Austria has begun withdrawing its soldiers from the Golan Heights after nearly four decades of monitoring a UN buffer zone between Israel and Syria.

The Ministry of Defence in Vienna said that the decision was taken as violence from the conflict in Syria spilled over into the ceasefire area.
"The first 60 to 80 soldiers will land in Vienna tomorrow afternoon," said a ministry spokesman.
The full Austrian withdrawal will be completed within a month.
More than 900 UN soldiers form the mission, known as the UN Disengagement Observer Force (Undof), monitoring the demilitarised zone between Syria and Israel, including Quneitra - the only open crossing between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
The withdrawal of Austria's 377 peacekeepers will leave the Philippines as the largest contributor. India also has troops based in the Golan, but Croatia, Canada and Japan have withdrawn their contingents because of the conflict in Syria.
Syria's deployment of tanks in the demilitarised zone violates ceasefire agreements in place since the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, but sources have told the BBC that Israel will not react.
Israel captured part of the plateau in 1967 and later annexed it in a move that has never been internationally recognised.
Israeli officials have voiced fears the civil war in Syria could spill over their borders. They are worried the Golan Heights could be used to launch attacks against Israel - either by Islamist extremists fighting for the rebels, or by Hezbollah militants fighting on the government side.


Detectives looking for a 15-year-old girl have arrested a man in connection with her disappearance.

The 19-year-old, who is being held at Corby Police Station, was arrested on Tuesday by officers who are trying to locate missing Veronica Sbircea.
Veronica left her home in Kettering on the evening of 21 July and there were sightings of her in London on 27 and 28 July.
Police believe she may be in either the Brixton or Enfield areas of London.
Veronica, who is also known as Rachel, is white, 5ft (152cm), with long straight black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing dark leggings and a black top.
She is originally from the London area.
Det Insp Stuart Hitchon said: "Veronica is known to approach people to use their mobile phone temporarily, and we are urging anyone who may have been approached by her or have seen her, to make contact."


The Usain Bolt of the tortoise world has raced into the record books as the fastest ever.

Bertie, from Adventure Valley in County Durham, covered 18ft (5.48m) in 19.59 seconds - smashing the previous best of 43.7 seconds, which stood since 1977.
He clocked his time in July last year, but the achievement has now been confirmed and appears in the new edition of the Guinness Book of Records.
Bertie, who raced to his record on a diet of strawberries, is thought to be about 10 years old.
Leopard tortoises typically live to between 80 and 100 years old.
After becoming a record-breaker, Bertie and his girlfriend Shelly now live in a larger enclosure.
The previous best was set at the National Tortoise Championship at Tickhill, South Yorkshire, on 2 July 1977.


The Donald Trump campaign has admitted the Republican lags behind Hillary Clinton with just over two weeks to go before Americans cast their votes.

"We are behind. She has some advantages," said his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, who added: "We're not giving up. We know we can win this."
On Friday, Mr Trump made a rare admission that he could lose.
New polls suggest Mrs Clinton remains well ahead nationally and in several battleground states.
Her campaign has predicted this is going to be "the biggest election in American history".
Campaign manager Robbie Mook told Fox News Sunday: "More people are going to turn out than ever before."
Polling in Republican strongholds like Utah and Arizona suggest these states could back a Democrat for the first time in decades.
The polls may be wrong in Arizona but if they are correct, it may be the start of a Democratic trend that doesn't just put the state in play in a Clinton 2016 rout scenario, it makes Arizona a legitimate swing state in coming elections.
"The demographics in the state are continuing to change," says Arizona State University political science professor Richard Herrera. "If there is another increase in Latino voters, which there almost certainly will be, followed with an increase in party registrants, this could become a real battleground in future elections."
For Democrats, that's a dream scenario, giving them new and plentiful paths to electoral success.
For Republicans, it could mean the start of a long-term political nightmare.
Read more
That apparent change to the electoral map has prompted a shift in strategy for the Clinton camp, which is spending money on helping Democrats running in close House or Senate races.
Mrs Clinton said she didn't even bother responding to Trump anymore and would instead spend time "emphasising the importance of electing Democrats down the ballot".
Mr Trump's campaign manager said the Clinton team had a huge financial advantage in how much they could spend on negative ads against Mr Trump, and high-profile campaigners.
"She has a former president, who happens to be her husband, campaigning for her. The current president and first lady, vice president, all much more popular than she can hope to be," said Kellyanne Conway.
But this election does not feel over when you realise the depth of support Mr Trump has on the campaign trail, she said.
However, Mr Trump reflected on defeat for the first time on Friday when he said that - win, lose or draw - he would be happy with himself.
A day later, he announced a raft of measures for his first 100 days in office, that include used curbs on lobbying and new trade and climate change negotiations.
With just 16 days until the election, much of the recent focus has been on controversies linked to his campaign.
On Saturday, he promised to sue every woman who had accused him of sexual misconduct.
He also repeated his claims that the election is rigged, because of voter fraud at polling booths and media bias.
On Sunday, Eric Trump, Mr Trump's son, said his father would accept the outcome but only if it was a "fair" election.
Who is ahead in the polls?
50%
Hillary Clinton
44%
Donald Trump
Last updated October 25, 2016


A man has been jailed for five years for attempting to rape a schoolgirl after buying alcohol for underage drinkers.

Ruslanas Kukanauza attempted to rape the 14-year-old in Haddington, East Lothian, in 2013.
The 25-year-old, of Haddington, was also found guilty of sexually assaulting three other underage girls.
A judge told Kukanauza he was "bound to impose a sentence of imprisonment" given the nature of the offence.
The first offender had earlier denied a series of charges, but was found guilty after a trial of the attempted rape, as well as further attacks on other female victims in Haddington.
During a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh, Kukanauza, originally from Lithuania, was also placed on the sex offenders register.
Judge Michael O'Grady QC previously told him: "It is apparent to me from the circumstances of this case that you are inclined to prey on young women as a matter of course."
He said: "It goes without saying that the crime of attempted rape is always a cowardly and serious offence."
The judge added that it was particularly so when "perpetrated by a grown man on a child" who was vulnerable.
The victim of the attempted rape, who is now aged 17, said that at that time of the offence she would sometimes meet up with friends and go out drinking.
She told advocate depute Jo McDonald that they would ask others to buy alcohol for them.
The teenager said she had told her mother she was going to the gym and she was given money, but her intention was to buy drink.
Kukanauza came down the street and one of her friends said he would buy them alcohol as he had done it before. She told the court she had contributed Â£20 and he came back with a bag containing lager, cider and gin.
"He sat with us for a bit and then we got invited up to his flat," she said. They went to the flat in Hardgate, Haddington, where she was drinking gin.
They later left after Kukanauza said he was going to the pub for a drink, but were told they could return to the flat later and were given the chance to stay.
The teenager said: "I was really quite drunk."
She and others were lying on a bed and Kukanauza joined them. She said she was wakened up by her body "shaking" and had never consented to what was occurring "because I was sleeping".
She said as soon as she realised what was going on she stood up and left the flat.
Defence counsel Matt Jackson told the court that Kukanauza still maintained his innocence.
Mr Jackson said: "He does go so far as recognising that he was wrong in involving himself in any kind of supply of alcohol."
The defence counsel said Kukanauza had come to Britain as a 17-year-old to find employment and had shown a strong work ethic.


Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed has left the Indian High Commission in the capital, Male.

Mr Nasheed took refuge there 10 days ago after a court ordered his arrest for failing to appear to face charges of abuse of power.
He did not explain why he left the building, and a government spokesman warned the case against him was still pending.
Mr Nasheed was controversially forced from office a year ago.
Tensions remain between his own supporters and the government that replaced him.
When Mr Nasheed entered the mission on 13 February, his Maldivian Democratic Party said he would stay inside until a new caretaker government was formed.
But the situation was straining relations with the Maldives' giant neighbour, prompting Delhi to send a special envoy, says the BBC's correspondent Charles Haviland.
Mr Nasheed has now left the mission, saying he hopes to continue political activities and take part in a presidential election due in September.
In a notably conciliatory tone, our correspondent reports, Mr Nasheed told journalists that he believed compromise with the government was possible.
An official from his party admitted to the BBC that the former president could be arrested over charges that he illegally ordered the detention of a senior judge - the move which led to his overthrow.
Masood Imad, a spokesman for the current Maldivian president, said the previous arrest warrant against Mr Nasheed had expired and there was no new warrant in force "so far" - but the case against him was still pending.
Asked if he would be able to stand in the election, the spokesman said he believed the court would eventually fine Mr Nasheed or imprison him for a year and if the latter happened, he would be barred from standing.
Mr Nasheed, a pro-democracy campaigner, became the first democratically elected president of the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2008.
He claims he was forced to quit in February 2012 under duress after soldiers and police mutinied and overran the party's headquarters in Male.
But his successor, Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, who had been serving as his vice-president, insists Mr Nasheed left of his own accord after opposition-led protests.


Tributes have been paid to former Gabon international Moise Brou Apanga who died on Wednesday from a suspected heart attack.

The 35-year-old collapsed during a training session with his Gabonese club FC 105 Libreville.
He played for the Panthers at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2010 and 2012.
"We played together, we played against each other but it was always a pleasure to play alongside you," Gabon captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang posted.
"Rest in peace my brother."
The Gabon Football Federation (Fegafoot) announced the news and also paid their own tribute.
"The country has lost a brave son who has always given his best for the Gabonese flag," Fegafoot wrote.
"All our condolences to his family and team-mates."
Sunderland and Gabon midfielder Didier Ndong also paid tribute to Brou Apanga on social media.
"I take this moment to tell you that I'll be thinking about you every minute of this match - rest in peace big brother," the 22-year-old wrote just before he took to the field for Sunderland against Middlesbrough.
"Brou Apanga a legend of Gabonese football." he added.
Brou Apanga was born in Ivory Coast but during his first spell with FC 105 he was persuaded to become a Gabonese citizen by the then coach Alain Giresse.
The French coach handed Brou Apanga his debut in 2007 and also helped him secure a move to Brest.
"I have collapsed, I'm destroyed," Giresse, who told French newspaper L'Equipe.
As well as playing for Brest in France he also had spells with Italian clubs Perugia and Brescia after originally beginning his career with FC Politehnica Timisoara in Romania.
After his spell with Brest he returned to Gabon in 2012 and played for Mangasport before enjoying his second spell with FC 105 after returning earlier this year.


Floods in the western Indian state of Gujarat have killed 218 people, government officials have confirmed.

The death toll doubled over the last two days as officials found more than 100 bodies once waters began receding.
Officials estimate that the floods have affected 450,000 people in the state.
This years monsoon rains have affected millions across at least 20 states in India. The north-eastern state of Assam has also seen dozens killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
The government has announced aid packages for affected areas and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Assam on Tuesday.
He has said the aim of his visit is to find a "permanent solution" to the flooding that Assam faces every year.
The Press Trust of India news agency quoted an official as saying that many affected people in Gujarat had begun returning to their villages.


Olympic champion Greg Rutherford is planning to host a long jump competition for some of the world's top athletes - in his back garden.

Rutherford has a long jump runway and pit at his home in Woburn Sands near Milton Keynes.
"I think I will actually have an exceptionally good field of jumpers, better than a Diamond League meeting to be honest," he said.
He said Australian long jumper Mitchell Watt was among the interested parties.
Rutherford, who won gold to Watt's silver at London 2012, built the runway and pit with help from his father.
The plan is to host the event in September, after the Rio Olympics.
"We are going to get a grandstand for maybe 50 or 100 people, put it right next to the runway pit and after have a party in the garden," said Rutherford.
"I want to get funding behind it so the athletes can be paid - I can create something that I feel the rest of the sport isn't doing."
Rutherford said Olympic and World Championships triple jump gold medallist Christian Taylor (USA) and World Championships long jump silver medallist Christian Lapierre had also expressed an interest in competing.
Speaking ahead of Friday evening's Great City Games street athletics event in Manchester, Rutherford joked that Carl Lewis, the 1984 and 1988 Olympic gold medallist, would probably not be invited.
"I don't think I'd want Carl anywhere near my house to be honest," he said.
Lewis, along with world record holder Mike Powell, has been critical of the current state of long jumping.
"If him and Carl want to come back, I'll welcome them all back. I'll happily scalp them," said Rutherford.
A British Athletics spokesman said: "Should the long jump pit meet official competition standards, this could be something British Athletics would look to support."


Military chiefs in America say a new, unmanned stealth bomber has carried out its first test flight.

The X-47B jet is being designed by weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman for the US Navy.
It was in the air for 29 minutes during its maiden flight and reached an altitude of 5,000 feet.
Officials say it will help form part of a new generation of unmanned drones and works like a smaller version of the B-2 Stealth Bomber.
As such it would be very different from the current fleet of remote controlled military planes like the Predator and Reaper.
Instead the X-47B would be virtually invisible to radar and fly at much faster speeds than those older, propeller driven machines.
In a statement Captain Jaime Engdahl, a programme manager for the warplane, said: "Today we got a glimpse towards the future as the Navy's first-ever tailless, jet-powered unmanned aircraft took to the skies."
The flight was primarily designed to test the jet's guidance and navigation systems and the aerodynamic control of the tailless design.
It was controlled from the ground by a joint team of the company's engineers and Navy specialists.
Northrop is building the bomber as part of a Â£395 million contract signed in 2007.
Janis Pamiljans is vice-president of Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.
"Designing a tailless, fighter-sized unmanned aircraft from a clean sheet is no small feat.
"Commitment, collaboration and uncompromising technical excellence among the Navy [and] Northrop Grumman made today's flight a reality.
"We are indeed honoured to have given wings to the Navy's vision for exploring unmanned carrier aviation."
Although it will be several years before the X-47B is ready for operations officials say it should have its first test flight from an aircraft carrier in 2013.
Follow Radio 1's technology reporter Dan Whitworth on Twitter


The Philippine parliament has officially declared Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte to be the president-elect.

Mr Duterte won a landslide victory in the presidential election this month, taking about six million votes more than his closest competitor.
The tough-talking mayor of Davao won on a strident anti-crime platform, promising to wipe out crime in months.
Mr Duterte, 71, did not attend Monday's ceremony, saying he had "never attended any proclamation all my life".
He has largely stayed in Davao, in the south, since his election win.
The joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate also proclaimed Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo as vice-president.
Both will be sworn in on 30 June, and serve a single six-year term before the constitution requires they stand down.
Duterte vows to bring back death penalty
The controversial statements of Rodrigo Duterte
Filipino netizens react to Duterte alcohol ban proposal
Why did Filipinos vote for Duterte?
From 'Punisher' to president


Uber has fired the engineer accused of stealing secrets from Google-owner Alphabet after he failed to assist with an investigation related to the lawsuit.

Anthony Levandowski, previously worked on self-driving car technology at Waymo, owned by Alphabet.
He is accused of downloading 14,000 confidential files before leaving the company in 2016.
Uber denies it is using stolen technology.
In a court filing last month, Uber maintained its technology is different. It described the claim that employees brought files to Uber with the goal of creating "copycat" technology as "demonstrably false."
Mr. Levandowski has declined to testify in the case, launched in February.
The firing was confirmed by an Uber spokeswoman, who said it was effective Tuesday.
Mr Levandowski had already been removed from working on the self-driving car technology at the heart of the suit.
He started working at Uber in August 2016, when the firm bought Otto, the self-driving truck start-up he had created in the six months after leaving Google.
He declined to testify earlier this year, citing his right to avoid self-incrimination.
Uber maintains its technology is different to Waymo's and says there isn't evidence the files are on its servers. But its search did not include Mr Levandowski's computer.
Judge William Alsup, who is overseeing the case in San Francisco, earlier ordered Uber to return the thousands of "pilfered" files in question by the end of the month.
A spokeswoman for Uber said the firing occurred after Mr Levandowski failed to meet the deadline that would allow Uber to cooperate with the judge's order.
Word of the firing was sent to employees on Tuesday.
Attorneys for Mr Levandowski could not be reached for comment immediately.


Less than two years after it was founded, anti-austerity party Podemos (We Can) has come third in Spain's general election.

The result saw the ruling conservative Popular Party (PP) lose its majority, and puts Podemos in a strong position for forthcoming efforts to form a new coalition government.
Although not as strong as some supporters hoped, the vote is a big boost for a party born from the anti-austerity protest movement during Spain's economic crisis.
Podemos' ponytailed leader, Pablo Iglesias, hailed the birth of "a new Spain" and the death of decades of two-party politics.
Mr Iglesias formed Podemos in January 2014 with a group of fellow leftist university lecturers.
The party grew from Los Indignados, a grassroots protest movement calling for radical change amid soaring unemployment and cuts to public services.
The movement began in 2011 with thousands of mainly young Spaniards camping out in Madrid's central square, Puerta del Sol. It went on to inspire "Occupy" sit-ins in cities including London and New York.
Podemos pitches itself as an alternative to the spending cuts and corruption scandals that have enraged many in Spain.
It has called for evictions of homeowners to be stopped and welfare guaranteed for families hit by Spain's unemployment rate, which hit a record 26% in 2012.
It wants to open up government, calling for major governmental decisions to be put to referendums.
"We didn't set up Podemos to become like the PSOE [Socialists] or PP - historical parties for our children and grandchildren to join as heirs of the founders," says the party's chief political analyst, Carolina Bescansa, a university lecturer.
"Our idea was to create a tool to allow people to join a participative process."
Only four months after it was founded, Podemos won 8% of the vote in the May 2014 European elections, taking five seats in the European Parliament.
It surged ahead in opinion polls, with it uncompromising messages against austerity and corruption.
After the radical left Syriza party took power in Greece in January 2015, Mr Iglesias said a "wind of change" was starting to blow through Europe.
Podemos argues Spain's economic crisis was a swindle on the part of the country's financial and political elite, and has vowed to renegotiate the country's debt with its international creditors in the same way Syriza promised to do.
Both left-wing and right-wing media have criticised Podemos, accusing it of having ties with Venezuela's left-wing leaders and alleging financial misconduct by some of its senior members.
The party's leaders have denied wrongdoing and promised to publish their tax returns.
Meanwhile some observers have questioned whether Podemos can maintain its initial growth as its political will is put to the test.
Although Spain has now officially come out of recession, the economy remains a key concern for voters.
It is still grappling with unemployment rates of 21% and youth unemployment of nearly 50%.


Alex Jones' fifth goal of the season helped Port Vale maintain their 100 per cent home record as they came from behind to beat Gillingham at Vale Park.

The Valiants' top scorer secured all three points after Remie Streete hauled his side back into the game following Josh Wright's opener for the visitors.
The Gills midfielder found the net from close range in the 25th minute, tapping in Cody McDonald's shot following a well-worked short corner.
But Streete was quickest to react after keeper Jonathan Bond parried Gezim Shalaj's shot back into the danger area for the defender to thump home the equaliser after 76 minutes.
The winner came just eight minutes later when Jones received the ball on the edge of the Gills penalty area and created space with some neat footwork before firing a low shot past Bond.
Vale were much improved after going a goal down and Streete almost levelled after 58 minutes but his low drive from Paulo Tavares' free-kick 20 yards out cannoned back off the upright.
Reports supplied by Press Association.
Match ends, Port Vale 2, Gillingham 1.
Second Half ends, Port Vale 2, Gillingham 1.
Corner,  Port Vale. Conceded by Scott Wagstaff.
Michael Brown (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Emmanuel Osadebe (Gillingham).
Attempt saved. Emmanuel Osadebe (Gillingham) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Rigino Cicilia (Port Vale) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Michael Brown (Port Vale).
Scott Wagstaff (Gillingham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Port Vale. Michael Brown replaces Jerome Thomas.
Goal!  Port Vale 2, Gillingham 1. Alex Jones (Port Vale) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Anthony Grant.
Attempt missed. Gezim Shalaj (Port Vale) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high following a corner.
Corner,  Port Vale. Conceded by Jonathan Bond.
Attempt saved. Anthony Grant (Port Vale) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Substitution, Gillingham. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas replaces Bradley Dack.
Corner,  Port Vale. Conceded by Max Ehmer.
Goal!  Port Vale 1, Gillingham 1. Remie Streete (Port Vale) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal following a set piece situation.
Max Ehmer (Gillingham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Anthony Grant (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Max Ehmer (Gillingham).
Substitution, Port Vale. Rigino Cicilia replaces Martin Paterson.
Corner,  Gillingham. Conceded by Remie Streete.
Attempt blocked. Emmanuel Osadebe (Gillingham) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Martin Paterson (Port Vale) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Corner,  Port Vale. Conceded by Josh Wright.
Corner,  Port Vale. Conceded by Max Ehmer.
Attempt missed. Jerome Thomas (Port Vale) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Delay in match Paul Konchesky (Gillingham) because of an injury.
Substitution, Port Vale. Gezim Shalaj replaces Paulo Tavares.
Attempt missed. Mark Byrne (Gillingham) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high following a fast break.
Corner,  Port Vale. Conceded by Paul Konchesky.
Remie Streete (Port Vale) hits the right post with a right footed shot from outside the box from a direct free kick.
Scott Wagstaff (Gillingham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Hand ball by Scott Wagstaff (Gillingham).
Anthony Grant (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cody McDonald (Gillingham).
Hand ball by Elliott List (Gillingham).
(Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Max Ehmer (Gillingham).
Corner,  Gillingham. Conceded by Anthony Grant.


Emergency crews are continuing to battle a huge fire south-west of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, following a blast at a fuel depot.

Four people were killed, including three emergency ministry employees.
The fire at the depot, next to an army base near the town of Vasylkiv, sent huge plumes of smoke over the surrounding area.
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko warned that harmful substances in the air over the city exceeded maximum allowed levels.
He urged residents with respiratory problems to limit their "exposure to the open air".
The cause of the blaze about 30km (19 miles) from Kiev is being investigated, with officials say it may have been negligence or arson.
Meanwhile, the army has been clearing a munitions storage facility, located about 50m (164ft) away, according to Oleksandr Turchynov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defence council.
The blaze broke out on Monday evening in one tank and spread to neighbouring containers, Ukraine's emergencies ministry said (in Ukrainian).
A large explosion occurred shortly after 08:00 local time (06:00 BST) on Tuesday.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov tweeted: "There has been an explosion at the oil depot near Vasylkiv. A huge one."
He later wrote: "Unfortunately, the bodies of three emergency ministry employees have been found."
Mr Avakov also said that the blaze was localised.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials reported the death of one person. He is believed to be a depot employee.
Of the 16 tanks on fire, eight were said to have a capacity of 900 cubic metres (32,000 cu ft) each.
Two hundred firefighters have been trying to bring the fire under control amid fears it could spread to an adjacent depot.
People in a 2km (1.24 miles) zone around the petrol containers currently on fire have been evacuated, Mr Turchynov said.
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Salford Red Devils director of rugby Tim Sheens will leave to become head coach at Hull KR next season.

The Australian World Cup-winning coach replaces interim boss James Webster.
Sheens, 65, is one year into a three year contract at Salford but owner Marwan Koukash said: "I always said I would release Tim if he got the opportunity to become a head coach."
Hull KR and Salford are playing in the Qualifiers trying to secure a place in the Super League for next season.
Sheens will stay working with Salford head coach Ian Watson but would stand down if the two teams had to meet in the play-off to avoid relegation to the Championship.
Former Rovers captain Webster, 37, was put in charge for the 2016 season after Chris Chester was sacked in February - three games into the new campaign.


The Premier League has secured a court order to help tackle rights-infringing video streams of football matches via so-called Kodi set-top boxes.

The order gives the league the means to have computer servers used to power the streams blocked.
Until now, it could only go after individual video streams which were relatively easy to re-establish at different links.
A spokesman said it could now target pirates in a "precise manner".
"For the first time this will enable the Premier League to disrupt and prevent the illegal streaming of our matches via IPTV, so-called Kodi, boxes," he added.
Football fans are urged instead to get a Sky Sports or BT Sport subscription, or watch games at a venue that pays for access.
The Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) declared that the use of Kodi software to watch pirated streams was becoming an "epidemic" last September.
Since then, there have been several arrests of people selling set-top boxes  pre-installed with both Kodi software and additional third-party add-ons that make it possible to watch copyright-infringing film and TV streams.
According to a recent survey commissioned by the security firm Irdeto, Kodi boxes are particularly prevalent in the UK.
It reported that 11% of Brits that admitted to watching pirated streams in a survey said they did so via a Kodi box.
There is confusion about whether doing so is illegal.
Derbyshire County Council trading standards officers recently said users would not break copyright laws by doing so.
"Accessing premium paid-for content without a subscription is considered by the industry as unlawful access, although streaming something online, rather than downloading a file, is likely to be exempt from copyright laws," they said.
But the Intellectual Property Office has taken a different view.
"It is a criminal offence to knowingly receive subscription broadcasts without paying for them, and there are also provisions restricting the manufacture, sale or use of equipment designed to circumvent the encryption that protects many TV broadcasts," said Matt Cope, deputy director of intellectual property enforcement.
Kodi is free software, built by volunteers, that is designed to bring videos, music, games and photographs together in one easy-to-use application.
Some shops sell set-top boxes and TV sticks known as Kodi boxes, preloaded with the software.
The developers behind Kodi say their software does not contain any content of its own and is designed to play legally owned media or content "freely available" on the internet.
However, the software can be modified with third-party add-ons that provide access to pirated copies of films and TV series, or provide free access to subscription television channels.
"Streaming boxes have steadily increased in popularity in recent years," said Ernesto van der Sar, from the news site Torrentfreak.
"Most use the entirely legal Kodi software, but some are augmented with illegal third-party add-ons.
"Nowadays people often prefer to stream pirated content instead of using traditional torrent sites."


A school's "amazing" technicolour coat which was stolen along with a Joseph-inspired scarecrow has been returned.

The scarecrow, which was part of an annual festive trail, was taken from Scargill Primary School, West Hallam, Derbyshire at the weekend.
The head teacher appealed for the coat to be returned as it was needed for a school production on Wednesday.
The school tweeted the coat had been "unceremoniously chucked over [the] fence", but without the scarecrow.
"We would like to thank everyone who offered alternative Joseph coats," the tweet read.
"Who would have thought there were so many multi coloured coats!"
More on this and other stories across the East Midlands
In response, people tweeted it was the "best news of the week" and "I'm very glad someone had a conscience".
A staff member also offered to wash or repair the coat if need be before the play.
The coat was returned after a Facebook appeal was made by the school.
Head teacher Andrew Poole said the theft of the scarecrow and coat was "heart-breaking for everyone" because "lots of hard work and time" by the children and staff went into it.
Several other scarecrows were damaged or stolen from the trail, which is in its ninth year.


Australian half-back Chris Sandow's exit from Warrington was not a shock, says Wolves head coach Tony Smith.

The 27-year-old did not report for pre-season training on Monday and his agent told the club he would not see out the final year of his contract.
Sandow made 20 Super League appearances in 2016 and played in the Grand Final.
"The timing of it wasn't great, but Chris is erratic like he is on the field," Smith said.
"I wasn't overly shocked. The timing and the method of informing us was poor, but aside from that there were no grand shocks."
Former Parramatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs back Sandow has stated that he did not return to Warrington for family reasons.
"I should have been a man about it and explained to them what was happening," he told Fox Sports.
"I'm from an Aboriginal community and communication isn't something that always comes natural to me.
"I went over there at the back end of last year and it's a good club to go to. But it's hard to go back knowing what I've got here in Australia and that's family.
"They're number one, family is the most important thing to me and that's why I made the decision not to go back to England."
Warrington have retained the player's registration if he wishes to join an NRL club.
And, asked if he had any regrets about signing the player, Smith told BBC Radio Merseyside: "No, he did some terrific stuff along the way and he contributed.
"We knew what we were getting into and he didn't cause any major hassles off the field. He showed at times how outstanding he can be."
Former Huddersfield, Leeds and Great Britain coach Smith said the club are already looking at potential replacements for next season.
"We've had plenty of contact from a lot of keen and interested people and so we'll be in the market; we've got some money to play with," he added.
"We've promoted from within in the past and we've got some good junior boys within our ranks but we're not going to rush into anything just yet."


A drink-driver who left a cyclist fatally injured and then reported her car stolen has been jailed for more than four years.

Dr Graham Ruecroft, 54, died in hospital five days after being hit by a 28-year-old Maria Sutton at Cholsey near Wallingford in June 2015.
Sutton admitted drink driving and perverting the course of justice at Oxford Crown Court.
Police said Dr Ruecroft might still be alive if she had stopped to help him.
Dr Ruecroft,  an expert in the field of pharmaceutical drugs, was found lying on a footpath by passing motorists and was taken to hospital. He died of his head injuries on 9 June 2015.
Det Sgt Gavin Collier said rather than help Dr Ruecroft, Sutton drove off and reported her car as stolen, describing her actions as "unforgivable".
Sutton, of Newlands Way, Cholsey, claimed her vehicle had been stolen from the Red Lion pub in Cholsey, where she had spent the evening drinking.
She was twice over the prescribed alcohol limit at the time of the collision.
She was jailed for 35 months for causing death by dangerous driving and 14 months for perverting the course of justice. She was also disqualified from driving for eight years.
In a statement, Dr Ruecroft's brother Malcolm said Sutton was "cold and callous and without feeling" in reporting the car stolen.
"We will never know for sure but I firmly believe that if prompt action had occurred that night the consequences may have been less severe and we may not be mourning a professional who not only had contributed considerably to the field of chemistry but still had a lot to offer this and also the field of pharmaceutical drugs."
The family has backed a campaign by Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland for the law to be changed to ensure criminal drivers are given tougher sentences.


Donald Trump held a series of phone calls with world leaders on Saturday - including one with Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin said both sides had agreed to make fighting "international terrorism" - including so-called Islamic State and "other terrorist groups" in Syria - a top priority.
The White House said the call was a "significant start" to improving a relationship "in need of repair".
Mr Trump also spoke with leaders from Japan, Germany, France and Australia.
In a statement in English, the Kremlin provided more details of the first official call between the two leaders since Mr Trump took office.
It said it was a "positive and constructive" conversation, during which they discussed:
"The two leaders emphasised that joining efforts in fighting the main threat - international terrorism - is a top priority," Russia said.
"The presidents spoke out for establishing real coordination of actions between Russia and the US aimed at defeating Islamic State and other terrorists groups in Syria."
The Russian account of the call was also notable for its lack of any mention of economic sanctions against Russia by the US, which have been the subject of much speculation in recent days.
But the statement did say both parties "stressed the importance of rebuilding mutually beneficial trade", which, the Kremlin said, could aid the development of relations in other areas.
Russia considers all anti-Assad rebels in Syria as terrorist fighters, though the previous US administration has supported some moderate rebel groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.
The White House did not offer additional clarity on the items discussed, but rather issued a short statement saying: "Both President Trump and President Putin are hopeful that after today's call the two sides can move quickly to tackle terrorism and other important issues of mutual concern."
The pair also agreed to arrange a face-to-face meeting for a later date - and stay in "regular personal contact".
In his other telephone calls on Saturday, President Trump invited Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the White House in a meeting scheduled for 10 February, press secretary Sean Spicer said.
Strident critic of Russian Policy and chair of the Armed Services committee, Senator John McCain, warned Mr Trump about easing sanctions against Moscow.
"I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course,'' he said in a statement.
"If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law."
Another Republican senator, Rob Portman, said lifting sanctions would send "a dangerous message to a world already questioning the value of American leadership" after President Obama's term.
Meanwhile, the new president's executive order banning refugees from entering the country has been met with protests and legal action, after a number of refugees in transit were detained at airports.


Lord Coe says he has not refused to answer further questions from MPs investigating doping in sport.

But the head of the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, wants to know what they intend to ask him.
The Culture, Media and Sport select committee has asked Coe to return for further questioning after hearing evidence it believes "undermines" what he told them when appearing last year.
Writing to the committee chairman, he said he "will do what I can to help".
But he added: "I believe I have a right to understand the nature of the further information you are seeking."
Coe said previously he was unaware of allegations of state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes, and cover-ups involving officials at the IAAF, until they were revealed in a documentary by German broadcaster ARD on 3 December 2014.
He had received emails detailing some of the allegations earlier in the year but told the committee he had passed them on to be dealt with and had not read them himself.
However, the man who sent those emails - former London Marathon chief David Bedford - told the committee earlier this month that he had contacted Coe about the matter in August that year then spoke to him about a related matter in November.
That prompted committee chairman Damian Collins to ask Coe to come back for further questioning because Bedford's evidence "raised clear and important questions" about Coe's knowledge of the allegations.
Fellow panel member, Conservative MP Nigel Huddleston, said the answers "undermined" Coe's version of events.
An IAAF statement followed which questioned whether Bedford's evidence offered anything new to the inquiry, adding Coe has "no further information he can provide" - suggesting he would not be returning to give evidence.
Coe has now written to Collins to say that is not the case, saying: "I will do what I can to help the select committee further."
However, he added: "It is not clear to me what these unanswered questions are."
In a reply, Collins said: "David Bedford told the committee that in his view you were aware of the allegations. We wish to pursue this discrepancy."


A man who committed a "horrific act" in throwing a nine-week-old puppy out of a upstairs window has been jailed.

Wayne Keightley, 42, of Rutland Street, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, had already been convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
Leicester magistrates sentenced him to 10 weeks prison and banned him from keeping a pet for three years.
The RSPCA, which brought the case, said Gypsy was left "terrified and in pain" but was now recovering well.
Keightley claimed the female Staffordshire bull terrier fell as he tried to escape a gang who had broken into the flat.
He said he threw a vase through the second floor window before jumping himself and breaking his ankle.
His trial earlier this month heard he told paramedics at the scene he had been drinking and had taken drugs.
The defence insisted Keightley had been a "dog lover all his life".
District Judge Tim Daber said: "Thankfully the injuries seem to be superficial, but it was the result of quite an horrific act, for whatever reason that act was committed."
Keightley was jailed for a further four weeks after activating a suspended sentence for knife possession.


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have sought to highlight the issues of mental health and suicide by meeting a man whose life was saved by a passer-by.

In a visit to St Thomas' Hospital in central London, the couple met Jonny Benjamin and Neil Laybourn - the stranger who persuaded him not to jump off Waterloo Bridge in 2008.
The men were reunited six years later when Mr Benjamin started a Twitter campaign to trace him.
The 26-year-old is now a campaigner.
An emotional Mr Benjamin told Prince William and his wife how his psychological problems began at an early age with hearing voices, and when he turned 16 he started struggling with depression.
He was diagnosed with a combined schizophrenia and bipolar condition and had hit "rock bottom" at the time of the incident on Waterloo Bridge.
Mr Laybourn described how he was walking to work when he spotted Mr Benjamin - now his good friend - wearing just a T-shirt and trousers on a freezing winter day perched on the side of the bridge.
"It was a real snap decision, all the time I was walking up to Jonny I was thinking, 'Why was he there, should I talk to him or not?', he told the duke and duchess.
"I just felt he needed help."
The Cambridges were at the NHS hospital - where Mr Benjamin was treated after the bridge incident - to hear about support services for people experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Mr Benjamin tracked down his saviour in 2014 after he launched a campaign using the hashtag #FindMike search.


Mason Caton-Brown's hat-trick helped Wakefield come from behind to beat Catalans Dragons in Super League.

Vincent Duport went over for Catalans' first try of the game, but Caton-Brown and Ben Jones-Bishop crossed for Wakefield late in the first half.
Caton-Brown's second try of the game extended Trinity's lead, before Fouad Yaha touched down for the Dragons.
Caton-Brown finished in the corner for his third, with tries for Jones-Bishop and Craig Huby sealing the win.
Huby's try came on the 300th appearance of his career, and was his second in 12 games since joining Wakefield before the current season.
Catalans also had Luke Walsh and Duport sent to the sin-bin in the second half as they failed in their bid to win for a fourth successive time at Wakefield's ground.
Trinity, boosted by the return of Reece Lyne from injury, completed the double over Catalans, having beaten them 38-18 in Perpignan on 1 April.
The win lifts them above Dragons and St Helens to sixth in the table, with the French side falling to eighth place.
Wakefield head coach Chris Chester told BBC Radio Leeds:
"We defended really well today, we were resilient and they found it hard to get over the line.
"We just couldn't control the football the first 25 minutes, and when we did control the ball we looked a very good side.
"I thought Mason had a very good game again for us. He's got speed in abundance; if he gets clear, nobody's catching him."
Catalans Dragons coach Laurent Frayssinous:
"The first 40 minutes we were well in the game and I said to the boys that we will be rewarded, but the discipline - three yellow cards - cost us.
"The scoreboard doesn't reflect the game. I am disappointed that we didn't score more in the first half, the questions we asked weren't great.
"Wakefield were very good defensively for 80 minutes. They made a few errors but had plenty of energy. They are well coached and are a good team."
Wakefield: Grix; Jones-Bishop, Arundel, Caton-Brown, Johnstone; Miller, Finn; England, Wood, Fifita, Ashurst, Hadley, Arona.
Replacements: Batchelor, Huby, Hirst, Lyne.
Catalans: Gigot; Duport, Inu, Thornley, Yaha; Walsh, Myler; Moa, Aiton, Casty, Perez, Garcia, Bird.
Replacements: Bousquet, Bosc, Simon, Margalet.


Tom Ince's late penalty rescued a point for Derby County and denied already relegated Rotherham United just a sixth Championship win from a dire season.

In a game of few chances Jonson Clarke-Harris had three decent attempts for the hosts in the first half, while Ince had a 20-yard strike saved.
The Millers took the lead after the break when Lee Frecklington converted Joe Mattock's cross.
But Ince netted from the spot after Clarke-Harris felled Will Hughes.
The winger sent keeper Richard O'Donnell the wrong way and the goal sparked a spell of late Rams pressure.
Substitute Nick Blackman could have won it for the visitors, but he shot straight at O'Donnell, who also did well to keep out an Ince free-kick.
Derby end the season in ninth place, while Rotherham finish 28 points adrift of fourth-from-bottom Nottingham Forest.
Rotherham's final tally of 23 points is the lowest a second-tier team has ever finished on since three points for a win was introduced.
Rotherham manager Paul Warne:
"I'm pretty chuffed. I know that I am in charge of some record-breaking lows but just recently we have done well. It does give me a little bit of hope that I can manage this club for a little bit longer.
"I've taken this job on because I think I can do good. I am putting every single ounce of effort in that I can.
"I am under no illusions about League One. I have watched a lot of games in League One and it's not going to be easy. I am looking forward to the pressure of match day going away for a bit."
Derby boss Gary Rowett:
"Of course we wanted to finish as strongly as we could. Our form over the last nine games has been around play-off form. We have shown we can be in and around those areas, the difference is that last little bit.
"What we have to do next season is be better in terms of our standards. In truth I've been waiting for this point because now we can crack on and our work now will define what our team looks like next season.
"I told them at half-time that it was a free game and I wanted them to be bright and do what they do in training every day. It's easier to say it than it is to do it."
Match ends, Rotherham United 1, Derby County 1.
Second Half ends, Rotherham United 1, Derby County 1.
Offside, Derby County. Will Hughes tries a through ball, but Darren Bent is caught offside.
Foul by Chris Baird (Derby County).
Jonson Clarke-Harris (Rotherham United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Tom Ince (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Bradley Johnson.
Will Hughes (Derby County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Will Vaulks (Rotherham United).
Corner,  Derby County. Conceded by Lee Frecklington.
Attempt saved. Nick Blackman (Derby County) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Darren Bent with a headed pass.
Hand ball by Darren Bent (Derby County).
Will Hughes (Derby County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Richard Smallwood (Rotherham United).
Goal!  Rotherham United 1, Derby County 1. Tom Ince (Derby County) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Penalty Derby County. Tom Ince draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Lee Frecklington (Rotherham United) after a foul in the penalty area.
Corner,  Derby County. Conceded by Richard Wood.
Substitution, Derby County. Nick Blackman replaces David Nugent.
Substitution, Rotherham United. Darnell Bailey-King replaces Ben Purrington because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Ben Purrington (Rotherham United) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Tom Ince (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Will Hughes.
Attempt saved. Tom Adeyemi (Rotherham United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Bradley Johnson (Derby County) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Will Vaulks (Rotherham United).
Attempt saved. Richard Wood (Rotherham United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Richard Smallwood.
Foul by Will Hughes (Derby County).
Darnell Fisher (Rotherham United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal!  Rotherham United 1, Derby County 0. Lee Frecklington (Rotherham United) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Joe Mattock with a cross.
Attempt missed. Bradley Johnson (Derby County) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by David Nugent.
Corner,  Derby County. Conceded by Joe Mattock.
Jacob Butterfield (Derby County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Will Vaulks (Rotherham United).
Attempt saved. Jonson Clarke-Harris (Rotherham United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Richard Smallwood with a cross.
Foul by Chris Baird (Derby County).
Jonson Clarke-Harris (Rotherham United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Chris Baird (Derby County).
Jonson Clarke-Harris (Rotherham United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt blocked. Darren Bent (Derby County) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Derby County. Darren Bent replaces Johnny Russell.


The future of a peace agreement aimed at ending the longest-running armed conflict in the Americas is now in the hands of the Colombian people.

The deal, which was signed in a ceremony on Monday in the Colombian city of Cartagena, will be put to a popular vote on Sunday.
Colombians will be asked to reject or endorse the agreement reached between the government and the country's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
The 297-page agreement will not come into force unless a simple majority of voters back it.
While it has the support of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and many influential international figures, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, there has also been significant opposition to it within Colombia.
One of the leading "no" campaigners is former President Alvaro Uribe.
Here, BBC Monitoring examines some of the reasons Colombians in the "no" camp are citing for their opposition to the deal.
This is not the first time the Colombian government has negotiated with the Farc.
In the 52 years since the Farc were founded and started fighting the Colombian government there have been several attempts at negotiating a peace deal.
However, this is the first time the two sides have reached and signed an agreement.
Previous failed attempts have made many Colombians weary of the rebels' intentions.
President Andres Pastrana, who governed from 1998 to 2002, ordered the demilitarisation of an area the size of Switzerland so that peace talks could take place there.
But after almost three years of negotiations, it transpired that the Farc had used the demilitarised zone to re-group and re-arm.
Mr Pastrana broke off the negotiations and trust in the Farc's intentions were seriously undermined for years to come.
Mr Pastrana has been campaigning against the peace agreement, calling it "a coup d'etat against justice".
Opponents of the peace deal have accused those who back it of being in the pay of the Cuban and Venezuelan governments.
They fear that allowing the Farc rebels, who follow a Marxist ideology and who were inspired by the Cuban Revolution, to take part in politics will open the door to radical left-wing policies.
They have dubbed this threat "Castro-Chavismo" after the Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and the late Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez.
They point to the fact that the Cuban government hosted the peace talks and Venezuela acted as a facilitator as evidence of the influence these two left-wing governments had on the negotiations.
They have accused President Santos of "selling the country out" and warn that with the rebels becoming political players, Colombia could soon resemble Cuba and Venezuela and suffer from the same shortages these countries are experiencing.
However, analysts say that Colombia is a conservative country especially when it comes to its economy and there is very little indication that this kind of shift could happen.
As part of the peace agreement, a special legal framework has been created to try those who committed crimes during the armed conflict, including Farc fighters, government soldiers and members of right-wing paramilitary groups.
Those who confess to crimes will not serve prison sentences but will take part in acts of "reparation", including clearing land mines, repairing damaged infrastructure and helping victims.
Those opposed to the deal say the rebels are "getting away with murder".
They argue that crimes against humanity and drug trafficking, which the Farc engaged in to finance itself, should be punished with jail terms.
President Santos has argued that "perfect justice would not allow peace" and that victims will receive reparation.
He denies there will be impunity, but pressure group Human Rights Watch says the special legal framework goes too far and the deal constitutes a "surrender of justice".
Farc fighters who demobilise will receive financial aid from the state while they re-integrate into civil society.
The payments, which amount to 90% of the minimum wage, have been derided as "salaries" by opponents of the peace process.
They argue that it is unfair to reward rebels who may have murdered and kidnapped fellow Colombians while "hard-working citizens" are not given the same benefits.
Supporters of the peace deal say the rebels need financial help to ease their transition out of illegality.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.


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As only the second male prime ministerial consort in British history, Philip May is going to have to get used to being in the spotlight.

He emerged from relative obscurity on Monday to be pictured on the steps of Parliament, embracing his wife of 36 years, before a crowd of her cheering supporters.
Their broad grins made the front pages, offering a rare glimpse of the human side of Theresa May, who has carefully guarded her private life.
But Mr May, who has led a quiet life as an investment manager to this point, seems unlikely to be the kind of prime ministerial spouse who seeks the limelight.
Some have already pigeonholed him as another Denis Thatcher, who was content to play a supporting role to Margaret Thatcher during her time in power, offering opinions and succour in private, but doing his best to avoid controversy in public, despite being sent up by Private Eye as a gin-swilling, golf club reactionary.
Philip May is from a different social background to Denis Thatcher. Grammar-school, rather than privately educated, he was born in Norfolk and grew up on Merseyside before going up to Oxford to study history.
His mother was a French teacher, his father a shoe wholesaler, which has caused some amusement in the family, according to the Daily Mail, given Mrs May's much publicised fondness for an exotic pair of heels.
He is different from Denis Thatcher in another way, having harboured political ambitions of his own as a young man.
When they met in 1976 at Oxford University, at a Conservative Association disco, Mr May was president of the Oxford Union, a traditional precursor to a career in frontline politics.
Other contemporaries included Alan Duncan, who preceded him as Union president and remains a friend of the couple, future Tory ministers David Willetts, Dominic Grieve and Damian Green and future political journalist Michael Crick, who was elected Union president after him.
Benazir Bhutto, who would later become the prime minister of Pakistan, was the star of the Oxford political firmament at the time, and is reported to have introduced Mr May to his future wife.
The couple, who reportedly bonded over a shared love of cricket, married in 1980, at Mrs May's father's church in Wheatley, Oxfordshire.
Within months, however, Mrs May's father, Anglican vicar Hubert Brasier, died in a car crash. Her widowed mother Zaidee, who had multiple sclerosis and used a wheelchair, died a few months later.
Mrs May, who rarely opens up about her private life, spoke about the "huge support" she received from Philip, who at 57 is two years younger than her, during this period in her life on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.
"That was very important for me. He was a real rock for me," she said.
She recently spoke of her sadness that they could not have children together.
Apart from a stint as chairman of Wimbledon Conservative Association, Philip May appears to have long ago abandoned political ambitions of his own and got behind his wife on her long, steady climb to the top.
He built a career in the City as a fund manager for Prudential Portfolio Managers, de Zoete and Bevan, and Deutsche Asset Management.
Since 2005, he has worked as a relationship manager for Capital Group, who released a statement on news of his wife's new job, saying: "He is not involved with, and doesn't manage, money and is not a portfolio manager.
"His job is to ensure the clients are happy with the service and that we understand their goal."
Philip has been described by friends of the couple as the more gregarious of the two at social gatherings, but not someone who would want to steal the limelight from his wife. He will offer criticisms of her speeches but is always supportive, it is said.
A friend told The Guardian: "Philip is really lovely. He's just a regular, nice guy who's bright like she is. They still totally love each other and have a great friendship."


Durham ended the third day within 84 runs of a second straight Championship win in an absorbing up-and-down contest that appears to have turned back their way against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Durham paceman James Weighell took his first five-wicket haul as the Bears, 15-2 overnight, slumped to 114 all out.
Chris Wright then hit back with four wickets as Durham slipped to 87-4.
But visiting opener Keaton Jennings remained to make an unbeaten 88 to steer his side to 154-4 at the close.
Backed by a gritty 26 from captain Paul Collingwood over the final hour and a half of the day, the pair have so far put on an unbroken 67 for the fifth wicket.
And, if they are still together for a further hour and a half on the final day, then the visitors ought to have the game won.
Trailing by 123 on first innings, Durham bowled out Warwickshire inside 38 overs, only Varun Chopra (34), Jonathan Trott (26) and captain Ian Bell (15) reaching double figures.
Weighell took 5-33 to complete new career-best match figures of 9-130, backed chiefly by former England Test seamer Graham Onions, who added the wicket of Keith Barker to his late Monday evening brace to finish with 3-36.
With no Chris Woakes to combat, Durham's openers made a strong start in their pursuit of 238 to win, Jennings and Mark Stoneman having knocked off 67 from 28 overs by tea - their sixth half-century partnership this season.
Wright then removed Stoneman for 23, the first of four wickets for the England Lions man in 23 deliveries to turn the contest once more. But South African Jennings and Collingwood, just two days before his 40th birthday, ensured that there would be no further alarms.
Warwickshire fast bowler Chris Wright:
"It is delicately poised. They are slight favourites but we have seen in this game that, once you get on a roll, wickets do fall quite quickly. If we come fast out of the blocks and take an early wicket or two, then we are in with a great chance.
"They batted calmly at the end. As a side, they have played Jeetan Patel exceptionally well. Jeets has bowled well without taking any wickets.
"But Woakesie bowled exceptionally well to take nine wickets and to lose a player who has had that much impact on the game is a big deal.
"There is a little movement in the pitch and a little bit of rough which hopefully the spinners can work with. The heavy roller has taken a little bit of the sting out of it but it is still a wicket where if you bowl well you can get bits out of it."
Durham opener Keaton Jennings:
"It's been a great game with everything from a beautiful debutant hundred to a nine-for to a great finish with us just needing 84 runs on the final day. It will be an exciting day.
"It's been a good season so far for Mark Stoneman and myself. Mark has played beautifully without kind of racing away.
"It's a wicket that is really tough to get in on, as you can see from so many guys facing 15 to 30 balls then getting out.
"We have got to get in and make sure we really drive the game deep and give ourselves a platform to score those runs."


More than 400 mourners have paid their respects to an off-duty police officer who was killed in Liverpool.

PC Neil Doyle, 36, died and two of his colleagues were injured on a night out in the city centre on 19 December.
Within a floral tribute, his wife wrote: "Good night and God bless, babe. My heart is with you always. All my love, broken-hearted Sarah xxx".
The service was held at Liverpool Parish Church Our Lady and St Nicholas, where the couple got married last July.
They had been due to go on their honeymoon this month.
Mr Doyle was on a Christmas night out when he was assaulted along with Michael Steventon and Robert Marshall, who were treated in hospital for facial injuries.
A post-mortem examination found the cause of Mr Doyle's death was bleeding around the brain.
Mourners including Jon Murphy, Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, the Rt Rev Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool, and Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson stood in silence as the funeral cortege arrived with the fallen officer's police cap on top of his coffin.
Rev Canon Bob Lewis, who also presided at their wedding, said: "Only a few months ago at the very place where now he lies, she and Neil expressed their love as they exchanged their vows.
"It was, as they both wished, a wonderful, happy family moment shared by their friends and blessed by God."
He described Mr Doyle as an "outstanding young man" and a much loved husband, son, brother and friend. His wife even received sympathy cards from people he had arrested, praising how he had treated them.
His widow had been left "raw" with grief over his "tragic and senseless" killing, mourners heard.
They gathered in their hundreds to say goodbye. Not just police officers, but church-goers and people from a community still coming to terms with the loss of a young man. A young man who was a husband, son and brother, and a friend to so many.
The mourners stood silent as the coffin was carried inside, but there was applause as the procession left to the sound of a Green Day song, the words "I hope you had the time of your life" ringing around the church.
The Rev Canon Bob Lewis, who married Neil and Sarah at the church last year, said he "embodied within him the heart and soul of the city."
A written tribute from Neil's brother Greg was also read out: "So from my heart a sad farewell - it hurts to let you go. I'll miss your smile and also your touch in ways you will never know."
Two men have been charged with Mr Doyle's murder and a third, Huyton man Timmy Donovan, has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of the same offence.
Andrew Taylor, 28, of Cherry Tree Road, Huyton, and Christopher Spendlove, 30, of Brandearth Hey, also in Huyton, have appeared in court accused of murder and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm.
On Wednesday, Mr Donovan, 30, was arrested as he tried to board a plane back to the UK at Dusseldorf Airport.


Newport County goalkeeper Joe Day says any talks over a new deal are on hold until the end of the season.

The 26-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer, has been among Newport's best players amid their fight for Football League survival.
County are two points clear of the League Two relegation with two games remaining.
"The main thing everyone's focusing on is making sure Newport County are in the league next year," Day said.
He continued: "Once we've secured our status I think maybe talks about next season can start."
The Exiles' 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley lifted County out of the relegation zone for the first time since November 2016.
Mike Flynn's side and can clinch survival on Saturday if they win at Carlisle United and rivals Hartlepool United lose.


London Underground office staff have voted for industrial action in a row over ticket office closures.

Nearly 68% of members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association voted for strikes on a 44% turnout.
The Union has said its members had been subjected to "unprecedented" levels of abuse since ticket offices closed.
A survey for the TSSA found most staff felt less safe since moving from offices on to station concourses.
Tom Edwards, BBC London Transport Correspondent
The ticket office closures were one of the biggest changes on the tube for generations.
With the rise of automatic payments methods such as the Oyster card and contactless, the idea was to get staff from behind the glass screens and on to the ticket gate lines. But the unions have always opposed it and say the redeployment has led to more lone working and staff shortages.
The TSSA, which represents station staff, says it will decide, probably tomorrow, what industrial action it will take in the dispute.
Strikes aren't being ruled out, although it could be an overtime ban.
Other forms of industrial action were backed by nine to one.
The union said staff were being targeted by frustrated passengers if ticket machines do not work.
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said the vote was about "our members being prepared to take part in a strike to let the world know that the Tube they are using is not fit for safe purpose".
"Our customer service assistants are overwhelmingly trying to warn the public that the Tube they use is not safe. We no longer have enough staff," he said.
Steve Griffiths, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: "We urge the TSSA leadership to work with us constructively on the issues they have raised rather than threaten to disrupt our customers with strikes. "
The ticket offices were closed as part of the Fit for the Future programme introduced by former London mayor Boris Johnson.
His successor Sadiq Khan has ordered a review of the project.
Tube drivers are to stage 24-hour strikes on 6 and 7 December, coinciding with a walkout by Southern Rail guards.


Brazilian police have arrested nearly 40 people for drug trafficking offences in central Sao Paulo where crack cocaine has been sold and consumed freely for years.

About 500 armed police officers were involved in the operation.
Dozens of addicts reacted in anger, vandalising cars and looting shops.
Sao Paulo's centre-right Mayor Joao Doria said the operation marked the end of impunity in the area, widely known as Cracolandia or Crackland.
Critics say the move will merely push the problem to other parts of the city.
Mr Doria promised to knock down many buildings and redevelop the streets near the Luz train station that have become an open-air drugs market over the past decade.
"Crackland doesn't exist any more and it won't come back. The government won't allow it," said Mr Doria during the operation.
He also announced that CCTV cameras would be installed in that part of the city.
But he later admitted in a press conference that "it will be difficult to put an end to a historical problem".
"Police will be deployed here permanently and the problem will be reduced," Mr Doria said.
The governor of Sao Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, said state rehab centres had 3,000 places available for addiction treatments.
The mayor and the governor recently announced a plan to combat drug trafficking in the region.
The previous left-wing mayor of Sao Paulo, Fernando Haddad, had a programme that tried to solve addiction through therapy and without the use of force by police.
But many were critical and felt that something had to be done about Crackland, which became a no-go area for most residents of Brazil's largest city.


Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure is still part of his plans, but needs to talk to him about his future.

The 35-year-old will be out of contract at the end of this season but is yet to discuss a new deal.
"Kolo is a very, very important player for us, even when he doesn't play," said the former Borussia Dortmund boss.
"He's one of the most impressive people I have met, but now is not the right time to speak about Kolo's future."
The former Arsenal and Manchester City centre-back has played 19 of his 21 matches this season since Klopp arrived at Anfield in October to replace Brendan Rodgers.
"When I came here Kolo had a few problems injury wise but now it looks completely different and that's good," the German continued.
"How I have heard things is that a big part of Kolo's future is at Liverpool. So I'd say everything is ok."


Children and adults in Telford are being vaccinated after an outbreak of Hepatitis A.

About 10 cases of the viral liver infection have so far been confirmed in an area of the town that includes Old Park Primary School and Nursery.
Public Health England said the source of the outbreak was so far unclear.
The infection is often caused by poor hygiene or contaminated food and more commonly associated with Africa, India, South America and the Far East.
Dr Harsh Duggal, from the health protection team, said: "People with Hepatitis A can feel quite unwell, with symptoms including a raised temperature, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, dark urine, pale stools and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes).
"In young children, however, symptoms may be hard to detect, so there is an increased risk of infection from children who appear well.
"We are therefore arranging immunisation against Hepatitis A for members of the school and nursery, to limit the risk of further infection."
The West Midlands team said it was working with Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust and Telford and Wrekin Council to advise the school on infection control measures.


One of the UK's most notorious criminals has been granted a fresh appeal against his conviction for a road rage murder in 1996.

Kenneth Noye, 63, stabbed Stephen Cameron, 21, during a fight on the M25.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission has referred the case to the Court of Appeal because of questions over a pathologist's evidence.
Noye, previously cleared of murdering a police officer, went on the run to Spain but was eventually tracked down.
At his Old Bailey trial in 2000, Noye said he had acted in self defence after being attacked by Mr Cameron when their vehicles stopped on an M25 slip road at Swanley in Kent.
Witnesses said there had been a fight and that Mr Cameron had got the better of the older man. But what happened next was disputed in court.
Noye argued he stabbed once in the chaotic melee, fearing for his own safety. The prosecution said he had stabbed twice - and it was therefore a plan to kill. The jury found Noye guilty of murder by a majority of 11 to one.
In a statement on Thursday, the CCRC said: "Having carried out a thorough review of Mr Noye's case, that has included consideration of the pathology evidence at trial and new expert evidenceâ€¦ the commission has decided to refer Mr Noye's conviction to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that there is a real possibility that the court may quash the conviction as unsafe.
"The commission's referral of Mr Noye's conviction to the Court of Appeal means that the court will hear a fresh appeal.
"The court will decide whether to uphold the conviction, whether to quash the conviction and require a retrial, or whether to quash the conviction without requiring a retrial."
Earlier this year, Noye unsuccessfully challenged his 16-year minimum jail term, but the judgement revealed that Dr Nat Cary, one of the UK's top pathologists, had been critical of the original findings presented at trial.
Dr Cary suggested that Noye could have stabbed once in a manner which caused the two distinct wounds to Mr Cameron's heart and liver.
The original pathologist, Michael Heath, resigned from the Home Office register in 2006. The Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology upheld 20 disciplinary charges against Dr Heath and ruled his conduct had brought into question his fitness to practise in separate cases.
Noye's first appeal in 2001 was dismissed after the then Lord Chief Justice said there was "no justification" for Noye to have produced the knife.
But in a statement, Noye's lawyer Henry Milner said: "Very significant fresh evidence has come to light, which we allege seriously undermines the credibility of the original pathologist.
"Assuming these findings, and the prosecution pathologist's interpretation of them, have been accepted as accurate by the jury at the time of Mr Noye's original trial, they undoubtedly would have damaged my client's credibility in front of the jury, and his case that he acted in self-defence throughout."
Police officer's death
Noye first came to public attention in the 1980s when he was charged with the murder of Pc John Fordham, a Scotland Yard officer.
Pc Fordham was hiding in Noye's extensive grounds in Kent as part of an investigation into the 1983 Brinks Mat bullion robbery, in which a gang took three tonnes of gold.
At his 1985 trial, Noye told the jury that he had acted in self-defence when confronted by Pc Fordham - and he was cleared or murder.
But the following year, he was convicted of handling Brinks Mat gold and jailed for 14 years.


Bill Johnstone, doyen commentator for BBC Scotland rugby, tells a story about Greig Laidlaw from back in the day when Bill was head of PE at Jedburgh Grammar School and Greig was his pupil, the wee-est of wee guys, determined to make his mark.

"As a lad, he used to come to me ask how I'd make him taller. I used to say, 'Greig, I can't make you taller, but I can make you wider and broader like a pocket battleship'.
"Over the years when I've seen him up at Murrayfield, he always comes and says hello and I think, 'Yeah, you've become a pocket battleship, my son. Well done'."
You want to talk about long roads? Well, here you are. Before Saturday's win over Ireland, Laidlaw had played 25 Six Nations games and had won only five - three of them against Italy. In five years of championship rugby the only games he won that he wasn't expected to win was Ireland in 2013 and France 2016. Everything else, bar those Italy matches, were a mixture of disappointment and angst. Mostly angst.
Despite what happened on Saturday - a hit job on one of the world's best teams - you could drag the Scotland captain to the highest rooftop and yet his feet would still be planted on the ground. He's measured, focused, hard-bitten. Excited, for sure, but cool at the same time. It's one win, he says. Just one win.
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You'd need to eat up a lot of road to find somebody who cares more about rugby than Laidlaw. It's a game that's thrilled him and tormented him. As captain of Scotland he's taken more than his share of blows - the late sucker-punch against Italy at Murrayfield in Vern Cotter's first year, the shut-your-eyes despair of the World Cup quarter-final against Australia and then the repeat in the autumn that made you wonder if Scotland would ever develop that killer instinct, that capacity to close out games that they've done enough to win.
And then Argentina came - a test passed. Peace-time rugby, though. "I'd agree with that," he says. "From November to the Six Nations is a different beast. If that (the Ireland comeback on Saturday) had happened to us before, we probably would have lost that game. The record tells you that.
"We believe we're changing but we're not shouting about that. The key is to back it up. It's the next step for this team."
International players talk about the little moment of solitude after a major victory, the scene in the quiet of the dressing room where they sit with their team-mates, spent but happy, and there's nothing that can compare with it. It doesn't last long. The reality of another upcoming battle barges in on their thoughts soon enough, but in those carefree minutes before the mind starts to race again, it's bliss. And that's how it was on Saturday.
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"You sit back in your seat, take a breath and think, 'Oh, happy days'.  It's just relief and then it's enjoyment and you get to experience it for a small time and then it's France. You're thinking about what's next. And that's the way it should be.
"We know we're not successful on the back of one game, but this team is learning to adapt to different situations. We're learning how to win tight games. As captain, I'm learning that we're resilient, I'm learning that there are more players round about me now that I can turn to for leadership."
Laidlaw spoke of many players but reserved comment for the two props, the 24-year-old loosehead, Allan Dell and the 21-year-old tighthead, Zander Fagerson. They had a torrid time in what few scrums there were on Saturday, but their work in the loose was outstanding.
"They're strong, strong boys. It was a good Irish scrum but we fixed it. And their work around the field, we're not playing with extra back-rows, but it's not far off it. Delly is excellent around the field. He gives lots of extra things.
"Zander? For a young lad to have to play for 80 minutes and still be getting off the line and making tackles and carrying right to the end is a credit to him."
Anybody who has ever played for Joe Schmidt will tell you about his obsession with detail. If one of his players goes to the toilet, Joe will tell you how long they were in there and how quick their line speed off the bowl was, to the millisecond.
A narrative is built up around successful teams. We hear about their cosmic preparation because we want to know how winning teams are created. We don't tend to ask how the others do it. But the others, Scotland, are every bit as obsessive. It's just that the light isn't shone as brightly upon them.
It's not often that Schmidt gets out-analysed, but he did on Saturday. And it was his big mate, Cotter, and his wider coaching team who orchestrated it. The work they put in, the detail they went into, was key.
The vibe after the weekend was that Scotland may have taken inspiration from how Argentina beat Ireland at the World Cup, exposing their narrowness in defence at the breakdown and then stripping them out-wide.
They didn't. The focus was largely on the two games they played against New Zealand in the autumn - the historic victory in Chicago and the honourable defeat in Dublin.
"We tried to understand why New Zealand lost the first one and why they won the second one. They were the two main ones we looked at it.
"New Zealand made a lot of errors in America and Ireland made minimal errors. When you're playing against this Irish team you can't be loose. You just can't be. They're a fantastic team, but we studied them really hard.
"We looked at their backline and felt we were bigger and stronger, especially in the centre with Alex (Dunbar) and Huw (Jones). Garry Ringrose is not the biggest guy and we really felt we could power-up in the backs and run lines into Paddy Jackson and we did that and they tightened up a little bit, so we were able to subtly shift the ball wide. They came back at us, but we hung in there and dug it out. I thought we deserved to win."
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We drag Laidlaw back to Saturday, but France is his focus now. He's moving there in the summer - Clermont's new scrum-half. That's Clermont - second in the Top 14 right now, first seed in the Champions Cup quarter-finals and supplier of six of the French starting team that played England last weekend.
How's Laidlaw's French? "Un peu. It's going in my right ear and out my left, but I'm trying."
In France's attempt to better themselves we see something of Scotland - big games lost that they might have won. Their last three games under Guy Noves? A two-point loss to Australia, a five-point loss to the All Blacks and, last Saturday, a three-point loss to England.
"They're getting better," says Laidlaw. "Mark my words, this is a very dangerous rugby team and we can't be loose. If you're loose against this lot, they sniff it. We need to play a really smart game.
"No matter where you look they've got strength up front (the relentless captain Guilhem Guirado of Toulon at hooker, the terrific new La Rochelle blindside Kevin Gourdon and Northampton's force of nature Louis Picamoles) and real danger out wide on the wings. Clever players in around nine and 10 as well.
"You can't just run straight into the French. You run straight into the defence then you get slow ball and slow ball is hard to play off. Be smart around the attack, get quick ball, move them around. We'll be fitter than them. They fade. The Top 14 is definitely slower. Speaking to Richie (Gray of Toulouse), it's a slower competition, so we need speed in the play and we need skill to be able to do that."
This issue of France's fitness is an interesting one. In the last year the French have played 11 Tests - four wins and seven losses - and have failed to out-score their opponents in the second half in eight of them.
Scotland haven't won at Stade de France since 1999, of course. They've had their chances, though. In 2001 they were within a converted try until the last kick, in 2005 they led until three minutes from the end, in 2009 there was only six points in it with nine minutes left and in 2015 Scotland trailed by just four points with 77 minutes on the clock.
"We understand where we came from and we understand where we are now. It's always about the next game. We're going over there confident but we know what France are capable of. They're going to start winning very soon."
The challenge is to delay the renaissance for one week longer.


Top Democrat Nancy Pelosi has warned "hundreds of thousands" of Americans will die if congressional Republicans pass their healthcare legislation.

President Donald Trump's party is struggling to secure the votes to get its bill through the Senate.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson said on Sunday there should "no way" be a vote on the legislation this week.
At least five Republicans are opposed to their party's bill, which can only afford to lose two votes.
The Senate bill would slash taxes for the wealthy while imposing cuts on Medicaid, a healthcare programme for the poor, and offer less help for working families to buy medical insurance.
House of Representatives minority leader Nancy Pelosi told CBS This Morning on Monday: "We do know that many more people - millions, hundreds of thousands - of people will die if this bill passes.
"These bills systemically, structurally, they are very, very harmful to the American people.
"They will raise costs with fewer benefits, have an age tax, they will undermine Medicare."
Republicans have rejected the notion that anyone will die as a result of their healthcare plan.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that 23 million people would lose their health insurance over the next 10 years if Congress passed a Republican health plan approved by the House.
An estimate by the same agency is scheduled to be released this week for the Senate bill.
On Monday, Republicans issued a revised version of their bill, imposing a six-month waiting period to get medical insurance for those who allow their coverage to lapse for more than two months.
Away from the policy debate on Capitol Hill, a New Jersey mother's viral tweet has put a human face on the US healthcare debate.
Alison Chandra posted a photo of a medical bill for her son, Ethan, who was born with a rare genetic disorder, heterotaxy syndrome.
Ms Chandra tweeted: "Without insurance we would owe $231,115 for 10 hours in the OR [operating room], 1 week in the CICU [cardiac unit] and 1 week on the cardiac floor."
She says she is worried because the Republican legislation does not cover essential health benefits, including the prescription medications that her son will rely on for the rest of his life.
"It seems like our kids are being reduced to a line in a budget," she told CNN. "No one seems to realise there are real people behind it."
With not a single Democrat supporting the bill, Republicans face some legislative arm-twisting to rally their rank and file.
But Wisconsin's Ron Johnson has moved to put the brakes on the party leadership's plan to hold a vote this week.
In an interview on Monday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, the Wisconsin senator rejected political pressure to pass the Senate bill as it stands, calling it "wimpy reform".
"Let's take the time and try and get it right," he told Mr Hewitt, and "give people a chance to find out exactly what's in this Senate bill".
Mr Johnson also on Monday published an op-ed in the New York Times arguing his case against the legislation.
"Like Obamacare, it relies too heavily on government spending, and ignores the role that the private sector can and should play," he wrote.
"The bill's defenders will say it repeals Obamacare's taxes and reduces Medicaid spending growth. That's true. But it also boosts spending on subsidies, and it leaves in place the pre-existing-condition rules that drive up the cost of insurance for everyone."
He is one of four hardline conservative senators who think the Senate bill does not do enough to lower health costs. The others are Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah.
On Friday, Nevada Senator Dean Heller became the fifth Republican senator to publicly come out against the legislation.
He said the party leadership's claim that the bill would lower health costs is "a lie".
A political action committee has threatened to launch attack ads to pressure Mr Heller into supporting the legislation.
Also on Sunday, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy declared himself "undecided", saying the bill contains provisions "which adversely affect my state, that are peculiar to my state".
Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to Mr Trump, claimed on Sunday the Senate bill would not actually cut Medicaid, despite projections that it would slash $800bn (Â£630bn) from the programme.
Maine Senator Susan Collins told ABC's This Week on Sunday she worries about "what [the bill] means to our most vulnerable citizens".
The president took to Twitter on Monday to attack his political adversaries.
"The Democrats have become nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS, they have no policies or ideas," he tweeted. "All they do is delay and complain. They own ObamaCare!"
But their support is unlikely, given that Republicans are trying to overturn one of the most cherished policy accomplishments of any Democratic administration in decades.
The Senate healthcare bill was crafted in secret with only a small number of Republicans consulted, and no Democrats were asked their opinion.
An opinion poll last week found that for the first time former President Barack Obama's 2010 Affordable Care Act - known as Obamacare - is now viewed positively by more than half Americans (51%).


Has the giant online retailer Amazon managed, quite legally, to avoid paying any corporation tax at all to the UK in the past year?

That is the eye-catching accusation in the Guardian, following a report in a trade publication, the Bookseller.
Amazon will not confirm that it has managed to do this.
The accusation hinges on the fact that since 2006, its UK business has been a subsidiary of its European headquarters in Luxembourg.
As a result, anyone buying anything from Amazon in the UK makes a payment to the retailer in Luxembourg, with the profits taxed there rather than here.
That is despite the fact that Amazon employs hundreds of staff in the UK, at several large depots, selling tens of millions of items each year to millions of UK customers.
"Amazon EU serves tens of millions of customers and sellers throughout Europe from multiple consumer websites in a number of languages, dispatching products to all 27 countries in the EU," Amazon said.
"We have a single European headquarters in Luxembourg with hundreds of employees to manage this complex operation."
Campaigners against tax avoidance arrangements - which are in fact quite legal - have taken a very dim view of all this.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Richard Murphy of the Tax Justice Network said the government had turned a blind eye to this sort of thing and was even encouraging it.
"I severely criticise our tax authorities for putting up with this sort of arrangement," he said.
"It is part of our "open for business" agenda - we will let a multinational company do what it likes, so long as they put some jobs in the UK, but we won't ask for tax."
In fact, HMRC has long had a specialist unit of 1,200 tax inspectors dealing just with the affairs of the 770 biggest companies.
It is called the Large Business Service for firms with a turnover of Â£600mn or more, or assets of Â£2bn or more.
"We can't discuss Amazon for legal reasons, but HMRC applies the tax laws as they apply to multinationals so the UK receives the tax revenues to which it is legally entitled," HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said.
"Where there is a high risk of the UK losing out, we move our resources to challenge that risk," it added.
When it comes to multinationals and tax authorities arguing about how much tax should be paid, and to whom, the arguments often last for years, frequently hinging on a concept known as transfer pricing.
This occurs when a division of a multinational in one country charges a division of the same firm in another country for the supply of a product or a service.
This is sometimes criticised as a technique in which artificially high charges are levied internally, with the aim of siphoning money from a firm's business in a high-tax country to a low-tax one.
There is nothing new in this problem and the issue hit the headlines in the UK as far back as the 1970s.
There is now a lot of legislation to stop transfer pricing being abused, but in the end, there may be no right answer to how much tax is owed by a firm, and a settlement can all come down to haggling.
One tax adviser at a leading firm of accountants - who wished to remain anonymous - said it was wrong to suggest the UK tax authorities were just sitting on their hands, watching taxable income move abroad.
"There are some very bright people at HMRC scrutinising these sorts of things, it is wrong to assume we are lax at policing this."
Another commonplace technique for multinationals to lower their tax bills - a variation on the transfer pricing theme - is for the head office in one country to charge all the national subsidiaries a large fee for "management services", such as accounting.
If the fee is legitimate, then it is an allowable expense and can be set against a national division's profits to reduce its tax bill, while cash is transferred from that outpost to the head office.
Ronnie Ludwig, a tax adviser at Edinburgh accountants Saffery Champness, says the arrangement is commonplace.
"It is perfectly legal for a company to levy a management fee on a subsidiary," he says.
"The question is whether it is proportionate and reasonable in relation to the actual services provided - the companies will be asked by the HMRC exactly what they are doing to justify the fees," he added.
For its part, Amazon says in its accounts that it may have to pay an extra $1.5bn in back taxes in the US if it loses various transfer pricing disputes with the tax authorities there, going back to 2005.
Amazon's accounts, filed at the United States chief financial regulator, theSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC), also make it clear that is facing investigations of some sort from several other national tax authorities.
"We are also subject to taxation in various states and other foreign jurisdictions including China, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom [and France]," the accounts say.
As a result, the company has set aside $229m to pay any extra tax bills that may now arise from these.
"Everyone of these jurisdictions is going to be very jealous of its entitlements to get tax," says Philip Spencer, a tax partner at accountants BDO.
"It is commonplace to have lots of investigations on the go at any one time."
Multinational firms will inevitably look for a good central site to administer their businesses in a region, not just for a low-tax regime, but to get good staff and enjoy good communications.
It all makes life easier.
Philip Spencer at BDO points out that a key advantage of a country like Luxembourg is that it also has a good network of double-taxation treaties with other countries.
These regulate the taxation of cash flowing from business activity in one country to another.
"Luxembourg is very favourable, it has lots of these treaties, which help avoid having to pay tax in one country and then reclaim it if tax is also levied in a second country."
A key feature in all this is that the internationalisation of business has been give a huge boost by the advent of the internet and online trading.
And this has made life increasingly hard for national tax authorities to deal with.
"What everyone is grappling with is e-commerce," says John Whiting, tax policy director at the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT).
"Everyone can see that firms like Amazon are making a shedload of profits - the question is where the profits were made."


Motherwell midfielder Chris Cadden has been called up to the Scotland Under-21 squad after his earlier omission.

Blackburn left-back Stephen Hendrie has also been added to the squad for the matches against Macedonia and Ukraine on 2 and 6 September.
Brentford's Lewis Macleod and Kilmarnock's Callum McFadzean drop out.
Well boss Mark McGhee had said this week he had been "disappointed" that Ricky Sbragia had not chosen Cadden for the European Championship qualifiers.
The 19-year-old has scored three goals so far this season and McGhee, who is also an assistant coach to Scotland boss Gordon Strachan, said the player had often been man of the match in the "30 or so" games for the Steelmen.
Cadden's impressive runs from midfield earned him the sponsor's man-of-the-match award in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Dundee at Fir Park.
Sbragia also has Ryan Gauld of Vitoria de Setubal, Celtic's Liam Henderson, Craig Slater of Colchester and Aberdeen's Craig Storie as his options in midfield.