Dilma Rousseff, the first woman to be elected president of Brazil, has had her share of career ups and downs.

In March 2013, just over halfway into her first term in office, she was on a career high.
She was enjoying approval ratings of almost 80%.
Brazilians said they rated her highly for her efforts to combat poverty and hunger.
While the growth of the country's economy had already begun to slow down, unemployment was still low and incomes had not yet suffered.
It was the first time that a majority of the Brazilians consulted in a poll by the National Industry Confederation said that Ms Rousseff was doing a better job than her popular predecessor in office, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Her policies of lowering taxes on food, expanding social welfare benefits and cutting the cost of electricity were especially popular with the poor, the backbone of her Workers' Party.
Three years on, the picture is looking very different.
Ms Rousseff's approval rating are down to about 10% and she is battling to stay in office as impeachment proceedings against her are making their way through Congress.
But despite her main coalition partner, the PMDB party, turning its back on her and former allies saying they will vote for her impeachment, she has said she will not be driven out of office.
Those close to her say she is not easily cowed.
Known for her brusque manner and short temper, no one doubts her fighting spirit.
Born in 1947, she grew up in an upper middle-class household in Belo Horizonte. Her father, Pedro Rousseff, was an ex-communist and Bulgarian immigrant.
Though she had aspirations to be a ballerina, these were quickly abandoned in favour of joining the left-wing movement against Brazil's military dictatorship which had seized power in 1964.
In 1970 she was caught and imprisoned for three years. Subjected to torture including electric shocks for her role in the underground resistance, she refused to break.
During her trial, she was referred to as the "high priestess of subversion".
She first came to political prominence as the protege of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who governed Brazil from 2003 to 2011.
When Lula's chief of staff, Jose Dirceu, was forced to resign and was later convicted over an illegal scheme that used public funds to pay coalition parties for political support, Ms Rousseff took over his post.
That was in 2005. She stayed in the post even as she battled lymphatic cancer in 2009.
In 2010, with Lula banned from running for a third consecutive time by Brazil's constitution, Ms Rousseff went for the top job.
She failed to get enough votes in the first round to win outright but went on to beat Jose Serra of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party in the second round with more than 56%.
Her supporters praised her commitment to social inclusion and her championing of Bolsa Familia, a social welfare scheme that has benefited 36 million Brazilians.
But her first term was not without trouble.
Many Brazilians opposed the government's backing of costly sporting events such as the 2014 World Cup in the face of continuing high levels of inequality and poverty.
In June 2013, an estimated one million protesters took to the streets during the Confederations Cup, an international football tournament which preceded the World Cup.
The protests were sparked by a rise in bus fares but escalated into nationwide unrest, encompassing a number of grievances including corruption, poor security, transport and health systems.
Ms Rousseff said she would address these concerns but maintained that the World Cup was not being financed at the expense of public services.
Despite the 2013 mass protests, Ms Rousseff still managed to beat her centre-right rival Aecio Neves to the presidency in October 2014.
Her margin, however, was narrower than four years previously and she was quick to pledge to be "a much better president than I have been until now".
Her second term has been overshadowed by a massive corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petrobras.
An investigation dubbed Operation Car Wash has uncovered evidence that Brazil's biggest construction firms overcharged Petrobras for building contracts.
Part of their windfall was then handed to Petrobras executives and politicians who were in on the deal.
Prosecutors allege that Ms Rousseff's Workers' Party partly financed its campaigns and expenses through these kickbacks.
A number of high-ranking politicians from the Workers' Party - and other parties - have been convicted over the scandal.
President Rousseff insists she had no knowledge of any wrongdoing.
But her critics, who point to the fact that Ms Rousseff served on the board of directors of Petrobras from 2003 to 2010, say they find this hard to believe.
Ms Rousseff's second term has been further hampered by economic woes, including falling oil prices, rising unemployment and a recession.
But what might eventually prove her undoing is an allegation that she manipulated government accounts to hide a shortfall in the government's budget.
She is facing impeachment proceedings over the claims that could drive her from office.
But true to her fighting spirit, she has promised to fight them all the way.


Dragons were beaten 71-21 at Northampton in the second of their weekend's pre-season games.

On Friday a separate squad in which Gavin Henson made his debut lost 21-14 against Montpellier in France.
Another new signing, South Africa full-back Zane Kirchner, made his Dragons debut at Franklin's Gardens.
New coach Bernard Jackman was at the game against Montpellier before travelling to Northampton to see his team routed.


A pop-up shop is to open in a village after its Co-op store was badly damaged in a botched ram-raid.

Robbers fled empty-handed after the raid on the store in Donington in Lincolnshire in the early hours of Thursday.
CCTV footage showed a digger repeatedly being driven into the front of the store until part of the building collapsed.
Police said the offenders then fled in a flat bed vehicle and dark blue car.
More on this and other local stories from across Lincolnshire
The Co-op's area manager Simon Taylor said the pop-up shop will operate from a neighbouring pub car park.
He said it would stock a limited range of about 150 items to provide a service while repairs take place. It will open later.
No timescale for the work has been announced, but Mr Taylor said the rear of the building was not as bad as it looks at the front.


So in the end Donald Trump went with the "safe" pick.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie had too much political baggage.
General Michael Flynn was too untested in the political arena.
Other possibilities (Senators Joni Ernst and Bob Corker and (reportedly) former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice) said no.
Mike Pence said yes. In a year that has defied political conventions, he was a very conventional choice.
The Indiana governor has executive experience and a strong legislative resume from his 12 years as a member of the US House of Representatives.
While in Washington, he chaired the Republican Study Group, a coalition of hard-core conservatives, which gives him solid bona fides among the grass-roots Tea Party wing of the party that has occasional doubts about Mr Trump's ideological purity.
He is, in House Speaker Paul Ryan's words, a "movement conservative" - a true believer who voted against key legislative items backed by then-President George W Bush, such as a federal prescription drug benefit for the elderly because he viewed them as a dangerous and wasteful big-government expansion.
He satisfies Mr Trump's stated desire to have a veteran political hand as his second-in-command, someone who can help shepherd his agenda through what could be a suspicious Republican-controlled House and a sharply divided, if not Democrat-majority, Senate.
Part of the running-mate selection process is finding a number two who can broaden the nominee's appeal, and Mr Pence ticks some of these boxes as well. At 57, he's a bit younger than the 70-year-old Mr Trump. He also hails from the Midwest, which Mr Trump's team has identified as perhaps the key battleground in his quest for the White House.
In Republican circles Mr Pence's record isn't entirely clean, however. Some on the right have criticised the governor for backing down when the state's "religious liberty" law was challenged by LGBT activists and local businesses last year.
Mr Pence's decision to expand Medicaid government health-care coverage for Indiana's poor is also considered a strike against him. Those apparent apostasies could be general-election boons, however - particularly to the working-class whites who Mr Trump is targeting.
Perhaps the biggest real question surrounding Mr Pence is whether he will have the rhetorical dexterity to fulfil the traditional running-mate roles of political attack dog on the stump and the nominee's most ardent defender.
He is not considered a particularly gifted speaker - opting for middle-America plain-spokenness in contrast to the East Coast tough-guy approach of someone like Chris Christie. Mr Pence will need to be able to skilfully explain away Mr Trump's more controversial statements with some measure of believability.
It's an open question whether he is up to the task. Mr Pence has been a Trump critic in the past, saying his proposed Muslim immigration ban was "offensive and unconstitutional".
Mr Pence had been testing his voice over the past few days, calling Mr Trump "a fighter, a builder and a patriot" in a fiery (for him) speech. Now he'll be doing battle alongside him for the next four months - and possibly longer.
This begs the question of why Mr Pence, unlike many of his establishment politicians, has chosen to embrace the iconoclast New York real estate mogul. By accepting a place on the ticket, he is dropping his bid for re-election as Indiana governor. A loss in November means Mr Pence is out of a job.
There's no doubt that the Indianan has presidential ambitions. He actively flirted with a 2016 run, putting in appearances at many of the candidate cattle-calls that dotted the political calendar last year. He also visited key primary states in 2008 but eventually set his sits on the Indiana statehouse.
If Mr Pence wins the vice-presidency in November, the political benefits will be obvious. But even if he loses - assuming the defeat is not an annihilation- he could position himself nicely for a 2020 presidential run.
The field that year will likely be crowded with candidates, like Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who have some national campaign experience under their belt and will be angling to appeal to the disaffected voters Mr Trump rode to the Republican nomination.
Serving as Mr Trump's running mate now could set Mr Pence apart from that crowd as the man with the establishment pedigree who fought alongside the right-wing populist hero.
Or it could all fall apart for Mr Pence, as he disappears beneath the waves aboard the USS Trump.
Politics is full of calculated risks and educated gambles. Mr Pence just pushed all his chips onto the table.


A family of 10 have been told if they do not accept a house offered to them, the council will no longer help them.

Arnold Sube reportedly told the MK Citizen a five-bedroom property in Luton was not suitable due to small rooms and a "lack of storage space".
He told the BBC he had not refused the house, but was waiting for the council's response to some questions.
The authority said if he did not accept a formal housing offer the family would have to look in the private sector.
Mr Sube and his wife, who now have eight children, moved to Luton from France so he could study nursing at the University of Bedfordshire.
They were placed in temporary accommodation with three bedrooms by Luton Borough Council in Bletchley, Milton Keynes.
The authority said the family was asked to view three houses in Luton, all with four or five bedrooms, and after viewing one said they were all unsuitable.
It said Mr Sube would now be formally offered another four-bedroom house, which could be made into five, and if they turned that down the council would no longer be able to help them.
Councillor Tom Shaw, in charge of the housing portfolio, said: "What the law says is once a council's made an adequate offer, then if it's turned down, the council's got the right to say that you are intentionally homeless, please go and look after yourself in the private sector."
Mr Sube said he "hadn't refused the property", but was waiting to hear back from the council about its "suitability and affordability".
He said: "I want four double bedrooms, not even five, I'm not greedy at all, we just want something that can accommodate the family.
"I work, I do two jobs, I'm paying taxes, I'm contributing to the system."


Andy Murray claimed his first victory over Rafael Nadal on clay to win the Madrid Masters on Sunday evening.

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The Briton had never beaten Nadal in six previous meetings on the surface but won 6-3 6-2 to stun the home crowd.
Defending champion Nadal was aiming for a record fifth win in Madrid but Murray outclassed his Spanish opponent to lift his first Masters title on clay.
The 27-year-old, who won his first clay-court title in Munich on Monday, has now secured two in under a week.
"It's one of the hardest things in tennis to try and win against Rafa on clay, so I'm glad I've managed to do it," Murray told Sky Sports.
"I made very few errors and changed the height of the ball extremely well, which was part of the reason why he was mistiming a few shots.
"I used the second serve into the forehand a lot and that worked well because I was able to get him moving. I dealt with all of the nervy moments I had in the match pretty well."
Nadal had reached the final without dropping a single set, showing signs of his best form ahead of the French Open later this month.
But defeat means he slips to seventh in the world rankings, the first time he has been outside the top five in a decade.
The Mallorcan will be aiming for a 10th title at Roland Garros, but on the evidence of Murray's performance in Madrid, the Scot will be just as strong a contender.
"I have played well at Roland Garros in the past," Murray said. "Last year my game was not ready to win, whereas the previous time against Rafa there I played well. I don't think I would go into the French as one of the favourites but if I play like that I'll give myself an opportunity."
Full of confidence following his triumph over Philipp Kohlschreiber at the Munich Open on Monday, Murray started brilliantly to win 12 of the first 14 points and establish a 3-0 lead.
Murray was powerful, patient and aggressive but still had to defend three break points on his way to taking the first set.
Despite signs Nadal was recovering his composure, Murray broke again immediately in the second, showing the same focus and determination that epitomised his powerful start to the match.
Having held his serve, the Scot emerged from a 21-shot rally with another break point, wasting it with a forehand smash into the net before being gifted a 3-0 lead by a Nadal error.
With the double break secured, Murray held his nerve to seal the 10th Masters title of his career and celebrated by writing 'marriage works' on a camera lens in reference to his recent marriage to long-term girlfriend Kim Sears.
"I've always said if the personal stuff is happy and under control that helps your performance on the court," he added.
"But I also feel healthy this year and I have trained well. I'm in much better shape on the clay than I have been for a number of years."


At least four people were killed in Chad's capital, N'Djamena, as government forces foiled a "destabilisation plot" against President Idriss Deby, officials said.

Two army generals, a ruling coalition MP and an opposition MP had been arrested over the alleged plot, the officials added.
A "small group" conspired for four months, the officials said.
Chad, a staunch ally of France, has a long history of coups and revolts.
Mr Deby himself seized power in a coup in 1990.
The BBC's Nathalie Magnien in N'Djamena says it is business as usual in the capital and no-one seems particularly concerned about the news.
There is no visible sign of increased security in the city or patrols on the streets, she says.
"Between four and eight people were killed in fighting at a military barracks in the east of N'Djamena," said a police source who requested anonymity, Reuters news agency reports.
By Celeste HicksFormer BBC Chad correspondent
Chadians are used to news of suspected coups - power has never changed hands peacefully and President Idriss Deby Itno is constantly aware that a soldier or even someone in his own family could overthrow him.
It is not yet clear who was behind this "attempt at destabilisation". Government sources say the main figure arrested is Saleh Makki, a hitherto relatively unknown member of the political opposition with no association with rebels in the past.
Some are speculating that there may be a connection to Chad's recent military interventions abroad and President Deby recently accused Libya of supporting militias against him. Recent threats from the former Chadian rebel group UFR do not carry much weight as they are a spent force.
What is known is that it is very difficult for the opposition to win an election - weak and divided they boycotted the 2011 presidential vote which Mr Deby won with 83%.
Mr Deby changed the constitution to abolish presidential term limits in 2005.
Police sources told the AFP news agency a shoot-out took place on the outskirts of N'Djamena, with three members of the security forces being among the dead.
"A small group of ill-intentioned individuals attempted to carry out a destabilisation plot against the institutions of the republic," a government statement said.
It said that the country's security forces "neutralised" them, without specifying how many people were involved in the alleged action.
Prosecutor Mahamat Saleh Youssouf named the generals who had been arrested as Weiddig Assi Assoue and Ngomine Beadmadji David.
Ruling coalition MP Mahamat Malloum and opposition MP Saleh Makki had also been arrested, he said.
Mr Makki's coalition Co-ordination of Political Parties for the Defence of the Constitution (CPDC), told the BBC it was confused by his arrest.
Mr Makki was arrested by police between 21:00 and 22:00 local time on Wednesday evening, his wife told the CPDC.
Our reporter says it is not clear what charges they will face.
Since its independence from France in 1960, Chad's history has been marked by instability and violence stemming mostly from tension between the mainly Arab-Muslim north and the predominantly Christian and animist south.
Mr Deby has survived two attacks on the capital - in 2006 and 2008 - from rebels in eastern Chad.
These rebels were supported by Sudan's government, which was unhappy that Darfuri rebels were using eastern Chad as a base. But a rapprochement between Chad and Sudan in 2010 has helped bring peace to that region.
Earlier this year, Chad deployed some 2,000 troops to help French forces oust Islamists who had seized large swathes of territory in Mali.
France said it had noted the latest events in Chad "with concern" and called on the government and opposition to engage in  "calm and constructive dialogue", AFP reports.


Visits to the Isle of Skye could be boosted by a tourism campaign based on the film adaption of Roald Dahl's story The Big Friendly Giant.

The Storr, a geological feature of the landscape in Trotternish, Skye, was used for creating scenes in the new movie directed by Steven Spielberg.
Tourism body VisitBritain has promoted The Storr in its new campaign called Oh My Giant Britain (OMGB).
It also features the film's locations in England.
Images of actress Ruby Barnhill, who plays lead character Sophie in the film, at The Storr, Big Ben in London and the Angel of the North near Gateshead have been released on social media.
The BFG launches in the US on 1 July and in the UK on 22 July.
Skye is a favourite with film-makers and provided backdrops for Stardust, which starred Michelle Pfieffer, big budget sci-fi Prometheus and also Snow White and the Huntsman, Keanu Reeves' film 47 Ronin and the latest film adaption of Macbeth.
Last month it emerged that the production team behind The BFG were helped by Highland's Council's small tourism and film unit with its inquiries about locations on Skye.


Paddy Jackson scored 18 points as Ulster strengthened their grip on a Pro12 play-off place with a comprehensive victory against Leinster.

A penalty try helped the hosts lead 10-6 at the break before Jared Payne and Jackson crossed in the second half.
Rob Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald were sin-binned for Leinster, who failed to score in the second period.
The win guarantees Ulster a European Champions Cup place ahead of their final Pro12 game against the Ospreys.
Despite the emphatic defeat, Leinster remain in third and could still secure a home semi-final if second-placed Connacht slip up against Munster in next weekend's final round of games.
Ulster were forced to make a late change to the starting team with Craig Gilroy ruled out with a virus and replaced by Rory Scholes.
The home side started brightly with Jackson nailing a 12th minute penalty after obstruction on Andrew Trimble.
Ulster grew in ascendancy, moving the big Leinster pack around the pitch, and converted their dominance into points when Ruan Pienaar engineered the opening try.
He spotted a hole in Leinster's midfield, burst through the gap and launched a kick-chase before being clattered illegally by Rob Kearney after 18 minutes.
The Irish full-back was sin-binned for the cynical body-check which denied Pienaar a certain try and referee George Clancy awarded Ulster a penalty try, which Jackson converted.
With a 10-0 lead and Leinster down to 14 men, Ulster had the opportunity to press home their advantage but instead it was the visitor's who seized the momentum.
With Rhys Ruddock influential and Sexton pulling the strings, they worked their way into the game.
Leinster outscored Ulster 3-0 while Kearney was in the sin-bin, Sexton landing a difficult sideline penalty attempt in the 28th minute and he scored again to reduce Ulster's interval lead to 10-6.
Fitzgerald, part of a Leinster quadruple substitution early in the second half, was only on the pitch two minutes when he was sin-binned for holding Scholes' arm as he tried to collect a Stuart McCloskey pass.
Ulster ended a 35-minute scoring drought through Jackson's penalty to move 13-6 ahead.
Having failed to take advantage of Kearney's sin-binning, Ulster were more clinical with the extra man this time with Jared Payne scoring a 58th minute try.
After a lineout maul, Luke Marshall's fast hands deftly switched the play and Payne made the numerical advantage count by crossing over out wide.
Man-of-the-match Jackson added a penalty and a breakaway try, intercepting Eoin Reddan's misplaced pass, to wrap up a convincing victory for Ulster.
Ulster: J Payne; A Trimble, L Marshall, S McCloskey, R Scholes; P Jackson, R Pienaar; C Black, R Best, R Lutton; P Browne, F van der Merwe; I Henderson, C Henry, S Reidy.
Replacements: R Herring, K McCall, A Warwick, R Diack, R Wilson, P Marshall, S Olding, D Cave.
Leinster: R Kearney; I Nacewa, G Ringrose, B Te'o, D Kearney; J Sexton, L McGrath; J McGrath, R Strauss, T Furlong; D Toner, H Triggs; R Ruddock, J van der Flier, J Heaslip.
Replacements: S Cronin, P Dooley, M Ross, M Kearney, J Murphy, E Reddan, I Madigan, L Fitzgerald.
Referee: George Clancy (IRFU).


Harlequins centre Joe Marchant and Northampton prop Paul Hill have been ruled out of England's tour to Argentina in June through injury.

Marchant, 20, has a toe injury while Hill, 22, has an ongoing neck problem.
England will also assess Sale Sharks wing Denny Solomona, who is having treatment on a foot sprain.
Head coach Eddie Jones will confirm the 31-man squad travelling to Argentina on Monday, following the Aviva Premiership final on Saturday.


Arjen Robben's late winner exorcised the demons that have haunted him and Bayern Munich in the Champions League as they won a pulsating all-Bundesliga encounter against Borussia Dortmund.

The tournament's recent history has offered little other than unrelenting misery for Robben and Bayern - but the agony is over after a colourful, enthralling final that confirmed Germany as the new power base of European domestic football.
Bayern had lost two finals in three years, including defeat on penalties to Chelsea in their own Allianz Arena 12 months ago, but on this occasion they cast off the tag of losers to claim the crown for the fifth time.
Only Real Madrid (nine) and AC Milan (seven) have won this tournament more times and the taste of victory was even sweeter for 29-year-old Robben and veteran Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes, who steps aside to hand over to Pep Guardiola at the end of this season.
"Bayern Munich were magnificent but the man who should take all the plaudits is manager Jupp Heynckes. He has changed this team completely, he has got them fitter than Dortmund. He has got wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben so fit. He has changed their mentality and he deserves this win."
Read Steve's final analysis
Heynckes will have the chance to bow out with a Treble; Bayern have already won their league and face VfB Stuttgart in the German Cup final next Saturday.
Robben was reduced to tears at the final whistle after playing in Bayern's losing finals against Inter Milan and Chelsea, when he missed an extra-time penalty, and also losing semi-finals to Liverpool in 2005 and 2007 during his Stamford Bridge career.
And for 68-year-old elder statesman Heynckes, this was the perfect parting gift and proof of his enduring powers. He has provided a hard act for Guardiola to follow, even with his outstanding track record of success at Barcelona, which included two Champions League triumphs.
Robben, however, was the central figure as he set up Mario Mandzukic's first for Bayern on the hour but Dortmund, under the guidance of charismatic coach Jurgen Klopp, quickly equalised through Ilkay Gundogan's penalty after Dante fouled Marco Reus.
And Robben finally had his revenge on a competition that has been so cruel to him in the past, showing great composure to taken Frank Ribery's flick in his stride in the 89th minute and beat Dortmund's outstanding keeper Roman Weidenfeller.
Robben's goal was the decisive moment of a Champions League final that saw the Bundesliga come to London and deliver a powerful statement of intent about its current status.
As well as the quality of the football, which was truly exceptional, the supporters of Dortmund and Bayern splashed their yellow and red colours spectacularly across Wembley's canvas and the dignity and grace in defeat and victory of Klopp and Heynckes only confirmed this was an occasion that did great credit to these two German heavyweights.
Heynckes cut a mellow figure beside the animated Klopp in Wembley's technical area but Dortmund's coach, with his flamboyant gestures and trademark grin, has established a reputation as one of football's most significant figures.
And he will know, just as much as his players, that this was an opportunity missed by Dortmund. They paid a heavy price for failing to capitalise on a first half hour in which they dominated Bayern and were only kept at bay by the brilliance of Germany keeper Manuel Neuer.
The intense pressing style that is the trademark of Klopp's team pushed Bayern on to the back foot in the opening phases and left Dortmund regretting they did not take at least one of a succession of opportunities.
Neuer made five important saves in the first 35 minutes as Dortmund tested Bayern in a manner that proved way beyond Barcelona when they were humiliated 7-0 over two legs in the semi-final.
He thwarted Robert Lewandowski twice and saved superbly at his near post from Reus, who saw another shot blocked. Neuer was also tested by Sven Bender.
Reus then tested Neuer once more as Dortmund poured forward, urged on from the technical area by the animated Klopp as he delivered a constant stream of encouragement and applause in the direction of his players.
Bayern - finally emerging as an attacking force - may have had the feeling it was going to be another night of Champions League final misery when Weidenfeller touched Mandzukic's header on to the bar and denied Robben one-on-one before unwittingly blocking another effort from the eventual match-winner with his face.
The Bundesliga champions had been a growing threat after a poor start and the breakthrough finally came on the hour when Ribery played in Robben and his cross gave Mandzukic the simplest of tasks to finish from six yards.
Dortmund required a swift response and it came inside seven minutes - thanks to a piece of recklessness from Dante.
The Bayern defender, who had already been booked, needlessly raised his foot and caught Reus in the stomach. Gundogan stepped forward to score coolly from the penalty spot.
It took a magnificent piece of last-ditch defending from Neven Subotic to keep Dortmund on terms. Thomas Mueller rounded Weidenfeller and his shot looked destined for the net until the lunging Subotic somehow recovered to clear, prompting a fierce fist-pumping response from Klopp.
Both goalkeepers had been outstanding throughout and it was Weidenfeller's turn to demonstrate his ability once more with fine stops from David Alaba and Bastian Schweinsteiger as this enthralling final drew towards a climax.
It was Robben who made the decisive contribution and when Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli sounded the final whistle to start wild Bayern celebrations, he was reduced to tears as he finally realised his dream.


Manx soldier Billy Redmayne won a thrilling three-lap Junior Manx Grand Prix in challenging damp conditions on Wednesday.

Redmayne finished just under two seconds ahead of Malachi Mitchell-Thomas, who had led by 10 seconds on lap two before his bike overheated.
The Laxey racer dedicated his victory to last year's winner Andy Lawson, who died racing at the Ulster Grand Prix.
Mitchell-Thomas set a new lap record on his final lap at 120.565mph.
Billy Redmayne had a seven-second advantage over eventual third-place finisher Rob Hodson from Wigan after the first lap, with Mitchell-Thomas third.
Mitchell-Thomas then surged ahead and had built up a 10-second lead before his bike overheated at the Creg on lap two.
The Horwich teenager lost 16 seconds after pulling over, before fighting back to finish just 1.9 seconds behind last year's runner-up.
The Laxey man, who has served three six-month tours Afghanistan, said: "I finished second to Andy (Lawson) last year and I want to dedicate this one to him.
"The conditions were really tricky over the Mountain but I just got my head down and cracked on. I have a lot of people to thank and it feels great to win."
Mitchell-Thomas, who broke Manx racer Tommy Clucas's 2004 lap record on his final circuit, said: "It was going great but the bike overheated on lap two and I was covered in water.
"I pulled over and it cooled down so I got going again but I couldn't quite catch Billy. We still have the Senior and there is more to come."
Hodson finished 12.2 seconds down in third.


At least five people in Mozambique have been killed after members of the opposition party Renamo, an ex-rebel movement, attacked a police post.

The incident in the central town of Muxungue followed two police raids on Renamo gatherings earlier in the week.
The police said the meetings were military training seminars organised to destabilise the country.
Renamo has said it will boycott local elections in November and intends to disrupt them.
The party says it feels the electoral process is fundamentally flawed.
Renamo and the governing Frelimo party fought against each other during Mozambique's 16-year brutal civil war, which ended in 1992.
The police said one woman and four officers died in the raid in Muxengue and 10 policemen were injured.
Renamo said it launched the attack in retaliation for the police raids on meetings they were holding in the towns of Gondola and Muxungue.
"Renamo is tired of persecution, humiliations, repression, dictatorship and slavery," AFP news agency quoted Renamo's security chief Ossufo Momad as saying.
A force of about 300 Renamo men have remained armed since the 1992 peace deal, despite efforts to integrate them into the army or police force.
Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama says he needs his own personal bodyguards, and the men usually stay in his bush camp in the Gorongosa mountains in central Mozambique.
The BBC's Jose Tembe in the capital, Maputo, says this week's clashes have created an atmosphere of fear and rumour.
Some people in Muxengue and Gondola have fled their homes fearing further clashes and there is little traffic on the main highway between the central region and the capital, which is in the south of the country, he says.
National elections are due next year.
Mr Dhlakama took 16.5% of the vote in election in 2009 - the fourth time he had lost since the end of civil war.


An image of a convicted murderer who failed to return to jail after unescorted leave in Glasgow has been issued by the Scottish Prison Service.

James Lieser, 38, did not return to HMP Greenock on Friday, 24 April. He was last seen by his family in Parkhead, Glasgow, at about 15:30 that day.
Lieser was convicted in 2004 of murdering Steven Collins and had served 11 years of a 12-year sentence.
Police want anyone with information on Lieser's whereabouts to contact them.


The World Bank has unveiled a $1bn (£660m) aid package to help the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighbours, as fighting continues near the eastern city of Goma.

The money is to be used for health, education, cross-border trade and hydroelectricity projects, it said.
The announcement comes as World Bank head Jim Yong Kim and UN chief Ban Ki-moon start a tour of the region.
One person was killed when a mortar landed in Goma, a UN spokesman said.
Government and M23 rebel forces have been involved in heavy fighting near Goma since Monday, killing 19 people.
The clashes are the first since the M23 pulled out of the city last year under diplomatic pressure.
The UN says it will speed up efforts to deploy a 3,000-strong intervention force to eastern DR Congo to end the latest conflict.
Some 800,000 people have fled their homes since the M23 launched its rebellion last May.
The World Bank aid package is to support a peace deal signed in February between DR Congo and its neighbours, some of whom are accused of backing the rebels.
"This funding will help revitalize economic development, create jobs, and improve the lives of people who have suffered for far too long," Mr Kim in a statement.
The largest tranche of the aid - $340m - will go towards an 80-megawatt hydroelectric project in Rusumo Falls, providing electricity to Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania.
Despite its vast mineral wealth, decades of conflict and mismanagement mean most Congolese remain stuck in poverty.
The mortar fell in the Goma neighbourhood of Ndosho, killing one person and injuring four, said UN peacekeeping mission spokesman Madnodje Mounoubai, Associated Press news agency reports.
He said he did not know who fired the mortar.
Campaign group Human Rights Watch researcher Ida Sawyer told Reuters news agency that a two-year-old girl died and three members of her family, including a boy and girl, were wounded.
The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in Goma says government and rebel forces have clashed in Mutaho, 10km (6 miles) east of the city for a third day.
Shells and rockets have been fired, he says.
Four government soldiers and 15 rebels were killed in the clashes on Monday, government spokesperson Lambert Mende told the BBC.
Mr Ban is due to visit Goma on Thursday.
The renewed fighting showed the need to speed up the deployment of the intervention brigade so that it would be "fully responsible as soon as possible", Mr Ban said.
The UN approved the creation of the force - made up of troops from South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi - in March to "neutralise" rebels in DR Congo.
The troops will have the most robust mandate ever given to UN peacekeepers to end conflict, officials say.
Mr Ban and Mr Kim are also due to visit Rwanda and Uganda.
Last year, a UN report accused the two countries of backing the M23, an allegation they denied.
On Monday, Rwandan President Paul Kagame told the BBC that UN troops had "in some cases" made the situation in DR Congo worse.
He said any military effort to bring peace to DR Congo needed to be "properly co-ordinated" with political efforts.


Major Tim Peake is getting ready to blast into space to complete his first mission.

For six months the International Space Station (ISS) will be his home.
The ISS was launched back in 1998 and astronauts have been living on board ever since.
It's an important place to carry out tests and research that will help future space missions to places like the Moon and Mars.
Take a look at the ISS in numbers:


Artist Dame Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan, has won the Design Museum Design of the Year Award.

Iraqi-British Hadid is the first woman to win the top prize in the competition, now in its seventh year.
The Heydar Aliyev Centre features Hadid's signature elaborate curves and undulations.
Previous winners include the London 2012 Olympic Torch, the Plumen light bulb, and the British government's Gov.uk website.
The overall winner was chosen by a panel of experts from more than 70 nominated designs in the categories of architecture, digital, fashion, furniture, graphics, product and transport.
The judges also chose winners in the other six categories. Winners included Prada for the fashion award and Volkswagen for transport.
The winner of the first social vote category, which gives design lovers from all over the world the chance to vote for their favourite nominated design, was the modular smartphone concept Phonebloks by Dave Hakkens.
Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Centre is the first architectural design to win the award.
Chair of the jury Ekow Eshun, a writer, journalist and broadcaster, said: "It's beautiful, it's inspiring, it's the clear vision of a singular genius and we thought it was a remarkable piece of work."
Hadid said: "We're absolutely delighted to receive the Design of the Year Award.
"The surface of the Heydar Aliyev Centre's external plaza rises and folds to define a sequence of public event spaces within; welcoming, embracing and directing visitors throughout the building.
"It's an architectural landscape where concepts of seamless spatial flow are made real - creating a whole new kind of civic space for the city."
The Baku building is named after Heydar Aliyev, the leader of Soviet-era Azerbaijan from 1969 to 1982 and president of Azerbaijan from October 1993 to October 2003.
The centre houses a conference hall, a gallery hall and a museum and was devised to help the redevelopment of Baku.
Hadid's other recent notable work includes designing a main station for Saudi Arabia's ambitious underground system in Riyadh and she has also created the design for Tokyo's 2020 Olympic Park.
She is a previous winner of the Sterling Prize for Architecture in both 2010 and 2011.
In 2004, she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
She designed the first of London's Serpentine Gallery's annual Pavilions in 2000, and many other noteworthy buildings around the world.
In addition, she has well-known interior designs to her name, including the Aquatics Centre for London's 2012 Olympic Park.
All the nominated designs for the Design of the Year Award are on display in an exhibition at London's Design Museum until 25 August 2014.


Surrey's slim chances of winning the Division One title ended as they drew with relegation-threatened Hampshire.

The hosts, who resumed on 23-0 at The Oval needing 230 runs to avoid an innings defeat, lost Rory Burns for 18.
Kumar Sangakkara (84 not out) shared a century third-wicket stand with Arun Harinath (57) before the latter was caught behind off Sean Ervine.
A rain shower saw the players taken off at 16:00 BST, with Surrey on 248-3 and play was called off.
Surrey are now 27 points behind leaders Middlesex with just one match remaining, while Hampshire are six points from safety, but Lancashire and Durham above them have a game in hand.
If Durham and Lancashire pick up a significant haul of points next week, the battle for the final relegation spot could be between Hampshire and Warwickshire, who are separated by eight points with one match left each.
With Hampshire seeking 10 wickets on the final day, Brad Wheal followed up Liam Dawson's early dismissal of Burns by removing Dominic Sibley for 44, caught behind.
However, on a flat pitch Sangakkara remained untroubled, reaching his seventh Championship half-century of the season having hit eight boundaries.
Steven Davies' 57-run unbroken fourth-wicket partnership with the former Sri Lanka batsman saw Surrey creep towards taking the lead in the final session of play before the rain intervened.
Surrey skipper Gareth Batty told BBC Radio London:
"There will be people that will say that after the first four sessions of the game the pitch died and there wasn't a lot (in it) for anybody.
"Fair comment, but you've still got to ride out those pressure situations.
"Hampshire put us on the back foot by going so far ahead, and making it so we were the only team that could be on the wrong end of the result.
"The character shown was great. On the whole, walking away with a draw is not a particularly bad result."
Hampshire captain James Vince told BBC Radio Solent:
"We set the game up nicely for today and the bowlers stuck to it really well and were unlucky not to have a few more wickets.
"On a wicket where it was spinning out of the rough, they have left-handers, if we'd been able to get one or two more in that middle session, I'd have backed us to go on and win it.
"We'll have to see how next week unfolds and then make a plan going into the Durham game (in the final week).
"We're very much still alive, I think."


A "brazen fraudster" received a £329 refund for a TV he had just picked up from a shop's shelf, police have said.

The man then shook the hand of the manager at the Aldi store on Wragby Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire Police said.
The force said he walked into the shop, picked up the TV and took it to the cashier to obtain a refund.
Police are appealing for information about the 2 January incident.
More on this and other local stories from across Lincolnshire


Chancellor Phillip Hammond has called comments made by Labour's John McDonnell about the Grenfell fire tragedy "disgraceful".

The shadow chancellor told the BBC's Andrew Marr he stood by his claim that victims of the disaster in west London were "murdered by political decisions".
He said "social murder" had occurred and "people should be accountable".
But Mr Hammond told the programme there was "not a shred of evidence to support that" accusation.
At least 80 people are believed to have been killed in the tower block fire in north Kensington on 14 June.
Asked if the politicians who sanctioned cuts were murderers, Mr McDonnell said he did not "resile" from that view.
He cited cuts to local government, to the fire service and the housing crisis.
"There's a long history in this country of the concept of social murder, where decisions are made with no regard to consequences of that, and as a result of that, people have suffered," he told Andrew Marr.
"That's what's happened here, and I'm angry."
He previously blamed the decision to "view housing as only for financial speculation".
John McDonnell's turn of phrase is one that was actually coined more than 170 years ago.
It was in the 19th Century that philosopher Friedrich Engels sought to prove that society commits "social murder" in his book Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844.
"When society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death... When it deprives thousands of the necessaries of life... forces them, through the strong arm of the law, to remain in such conditions until that death ensues... its deed is murder," he wrote of Victorian England.
Engels went on to found Marxist theory with fellow German philosopher, Karl Marx. Mr McDonnell recently said there was much to learn from reading Marx's study of capitalism, Das Kapital.
Speaking ahead of June's general election, he said he was going to be the "first socialist in the tradition of the Labour Party".


A police investigation is under way after a passenger plane approaching Heathrow Airport flew into what is believed to have been a drone.

The British Airways flight from Geneva, with 132 passengers and five crew on board, was hit as it approached the London airport at 12:50 BST on Sunday.
If confirmed, it is thought it would be the first such incident in the UK.
BA said it would give the police "every assistance with their investigation". No arrests have been made, police say.
The Metropolitan Police said the plane was hit by the drone at about 1,700ft (580m) while flying over the area of Richmond Park, in south west London.
No debris has been found and police have asked for anyone who finds drone parts in the Richmond area to come forward.
The force's aviation security unit, based at Heathrow, is leading the investigation.
After safely landing the plane, the pilot reported an object had struck the front of the Airbus A320.
A BA spokesman said: "Our aircraft landed safely, was fully examined by our engineers and it was cleared to operate its next flight."
Chief Superintendent Martin Hendy, head of the Met's aviation policing command, said the incident highlighted "the very real dangers of reckless, negligent and some times malicious use of drones".
A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesman said it was "totally unacceptable" to fly drones - which are generally used to capture aerial film or photographs - close to airports.
Steve Landells, from the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), said it had been "only a matter of time before we had a drone strike". He called for greater enforcement of existing rules.
Are drones dangerous or harmless fun?
London music video drone footage draws criticism
The rules for flying domestic drones
Leo Kelion, Technology editor
Flying a drone near an airport can already be punished with up to five years in prison, and rules also forbid flying them "beyond the direct unaided line of sight" of the operator or near buildings and crowds of people. Drones may not fly above 400ft (122m).
But the latest incident will only add to the pressure for further steps to be taken.
The US recently introduced a compulsory registration scheme so any drone recovered from an accident can be traced back to its owner.
In addition, officials could make it mandatory for drones to run geo-fencing software - that would prevent them flying in restricted areas.
The Department for Transport has promised to publish a strategy for unmanned aircraft this year.
Pilots have also called for it to fund tests into what would happen if a drone got sucked into an engine or crashed into a plane's windscreen.
Last month, the British Airline Pilots Association noted that while the threat of bird strikes had been well researched, there was little data about how much damage a drone could cause a plane.
The incident follows a warning earlier this year by the head of the International Air Transport Association Tony Tyler that drones flown by the general public are "a real and growing threat" to civilian aircraft.
The UK Air Proximity Board - which investigates near-miss incidents in UK airspace - said there had been a number of serious near-misses at UK airports involving drones.
David Black, from Blackwing Aerial Services - a company that specialises in licensed commercial drones - said education and enforcement of the current rules were important, particularly for hobbyists.
"I think a register is a good idea," he said.
"With firearms it has shown it's a good thing... but it has not stopped bad guys from getting guns. If you're going to use them as weapons, bad guys can build them themselves.
"You need enforcement, but the problem with enforcement is that it costs money and people to carry it out.... There needs to be better technology for detection and avoidance."
Geo-fencing is available in some drones - a database within the drone will not let it take off if it is near an airport so that operators cannot accidentally fly into trouble.
Mr Landells from Balpa added:  "The law as it stands says you're not supposed to go above 400ft (122m) or 500m away from the base unit, depending on the drone you're using, but we've been seeing incidents up at 8,000 feet, where drones just have no place to be, so we've got to do something.
"That's a registration process, some sort of tracking, some sort of electronic security - we've got to do something about this."
Source: The UK Airprox Board


Nico Rosberg took a stunning pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton was demoted to third by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.

Hamilton was a massive 0.704 seconds slower than Rosberg after a difficult qualifying session, befitting what has been a troubled weekend throughout.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen took fourth ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn's team-mate Sebastian Vettel will start last after a technical problem as Jenson Button starts 13th.
Rosberg's was a remarkable performance - he has surely never been as superior to Hamilton when both have been gunning for pole.
For his part, Hamilton has looked out of sorts all weekend, missing half of the second practice session on Friday because of a technical problem and struggling to get a good lap in before that.
He failed again to do a qualifying simulation lap in Saturday's final practice session, locking his brakes heavily and going straight on at Turn Seven.
First qualifying went better for Hamilton - he was fourth quickest, 0.15secs quicker than Rosberg but the German was faster in the second session, again on the first runs in the top 10 shoot-out and then he made a mistake on the entry to Turn One on his final lap.
It was in some ways reminiscent of Hamilton's weekend at the European Grand Prix in Baku in June, when he crashed out of qualifying and lined up 10th.
However, it later emerged that his car may have had a problem - Mercedes' data was showing it was producing less aerodynamic downforce than Rosberg's, which would explain the lack of grip.
At least this time he starts close to the front, but unless Rosberg makes a poor start - a Mercedes weakness at times this season - Hamilton will find it difficult to beat his team-mate, whom he leads by two points in the championship.
"Definitely happy with that one," said Rosberg. "For sure one of my top three laps ever. At times it wasn't clear where we would stack up against Red Bull so I knew I had to pull one out of the bag."
Hamilton said: "It has not been my weekend so far. Not many good laps. Just not been able to string them together."
Ricciardo's superb performance - 0.531secs behind Rosberg and 0.213secs quicker than Verstappen - gives him a strong chance to fight for victory, after he pipped Hamilton with his last lap of the session.
Red Bull had better pace on the race simulation practice runs on Friday than Mercedes, and Ricciardo and Verstappen will start the race on the super-soft tyre rather than the ultra-soft Mercedes will use.
It remains to be seen which strategy is advantageous - Red Bull will be able to do a longer first stint, but Mercedes then have two sets of softs available for remainder of the race while Red Bull only have one.
Hamilton at least did better than Vettel, who hit trouble almost as soon as he left the pits. He radioed the team to say he felt something wrong at the front of the car but was told to stay out and try to do a lap.
But he was not able to do a time quick enough to get him through into second qualifying and he said over the radio: "This is stupid, we are losing time."
The team said that the problem was a broken rear anti-roll bar. Vettel added: "There was no time to fix it. I wanted to come in but we decided to stay out."
The top 10 was completed by the impressive Toro Rossos of Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat, with McLaren's Fernando Alonso in ninth, splitting the Force Indias of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.
However, race stewards penalised Perez a total of eight grid positions for offences committed while yellow caution flags were out during second qualifying.
He was dropped three places for passing Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez and a further five for not slowing sufficiently for the flags, dropping him to 18th on the grid.
Perez was also given three penalty points on his licence.
The yellow flags were out after a crash by McLaren driver Jenson Button.
The 2009 world champion had looked stronger in qualifying after struggling throughout practice but qualified 13th after hitting the wall in Turn 14 and breaking a wheel on his final lap.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I tapped the wall with the left rear," said Button, who may be taking part in Singapore for the last time after deciding not to drive in 2017, with no certainty about his future beyond that.
"I didn't think I hit it that hard but it broke the wheel and I got a puncture.
"It has been a tough weekend for me. I hadn't found the pace in the car and Fernando had. Then I got to qualifying and I found it but there you go."
Jolyon Palmer will line up 19th in his Renault, two places and 0.135secs behind team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
Singapore Grand Prix qualifying results
Singapore Grand Prix coverage details


New York City billionaire John Catsimatidis is offering a financial reward for information leading to the arrest of ice cream shoplifters.

The grocery store tycoon and former mayoral candidate took to Twitter to offer a bounty of $5,000 (£3,870).
He told the New York Post newspaper that thieves are stealing cartons of ice cream in order to resell them to smaller shops, known as "bodegas".
Police have received 250 complaints and made 130 arrests, the Post reports.
Mr Catsimatidis, who owns the Gristedes grocery stores, tweeted that the bandits are "wreaking havoc on NYC supermarkets" and told the newspaper that the thefts are being encouraged by the bodegas.
He shared an example of an attempted theft at one of his stores earlier this week in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan, in which the thieves were filmed on mobile phone cameras.
A man and woman shoved 80 tubs of ice cream into bags and then ran from the store.
But police say that the couple abandoned the frozen treats on the street after they were chased by store employees.
City officials have called the resale of ice cream a public health risk, since the dairy products can become contaminated with germs if left outside of the freezer.
New York City is experiencing a heatwave that is expected to last several more days. Temperatures are expected to reach 110F (43C).


Plastic banknotes are to be brought into circulation by the Bank of England in 2016.

The new notes will be made of polymer, instead of cotton like the current banknotes, because the Bank says they will be much cleaner.
The Â£5 note, featuring former UK Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, will be the first plastic banknote.
The Â£10 note is to go plastic about a year later, this one will also have the image of author Jane Austen on it.
More than 20 countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada now use polymer banknotes.
Plastic banknotes are produced from a thin, transparent and flexible film made of polypropylene.
This is coated with multiple layers of special ink (usually white) to the front and the back, that allows the design to be printed onto the note.
The Bank has said that these notes last for 2.5 times longer than paper banknotes.
They will survive a spin in the washing machine, but will still melt under extreme heat such as an iron.


A US federal judge has halted a new Texan immigration law on "sanctuary cities" just two days before it is scheduled to go into effect.

The bill aimed to force local law enforcement to obey requests from immigration officers to hold illegal immigrants for deportation.
Sanctuary cities came under fire from Donald Trump in an executive order during his first week as president.
The Texan law was due to come into effect on Friday.
But on Wednesday, a federal judge ruled it was unlikely to withstand constitutional tests, and prevented implementation of key parts of the bill, called SB4.
In a 94-page decision, US District Judge Orlando Garcia commented: "There is overwhelming evidence by local officials, including local law enforcement, that SB4 will erode public trust and make many communities and neighborhoods less safe."
"There is also ample evidence that localities will suffer adverse economic consequences which, in turn, harm the State of Texas."
He said the court could not "second guess the legislature" but the state could not violate the constitution.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the decision made "Texas' communities less safe".
He said he would immediately appeal the decision and was confident the law would eventually be upheld.
Mr Trump's executive order in January covered a range of immigration issues but specifically targeted the 400 or so jurisdictions with policies protecting undocumented immigrants - nicknamed "sanctuary cities".
The presidential order authorised the federal government to withhold funding from cities with such polices.
The Texan bill, passed by the state legislature earlier this year, was set to be one of the first laws of its kind since Mr Trump's order.


Walkers using a south Wales forest have called for an end to "confusion" over where they can and cannot go during a major tree felling exercise.

Workers are removing 150,000 trees at Cwmcarn Forest Drive to try to stop larch disease spreading.
It has been closed for safety reasons although many foot and cycle paths are open, away from the main felling area.
"Give us a map and tell us which rights of way are open," said Robert Southall of Friends of Cwmcarn Forest.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said it wants people to still enjoy the forest but temporary closures were needed close to "dangerous" felling areas.
The woodland in Caerphilly County is one of the most popular tourist attractions in south Wales, with more than 250,000 visitors a year.
Around 4,000 trees - 9,000 tonnes - have been removed from the first area of forestry in the last three months.
The main Cwmcarn Forest Drive is closed to all public traffic and car parks are full of timber ready to be taken away.
A total of 14 rights of way have been closed but the friends group wants to know if they all will remain closed for the next six months.
Andy Schofield, NRW south Wales area manager said: "The complication is we have the forest drive route, the mountain bike and walking routes and bridleways - they all attract a huge number of people trying to enjoy the woodland.
"That coupled with the steepness of the terrain, which is partly what attracts people in the first place, makes this job doubly difficult."
He added: "We don't want to stop people coming here, we have to make people aware of the dangers, put barriers up at access points and exclude people from the harvesting area."
But the problem for some is the uncertainty of where they can and cannot walk.
Ramblers say they are frustrated by what they say is a lack of coordination between NRW staff, contractors and officials at Caerphilly and Torfaen councils.
Robert Southall of Friends of Cwmcarn Forest said the information was not getting out there.
"It's very confusing. We've asked for maps of where the footpaths are open - and closed - and have had no response," he said.
"It's not an impossible job it just needs a coordinated approach and it's easy to use social media these days. Let's have some more definitive information."
Cwmcarn's trails are a magnet for bike riders and temporarily they share one path with walkers.
Cyclist Anna Cipullo said: "We can still use the trails. Felling might mean part of the trail is closed for a while but you just get diverted."
According to NRW, broadleaf trees as well as conifers will be planted after the larch have been taken away. The forest and the attractions could be changed, and developed.
New tracks are being built to move heavy machinery and after the work has been completed the forest is likely to look very different, at least until new trees start growing.


Police have charged a 26-year-old man with threats to damage property over comments made on social media about a mosque.

The man was arrested in Coleraine on Thursday.
He is due to appear in Coleraine Magistrates Court on Friday.
Police said the comments concerned a mosque in the Causeway Coast and Glens area.


One of four special £5 notes worth up to £50,000 that feature a tiny portrait of author Jane Austen has been spent in a pie shop.

Specialist micro-engineer Graham Short visited the Dickinson & Morris Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, on Friday.
It follows the use of one of the special notes at a bakery in Kelso, Scotland, and also a cafe in Wales.
The final note will be spent this week in Northern Ireland.
Updates on this story and more from Leicestershire
Mr Short, from Birmingham, came up with the idea of engraving a 5mm portrait of Pride and Prejudice author Austen on the transparent part of the new plastic Bank of England £5 notes to mark the 200th anniversary of Austen's death next year.
He has included a different quote around each one, ensuring that each note is unique.
Anyone who finds one of the notes has been advised to contact the Tony Huggins-Haig Gallery, which launched the project.
The Bank of England's website states that it is illegal to deface bank notes under the Currency & Banknotes Act 1928.
In a statement, the gallery said it had contacted the Bank of England, which informed them that the notes were still legal tender.
Mr Huggins-Haig told BBC Scotland all of Mr Short's work has an insurance valuation of about £50,000. He also described the notes as like "the Willy Wonka golden ticket".
Mr Short's last work - a minute picture of the Queen on a pinhead - sold for £100,000.
The four notes have the following serial numbers and quotes:
Mr Short, 70, said: "As I enjoy pork pies, I thought where better to spend the English note than in Melton Mowbray?"
Stephen Hallam, from the shop, told the BBC every £5 note is not "inspected with a magnifying glass", but admitted the notes in the shop were "scrutinised" after they were told on Monday that Mr Short had visited the shop.
However, the special note could not be found.
"I'm still here making pork pies... I'm not flying off to Barbados," Mr Hallam said.
Mr Short told BBC Radio Wales' Jason Mohammad programme he chose Square Café in Blackwood High Street in Caerphilly because that was where his mother was born in 1909.
According to the Bank of England, it is against the law to "deface our banknotes (by printing, writing or impressing upon them words, letters or figures, etc.), although the question of whether or not to prosecute in individual cases is up to the police and the courts".


(Close): Shares in Sports Direct dived after it said its profits would be lower than expected, leading the FTSE 100 down.

The FTSE 100 closed down 0.7% at 5,912.44 after initially being bolstered by strong US jobs figures.
The stats showed 292,000 jobs were created last month in the US, beating expectations.
However, shares in Sports Direct dived nearly 15% to 436.80p after it warned on profits.
The retailer said that since its interim results on 10 December, it had "seen a deterioration of trading conditions on the High Street and a continuation of the unseasonal weather over the key Christmas period".
It added that it also expected similar trading conditions between now and the end of April.
As a result, it says it is "no longer confident" that it will meet its full-year underlying earnings target of £420m, and now expects earnings to be between £380m and £420m.
Shares in Tesco were having a better day, rising 5.5% to 146.90p after Barclays upgraded its rating on the stock to "overweight" from "equal weight".
On the currency markets, the pound fell by 0.006 of a cent against the euro to €1.3314, but was down a cent against the dollar at $1.4519.


A paedophile who filmed himself abusing a three-year-old girl and posted the images online has been jailed for eight years.

Hugh Sim, 30, from Renfrew, was caught after the pictures were spotted in a chat group by police in New Zealand.
He was convicted of sexually abusing the girl, and making and distributing indecent photos.
Sentencing him at Glasgow High Court, the judge said the damage to his victim was "catastrophic".
Sim was assessed as being at a high-risk of re-offending and will be monitored in the community for two years after his release.
Judge Johanna Johnston told him: "You photographed and filmed abuse which took place many times for your sexual gratification. These images were distributed online and found by police in New Zealand.
"The damage you have caused to that little girl is catastrophic and she now has difficulty forming attachments."
The judge said Sim had done his best to conceal his actions and added: "Had it not been for the work of the police in this country and the authorities in New Zealand your offences may never have come to light.
"You have shown no remorse and continue to protest your innocence."
The 30-year-old had denied he was the person in the images, but a former lover identified him by his heavyset build and ginger hair.
During a police inquiry in New Zealand into the members of the paedophile chat group it was established that one of the users had logged on from the UK and an internet search uncovered the subscriber as Sim.
Defence counsel Susan Duff said: "He accepts that he has been convicted of these offences, but maintains his position of claiming he is not guilty."
Sim was placed on the sex offenders register.
Det Ch Insp Fil Capaldi of Police Scotland said: "Hugh Sim's sentence today reflects the gravity of his actions and demonstrates that there is no hiding place for people who commit these types of depraved crimes against children, wherever they may be - crimes which would have impacted on this young girl's ability to enjoy a normal, happy childhood.
"I must praise the swift actions of the Police Scotland officers and detectives from the New Zealand Police Service involved in this inquiry."


League Two side Luton Town have signed Crystal Palace midfielder Jake Gray on a two-year contract.

The 20-year-old has become the Hatters' eighth summer signing, joining on free transfer but with a "contingency sum" due to Palace if he is sold on.
Gray made two first-team appearances for the Eagles and spent much of last term on loan at Hartlepool, scoring six goals in 33 games.
Hatters boss Nathan Jones said they had been chasing the signing "since April".
He continued: "There were a number of clubs that showed an interest in him. We initially thought we might get him on loan, but when we knew that Palace were willing to do something permanent, we jumped at the chance."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Beyonce and Adele both gave powerful, emotional speeches at Sunday night's Grammy Awards.

Beyonce's was entirely scripted  (she read it from a folded piece of card), making a bold statement about the beauty of being black.
Perhaps aware that she would be beaten in the best album vote, the star delivered it early into the ceremony, as her album Lemonade was named best urban contemporary album.
Here it is in full.
"Thank you so much. Hi baby [waving to her daughter, Ivy Blue]. Thank you to the Grammy voters for this incredible honour, and thank you to everyone who worked so hard to beautifully capture the profundity of deep southern culture. I thank God for my family, my wonderful husband, my beautiful daughter, my fans for bringing me so much happiness and support.
"We all experience pain and loss, and often we become inaudible. My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that would give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness and our history. To confront issues that make us uncomfortable.
"It's important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror - first through their own families, as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House and the Grammys - and see themselves, and have no doubt that they're beautiful, intelligent and capable. This is something I want for every child of every race. And I feel it's vital that we learn from the past and recognise our tendencies to repeat our mistakes.
Thank you again for honouring Lemonade. Have a beautiful evening. Thank you for tonight. This is incredible."
Adele, on the other hand, spoke off-the-cuff as she won the prize for album of the year.
The star, who had only just sat down after being awarded song of the year for Hello, had seemingly expected Beyonce to take the next prize.
She lost her composure as she spoke, even appearing to concede victory to her idol.
Here's what she said.
"Thank you. Hi guys. Hi, everyone. Hi, hi, hi.
"As you can see it took an army to make me strong and willing again enough to do it [make this album], but thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
"Five years ago, when I was last here, I also was pregnant, and I didn't know. And I was awarded that shortly after. I found out shortly after, which was the biggest blessing of my life. And in my pregnancy and through becoming a mother I lost a lot of myself. And I've struggled, and I still do struggle being a mom. It's really hard. But tonight winning this kind of feels full circle, and like a bit of me has come back to myself.
"But I can't possibly accept this award. I'm very humbled and I'm very grateful and gracious. But my artist of my life is Beyonce. And this album to me, the Lemonade album, is just so monumental. Beyonce, it's so monumental, and so well thought out, and so beautiful and soul-baring and we all got to see another side to you that you don't always let us see. And we appreciate that. And all us artists here [expletive] adore you. You are our light.
"The way that you make me and my friends feel... The way you make my black friends feel, is empowering. And you make them stand up for themselves. And I love you. I always have and I always will.
"Grammys, I appreciate it. The academy, I love you. My manager, my husband and my son. You're the only reason I do it. Thank you so much. Thank you very much to everybody."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Stock markets in Europe and the US have fallen after Greece closed its banks and restricted cash withdrawals.

The moves by the Greek authorities came after the European Central Bank decided not to extend emergency funding.
London's FTSE 100 index closed down 1.97% and Germany's Dax index fell more than 3.5%. In the US, the Dow Jones closed 1.95% lower.
Bank stocks were among the hardest hit, with Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank losing 4.8% and 5.8% respectively.
Speaking after the London market had closed, chancellor George Osborne said that British banks had "dramatically less" exposure to Greece than in 2012.
"I think they are well prepared for whatever eventualities unfold," he told the House of Commons.
Mr Osborne also warned that the Greek crisis was "one of the biggest external economic risks to the British economy".
"I don't think anyone should underestimate the impact a Greek exit from the euro would have on the European economy and the knock on effects on us," he added.
The Athens Stock Exchange and Greek banks are closed all week.
On the money markets, the euro lost ground against other major global currencies.
Meanwhile, political developments have continued, with the European Commission chief, Jean-Claude Juncker, saying he feels "betrayed" by the "egotism" shown by Greece in the failed debt talks.
Greece crisis - live coverage
Greece is due to make a €1.6bn payment to the IMF on Tuesday - the same day that its current bailout expires.
Last week, talks between Greece and the eurozone countries over bailout terms ended without an agreement, and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras then called for a referendum on the issue to be held on 5 July.
At the weekend, the Greek government confirmed that banks would be closed all week, and imposed capital controls, limiting bank withdrawals to €60 (£42) a day.
"Greece's decision to shut banks over the weekend is just the most dramatic element of a crisis that has spiralled out of control," said Chris Beauchamp, senior market analyst at IG.
There is zero chance of the European Central Bank turning Emergency Liquidity Assistance back on - life-saving lending to banks - unless Greeks give an affirmative vote to a bailout proposal from the rest of the eurozone and the IMF, which Juncker sees as a proxy for Greece's monetary future.
As for Athens, most of the Syriza government detests the bailout offer - for the way it pushes up VAT and cuts pensions.
So we will have the bizarre spectacle of a Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, arguing both against the bailout and for remaining inside the eurozone - so goodness only knows how he will vote.
And Greek people will be torn between fear and loathing of bailout proposals that will damage the living standards of many of them, and fear and loathing of abandoning the euro and seeing their banks closed sine die.
Read Robert's blog in full
Greece's temporary bank closure is sending investors' money into other European markets, which experts say will continue in the short term, as investors worry about a potential massive default in the country.
They are also concerned that other European economies could suffer similar debt problems, which would further rattle the financial stability in the region.  Market watchers say investors are seeking solace in assets which they consider safe bets in times of crisis.
"To a certain extent, we do expect markets to react to this, with peripheral bond yields probably higher, the euro a little bit lower throughout the week and some strength in the safe havens like the Swiss franc and the British pound," David Stubbs from JP Morgan Asset Management told the BBC's Today programme.
But despite worries about the deepening crisis in Greece, market watchers say that European markets are equipped to handle the short-term volatility.
Mr Stubbs added that because the economic situation in the eurozone had improved since 2011, the region's economy should be able to weather the storm.
Others agree that the volatility could be short-lived, as investors digest each turn in the long-running saga of the Greek debt crisis.
"Markets have a habit of reacting with fear first, and reassessing later," said Michael Hewson, chief market strategist at CMC Markets.
He believes many investors might ride this volatility out.
After a tumultuous weekend, many Athenians are returning to work on Monday - despite the closure of the country's banks.
If not for the doom-laden headlines displayed across newspaper kiosks, and the modest queues outside ATMs, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was just a normal weekday in the Greek capital.
TV crews and tourists occupy the central squares in the searing heat; the bars and cafes are as busy as ever.
But there is a sense of unease - Greece's economy may just manage to function until Sunday's planned referendum, but Athenians are all too aware that the country's future still hangs in the balance.
A rally in support of the "no" campaign - affiliated to the anti-austerity Syriza party - is due to take place this afternoon, and there will undoubtedly be a counter-protest at some point.
However, most of the Athenians I've spoken to are weary - after the peaks and troughs of the last few months, they've learned to take each day as it comes.
Other experts believe that despite the continuing uncertainty and the missed deadlines, Greece could still reach a deal that would avert a financial disaster.
"There is still a feeling within financial markets that a deal can be done here to keep Greece very much within the European Union," Paul Kavanagh, chief executive at Petronas Partners, told the BBC Business Live programme.
He is watching Italian and Spanish bond market action, adding, "Yes, those yields have risen - but they're not in panic territory yet."


Tributes have poured in from across the world for singer George Michael, who has died at his home at the age of 53.

Former Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley said he was "heartbroken at the loss of my beloved friend", while Sir Elton John mourned a "brilliant artist".
His former long-term partner Kenny Goss paid tribute to an "extremely kind and generous man", saying he "loved him very, very much".
Michael's publicist said he had died peacefully at his Oxfordshire home.
His manager, Michael Lippman, said the singer had died of heart failure.
Obituary: George Michael
George Michael: A life in pictures
How the world reacted
George Michael: Six songs that defined his life
Home village mourns George Michael
The star had "passed away peacefully" on Christmas Day in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, Michael's publicist said in a statement.
"It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period," the statement said.
"The family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time."
Michael's partner, Fadi Fawaz, tweeted on Monday that he would "never forget" this Christmas, having found the pop star dead "peacefully in bed first thing in the morning". He added: "I will never stop missing you xx".
Michael previously had a long-term relationship with Kenny Goss. The star officially announced in 2011 that the pair had split, although he said that the relationship had ended around two years earlier.
In a statement, Goss said: "I'm heartbroken with the news that my dear friend and long time love George Michael has passed. He was a major part of my life and I loved him very, very much. He was an extremely kind and generous man."
Scores of celebrities and fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to the pop star.
Writing on Twitter and referring to Michael by his family nickname of "Yog", Ridgeley said: "Me, his loved ones, his friends, the world of music, the world at large. 4ever loved. A xx"
Paul Young, who performed on the Band Aid hit Do They Know it's Christmas? with Michael, told the BBC his voice "cuts straight through your heart".
On Instagram, Sir Elton John posted a photograph of himself with Michael, writing: "I am in deep shock.
"I have lost a beloved friend - the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. My heart goes out to his family and all of his fans."
Madonna posted a video on social media of herself presenting Michael with an award in 1989, and wrote: "Another Great Artist leaves us."
Robbie Williams, whose first solo single was a cover of Michael's song Freedom, wrote: "Oh God no â€¦I love you George â€¦Rest In Peace x".
Boy George wrote: "He was so loved and I hope he knew it because the sadness today is beyond words. Devastating.
"What a beautiful voice he had and his music will live on as a testament to his talent. I can't believe he is gone. I hope the Buddha will hold him in his arms."
South Central Ambulance Service were called to Michael's property at 13:42 GMT on Christmas Day.  Thames Valley Police also attended and Michael was confirmed dead at the scene.
They added: "At this stage the death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious. A post-mortem will be undertaken in due course. "
A small heart wreath and a rose are among the tributes left outside the front door of Michael's Goring home, a detached property by the River Thames.
Michael, who was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in north London, sold more than 100 million albums throughout a career spanning almost four decades.
He first found fame with schoolfriend Ridgeley in duo Wham! - reaching number one in the UK singles chart on four occasions. One of the band's most enduring songs, Last Christmas, is currently number 16 in the UK singles chart.
The song was originally released in 1984 and is the biggest selling single not to reach number one.
It was kept off the chart's top spot by Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas, which actually featured Michael.
Solo albums followed, including the multi-million selling Faith in 1987.
The follow-up Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 outsold Faith in the UK but led to Michael losing a court case with record label Sony over his frustration at how the album had been marketed.
His talents as a singer, songwriter and music producer made George Michael one of the world's biggest-selling artists.
Blessed with good looks and a fine singing voice, his stage presence made him a favourite on the live concert circuit as he matured from teen idol to long-term stardom.
But there were times when his battle with drugs and encounters with the police made lurid headlines that threatened to eclipse his musical talents.
Read more in George Michael's obituary
George Michael: Master craftsman of pop
As a solo artist, Michael scored a further seven number one singles in the UK with songs including Careless Whisper and Fastlove, collaborated with the likes of Aretha Franklin and Elton John, and won three Brit Awards and two Grammys.
Michael also faced headlines for reasons other than his music.
After years of refusing to be drawn on his sexuality, Michael disclosed he was gay in 1998 after being arrested in a public toilet in Beverly Hills, California, for engaging in a lewd act.
The music video for the single that followed, Outside, featured a men's bathroom transformed into a disco and policemen kissing.
In October 2006 he pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drugs, and in 2008 was cautioned for possession of class A drugs, including crack cocaine.
In September 2010, Michael received an eight-week prison sentence following an incident in which he crashed his Range Rover into a shop in north London. He admitted driving under the influence of drugs and possessing cannabis.
See more reaction to Michael's death
How I featured on a George Michael song
In 2011, Michael postponed a series of concerts after being taken to hospital for treatment for pneumonia.
After treatment in a Vienna hospital, he made a tearful appearance outside his London home and said it had been "touch and go" whether he lived.
The experience inspired the single White Light, which was his last Top 40 hit in 2012, and which he performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London.
Earlier this month it was announced that producer and songwriter Naughty Boy was working with Michael on a new album.
Michael had also recently been working on a documentary chronicling his rise to fame with Wham! and made a direct appeal on Twitter to his fans, asking them to send in their own videos and photographs dating from 1988 to 1996.
The documentary film entitled Freedom was originally expected to be released this year but was recently delayed until next March.
In 2011, George Michael joined James Corden for a Comic Relief sketch on BBC One which went on to inspire the hugely successful Carpool Karaoke segments on Corden's Late Late Show on CBS.
The feature is now a staple of the American chat show, with stars such as Madonna and Michelle Obama having appeared, and attracts huge online audiences.
The original sketch began with Corden poking fun at Michael and ended with the pair singing along to Wham!'s I'm Your Man.
Corden said: "I've loved George Michael for as long as I can remember. He was an absolute inspiration. Always ahead of his time."


Standards of NHS dental care in England have been likened to a "Third World" service, by dentists.

The care, already "unfit for purpose", is becoming even worse, a letter signed by 400 dentists, in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, adds.
It says the creation by international charity Dentaid of a service for vulnerable patients in West Yorkshire is a sign of the mounting problems.
NHS England said services were improving.
An NHS England spokeswoman said: "These claims are wrong - more patients are getting the dental care they need, and 93% of people got an NHS dental appointment when they wanted one in the last 24 months."
The letter urges ministers to be "fully open and transparent" about the limitations of current provision.
The fact Dentaid, normally associated with providing care in the Third World, is now offering emergency care to homeless people, migrants and the low paid in Kirklees "serves to demonstrate the lack of a proper national dental service", it says.
The letter also calls the levels of tooth decay in children a "national disgrace".
Figures published last year by the Health and Social Care Information Centre showed nearly half of eight-year-olds and a third of five-year-olds had signs of decay in their milk teeth.
The Children's Dental Health Survey for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, carried out every 10 years, also found 46% of 15-year-olds had decay in their teeth - although that represented an improvement on the previous survey.


England got off to an incredible start at the Women's Euros - but it was a night Scotland would probably rather forget.

England beat them 6-0 at the match in Utrecht in the Netherlands, in both teams' first match of the tournament.
Jodie Taylor scored a hat trick, while Ellen White, Jordan Nobbs and Toni Duggan all got on the score sheet too.
England's next match will be against Spain, while Scotland will take on Portugal.


Two men have died in a light aircraft crash in North Yorkshire, police have confirmed.

The pilot and a passenger died after the aircraft came down in a field off Mains Lane, between Whitwell-on-the-Hill and Wellburn, officers said.
Emergency services were called to the scene near Castle Howard in the Ryedale area at about 10:40 BST.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch has launched an inquiry. Police are yet to confirm the victims' identities.
Supt Mark Grange, from North Yorkshire Police, said the plane was still mostly intact when it landed more than 200m away from the nearest houses.
"It looks like it came straight down," he said.
"It looks like an aircraft, with two wings and a tail fin where it should be.
"It's in a bad way and it's obviously come down heavily. It's sat on its underside so it has not flipped.
"Whether they tried to land like that I don't know."
Eyewitness Andrew Moutrie, 54, from Hovingham, said he was on his way to a football match when he came across the crash scene near the A64.
"It looks like the aircraft attempted a crash landing. It looks like it came through the hedge towards the field," he said.
Supt Grange said the site had been declared safe by the fire service after "worries about the amount of fuel" from the plane.
"We're just preserving the scene until the air investigation branch attend. That's anticipated at about six this evening and then we'll be directed as to the next steps really around the recovery phase," he added.
A cordon has been placed around the crash site and the public has been advised to avoid the area. A number of roads have also been closed.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said three crews were sent to the scene - two from Malton and another from York.
A spokesman said up to 20 firefighters attended the crash site and a foam blanket had been placed around the aircraft in case it caught fire.


A man who shot his wife dead in a Newport street was "controlling" and would not let her out of the house at night, a court has heard.

Caroline Parry was shot in the back at close range near her home last August.
Her new partner Gary Bidmead told Newport Crown Court Ms Parry was underweight and very unhappy in her marriage.
Christopher Parry, 49, from Cwmbran, denies murder but has admitted manslaughter.
On Thursday, Mr Bidmead told the jury he met Ms Parry in November 2012 while she was walking her dog.
He said she was crying at the time and he asked her if she was ok.
Their relationship developed gradually from then, the court heard, but did not become sexual for a long time.
They moved in together in April 2013 and Mr Bidmead described their relationship as "brilliant".
"She was very unhappy in the marriage," Mr Bidmead said.
"He was very controlling and wouldn't let her go out. She wasn't even allowed to go on holiday with her mother."
He went on: "She would have to be in the house by 7pm and wouldn't be allowed out after then.  She was way underweight when I met her, she wasn't eating.
"She was allowed to stay with her mother overnight maybe once a month."
But Roger Thomas QC, defending, said Ms Parry would go clubbing and would send romantic texts to Mr Bidmead during her marriage, which would suggest she was not a controlled woman.
Mr Bidmead told the court that after Ms Parry left her husband he would send her texts asking her back and would phone her and become aggressive when she refused.
He said Mr Parry, a driver for the Celtic Manor Resort, would swear, call Ms Parry names and she worried he would harm himself or her.
Earlier, neighbour Jade Mineur said she heard two loud bangs "like fireworks" on the day of the shooting.
She said she heard the shots and looked out of her window just as Mr Parry turned the gun on himself.
Ms Mineur dialled 999 and went outside to help.
She told the court via video link: "I went to the woman and checked her pulse and then I checked the man's pulse and he was alive, I saw his chest move slightly," she said.
Roger Thomas QC, defending, read a section of Ms Mineur's police statement to the court.
She had told police: "The look on his face was as if he was in disbelief himself it had actually happened.
"It wasn't like it was shock like 'I've done it', it was as if he could not believe it had happened."
The trial continues.


Icy conditions led to 69 accidents on roads in north Wales within a space of hours on Monday, police have said.

Some council highways officials said they did not start gritting roads until Monday morning as overnight forecasts said it would not freeze.
North Wales Police said it saw a "surge in demand" with calls to its control room with 69 reports of road traffic collisions between 07:00 and 13:00 GMT.
A spokesperson urged motorists to take care on the roads.
An injured man was airlifted to Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent, after a two-vehicle collision in Pentre Halkyn, Flintshire, at 08:00.
In another incident, a cyclist suffered serious injuries after a collision with a tractor on Hawarden Road, Hope, Flintshire, at 11:35.
Supt Alex Goss from North Wales Police said: "We experienced a surge in demand into our control room reporting collisions across all six counties.
"As a result of two separate collisions two people have been taken to hospital in Stoke with serious injuries and we wish them a full recovery."
Trouble spots in Denbighshire included the A547 near Rhuddlan and the A525 near St Asaph while the A5151 at Trelawnyd, Flintshire, was also affected.
In Anglesey, the A5025 at Pentraeth and B5111 at Llangefni were both affected.
Check if this is affecting your journey
Denbighshire council said it received several weather forecasts on Sunday, including one at 22:00 stating that temperatures would remain above zero due to cloud cover.
It added: "A further update was issued at 05:00 today [Monday], stating the cloudy skies had cleared unexpectedly and temperatures had dropped. As a result the council deployed its gritters and they are still out and about this morning treating the main roads and problem areas."
Flintshire council said: "The council did not undertake any precautionary gritting yesterday [Sunday] evening because the forecast received by the council did not require it. Temperatures did however fall below freezing this morning in some areas and the gritting fleet were deployed to treat the network."
Further west, Conwy council gritted all its priority routes on Sunday night and Monday morning.
And Gwynedd council said: "We can confirm that parts of the primary network roads were gritted last night based on forecasts for icy conditions."


Voters are more likely to want to talk about cleaning up dog mess than Brexit before May's local elections, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has said.

Before Plaid's spring conference, she said "two-way conversations" between grassroots activists and local people were crucial to success at the polls.
Ms Wood said she did not see her push for a soft Brexit harming party chances in areas that voted to leave the EU.
The two-day conference begins in Newport later on Friday.
Ms Wood won Rhondda from Labour at the May 2016 assembly election, a constituency which voted Leave in the EU referendum the following month.
She will use the conference to accuse Labour Welsh Government ministers of concentrating on the economy in Cardiff at the expense of the rest of the Wales.
Plaid Cymru is on a "mission to rebalance Wales", she will say in a speech later.
Speaking to BBC Wales at her office in Cardiff Bay, she said: "Most people on the doorstep, they are not talking about Brexit, they are not talking about what goes on here, or really what goes on in Westminster.
"It comes up a bit, but you can have conversations with people that go to the local issues - and people then might disagree with me on something I've said on Brexit, but then they will still say 'I'll vote Plaid because you've done this locally for us'.
"So, if it comes up it's not stopping people - even if they are against what I've said - stopping them from voting Plaid.
"I'm not concerned that's going to be a major issue in the elections or any other of the big things we are all concerned about.
"Most people talk about dog poo."
Her party struck a deal with Labour in the assembly, rather than go into coalition.
That allowed Carwyn Jones to return as first minister, in exchange for including Plaid in preparing policies and budgets.
But Ms Wood said where Plaid has a strong grassroots campaign they hoped to pick up votes from Labour.
In her speech, Ms Wood will accuse Labour of repeating the mistakes of UK ministers by concentrating on the capital city and neglecting the rest of the county.
She will say: "Plaid Cymru would ensure every part of Wales gets the chance to succeed.
"Existing plans lack the ambition needed to rebalance the country."


Tributes have been paid following the death of veteran journalist and author, Liam Clarke.

His most recent position was as political editor at the Belfast Telegraph, a post he took up in 2011.
He previously worked at the Sunday Times as its Northern Ireland editor for 20 years before becoming a columnist for the paper.
Mr Clarke was also a regular contributor to BBC NI's political programmes.
In 2014, he was named CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) journalist of the year.
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt, a former journalist, said he was "stunned and deeply saddened" to hear of Mr Clarke's death.
"Liam was hugely professional, always probing and persistent, yet also totally trustworthy," he added.
"I remember him as a senior print journalist with the Sunday Times when I began my career with BBC Northern Ireland.
"He was someone worth reading, listening to and following.
"News journalists do a job that some people do not always like, so the journalist's ambition must be to earn respect, which is quite a challenge in a divided society like ours. Liam won that universal respect, deservedly so."
DUP leader Arlene Foster said her thoughts and prayers were with Mr Clarke's family.
"As a journalist Liam had an ability to cut through all the padding and get right to the core of a story," she said.
"He will be missed by us as politicians but of course our grief is overshadowed by that of his family whom he loved dearly and often spoke."
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said he was sorry to learn of Mr Clarke's passing.
A Sinn FÃ©in spokesperson said the journalist "was a long standing figure in political reporting in the North of Ireland".
TUV leader Jim Allister also expressed his condolences.
"His biography of McGuinness "From Guns to Government" was a tour de force of journalism, which displayed his undoubted skills," he said.
"His role and contribution at the Belfast Telegraph made him a household name for many."
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood paid tribute to Mr Clarke's life and legacy.
"Liam Clarke is one of the most recognisable names in Irish journalism," he said.
"That's due not only to his distinguished career and remarkable work ethic but to his warm character and his good nature.
"Never one to give any politician an easy ride, Liam's enduring professional qualities were his straight talking style and his dogged determination.
"A good journalist and a good man, he will be sorely missed."