes you need to take a step back to take two or three steps forwards, and we are doing everything we can but there isn't a solution that's going to happen tonight and it's not going to happen next week.
"It's going to take a period of time and then things will improve."


Voting has opened to name Reading's new bridge which cost £5.9m to build.

The bridge, which crosses the River Thames, opened in September and allows cyclists and pedestrians from Caversham to access Reading Station and the town centre.
Residents can vote for one of four names until 21 March.
The 400ft (120m) bridge was met with a mixed response from cycle campaigners who wanted a dedicated lane for cyclists.
The bridge, which was funded by Reading Borough Council, is made of 455 tonnes of steel and has a mast which was imported from the Netherlands.
Councillor Tony Page said: "The new bridge is already established as a key landmark for Reading.
"The shortlist of names selected reflects public feedback received, both before and after the bridge opened. It includes both historical names, as well as names which reflect the bridge surroundings."
The winning name will be announced at a council meeting on 22 March.


Microsoft is returning to court to continue its fight against the US government's demand that it hand over emails stored at an Irish data centre.

The messages involved are alleged to contain details of narcotics sales.
In 2014, a court ruled in favour of the government's claim that because it had jurisdiction over the US-based company, it could force it to hand over data it controlled, even if stored abroad.
But Microsoft suggests that would put it in breach of privacy laws.
Instead, the company argues that the US "must respect the sovereignty of other countries" and has indicated that Washington should use legal assistance treaties if it wants access to information held in Ireland and other data centres outside the United States.
Ireland has already said that it would consider such a request "expeditiously".
So, the stand-off is being viewed as a test case that will determine the extent of the US government's powers over tech companies that offer cloud-based services.
Apple, Amazon, HP, eBay, AT&T, Verizon and Salesforce are among US companies that have voiced support for Microsoft's appeal.
"They think they have already lost quite a lot of business in Europe over monitoring and surveillance concerns, and they are afraid it will get worse if there is a perceived carte blanche for the US authorities to access emails stored abroad," said Carsten Casper, from tech consultancy Gartner.
"The EU has stronger privacy requirements, at least on paper, compared with other parts of the world, so tensions between the US and Europe are highest. But other countries are also concerned by US access to foreign records."
Microsoft says that it wants to ensure people can "trust the technology on their desks and in their pockets".
"If the US government is permitted to serve warrants on tech companies in the United States and obtain people's emails in any country, it will open the floodgate for other countries to serve warrants on tech companies for the private communications of American citizens that are stored in the United States in a data centre owned by a foreign company," the company's lawyer Brad Smith recently told the Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
"Imagine the immediate implications for journalists, advocacy organisations, or government officials here."
However, federal prosecutors involved in the case note that it "typically takes months" to obtain information via treaty requests, while warrants issued directly to US companies can be handled much more quickly.
They add that Microsoft's system of storing data where customers say they are based is open to abuse.
"A criminal user can easily manipulate such a policy to evade the reach of US law enforcement by the simple expedient of giving false residence," they state in court papers.
And they add that, anyway, US-based bodies have a legal obligation to comply with warrants issued under the Stored Communications Act, regardless of where the related electronic records are kept.
"With the benefits of corporate citizenship in the United States come corresponding responsibilities, including the responsibility to comply with a disclosure order issued by a US court," they wrote.
"Microsoft should not be heard to complain that doing so might harm its bottom line."
Microsoft's lawyer has said that if it loses the appeal, he will try to take the matter "all the way to the Supreme Court".
In a related development, Apple has said it could not comply with a court order to let US government investigators monitor texts sent via its iMessage system, according to a report in the New York Times.
The paper reports that officials wanted the iPhone-maker to hand over messages in "real time" as part of an investigation into drugs and guns.
However, it says the firm said it could not do so because the messages were encrypted - meaning they are digitally scrambled - and only the handsets involved had the key.
It adds, however, that the firm did pass on some messages that had been saved to its iCloud storage service, which had been stored in an unencrypted form.
Apple has not commented on the report.
However, the Electronic Freedom Foundation civil liberties group said it "applauded" the firm's behaviour.


A campaign to raise money for the family of a lorry driver murdered in an attack on a Berlin Christmas market has raised almost £170,000 in six days.

The online effort was started by "fellow trucker" Dave Duncan, from Otley, West Yorkshire, in support of Lukasz Urban's relatives.
More than 10,000 people have donated to the fund since it was launched last week.
Mr Duncan said he had been "overwhelmed" by people's generosity.
Polish national Mr Urban was found dead in the passenger seat of his lorry after it smashed into Berlin's Breitscheidplatz market on 19 December, killing 12 people.
Identified attacker Anis Amri, a Tunisian, was shot dead by Italian police on 23 December in the city of Milan after a Europe-wide manhunt.
Mr Duncan said he had been shocked by what happened and had wanted to reach out to Mr Urban's family.
Writing on his GoFundMe page, Mr Duncan said he had received an email from Mr Urban's wife.
"She is extremely grateful for what you have all done for her and her family," he wrote.
He added: "Hopefully all your kind and generous donations will get to Lukasz's wife sooner rather than later."
Mr Duncan said he had also contacted the Polish Embassy asking for their help in getting the funds raised to the family.


Ally Love's equaliser 12 minutes from time earned Albion Rovers a draw with promotion rivals Stenhousemuir.

Stenny's Colin McMenamin and Rovers' Paul Archibald dragged shots wide before  Love forced Colin McCabe to make the first save of the evening.
McMenamin fired another effort over the bar before Ross Meechan put Stenhousemuir ahead with a right-footed effort.
However, Love earned the hosts a draw when he fired home.
The point moves Stenhousemuir above Stranraer into sixth place, but Rovers remain three points ahead in fourth.
Match ends, Albion Rovers 1, Stenhousemuir 1.
Second Half ends, Albion Rovers 1, Stenhousemuir 1.
Alan Reid (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alan Cook (Stenhousemuir).
Substitution, Stenhousemuir. Lewis Small replaces Colin McMenamin.
Colin McMenamin (Stenhousemuir) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Alan Cook (Stenhousemuir) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Kyle Turnbull (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Alan Cook (Stenhousemuir).
Foul by Alan Reid (Albion Rovers).
Alan Cook (Stenhousemuir) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Stenhousemuir. Alan Cook replaces Jason Scotland.
Ally Love (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jon Robertson (Stenhousemuir).
Goal!  Albion Rovers 1, Stenhousemuir 1. Ally Love (Albion Rovers) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner.
Substitution, Albion Rovers. Ricardo Talu replaces Gary Fisher.
Michael Dunlop (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ross Meechan (Stenhousemuir).
Corner,  Stenhousemuir. Conceded by Ross Dunlop.
Substitution, Albion Rovers. Callum McRobbie replaces Paul Archibald.
Ross Meechan (Stenhousemuir) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Ally Love (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ross Meechan (Stenhousemuir).
Ross Dunlop (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Colin McMenamin (Stenhousemuir).
Corner,  Stenhousemuir. Conceded by Ally Love.
Attempt saved. Kieran Millar (Stenhousemuir) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Ross Davidson (Albion Rovers).
Colin McMenamin (Stenhousemuir) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Albion Rovers. Spas Georgiev replaces Mark Ferry.
Goal!  Albion Rovers 0, Stenhousemuir 1. Ross Meechan (Stenhousemuir) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
Corner,  Stenhousemuir. Conceded by Michael Dunlop.
Corner,  Stenhousemuir. Conceded by Michael Dunlop.
Attempt missed. Colin McMenamin (Stenhousemuir) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Ally Love (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jon Robertson (Stenhousemuir).
Paul Archibald (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ross Meechan (Stenhousemuir).
Attempt missed. Ciaran Summers (Stenhousemuir) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Second Half begins Albion Rovers 0, Stenhousemuir 0.


A man is in hospital after an incident which saw police seal off a Borders village on Thursday night.

Police, ambulance and fire services were called out to a property in Ettrickbridge.
It is understood that a man was taken to Borders General Hospital following a stand-off.
Police thanked local residents for their patience while officers dealt with the incident and asked anyone with information to contact them.
A spokesman said: "We were called to an address in Ettrickbridge, near Selkirk on Thursday following a report of concern for a person within.
"Specialist and local emergency resources were deployed in the area to maintain public and officer safety.
"A 39-year-old man is currently in hospital for assessment."


Brighton chief executive Paul Barber says he expects QPR to be "punished severely" for allegedly breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

QPR, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, are challenging the legality of the Football League's FFP rules.
The west London club could face a fine of up to £58m.
"We took a view, as did most clubs, that we should comply with the rules," Barber told a BBC Sussex fans' forum.
"One club that did get promoted and is now back with us still has its case to be determined. We would expect them to be punished and punished severely: they gained from breaking the rules.
"We comply with every other rule, why wouldn't we with FFP as well?"
At the end of  2013-14 QPR were promoted via the play-offs, in which Brighton lost to Derby. The Hoops have since returned to the second tier.
In March, QPR announced losses of £9.8m, but £60m worth of loans were written off by owner Tony Fernandes and other shareholders.
"We're now in another set of rules and we have a bit more money to spend but so has everyone else," added Barber.
"The Premier League parachute payments have gone up so we haven't gained a lot. What it actually means is that people expect you to pay even more."
Meanwhile, Barber said the club was "relaxed" about the impact on the playing surface of staging two Rugby World Cup games next month.
"We had the opportunity with the England v France Under-20s game last season to see the effect these big guys have on our pitch," he said.
"We were pleasantly surprised to see the scarring was no worse than first-team football. Whether that changes at the next level up we'll see, but the groundstaff are very relaxed about the games and their ability to put the pitch right."


A US judge has imposed restrictions on the agreements technology giant Apple can make with book publishers to prevent it fixing the price of e-books.

The move follows a court ruling in July that Apple conspired with five publishers to control e-book prices.
The judge also ordered Apple to hire an external monitor to ensure it complies with the new rules.
The US Department of Justice, which launched legal action against Apple, said it was "pleased".
Apple is now not allowed to enter agreements with the five publishers that would allow prices to be fixed. The judgement expires after five years, though the judge can order extensions if necessary.
"We're pleased that the court has issued an order supporting the Department of Justice's efforts to address Apple's illegal price fixing conduct," said assistant attorney general Bill Baer in a statement.
"Consumers will continue to benefit from lower e-books prices as a result of the department's enforcement action to restore competition in this important industry.
"By appointing an external monitor to ensure future compliance with the antitrust laws, the court has helped protect consumers from further misconduct by Apple."
Apple was found to have encouraged publishers to set the price of their e-books, rather than allowing retailers to decide the price.
Prosecutors said this was aimed at Amazon - a rival e-book retailer that charged lower prices than Apple was able to offer.
As a result, Amazon's typical price of $9.99 (Â£6.39) for a best-seller rose to $12.99 or $14.99 after the launch of the iPad, they said.
The publishers were Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Holtzbrinck - which does business as Macmillan, Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster.


Workers at a nuclear site have gone on strike over their employment contracts.

Four 24-hour stoppages are planned by Unite union members working for Cape Industrial Services at Fellside combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Sellafield, Cumbria.
The union said the company had failed to address concerns over the terms and conditions for scaffolders, thermal insulation engineers and labourers.
Cape declined to comment.
Unite regional officer Ryan Armstrong said the firm had been "dragging its feet" for more than eight months.
"All our workers want is for Cape management to align workers' terms and conditions to those recommended by NAECI (National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry) and other workers at the plant," he said.
"Vital" preparation work for a major shutdown of Fellside CHP could be affected by continued industrial action, he said.
This could have a knock-on effect on the main Sellafield reprocessing and decommissioning site, to which the plant provides power, he said.
A separate strike over pension changes by Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) staff has been put on hold after an agreement to hold further talks.
On Wednesday union leaders had a "constructive" meeting with energy minister Jesse Norman over plans to reform the pensions of NDA employees to save Â£660m.


Europe's leading clubs will next week ask Fifa to hold the Qatar 2022 World Cup between 28 April and 29 May.

Qatar was awarded the World Cup in 2010 but an inquiry over moving games from the hot summer months has been ongoing.
The European Club Association (ECA), includes Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich,
Key details of the ECA proposal include starting the 2021-22 season two weeks early and playing the latter stages of the FA Cup after the World Cup final.
With the World Cup final scheduled for 29 May, this would result in English football's premier domestic cup competition finishing in June.
The ECA, which represents 214 of the continent's biggest teams, believes this approach, which could also affect domestic cup competitions in France and Spain, offers the least disruption.
However, Uefa would prefer the Qatar World Cup to be played in January and February 2023, given their opposition to the range of dates currently under examination.
That option remains unlikely, having been previously dismissed by Fifa officials, who say the World Cup host agreement demands that the tournament is played within the calendar year of 2022.
In contrast, the ECA are confident their proposal ensures there would be no impact on international confederation competitions, such as the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Sepp Blatter, president of world governing body Fifa, says he believes November/December 2022 is the ideal date.
This remains the most likely to be adopted, but is opposed within Europe as it would affect the Champions League.
Proposals for January/February 2022 have also been ruled out given an agreement between Blatter and IOC president Thomas Bach that the World Cup will not clash with the Winter Olympics.
Other measures required to make the ECA plan work include clubs playing an additional two or possibly three midweek fixtures.
The Uefa Champions League round of 16 would have to take place over two weeks, instead of the current four.
A two-week period in March 2022, currently set aside for international fixtures, would also need to be scrapped.
Players would start to be released by their clubs just ten days before the beginning of the World Cup on 18 April.
"In our opinion, this proposal is the best option," said Rummenigge.
"It takes into account the climate issue, while preserving the traditional running of a club football season.
"This proposal needs to be seriously considered by all stakeholders. It is an achievable solution."
The ECA also believes that Qatar's climate in late April and May provides conditions better than those experienced at Mexico 86, USA 94 and this summer's World Cup in Brazil.
Group games would be played between 28 April and 12 May, with kick-offs at 18:00, 20:30 and 23:00 BST. Based on data from the past 10 years, temperatures would range between 29 and 32 celsius.
The knock-out stage of the tournament would begin on 14 May, with games starting at 19:00 and 22:00.
The World Cup final would be held on 29 May at Qatar's planned 86,000 capacity stadium in Lusail.
Temperatures around this time have averaged 33C over the previous decade.
Qatar is also promising to use cooling technologies to reduce the temperature within stadiums and fan parks to 23C.
One potential hurdle is that the annual observance of the holiest month in the Muslim calendar, Ramadan, will fall between 3 April and 2 May in 2022.
Eating and drinking in public is currently illegal in Qatar during Ramadan, a month in which observant Muslims fast between dawn and sunset.
It is understood the ECA will use Monday's penultimate meeting of the Qatar calendar taskforce at Fifa headquarters in Zurich to discuss how the tournament could work in conjunction with one of the most important periods in the Islamic calendar.
The taskforce, led by Fifa vice-president Shaikh Salman, is expected to make a final decision by March 2015.


Sri Lankan investigators have exhumed the body of a former national rugby player in a murder inquiry linked to ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa's son.

Wasim Thajudeen was found dead inside a burning car after an apparent accident in the capital Colombo in May 2012.
But the case was reopened earlier this year after claims that Mr Rajapaksa's security officials killed Thajudeen.
Thajudeen is said to have been in a dispute over a woman at the time of his death with Mr Rajapaksa's son Yoshitha.
His body was exhumed from a Muslim burial ground at a mosque outside Colombo on Monday, watched by a judge and other officials.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the mosque, holding placards with anti-Rajapaksa slogans.
After initially ruling Thajudeen's death an accident, police have now cited post-mortem reports saying his body had torture marks, as well as broken teeth and bones.
"The body had been wrapped in a plastic bag so it is well preserved and we hope to be able to finish our work very soon," chief judicial medical officer Ajith Thennakoon told reporters.
The removal of the body came as new evidence emerged that the victim had been abducted in a car owned by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, according to police.
In response, the Red Cross said the vehicle had belonged to them but that it was being used by a charity of the then first lady, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, at the time of the rugby star's death.
Police have impounded the car as part of their investigation, the Red Cross said.
On Sunday, Mr Rajapaksa denied his youngest son, who is also a former member of Sri Lanka's rugby union team, was involved in the mysterious death.
The former president also said the allegations, mainly by members of the current ruling party, were politically motivated to discredit him ahead of parliamentary elections next week.
Mr Rajapaksa's eldest son, Namal, also denied any link to his family and said his family had been close friends with Thajudeen.
"We totally deny this," he told the BBC's Azzam Ameen. "Even without doing a proper investigation they are pointing the fingers at the Rajapaksas."
"They began this investigation just ahead of the election so we all know it's politically motivated to target us," Namal added.
Mr Rajapaksa was defeated in presidential elections earlier this year but hopes to become prime minister if his party does well enough in the parliamentary elections.
The investigation is the latest blow to Mr Rajapaksa, who himself is under investigation over allegations he siphoned off billions of dollars from the state during his rule.
Is this the last battle for Sri Lanka's 'warrior king'?


Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has signed a new five-year contract running to the end of the 2020-21 season.

Mignolet, 27, joined the Reds from Sunderland in 2013 for £9m and has made 122 appearances for the Anfield club.
"I am the sort of character that wants to be a leader, wants to speak in the dressing room and help the defence," Mignolet told the club's website.
The Belgian's record of 15 clean sheets in 2015 was more than any other Premier League goalkeeper.
He had come under pressure after high-profile mistakes, most recently in the 3-3 draw with Arsenal, but received the backing of Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.
His deputy Adam Bogdan also proved error-prone in the 3-0 loss at Watford and 2-2 FA Cup draw against Exeter, prompting Klopp to recall 22-year-old Danny Ward from a loan spell at Aberdeen.
Mignolet, who has seven clean sheets this term, added: "I know signing a new contract comes with new responsibility. I am getting older as well and coming into the years where people would say those are the years a goalkeeper is at his best.
"I will try to work hard together with the goalkeeping coach and staff here, who are behind me and have given their confidence with a new contract.
"I would like to thank them for that but you can't really do that with words, you have to do that with performances on the pitch. That is what I will try to show."
Liverpool are ninth in the league after Sunday's 1-0 home defeat by Manchester United.


Cameroon coach Hugo Broos has applied to coach South Africa just days after winning the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Belgian, who masterminded the Cameroonians' triumph 11 days ago, is one of over 60 applicants for the job.
Several big names have applied, including Italians Roberto Mancini and Giovanni Trapattoni as well as Germans Lothas Matthaus and Bernd Schuster.
Hassan Shehata, who led Egypt to three Nations Cup titles, and Nigeria's Samson Siasia are also on the list.
The names of the coaches were revealed by the South African FA (Safa) on Thursday.
Safa also revealed that former internationals Lucas Radebe and Benni McCarthy would form part of the committee to find the new national coach.
Radebe was a long-standing captain of Bafana Bafana while McCarthy, who has just completed his Uefa Pro A coaching licence, is South Africa's record goalscorer.
"The committee … will draw up a short list, deliberate (on) it before naming the suitable candidate in (the) coming days," a Safa statement said.
Clive Barker, who guided South Africa to its sole Africa Cup of Nations win in 1996, and Neil Tovey, who captained the side that day, are also on the committee.
"We want to have the process expedited as Bafana Bafana have a bumper 2017 season in which they need to compete and qualify on three fronts," said SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan.
"We need the coach to be in place when we play two friendly matches in March," he added.
In addition to contesting qualifying for the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Nations Cup, South Africa will try to reach next year's African Nations Championship, the tournament for Africans who play in their own domestic league.
South Africa's coaching job became vacant in December when Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba was sacked for "gross misconduct."


At least £500,000 has been cut from school music lessons in Wales since a report called for a better service.

While extra-curricular music lessons are still free in some counties, others charge or are considering doing so.
It is claimed the number of children reaching youth orchestra standard is "declining at an alarming rate".
The Welsh Assembly Government said it was funding new initiatives, but delivery of lessons was down to individual schools and councils.
In 2006, a host of music stars including Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins and rock band Super Furry Animals, wrote to former First Minister Rhodri Morgan, urging an end to the "postcode lottery" for provision of young people's music lessons outside the curriculum.
To coincide with BBC Radio Wales' Music Day, BBC Wales has asked each council about the services on offer.
The results show wide variations from county to county.
Flintshire council is cutting £177,000 from its budget for instrumental music teaching, which means it will no longer support the county youth brass band or a singing project for 2,500 primary school children.
Carmarthenshire council is reducing its budget by £120,000.
Powys is the only county that offers no council-funded music lessons at all.
The authority's music director Helen Wilding Smith said: "Provision for learning certain instruments is patchy or non-existent.
"As a result, the number of children reaching youth orchestra standard is declining at an alarming rate."
In Powys, many parents must pay the full cost of lessons, which varies from £10 to £26 per hour.
While instrumental lessons are still free in Conwy and Bridgend, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire are considering introducing charges in the near future.
Meanwhile, parents in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan face a 7% increase in the cost of instrumental lessons this year.
Emyr Wynne Jones, who is in charge of school music services in Carmarthen, chaired the assembly government's review which was published last year.
It found music service provision across Wales varied greatly in terms of range, take-up and affordability.
He said the cuts would mean "massive implications for schools".
"The danger with these things is that to keep the provision going we're going to have to begin increasing charges which by default is going to make events such as this more elitist and less inclusive," he said.
"The review identified an awful lot of good practice across Wales but it also identified circumstances that were deteriorating.
"The situation has deteriorated further and continues to deteriorate year on year.
"County councils and music services and friends and parents' associations are doing all they can to make sure the rich musical heritage we have here in Wales continues for many years to come.
"But unfortunately having a rich musical heritage doesn't necessarily guarantee a bright musical future."
The assembly government accepted most of the recommendations of the music services review.
A spokesperson said the development of musical skills was "firmly embedded in the foundation phase and all pupils from the age of seven to 14 years have opportunities to compose and perform music".
They added: "Delivery of the curriculum and extra curricular activities are very much a matter for schools working with partners and, in particular, the local authority-funded music services."
They said the assembly government was committed to raising the profile of music in schools and one example was its "can sing" initiative, promoting singing in primary schools backed up by £476,000 over three years.


A 7ft (2m) glass fibre statue of Mr Potato Head will not be displayed at a Derbyshire town's bus station due to health and safety reasons.

The figure was given to Belper, in Derbyshire, in 2001, by its twin town of Pawtucket in Rhode Island, USA.
The town is divided over the statue, with some describing it as "hideous".
John Nelson, leader of Belper Town Council, said the station was just one possible location but could not happen due to the threat of high winds.
The statue, based on the children's toy that originated in Pawtucket in the 1950s, had bits deliberately broken off when it was first displayed in the town.
It has since been refurbished by a local youth group and now stands on a pallet on the lawn of Belper Community Cottage, facing the bus station.
Mr Nelson said it would stay there permanently unless needed for special events.
"He wasn't meant to be on the bus station," he said.
"It was an idea we had to put him up there so he wouldn't get vandalised.
"[But] if he was up there and the wind got hold of him... so risk assessment said no, it's not the place to be."
Some residents have argued the statue was not in keeping with the town's status as part of a Unesco World Heritage site.
An area stretching from Cromford, along the River Derwent to Darley Abbey, was granted World Heritage status by Unesco in 2001 because of its important industrial heritage.
Mr Nelson has admitted in the past that Mr Potato Head divided opinion but said since it returned he has noticed many people have had photographs taken with it.


Pressure is growing on the government of Uzbekistan to prove that it is ending the use of child labour during the cotton harvest.

Uzbekistan is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of cotton, a mainstay of its economy.
Human rights campaigners say hundreds of thousands of children are being forced to bring in the harvest for minimal wages and under harsh, sometimes dangerous, conditions.
As the picking season gets under way in the Central Asian country, dozens of leading international clothing companies have pledged to avoid Uzbek produce.
In the US, the organisers of New York Fashion Week recently cancelled a show by the Uzbek president's daughter, amid protests by labour rights activists.
Gulnara Karimova was forced to hire a private venue in Manhattan to unveil her new collection, with protesters gathering outside the opulent Cipriani restaurant, waving placards and chanting.
Islomiddin Dolimov, a leader of an Uzbek opposition group who took part in the protest, said: "The main reason is to show how children are forcibly being taken to the cotton fields in Uzbekistan and to say it is time to stop this."
The Uzbek government denies that children are forced to harvest cotton and has signed up to International Labour Rights standards.
But so far it has refused to let international inspectors into the country to independently verify the progress the authorities say they have made.
The BBC's Uzbek service has received reports of school children being bussed to agricultural areas in various parts of the country.
One human rights worker in Uzbekistan said she had talked to a 10-year-old girl who said her class was made to pick cotton in the mornings and attend lessons only in the afternoon.
The activist was later detained by police for questioning.
"They said, 'you have no right to be here,' and started putting pressure on us, demanding that we should sign a paper stating that we will never visit the area again," she told the BBC.
Officers confiscated her bag, papers and camera and threatened to strip her to find the memory card, she said.
More than 60 international companies have now signed a pledge to not knowingly source Uzbek cotton harvested with forced child labour.
"By signing this pledge we are showing our unwavering commitment to the cause," the Adidas group said in a statement.
Fashion group H&M said: "We will maintain this pledge until the elimination of this practice is independently verified by the International Labour Organization (ILO)."
But industry figures admit that any boycott is difficult to put into practice because companies are unable to trace the origin of cotton in their products.
Ron Parham, spokesman for Colombia Sportswear Company, says its textiles go through multiple links in a global supply chain.
"There really is no current way to trace and certify - once the textiles are in a state where we get engaged - that no cotton fibres in those textiles originally came from the cotton fields of Uzbekistan or anywhere else for that matter," Mr Parham says.
He said one way forward would be to use the model for organic cotton, where its source can be traced from final product back to the grower.
On the ground there are signs that the pressure could be starting to take affect.
A rights campaigner inside Uzbekistan told the BBC that local authorities in his region were aware of the international campaign, but had not yet received instructions as to who could take part in the harvest.


Wales flanker Ross Moriarty turned 23 on Tuesday - and got a birthday surprise with a call-up to the British and Irish Lions squad on Wednesday.

Moriarty enjoyed a fine Six Nations campaign despite Wales' three defeats, keeping usual first-choice number eight Taulupe Faletau out of the team.
The Gloucester player was rewarded with a place in Warren Gatland's 41-man Lions squad to tour New Zealand.
"This is Christmas and birthday all wrapped up in one," said Moriarty.
He continued: "I don't think it's sunk in properly yet - I was pretty emotional after that. It was a surprise with so many big names in that squad.
"The list was getting longer and longer and my doubt was setting in, I just couldn't believe it.
"I listened to on my phone at the same time as everyone else. I was sitting in a restaurant trying to eat my food."
Moriarty's inclusion was one of the most surprising elements of Wednesday's Lions squad announcement.
Among his competitors for a back-row Test place in New Zealand will be compatriots Faletau, Justin Tipuric and tour captain Sam Warburton.
Moriarty, whose father Paul and uncle Richard both played for Wales, will become the first man in his family to represent the Lions.
"It's definitely been an emotional day for all my family. I couldn't ask for anything more. This is the biggest achievement of my career to date so it's massive," he told BBC Wales Sport.
"I've not even had the Lions on my mind this season, until the end of the Six Nations.
"All I've been concentrating on is my own personal performance, and that's paid off for Gloucester and for Wales. I'm just really happy with the call-up.
"I've not spoken with Warren since he was last involved with Wales so I've had no inkling of being involved or not.
"Since the last World Cup I've been involved a lot more [with Wales], I feel I've taken my chances and created my own luck."
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Scarlets and Wales centre Jonathan Davies, who made three appearances for the Lions on their successful tour of Australia in 2013, says the Welsh contingent will be at an advantage having toured New Zealand in the summer of 2016.
"From a Welsh perspective, we toured there last summer and first two tests we were competitive for the first 60 minutes or so," Davies said.
"It just showed the quality and you can't let up in the tests with them because any mistakes you given them they capitalise.
"They put pressure on you and inevitably they win the close games. I think what helps is a lot of the Irish boys went well against them in the Autumn last year had that victory in Chicago and there's experience in the squad of being in New Zealand and hopefully that will help them on the trip."
Davies will not be joined in New Zealand by his Scarlets teammate and fellow centre Scott Williams, but was full of praise for his partner.
"I've spoken with Scott a bit as well and he seems alright and I think for us now as a partnership moving forward with the Scarlets we have to focus on securing the play offs in the Pro12," he continued.
"He congratulated me over text and we had a bit of a chat. He'll cope with it I'm sure and he'll bounce back. He's an excellent player. I'm disappointed for him but he'll be fine.
I was very appreciative of the text from him and I have every confidence he can show what he's capable of."
Fellow Scarlet Ken Owens also received his call-up to travel to New Zealand, along with fellow hookers Jamie George and Rory Best, but England's Dylan Hartley missed out on selection.
Owens, who has won 50 caps for Wales since making his debut in 2011, found out about his selection while on a short holiday.
"I know people think that we have advanced warning but I found out like everyone else," Owens said.
"We are away in Pembrokeshire on a short break with family and friends and we managed to find a TV to watch the announcement.
"It was a bit surreal hearing it to be honest. I've watched a couple of Lions squads named in the past and it was definitely nice to have my name read out.
"As nice as it was it was definitely quite nerve-wracking. 'O' is quite far down the alphabet so I had to wait quite a bit for it to be read out."


RAF Typhoons were scrambled to intercept two Russian aircraft flying over the North Sea, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

The MoD said fighter jets from RAF Lossiemouth intercepted Russian "blackjack" aircraft flying in international air space on Thursday.
The Typhoon pilots escorted the Russian planes "whilst in the UK area of interest".
Air-to-air refuelling was provided by an aircraft from RAF Brize Norton.
Sqn Ldr Jim Calver, who flew one of the RAF Typhoons involved in the mission, said: "Given the Royal Air Force's enduring commitment to secure the UK's skies, yesterday's sortie once again proved Typhoon's capability to successfully scramble and intercept Russian long-range aviation.
"Protecting our skies is especially poignant in this 75th anniversary year of the Battle of Britain. Working together with ground-based radar and air-to-air refuelling aircraft today's RAF continues to come together as a team to protect our country."


Officials at the US's central bank were split about when to raise interest rates, latest minutes released by the Federal Reserve have revealed.

Interest rates in the world's largest economy have been kept at close to 0% since late 2008, at the start of the financial crisis.
Now, officials must determine when the US economy is healthy enough to grow without help from the Fed.
Some said mid-2015 would be best, while others suggested later, in 2016.
"Several participants judged that the economic data and outlook were likely to warrant beginning normalisation at the June meeting," read the minutes of the Fed's last meeting, which was held from 17-18 March in Washington DC.
"However, others anticipated that the effects of energy price declines and the dollar's appreciation would continue to weigh on inflation in the near term, suggesting that conditions likely would not be appropriate to begin raising rates until later in the year, and a couple of participants suggested that the economic outlook likely would not call for liftoff until 2016."
The Fed must balance two competing priorities: the desire to maximise employment in the US economy, while also keeping prices in check.
Some Fed officials worry that if rates are kept too low for too long, it could lead to difficult-to-control inflation.
However, recent economic data has indicated that prices in the US economy are not rising significantly, and chair Janet Yellen has said she is still concerned about sluggish wage growth in the jobs sector.
At the end of the Fed's meeting in March, the central bank said it would no longer be "patient" in determining when to raise rates, but added that it would wait until it saw "further improvement" in the US labour market before a hike.
"In sum, the minutes reflect an FOMC [Federal Open Market Committee] that agrees in very broad terms about raising rates, but is far from reaching a consensus on the timing or what is the appropriate trigger for the timing of liftoff," said Ward McCarthy, chief US economist at Jefferies bank, in a note to clients.


Chris and Gabby Adcock missed out on becoming Britain's first All England Badminton Championship finalists for a decade with an agonising defeat by China's Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong.

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They held match point in the third set of their mixed doubles semi-final, but Chris Adcock suffered a broken string and they eventually lost it 22-20.
The Adcocks had taken the opening set 21-19, but lost the second 21-12.
"It's so tough to have been so close," Gabby Adcock told BBC Sport.
"We were quite a way down in the third set and fought back up to get the match point and then for that to happen to Chris is really, really unlucky."
Find out how to get into badminton with our special guide.
The Commonwealth champions - who also reached last year's semi-finals - were bidding to become the first British finalists in the event since Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg in 2007.
Their defeat comes just weeks after British Badminton failed to overturn UK Sport's Olympic funding cut.
Badminton England's chief executive Adrian Christy said on Thursday that the loss of around £1.25m per year in financial support would mean players and staff would now have to leave the programme.
"As you can imagine the atmosphere has been a bit flat at our training centre with the situation and it's a sad time for badminton," said Gabby Adcock.
Badminton England hopes to raise around £600,000 per year in order to help provide some funding support to the Adcocks and Olympic bronze medal-winning pair Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis.
"It's been a tough patch, but we've shown how resilient we can be on and off the court," Chris Adcock told BBC Sport.
"We really believe we've still got the ability to win majors as well as world and Olympic medals so we'll fight through and no doubt we'll be able to prove a lot of people wrong."
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Saturday's National League game between Woking and Tranmere Rovers has been postponed because of a frozen pitch.

A decision was made after an inspection on Friday to prevent Tranmere fans making the journey to Surrey.
A new date for the fixture at Kingfield Stadium has yet to be announced.
Tranmere are currently third in the table, just two points behind leaders Lincoln City, with Woking just one place, and a single point, above the relegation places.


The mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, has come under criticism after he appeared to endorse the internment of Japanese Americans during World War Two.

In a letter, David Bowers wrote that Syrian refugees should not be resettled in his city, citing security concerns.
To highlight the point, he compared the concern over the refugees to the 1940s internment of Japanese Americans.
The internment camps - now considered illegal - are widely considered to be an embarrassing period in US history.
"I'm reminded that President Franklin D Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester Japanese foreign nationals after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and it appears that threat of harm to America from [IS] now is just as real and serious as that from our enemies then," Mr Bowers, a Democrat, wrote.
More than 30 US governors have said they do not want Syria refugees resettled in their states after recent attacks in Paris tied to the so-called Islamic State killed more than 100 people.
Although the governors do not have the legal authority to do so, they can complicate the resettlement process. US President Barack Obama called their response "hysterical".
Virginia Republicans sought to distance themselves from Mr Bowers' remarks.
"Comparing the prudent step of pausing to evaluate a vetting processes to the unconstitutional internment of American citizens proves that Democrats simply don't understand national security," John Whitbeck, the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, said in a statement.
The letter drew also ridicule on social media with celebrities condemning Mr Bowers.
Actor and Japanese-American George Takei wrote on Facebook: "Mayor Bowers, there are a few key points of history you seem to have missed."
"The internment [not a "sequester"] was not of Japanese "foreign nationals," but of Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were US citizens," Mr Takei wrote.
"I was one of them, and my family and I spent four years in prison camps because we happened to look like the people who bombed Pearl Harbour. It is my life's mission to never let such a thing happen again in America."


Unemployment in Wales has fallen to its lowest since the global recession, figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown.

The number of people who were unemployed in Wales fell by 5,000 between December and February to 76,000.
The unemployment rate of 5% compares to 5.1% for the UK as a whole.
This is the first time the Welsh unemployment rate has been lower than the UK for two years.
Wales was also the part of the UK that saw the biggest fall in unemployment compared with three months ago.
The number of people out of work in Wales has steadily fallen for most of the past 12 months, but has been higher than the UK average since spring 2014.
Welsh unemployment is now the lowest it has been since December 2007 - February 2008, before the global recession.
Across the UK, unemployment rose by 21,000 to 1.7 million between December and February.
That is the first increase since the May-July period of 2015.
The unemployment rate of 5.1% is still down on the same time last year, when it was 5.6%.


A former associate of Bernie Madoff has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for aiding the disgraced Wall Street financier in his $65bn (Â£42bn) fraud scheme.

Daniel Bonventre, 67, was also ordered to forfeit $155bn (Â£99bn).
Bonventre is one of five former Madoff employees found guilty of conspiracy in March. The others are expected to receive their sentences this week.
Madoff's Ponzi scheme fraud is estimated to have cost investors $20bn.
He is currently serving a 150-year jail term, having been found guilty and sentenced in 2009.
"Mr Bonventre, you lived a prestigious and luxurious life," the judge, Laura Taylor Swain, said at a hearing.
"We now all know it was supported by a massive fraud."
The US government has determined that Bonventre, as well as Madoff's former secretary, Annette Bongiorno, 66, computer programmers Jerome O'Hara, 51, and George Perez, 48, and account manager Joann Crupi, 53, are the most culpable of Mr Madoff's former associates.
Prosecutors have been pushing for longer jail terms to be handed to them, after Mr Madoff's brother, Peter, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012.
"Bonventre's hubris and lack of remorse is simply staggering,'' they wrote to the judge, arguing for significantly more than 20 years.
However, Bonventre's lawyers said that he was also fooled by Madoff, and was not as crucial to carrying out the scheme, as prosecutors were claiming.
"I was used by the ultimate con man,'' Bonventre said before his sentence was pronounced, according to the Associated Press.


The scene of the attack in a Quetta hospital that killed more than 70 people and injured more than 100 on Monday will haunt its witnesses for a long time, says Shah Mohammad, a local lawyer and office-bearer of the Balochistan Bar Association.

He was asked over the telephone by a colleague to reach the Civil Hospital because the president of the Bar, Bilal Kasi, had been shot.
As he reached the hospital, Kasi had died, and there were "hundreds" of lawyers crowding the gates of the emergency ward.
"The blast happened when the body was being carried out through the gate. I fell down with the impact, then got up and took to running," he says.
But soon after, he stopped and looked back - and saw the scene he says he will never forget.
"All around the emergency gate, there were heaps of men lying over each other; some dead, some injured. There seemed to be hundreds of them. Some of the bodies were burning, some were torn to pieces. Many of them had been my lifelong colleagues."
Pakistan lawyers mourn Quetta attack
The lawyers who survived were able to regroup, but they didn't know how to handle that scene.
"The hospital staff had disappeared. We didn't know where to start. Our minds had gone numb. Many of the victims simply bled to death because there was no first-aid available."
While this may be the most tragic attack seemingly targeting lawyers, it is certainly not the first.
Since 2007, at least 11 lawyers and three judges have been killed in militant violence in Quetta. Some were killed in sectarian attacks, others died in suicide bombings, while some were kidnapped and tortured to death, with their bodies dumped on the streets.
Balochistan province, of which Quetta is the capital, has been torn by a decade-old separatist insurgency carried on by secular-nationalist ethnic Baloch groups.
But it has also been home to an array of Islamist militants, ranging from the Afghan Taliban to their Pakistani religious and sectarian allies such as factions of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LEJ).
For several years, the Pakistani military has been conducting an operation against the separatists, and has often been accused of using Islamists to counter them - a charge it denies.
But after an apparent lull in recent months, a new wave of hostilities has been in evidence, and lawyers have been its apparent target.
In June, militants gunned down the principle of Quetta University's law college, Barrister Amanullah Achakzai, while another lawyer, Jehanzeb Alvi, was gunned down in early August.
The gun attack that killed Bilal Kasi on Monday and led to the carnage at the hospital was the third attack on lawyers this year.
But why have lawyers become targets?
"This is because lawyers are a more visible and vocal section of the society," says Amanullah Kanrani, a veteran lawyer and former advocate-general for Balochistan government, who was also at the scene of the attack.
They are politically active, and, when one of their number is attacked, they will not hesitate to make themselves heard - through protests and strikes demanding better protection of lawyers, he says.
"This may be what the attackers want," he adds, as many anti-government militants wish to undermine the authorities and make them appear powerless.
Mr Kanrani received splinters in his arm and leg which were easily cleared by the hospital staff and he was discharged after receiving treatment.
"Despite their nuisance value, lawyersâ€¦ are just like any other non-official section of the society," with little influence and inadequate protection, Mr Kanrani says.
Lawyers, like other civilians, are "a hostage to a situation that has been evolving between the militants and the state since 9/11."
Asked how safe and professionally independent the lawyers feel in such circumstances, Mr Kanrani sounds rather pessimistic.
"We must get realistic about it. It's not going to get any better. Every arm of the state has its own set of priorities. One arm moves to eliminate the militants, the other moves to supply them with weapons. How can you expect safety and independence in a situation like that?"


Northern Ireland's world number 419 Stephanie Meadow is tied third on 12 under par going in to the final round of the Canadian Pacific Women's Open.

The 24-year-old shot a three-under 69 in round three and is level with South Korea's Sei Young Kim. Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn leads on 17 under.
Meadow's career-best result came at the 2014 US Open, where she finished third.
Scotland's Catriona Matthew is tied 41st on five under, with England's Jodi Ewart Shadoff one shot further back.
Three successive birdies from the 15th maintained Meadow's hopes of a high finish as recent British Open winner Jutanugarn gave the other contenders hope by bogeying two of her final three holes.
County Antrim's Meadow is currently 152nd in the 2016 LPGA rankings with only the top 125 earning cards for 2017.


Some boys sent to Kincora children's home were sexually assaulted by housemaster William McGrath just weeks after arriving, an inquiry has heard.

Allegations of child abuse at the east Belfast home are being examined by Northern Ireland's Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA).
It has heard harrowing statements given to police in the 1980s which ultimately led to McGrath's prosecution.
It was told boys warned new residents about McGrath as they arrived.
Victims described how McGrath would wake them up by touching them inappropriately.
Others told detectives he followed them to the bathroom and assaulted them there.
One victim, referred to during the inquiry as KIN49, said: "Boys warned new boys that McGrath would try to touch them."
Some boys described being scared of McGrath and his links to loyalist paramilitaries.
Three senior staff at Kincora - William McGrath, Raymond Semple and Joseph Mains - were jailed in 1981 for abusing 11 boys.
There have been persistent rumours that boys at Kincora were prostituted as part of a high-ranking vice ring involving prominent public figures.
However, none of those whose statements have been read to the inquiry so far, have said they were aware of any such practice at Kincora.
A man, referred to as R10, who spent four years at the home from 1973 to 1977, said: "I did not know of any politicians, police officers, justices of the peace, businessmen or civil servants being involved in any way at all with the hostel, staff or boys."


Oldham Athletic have signed defender Rob Hunt from Brighton & Hove Albion on a three-year deal after a successful loan spell.

Hunt, 22, made four appearances for Brighton before joining Oldham on loan in January.
His season was cut short when he suffered a groin injury in April.
"Rob has been keen to play regular football and, having experience with Oldham, the move gives him that," Brighton boss Chris Hughton said.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


All-rounder Graham Wagg is set for his Glamorgan comeback after groin surgery in the Championship match at Durham.

Wicket-keeper Chris Cooke is missing after taking a knock to the head in nets and batsman Will Bragg is also unfit.
Perth-born Cardiff MCCU captain Tom Cullen, 25, will replace Cooke behind the stumps.
Durham are without Test opener Keaton Jennings, who is on England Lions duty,
He will be replaced in the Durham side by fit-again youngster Jack Burnham.
It will be the first four-day meeting between the sides at Chester-Le-Street since 2004, with Glamorgan winning the last three Championship encounters on the ground.
Glamorgan are also without Timm van der Gugten because of Netherlands commitments, with South African paceman Marchant de Lange set to return after being rested for the win at Worcester.
Durham from: Cook, Steel, Burham, Richardson, Collingwood (capt), Clark, Pringle, Coughlin, Poynter (wk), Potts, Weighell, McCarthy, Rushworth, Harding.
Glamorgan from: Selman, Rudolph, Salter, Ingram, Donald, Lloyd, Wagg, Cullen (wk), de Lange, Hogan, Carey, Morgan, Murphy.


Standing 10ft tall in a field in County Donegal is one man's tribute to the beautiful game - the Irish version of the game that is.

Anthony Barrett, 56, has built a replica of the Sam Maguire Cup - the trophy traditionally presented to Ireland's Gaelic football champions each year.
His trophy is, however, built from stone. But Anthony is a farmer, not a stone mason by trade, nor is he trained in the skills of dry stone walling.
The Omagh man took up the hobby after his family acquired a farm near Newtowncunningham in County Donegal.
Dry stone walling is the process of using stones to build walls without mortar that are often seen throughout Ireland.
Anthony discovered his passion after finding a large amount of stones on the Donegal land that he has farmed since 1979.
Anthony told the BBC:  "It was very, very gravelley ground on the farm. There were a lot of stones on it.
"I started, about 10 years, ago building walls. There used to be a driving range on the farm and that's why I built the walls.
"It was just a hobby, I had no experience at all."
His farm is built on land once occupied by the manor house of the Earl of Wicklow.
It was stones from this house that were used to build the walls.
Several years on, and dotted throughout the farm are his masterpieces, which include a huge castle and two round towers.
However, Anthony humbly points out that a trained stone mason "would not consider it good".
But he does admit that he is most proud of his most recent addition - the homage to Irish football that stands majestically in a field by itself.
It's my wee treat," he says, "because of my love of football and the fact my daughter plays with the Tyrone minor ladies".
The stone version of Sam Maguire is 12ft wide and took about three months to complete.
"It took a bit of time. I could only build an inch or so each day. If I had put on more stone at the same time I was afraid of it collapsing," he said.
Unlike his other stone creations, the Sam Maguire and the castle are also fortified with steel and cement due to their sheer size.
Although the structures have attracted much attention from passers-by and the media, Anthony has played down his talents.
When asked if he has any pictures of him with his creations, he told the BBC:  "Aw, no. I'm much better with a stone, than a camera or phone."


Netherlands right-back Daryl Janmaat has joined Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee from Feyenoord.

The 24-year-old, who has won 21 caps, becomes manager Alan Pardew's fifth signing of the summer.
Janmaat underwent a medical at St James' Park on Tuesday and arrives as a replacement for Mathieu Debuchy, who has completed his move to Arsenal.
"Daryl had an excellent World Cup and we're looking forward to him continuing that form for Newcastle," said Pardew.
Janmaat made five appearances at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil, where the Dutch finished in third place.
Pardew added: "He is the perfect example of a modern full-back.
"He is someone who is good defensively but offers a real threat going forward as well."
Janmaat made 63 appearances for Feyenoord over the past two seasons.
"This is the perfect club for me and I am looking forward to being with the team and getting started here."
He is the latest man to join Pardew's squad following the arrivals of Emmanuel Riviere,Remy Cabella,Siem de Jong,Jack Colback and Ayoze Perez.


A window commemorating the sacrifice of people from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in the First World War has been installed at Southwell Minster.

The heart of the design shows a group of soldiers lifting a comrade, with his outstretched arms hinting at the crucifixion.
The artist, Nicholas Mynheer, said this represents "an act of compassion and service to others".
The window will be dedicated at a service on 10 July.
Mr Mynheer said it was a privilege to produce a window for "such a splendid building as Southwell Minster" and to spend time in his life entirely dedicated to considering the Great War.
"It was to be a truly humbling experience as I started to get an inkling of the stupendous sacrifice by all involved," he said.
"Initially, I felt overwhelmed by the accounts of sheer horror - mind numbing cruelty - and yet ever so gradually, amidst the darkness, little glimmers of hope appeared; of one man helping another, love overcoming hatred, and it was this that I realised I had to depict in the design."
Southwell Minster is in Nottinghamshire, but it was the mother church of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire at the time of the war.
Mr Mynheer said the sacrifice was not just made in the trenches and at the war front, so those at home are also reflected in the window.
Beneath the central group of soldiers a woman hangs up washing, blown by the gathering storm.
This represents the women and others who remained at home, but also Mary at the foot of the cross.


North Korea says it has arrested a US student accused of committing a "hostile act" against the state.

State news agency KCNA identified him as University of Virginia student Otto Frederick Warmbier.
He had entered North Korea as a tourist with the intention "to destroy the country's unity", said KCNA, which added that the US government had "tolerated and manipulated" him.
It did not give further details, but said he was now under investigation.
The US State Department is "aware of media reports that a US citizen was detained in North Korea" and is working with its protecting power, the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said.
He said that no further information would be shared at this time due to privacy concerns.
North Korea sometimes uses the detention of foreigners as a means of exerting pressure on its adversaries.
China-based tour agency Young Pioneer Tours released a statement confirming that Mr Warmbier had been detained while on one of their tours in Pyongyang, and said his family had been informed.
It had earlier told Reuters that Mr Warmbier was arrested on 2 January.
"We are in contact with the Swedish Embassy... who are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the case. We are also assisting the US Department of State closely with regards to the situation," it said in the statement.
"In the meantime we would appreciate Otto's and his family's privacy being respected and we hope his release can be secured as soon as possible."
Sweden represents US interests in North Korea as Washington and Pyongyang do not have diplomatic relations.
Mr Warmbier, listed by the University of Virginia's directory as an undergraduate commerce student, is the third Westerner known to be held in North Korea.
Hyeon Soo Lim, a Canadian pastor of South Korean origin, was sentenced to life imprisonment in December for an alleged plot to overthrow the government.
A Korean-American is also thought to be in North Korean detention on charges of spying.
The latest incident comes amid escalating tensions, after the North said it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. The claim has not yet been confirmed.
South Korea has resumed propaganda broadcasts over the border, while the North has been dropping propaganda leaflets on the South.
The United States is leading calls for new UN economic penalties against the North in the wake of the nuclear test.
The state department strongly advises Americans against travelling to North Korea.
In 2014, North Korea released three Americans it was holding in detention - Matthew Todd Miller, Kenneth Bae and Jeffrey Fowle.


A 35-year-old man who has been diagnosed with untreatable bowel cancer has completed the first of six marathons in six months.

Librarian Ben Ashworth, from Preston, started his fundraising effort with a race in Blackpool.
Mr Ashworth, who is undergoing chemotherapy, also hopes to race in Windermere, Wakefield, Northampton, the Isle of Man and Berlin.
"I really want to give something back while I can," said the father-of-three.
His sister Grace said:, "It was tough going but he managed it in five hours and 30 minutes."
Mr Ashworth, who was a keen runner before his diagnosis, is hoping to raise money for several cancer charities with a fundraising campaign.


The murder of a Pakistani politician in north London a year ago was "carefully planned", Scotland Yard has said, as it offered a £20,000 reward for details.

Dr Imran Farooq was stabbed outside his home in Green Lane, Edgware, last year.
His killers may have had help from other people, some of whom could have assisted unwittingly, police added.
An e-fit image of a suspect wearing a baseball cap has been released. A man aged 34 who was questioned last year has been bailed until this November.
Dr Farooq, who was a senior member of the MQM party, was killed "in a brutal manner", said Det Ch Supt Neil Basu of the Metropolitan Police.
His death, on 16 September 2010, "has left the community with a deep sense of loss", he added.
The 50-year-old suffered multiple wounds and blunt trauma to the head.
Police have previously said he may have been followed by up to four Asian men in vehicles or on foot.
Officers are asking for information about Dr Farooq, who came to the UK in 1999 seeking political asylum, and his routine.
They also want to talk to anyone asked to help buy items which could have been used in the attack, of the planning of it, such as knives or mobile phones.
It is thought two kitchen knives were used in the attack, along with a brick from a house.
One of the knives was made by Ausbein Messer, with a 5in (13cm) blade, and the other was branded as Schinken Messer, with a 5.5in (14cm) blade.


Education Secretary Michael Gove has told Parliament's spending watchdog to "stick" a planned £6,000 MPs' pay rise.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) says salaries should increase to £74,000 by 2015, but that perks should be cut and pensions made less generous.
Party leaders have criticised the rise but Ipsa's boss argues it will bring MPs into line with other professionals.
Mr Gove called Ipsa "silly" and said parliamentarians were "well paid".
The watchdog is to consult on the rise but MPs cannot block it because they handed control of the decision to the independent body in the wake of the 2009 expenses scandal.
By Nick RobinsonPolitical editor
The Ipsa proposals include:
MPs are currently paid £66,396, but that is due to rise to £67,060 in April 2014 and rise by a further 1% the following year.
The recommendation amounts to a rise of around £6,300 a year, or 9.3%, on what MPs would be getting in 2015.
Asked whether the extra increase should go ahead, Mr Gove said: "Absolutely not. MPs are incredibly well paid at the moment anyway, as are ministers."
He added: "Ipsa - it's a bit of a silly organisation really and pay rise? They can stick it."
A Downing Street spokesman said: "The cost of politics should go down, not up. And MPs' pay shouldn't go up while public sector pay is, rightly, being constrained."
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who has said he will not take the increase, said it was "about the worst time to advocate a double-digit pay increase for MPs", adding that the public would find it "incomprehensible".
Labour leader Ed Miliband said he did not believe the rise should go ahead - and confirmed he would not take it if it did, but he said he was confident Ipsa would change its recommendation after a public backlash.
By James LandaleDeputy political editor
"I don't think MPs should be getting a 10% pay rise when nurses and teachers are facing either pay freezes or very low increases and people in the private sector are facing similar circumstances," he said.
Prime Minister David Cameron has criticised the proposed increase but a No 10 source declined to comment on whether he would be taking it.
Pressed on the question, the spokesman said: "It's not a pay rise. It's a proposal". He pointed out the package was still to go out to consultation and Downing Street would be submitting its own response.
But Ipsa chairman Sir Ian Kennedy defended the proposal, saying: "The history of MPs' pay and pensions is a catalogue of fixes, fudges and failures to act. The package we put forward today represents the end of the era of MPs' remuneration being settled by MPs themselves.
"For the first time, an independent body will decide what MPs should receive. We will do so in full view, and after consultation with the public."
Sir Ian told BBC Radio 5 Live's Victoria Derbyshire phone-in programme that MPs should be treated like "modern professionals" and part of the package was a "radical proposal" to introduce an annual "report card" to show the public what MPs did for their money.
He said the pay rise proposal was "fair" because MPs' pay had "fallen back" over the years and they needed to properly rewarded for the job they did, adding that the expenses scandal had been the result of too much pay restraint.
Sir Ian said there was never a good time to increase salaries, but said the changes were designed to "last a generation rather than just respond to the latest political issue", and taken together with the expenses reforms would save taxpayers money.
He said he would over the next two months listen to the views of the public who had taken part in the consultation on the Ipsa website, but he believed the package was not over-generous and was in line with previous recommendations by the senior salaries review board and other bodies.
Sir Ian is paid £700 a day and works on average two days a week, which he said added up to an annual salary of between £60,000 and the "high 70s".
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen backed Ipsa's stance, telling BBC Radio 4's World at One: "I don't believe that MPs are remunerated sufficiently for the job that they do, if you want to attract the right sort of people.
"I don't want Parliament to be only for people of independent wealth, for people who treat it [their salary] as pocket money."


Giancarlo Stanton has agreed the most expensive ever deal in United States sport by signing a £208m ($325m) 13-year contract with Miami Marlins.

The new contract for the 25-year-old represented "a landmark day" for Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria.
The value of the deal makes it a record, although the £187m ($292m) 10-year contract signed by Detroit's Miguel Cabrera is worth more annually.
Stanton has hit a total of 154 home runs in five Major League seasons.
The American outfielder missed the final 17 games of last season after being struck in the face by a pitch but still hit 37 home runs in 2014, the most in the National League.
"I'm happy for the city, I'm happy for him and I'm thrilled for baseball," added Loria, who said the deal includes a no-trade clause and allows Stanton to opt out after six years.
"Besides being a terrific athlete, he's a first-class young man. I've loved watching him play, but I love this kid. He's just a special young man."


Midfielder Liam Kelly has signed a new contract with Reading, keeping him at the Championship club until the summer of 2019.

The 21-year-old came through Reading's academy and made his debut against MK Dons in the EFL Cup in August.
Kelly played his 12th game this term in Friday's abandonded match with Fulham.
"Liam has great ability in his passing, his movement, his technique and he has done very well ever since we arrived at the club," said boss Jaap Stam.
"Hopefully he can keep his performances up, continue to improve and we can get ourselves an even better player than he already is in the future."


Two senior civil servants have pulled out of giving evidence to AMs on funding for a proposed motor racing track near Ebbw Vale in Blaenau Gwent.

The public accounts committee (PAC) was told Mick McGuire and Chris Munday were no longer able give evidence about the proposed Circuit of Wales.
Another official will go instead. One PAC member called it "outrageous".
They were to face questions about a critical report into more than £9m of taxpayer funding for the circuit.
Both officials are playing a leading role in the Welsh Government's handling of the project.
Mr McGuire, the government's sector and business director, and Mr Munday, deputy director for business solutions, were due to appear alongside James Price, the deputy permanent secretary for the economy, on Monday afternoon.
Instead, Mr Price will be accompanied by Tracey Mayes, head of governance and compliance in his department.
The following morning, cabinet ministers are expected to discuss a crucial decision about the scheme.
Developers are seeking a £210m government guarantee which will enable building work to start at the site near Ebbw Vale.
After repeated delays, the proposal has undergone rigorous scrutiny as part of a due diligence process ordered by ministers.
In a letter to the committee, Mr Price said: "With that in mind, I am sure you will appreciate the priority focus for Mr McGuire and Mr Munday must be ensuring the completion of the rigorous due diligence process and associated work so that cabinet has the right information to consider the project comprehensively, and takes its decision in a thoroughly informed way."
The Circuit of Wales tweeted on Wednesday that the due diligence had been completed and a decision was expected before the end of the month.
Plaid Cymru committee member Neil McEvoy said: "There are serious issues of process and legitimacy here, where politicians and officials feel able to dismiss the Welsh Assembly public accounts committee.
"It really is outrageous.
"With £9m already spent, the public has the right to expect these officials to show up and answer questions."
Although it would be privately funded, the project has received Welsh Government grants and loans worth £9.3m.
In April the Auditor General for Wales said there were "significant shortcomings" in the way ministers managed the risk to the taxpayer.


Winger Patrick Roberts has opted to remain with Celtic until the end of the season rather than join the England squad for the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea.

The 20-year-old will end his 18-month stint at Celtic on loan from Manchester City at the Scottish Cup final on 27 May, when his team play Aberdeen.
"We've had a brilliant season so far," said Roberts of the treble-chasers.
"In such a special year for the club I want to be part of everything here."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Roberts called the chance to help add the Scottish Cup to the Premiership and League Cup trophies "a once in a lifetime opportunity".
"I spoke to the gaffer and this is just something I really wanted to do," he told the Celtic website.
"I have a great relationship with everyone around the England squad and I wish all the other lads and the management and backroom team the very best for the World Cup in South Korea."


Business leaders are calling on a future government to ensure continued "access" to the EU's single market following the referendum but what does that short but significant word mean?

As the prime minister has pointed out "access to the single market has many potential different meanings".
Japan and the US have "access" and, as one economist told me, even Haiti does.
Countries outside the EU have to negotiate trade deals, pay tariffs, get through customs and abide by EU rules.
This is all done without the advantage of having a say on those rules.
By comparison at the moment we are members of the EU's single market and have been for decades, which offers us totally free movement of goods, finance, and people around the EU, without any tariffs.
We also have influence on how the rules are written.
That's why much of business thinks "access" should mean "membership of" the single market, or what David Cameron called the "best access".
That is why the head of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Mike Hawes, said: "80% of what we produce is exported and the only way to succeed is through unrestricted and reciprocal access to the EU and global markets."
By "access" Mr Hawes means "membership" of the single market.
And it is not just carmakers that are worried about "access".
On Wednesday, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the Eurogroup of EU members, was asked what the consequences of Brexit might be.
He replied: "London and its financial service industry is servicing all of Europe now.
"They do that with the passport that gives them access to all the markets in Europe without any further bureaucratic hassle or other permits required and all of that will change.
"London has grown as a financial centre because of its position in Europe.
"Many Asian investors, other international institutions have come to London to service the European market from London and that position will inevitably change," he added.
Inevitable is a strong word.
The UK will work hard to negotiate the best possible access for all its industries and that could involve membership of the single market.
That is quite achievable.
Other countries are already in the single market without belonging to the EU, but they all allow free movement of EU citizens and pay into EU funds.
Leave supporters believe we can cut an especially favourable deal, but the SMMT also wants the UK "to shape EU regulations on the cars we drive" but that will be much more difficult once we are no longer members of the EU.
It shows how complicated the negotiations will be and how worried business is when people talk about "access" to the single market.
It is as if it is the answer to all their worries, but as the prime minister said, it depends on what you mean by "access".


Wales' netball team has qualified for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

The latest world rankings published saw Wales ranked in eighth position and inside the required top 12 position for Gold Coast qualification.
All the home nations have qualified with England ranked third, Northern Ireland 10th and Scotland squeezing in as 12th.
The Commonwealth Games will be held between April 4-15.


Flooding and mudslides triggered by monsoon rains have left at least 91 people dead and more than 100 missing in Sri Lanka, officials say.

About 20,000 have been forced from their homes in the south and west of the country, rescue agencies said.
Military boats and helicopters have been sent to help rescue operations.
The flooding is believed to be the worst since May 2003 when a similarly powerful south-west monsoon destroyed 10,000 homes and killed 250 people.
Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said the death toll was rising as reports filtered in from outlying areas.
"The south-west monsoon began with very intense rain," Dunesh Gankanda, deputy minister for disaster management, told reporters in the capital, Colombo.
"There are some areas where we are unable to reach, but relief operations are under way."
One of the worst affected areas is reported to be the south-western district of Kalutara. Police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody said at least five mudslides had been reported there.
The DMC issued evacuation notices to residents along the Kelani river, which flows through Colombo, amid fears that it was about to burst its banks.
"Residents who are living along the Kelani should evacuate to high ground within six hours," the agency said.
As the death toll rose, the government appealed to the UN and to neighbouring countries for assistance.
"The (foreign) ministry will continue to monitor the flood situation and seek assistance as required in consultation with the ministry of disaster management," the government said in a statement.


A group of Somalis have held a peace rally at the site of last week's militant Islamist attack in the capital, Mogadishu.

Fighters from al-Shabab killed 20 people when they targeted the popular Lido beach resort.
The demonstrators, who turned out to support the victims, shouted slogans including "al-Shabab has no religion".
Lido beach's popularity has been seen as a sign of a return to normality in Mogadishu after years of conflict.
It attracts thousands of mostly young Somalis who come to relax and enjoy the beach and the surf.
Al-Shabab said it targeted the resort's restaurants because they are frequented by government officials.
A spokesperson for Mogadishu's city government, which organised the rally, told BBC Somali that people had gathered to show their "defiance".
"They wanted to show their disapproval of what happened here, which was a massacre of innocent Somali people," Abdifitah Omar Halane said.
Al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, was ousted from Mogadishu in August 2011, but still has a presence in large areas of southern Somalia.
Mogadishu's Lido beach: Sun, surf and... grenades?
Who are al-Shabab?
Al-Shabab divided by IS call


Today is the one day in the year when it's not (that) weird to see Dennis the Menace food shopping with Where's Wally and the Gruffalo.

That's because it's World Book Day and kids (and adults) are dressing up as their favourite characters.
And, if you've been on Twitter, you'll realise that it's the UK's top trend #WorldBookDay.
So let's take a look at how your favourite authors are celebrating World Book Day on social media.
It's not surprising that the most followed children's author on Twitter is JK Rowling - especially when she posts messages of dogs in wizard costumes.
This World Book Day she's been sharing some of her favourite images of kids dressing up as Harry Potter characters - including a mini-Hagrid.
Not content with celebrating World Book Day from the comfort of his sofa, David Walliams is flying across the country as part of #WalliamsWhirlwind.
So far he's been to schools in Buckinghamshire and Bristol.
He's got a solid fan base who have been putting in some pretty good efforts when it comes to dressing up as characters he has devised.
Neil Gaiman has been retweeting some of them, including a Doctor Who based on the cover of the volume Gaiman wrote.
1 - JK Rowling: @jk_rowling - 4.29m followers
2 - John Green: @johngreen - 4.28m followers
3 - Neil Gaiman: @neilhimself - 2.18m followers
4 - David Walliams: @davidwalliams - 1.4m followers
5 - Michael Rosen: @MichaelRosenYes  - 62,000 followers
6 - Anthony Horowitz: @AnthonyHorowitz - 40,600 followers
7 - Oliver Jeffers: - @OliverJeffers - 25,300 followers
8 - Malorie Blackman: @malorieblackman - 18,000 followers
9 - Eoin Colfer: @eoincolfer - 17,700 followers
10 - RJ Palacio: @RJPalacio - 10,800 followers
Source: Twitter, based on the top 100 bestselling children's authors according to The Sunday Times
When she spoke to Newsbeat about World Book Day, she shared some pretty inspirational thoughts about why books matter.
She's also promoting Teen Fest, which takes place on Thursday and features lots of top authors talking to fans on social media.
You might be forgiven for thinking that, because of the name - World Book Day - it's celebrated across the globe.
But actually authors in the other parts of the world mark it in April.
We've included John Green here because he is, after all, massive on Twitter - and he really loves his fans.
Hmmmm, so the poet and broadcaster hasn't perhaps made the best effort with his own costume for World Book Day.
But we'll let him off, because what it lacks in creativity, it makes up for in authenticity.
For all you Oompa Loompas and Little Mermaids out there - it's absolutely fine if these are your costumes of choice.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


Uber is facing legal action in the UK from British drivers who claim the taxi-booking firm does not provide them with basic workers' rights.

The case is being brought by law firm Leigh Day on behalf of the GMB union.
It argues Uber does not currently ensure its drivers are paid the minimum wage or that they receive paid holiday.
It says Uber does not provide its drivers with the rights normally afforded to employees, claiming instead that they are "partners".
Uber operates a car hire smartphone app that connects passengers to drivers.
Using the app, passengers can request to be picked up from any location within London, or 300 other cities worldwide.
Passengers pay Uber for the journey, and it then passes on a percentage of that payment to the driver.
But Leigh Day's lawyers claim Uber's contract terms breach of UK employment law.
They also argue there are serious health and safety issues.
They alleged Uber does not ensure its drivers take rest breaks or work a maximum number of hours per week.
They argue this provides a substantial risk to all road users given that, according to Uber's chief executive, there will be 42,000 Uber drivers in London in 2016.
Leigh Day added there had been reports of drivers being suspended or deactivated by Uber after having made complaints about unlawful treatment, without being given any opportunity to challenge the claims.
The law requires that workers should not be denied the right to work for raising such issues.
A successful legal action against Uber could see substantial pay outs for drivers, including compensation for past failures by the company to make appropriate payments to what lawyers argue are their workers.
Nigel Mackay a lawyer in the employment team at Leigh Day said: "Uber not only pays the drivers but it also effectively controls how much passengers are charged and requires drivers to follow particular routes. As well as this, it uses a ratings system to assess drivers' performance.
"We believe that it's clear from the way Uber operates that it owes the same responsibilities towards its drivers as any other employer does to its workers. In particular, its drivers should not be denied the right to minimum wage and paid leave."
The case is the first to be brought against San Francisco based firm in the UK although it has face legal action elsewhere around the world.
Last week taxi drivers in Canada's biggest city, Toronto,  became the latest group to own legal proceedings against Uber.
The drivers are seeking C$400m (Â£198m) in damages and an injunction to stop the taxi-booking app from operating in the province of Ontario.
The action alleges that services like Uber X and Uber XL have created an "enormous marketplace" for illegal transportation in the city.
Taxi drivers in London have staged a number of protests over the company's operations. Last month, they launched a campaign to highlight their struggle with it.
Meanwhile, France has seen riots in response to Uber-Pop a subsidiary of Uber which allows unlicensed and untrained drivers to offer journeys to potential customers in their own cars.