Legal highs smuggled into Cardiff Prison have led to "horrific, self-inflicted injuries", according to a new report.

The prison's Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) says these drugs are one of the biggest issues facing staff.
In its annual report, the IMB also says around 1,000 prisoners have been diagnosed with mental health problems over the past year.
But it concludes staff are doing a good job under "difficult circumstances".
The IMB was set up to ensure that prisoners are treated humanely and reports back to the Ministry of Justice every year.
Trained sniffer dogs and closer observation of visitors are methods being used to cut the supply of legal highs, said chairman of Cardiff IMB, Stephen Cocks.
"Every prison in the country is suffering to one degree or another from drug misuse and particularly with the use of legal highs which, because of its unpredictable effects, can cause violent reactions among prisoners," he added.
The report also states there are not enough staff to cover basic duties, prisoner complaints are not responded to quickly enough and there is not enough privacy for inmates using the toilets.


BBC Sport tracks all the manager ins and outs as well as listing all the current bosses in the Premier League, Scottish Premiership, English Football League and National League.

All of the managerial movements for December will appear below, followed by the full list of each club, league-by-league.
To read the list for November, visit the ins and outs page.


Will Bragg is set to return to County Championship action for the first time in 2017 when Glamorgan host Nottinghamshire from Friday, 19 May.

Batsman Bragg missed their opening three Division Two games because of a back injury, but has since returned in the One Day Cup.
Fast bowler Timm Van der Gugten is also included after his recent return.
Meanwhile, Marchant de Lange has been reprimanded over his bowling against Hampshire in the One Day Cup.
De Lange was judged to have committed a level one breach by bowling a fast short-pitched ball and/or accidental high full-pitched ball "that results in the bowler being disallowed from bowling any further in that innings".
The penalty did not prevent Glamorgan including De Lange in their 13-man squad against Nottinghamshire.
Like Bragg, Van der Gugten missed Glamorgan's winless start to the County Championship.
Glamorgan lost at Northamptonshire and at home against Worcestershire before drawing at Leicestershire.
Since then the Welsh county have won four of their One Day Cup games, including the last two, against Kent and Hampshire but failed to qualify for the knockout stages.
Bragg scored 233 runs at an average of of 38, which included a List A career best 94 against Kent at St Helen's, Swansea on Sunday, 14 May.
Bragg said: "It hasn't been the start in four-day cricket we would have liked, but cricket is a massive momentum game and we can grab some of that from the close wins that we gained over the last couple of weeks.
"Nottinghamshire are probably one of the stronger opposition we will face in the competition.
"We just need to go back to basics and make sure we do everything well as a team and not concentrate on what they do."
Division Two leaders Notts are set to give a debut to Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.
England fast bowler Stuart Broad is available, but Alex Hales, Jake Ball and James Pattinson are on international duty.
Pujara has played 48 Tests and set a new Indian record for Test runs in 2016-17, also becoming the leading run-scorer in Indian first-class cricket.
The visitors have won their three opening Championship games and qualified for the One-Day cup quarter-final.
Glamorgan (from): Jacques Rudolph (capt), Nick Selman, Will Bragg, Colin Ingram, Aneurin Donald, Kiran Carlson, Chris Cooke (wk), David Lloyd, Andrew Salter, Marchant de Lange, Timm van der Gugten, Lukas Carey, Michael Hogan.
Nottinghamshire (from): Brendan Taylor, Jake Libby, Cheteshwar Pujara, Steven Mullaney, Chris Read, Stuart Broad, Riki Wessels, Harry Gurney, Luke Wood, Luke Fletcher, Matthew Carter, Samit Patel, Brett Hutton, Michael Lumb.


Rob Baxter has signed a new three-year deal with Premiership champions Exeter Chiefs and his title will change from head coach to director of rugby.

Baxter's coaching staff - Ali Hepher, Rob Hunter and Ricky Pellow - have also agreed new contracts.
Hepher will step up to the role of head coach, while forwards coach Hunter and skills coach Pellow will continue in their current positions.
Exeter beat Wasps at Twickenham in May to win their first Premiership title.
Baxter, 46, has been in charge of the Chiefs for eight seasons, first guiding them to promotion from the Championship in 2010 and then stabilising the Devon club in the top flight before leading them to a maiden league title.
"We have a great group of coaches, all of whom want to do well and get even better," said Baxter. "We're no different to players when it comes to being ambitious and being success.
"We want to have further achievements in the Premiership and we want to do a bit better than we have in Europe.
"Having that desire and that ambition is what drives you forward. I would like to think all of the ambitions we have can be met here at Exeter at least over the duration of this next contract."


A man who drove an off-road motorbike through a busy shopping centre has been jailed for 12 months.

1 March 2016 Last updated at 17:38 GMT
James Kinsella was captured on CCTV speeding through the Strand shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on 7 January.
Merseyside Police said it was "sheer luck" that no shoppers were injured, including several mothers with prams.
The 20-year-old, from Bootle, admitted dangerous driving and driving without a licence or insurance at Liverpool Crown Court.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison and banned from driving for three years.


The reintroduction of trams to Birmingham will "give the city a network to rival the best", a transport official has said.

Trams ran in the city between 1904 and 1953 before being replaced by buses.
In December, they returned to the streets with the opening of the Midland Metro service - the first part of a Â£128m project.
Once complete, trams from Wolverhampton will continue in to Birmingham, terminating at New Street station.
Roger Lawrence, chairman of the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority said: "This is an opportunity to expand. Not just into the city centre but out to the airport.
"We will have a network to rival the best ones, like Manchester and Nottingham and even south London. Our network will equal those".
At its peak, the original tram network ran 230 million passenger journeys every year from Yardley to Dudley, and from Erdington down to the Lickey Hills.
Elsie Field, now 91, began working on the trams as a conductress when she was 18. Part of her job was using a pole to connect the tramcar to the overhead power lines.
She said although she was short-sighted she was "too proud to wear her glasses, so the connection was sometimes a bit hit-and-miss".
Tram enthusiast Geoffrey Claydon grew up in Birmingham and said he was disappointed when his regular commute was replaced by a bus service.
"I said why have the trams gone and was told 'Oh, they're old fashioned'. From that moment I thought I would be very supportive of trams, I would do my best to try and keep them where I can for the rest of my life".
When working as a government lawyer, Mr Claydon helped design the Transport and Works Act of 1992, which paved the way for the Midland Metro Line.
"I can now feel quite smug. It was an immense satisfaction that I've lived long enough to see trams back and the poor souls who got rid of them have been proved wrong".
Inside Out West Midlands has a full report on the history and reintroduction of trams in Birmingham on BBC One, Monday at 19:30.


Nigel Pearson saw his first game in charge of Derby end in a goalless draw against Brighton at the iPro Stadium.

Albion goalkeeper David Stockdale made a crucial point-blank save to deny Tom Ince in the early stages before Darren Bent glanced a header wide.
Tomer Hemed tested Rams keeper Scott Carson with a half-volley after the break and the Israeli then had a goal-bound shot cleared by Cyrus Christie.
Stockdale palmed away a low strike from Will Hughes late on to secure a point.
Derby threatened in the early stages but Brighton managed to soak up the pressure and eventually created the better openings in what was a tight encounter.
On-loan Seagulls striker Glenn Murray had a shot blocked just before half-time and then headed over the bar in the second half.
Both sides finished in the top six in the Championship last season before being beaten in the play-off semi-finals, and are expected to challenge for promotion again.
Pearson, back in management following his sacking by Leicester in June 2015, won the Championship title with the Foxes in 2013-14.
Derby County boss Nigel Pearson:
"I was very pleased with our determination and the fact that the players kept on trying to function as a team. Although we weren't playing at our best and didn't use the ball as well as I would have liked to have done, we worked really hard to protect our own goal.
"We had some very good chances early on, we started the first half very well and they started the second half very well.
"What's important for me with this performance and this result is that if people have the opinion that in the past we may have lost, I was interested and very pleased to see our players work so hard to not allow a tight game to go to the opponents.
"You've got to try and win games but if you can't win them you don't lose them and I think both managers would be saying very similar things."
Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton:
"I think in the last few years a draw here is going to be a very good result. I thought although we needed David Stockdale to make a couple of very good saves, we edged the chances.
"I thought we had the better of the chances but I thought on the balance of play a draw was probably a fair result. I think what you have with Glenn [Murray] is a player who will be a wonderful signing for us but he's come in on the back of a season last year when he didn't have too many starts.
"But he's a worker for the team so my delight with him is how he's got into those positions and if he does that enough times over a season he will score goals.
"Generally you don't know what you are going to get first game of the season but I thought the application of the team was excellent and apart from winning and goals I think I've got everything I wanted today."
Match ends, Derby County 0, Brighton and Hove Albion 0.
Second Half ends, Derby County 0, Brighton and Hove Albion 0.
Attempt saved. Darren Bent (Derby County) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Cyrus Christie with a cross.
Jacob Butterfield (Derby County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Beram Kayal (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Foul by Jacob Butterfield (Derby County).
Jamie Murphy (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Kazenga Lua Lua replaces Anthony Knockaert.
Attempt missed. Jacob Butterfield (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Offside, Derby County. Will Hughes tries a through ball, but Darren Bent is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Will Hughes (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Jeff Hendrick.
Attempt missed. Glenn Murray (Brighton and Hove Albion) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Anthony Knockaert following a set piece situation.
Foul by Will Hughes (Derby County).
Liam Rosenior (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Jamie Murphy replaces Jiri Skalak.
Attempt missed. Jacob Butterfield (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Chris Baird.
Attempt saved. Glenn Murray (Brighton and Hove Albion) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jiri Skalak with a cross.
Jeff Hendrick (Derby County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Jeff Hendrick (Derby County).
Jiri Skalak (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Derby County. Jacob Butterfield replaces Tom Ince.
Chris Martin (Derby County) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jiri Skalak (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Attempt missed. Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Beram Kayal.
Craig Bryson (Derby County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jiri Skalak (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Foul by Jeff Hendrick (Derby County).
Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Richard Keogh (Derby County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Sam Baldock replaces Tomer Hemed.
Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Will Hughes (Derby County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Corner,  Brighton and Hove Albion. Conceded by Jason Shackell.
Attempt blocked. Glenn Murray (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Steve Sidwell.
Attempt blocked. Tomer Hemed (Brighton and Hove Albion) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Glenn Murray.
Substitution, Derby County. Chris Martin replaces Nick Blackman.
Offside, Derby County. Tom Ince tries a through ball, but Darren Bent is caught offside.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.


Shares in Twitter dropped to their lowest levels since the company's stock market flotation, as it reported slower than expected user growth.

The number of active users on the social network reached 255 million in the first three months of 2014, up 5.8% on the previous quarter but below analysts' expectations.
Twitter also reported a net loss of $132m (Â£78m) for the latest quarter.
But it posted revenue of $250m, $226m of which came through advertising.
Despite higher user growth than the previous quarter, when Twitter saw just a 3.8% rise, Twitter's stocks fell by more than 11% in after-hours trading, sending the price below its initial public offering of $38.80 per share.
The rise in Twitter active users comes after four consecutive quarters of declining growth, but the turnaround was not strong enough to convince investors.
Twitter's chief executive Dick Costolo highlighted the company's revenue increase, and said it was "fuelled by increased engagement and user growth".
The integration of advertising management software MoPub had helped Twitter "reach more than 1bn iOS and Android users each month", he added.
Another measure of user engagement, timeline views, increased 15% in the first three months of 2014 to 157 billion.
But the number of Twitter users is still well below its most high-profile competitor, Facebook, which boasts 1.28 billion active users.
WhatsApp, the messaging app Facebook bought for $19bn, recently passed the 500 million user milestone.


US computer giant HP has struck a deal to take over Samsung's $1bn (Â£750m) printer business.

HP said the acquisition would help it to "disrupt and reinvent" the $55bn copier industry, a segment that "hasn't innovated in decades".
It is buying a big printing presence in Asia, as well as Samsung's laser printing technology and patents.
The deal comes days after HP's sister company sold its software business to rising UK tech champion Micro Focus.
Hewlett-Packard split into two businesses last year: HP Inc, which focuses on printers and computers; and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which sold its software business to focus on data storage.
"When we became a separate company just 10 months ago, it enabled us to become nimble and focus on accelerating growth and reinventing industries," said Dion Weisler, chief executive of HP Inc.
HP Inc said: "Copiers are outdated, complicated machines with dozens of replaceable parts requiring inefficient service and maintenance agreements."
It added that customers were frequently frustrated with broken copiers and the deal would help HP invest in better technology.
Samsung's printer business made $1.4bn in revenue last year and includes more than 6,500 printing patents as well as nearly 1,300 staff with expertise in laser printer technology.
Meanwhile, shares in Samsung fell 9% after it urged customers to hand in Galaxy Note 7 phones as they risk exploding.


Connacht's late surge saw them move to the top of the Pro12 with a bonus-point win at Newport Gwent Dragons.

Matt Healy, Tiernan O'Halloran, Eoghan Masterson and Bundee Aki crossed for the Irish side with Craig Ronaldson adding three conversions.
Tries from Adam Hughes and Ashton Hewitt plus two Angus O'Brien penalties allowed the Dragons to lead for much of the match.
But the visitors held out after Aki's decisive late score.
Connacht knocked Ulster off top spot while Scarlets - Wales' leading team in the competition - dropped to third before the games that follow from Friday to Sunday.
After an early Jason Tovey penalty, the two teams produced a remarkable burst of four tries in the space of 13 minutes as the lead changed hands four times.
Connacht scored in their first attack on 13 minutes, when wing Healy shot clean through under the posts for his fifth league try of the campaign, Ronaldson converting.
Hughes gave the Dragons the lead with a charge-down, kick and chase just moments later, but the visitors regained the advantage when O'Halloran crossed wide on the left for Ronaldson to goal again.
The breathless pace continued with snappy handling from the Dragons forwards sending wing Hewitt clear, the conversion coming from O'Brien after Tovey's early departure.
The Dragons led 15-14 at the interval, and an early O'Brien penalty after the break was the signal for Connacht coach Pat Lam to bring on Ireland squad members Kieran Marmion and Finlay Bealham, followed by Ultan Dillane.
O'Brien's second penalty put the Dragons seven points clear in the third quarter, but the visitors produced a dynamic finish thanks to their driving mauls.
First Masterson scrambled over for a try in the corner, then Aki crashed over with nine minutes left following fine work from the forwards, with Ronaldson converting.
The Dragons produced a final flourish, but could not find a cutting edge and had to settle for a consolation bonus point.
Dragons:  Geraint Rhys Jones; Ashton Hewitt, Adam Hughes, Adam Warren, Nick Scott; Jason Tovey, Sarel Pretorius; Phil Price, Elliot Dee, Brok Harris, Matthew Screech, Rynard Landman (capt), Ben White, Nic Cudd, Nick Crosswell.
Replacements: Rhys Buckley, Luke Garrett, Shaun Knight, Cory Hill, James Benjamin, Charlie Davies, Angus O'Brien, Ross Wardle.
Connacht: Tiernan O'Halloran; Danie Poolman, Bundee Aki, Craig Ronaldson, Matt Healy; AJ MacGinty, Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Tom McCartney, Rodney Ah You, George Naoupu, Aly Muldowney, John Muldoon (capt), Jake Heenan, Eoghan Masterson.
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Ronan Loughney, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Eoin McKeon, Kieran Marmion, Peter Robb, Rory Parata.
Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU)
Assistant referees: Dan Jones, Simon Rees (both WRU)
Citing commissioner: Jeff Mark (WRU)


England and France will tour the Pacific Islands as part of World Rugby's new global calendar from 2020.

The changes fall short of a fully global season but the northern and southern hemisphere schedules have been more closely aligned.
It means tier-two nations - such as Fiji, Japan and Georgia - will get more chance to play the world's elite teams.
There will be fewer matches, particularly in the year after a World Cup, but the Six Nations is unchanged.
The BBC reported exclusively on the draft proposals back in September, and the final agreement is very similar to that first revealed on this website.
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont had suggested in May that the annual Six Nations Championship could move to April to help ease pressure on the calendar.
It will instead remain in its traditional February-March slot, although discussions continue about changing the length of the tournament.
Find out how to get into rugby union with our special guide.
The five rounds are currently spread over seven weeks with two 'rest' weekends.
As well as France and England's tours of the Pacific Islands, Georgia and Romania have been guaranteed home matches against Six Nations teams each July.
The Six Nations teams will also collectively guarantee a minimum of six matches against tier-two opposition during each set of autumn internationals.
World Rugby's plan sets out a minimum of 110 matches between tier-one and tier-two nations between 2020 and 2032, which it claims is an increase of 39% on the previous schedule.


Kilmarnock striker Souleymane Coulibaly is travelling to Cairo to discuss personal terms with two clubs.

Al Ahly and Zamalek have both made offers that the Rugby Park side would accept for their leading scorer.
Coulibaly was granted permission to join his agents in Egypt to consider moving from Scotland.
Last week, Killie rejected a £500,000 bid from Zamalek for the 22-year-old former Tottenham trainee from the Ivory Coast.
Arriving as a free agent after a season at Peterborough, Coulibaly signed a three-year deal with the Scottish Premiership club in the summer.
He has scored 11 goals in 26 appearances for Lee Clark's side.


In Tunisia, representatives of 70 nations are trying to find ways to pressure Syria into accepting a ceasefire, to allow humanitarian access, and to show support for Syria's opposition.

But it's in Beijing and Moscow, far away, where the power to end Syria's bloodshed really lies.
So far China and Russia have provided the diplomatic support that has shielded Syria from international pressure.
Some say their actions have emboldened the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria to believe it can act with impunity.
They are the two major powers that have blocked efforts in the UN Security Council and the Arab League to force Syria to halt its military offensive against its own people. They have vetoed UN resolutions and stalled efforts to condemn the actions of the Assad regime.
Russia has clear interests in Syria. It has long given military and diplomatic support to the Syrian government. It supplies Syria with many of its guns, tanks and shells. If the Assad regime fell Russia would lose much of its influence in the Middle East.
Much harder to explain is why China has taken the same line, and why it continues to stand so firmly against tougher action over Syria.
China does not have direct interests at stake in Syria in the same way that Russia does. It does not sell Syria many weapons or rely on it as an ally.
In fact, standing up now puts China in an uncharacteristically exposed position. China's diplomacy is usually about keeping a low profile and leaving others to take the lead.
So what is China's motivation? There are many theories.
First is the explanation that China itself gives, publicly at least, that it has a long-standing policy of non-intervention and is sticking to that.
But this is not easy to square with the fact that China actively decided to veto the UN resolutions. It didn't need to use its blocking power. Russia seemed set to frustrate action at the UN anyway.
China could have left Russia to veto action, and allowed the resolution to fail without sticking its own neck out.
Second is the explanation that this is a sign of China's growing assertiveness - that China is starting to stand up for what it believes in.
But China's veto has left Beijing open to criticism that it sides with dictators and repressive regimes and is encouraging Syria's crackdown. So this would be an odd issue to choose to make a stand over.
Third is the idea that China and Russia were outraged by what happened in Libya - where they allowed a UN resolution imposing a no-fly zone but then saw it used by Western powers to bring down the Gaddafi regime - and don't want a repeat of that experience.
But this also doesn't stand up to much scrutiny. China's diplomats at the UN are said to be some of its best. The idea they were blindsided and failed to realise that the UN resolution would bring Gaddafi under enormous pressure makes them look foolish and hardly seems credible.
Even if it were true, it does not explain why China has blocked new UN resolutions that explicitly do not allow for intervention.
Fourth is the possibility that China is worried that radical Islamic groups are backing the uprising in Syria. Beijing may be concerned that their influence could end up spreading down the old Silk Road to China's own Muslim populations in Xinjiang.
This is certainly a concern for China but probably not enough to shape its whole policy towards Syria.
Fifth, and plausible, is the fact that China along with Russia, both authoritarian states themselves, are concerned about the way repressive regimes have been falling in the Arab Spring.
Both Beijing and Moscow have shown they are concerned about the ripples from the Middle East, and both believe the UN Security Council has been used to help topple regimes the West does not like.
So backing Syria may be a way of trying to stop the dominoes falling.
The weakness with this argument is that the Assad regime may be doomed already.
When the man expected to be China's next president, Xi Jinping, was in Washington this month, the Obama administration told him that China risks being on the wrong side of history over Syria. China could see its standing in the Middle East badly damaged.
China's stance has already left it quite isolated. In the UN General Assembly this month, 137 nations voted to back the Arab League's plan to end the Syrian crisis, while only 12 nations, including China, opposed it.
Arab nations have implored China to back them but it has declined to.
So the final explanation is that Beijing is acting alongside Moscow as a deliberate choice, building a coalition of interests.
Russia, with its bigger stake in Syria, may have sought China's help. China may have calculated that to abstain in the UN would have left it open to criticism anyway, and it is better to take an active position alongside Russia.
China may now be in a position to ask Russia to return the favour at a later date, perhaps over North Korea.
Beijing's Global Times newspaper, linked to the ruling Communist Party, said in Friday's editorial: "What's important is that China co-ordinates well and maintains a tacit understanding with Russia on this issue.
"The issue of Syria has so far added points to the quality of strategic co-operation between China and Russia, and this should be seen as China's achievement in a difficult environment."
Civilians are continuing to die in Syria in their dozens. To say that China's achievement has been building closer ties with Russia implies that China's diplomacy is not at all about principles and protecting civilians in a far-off nation, but about hard-headed self interest.
If that's true, don't expect China to change course over Syria any time soon.
In Homs, every few seconds, at the height of the daily bombardment, Syrian government forces are firing rockets and shells into civilian areas.
Across Syria, every day, men, women and children are dying as Bashar al-Assad's regime struggles to put down the uprising against it.


A Chinese vase has sold for 450 times what it was estimated to fetch at an auction house in Birmingham.

It was thought the intricately-painted porcelain wucai fish vase might be sold for up to Â£1,800, but instead it went for Â£810,000.
Auctioneers, Fellows, in the Jewellery Quarter, said the sum broke their house records, thanks to two rival bidders.
The original guide price for the vase came from the vendor, the auction house said.
More updates on this story and others in Birmingham and the Black Country
One bidder flew in from Japan for the auction and there were a "multitude" of telephone bids with people competing online from outside the UK, including from China and Japan.
Fellows said the item was initially believed to be a 20th Century copy of a vase fashioned during the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Chinese Ming dynasty who ruled from 1521 to 1567, hence the initial estimate of its price.
Mark Huddleston, senior specialist, said he was "delighted" with the sale and predicting the final price "became impossible".
"This vase was consigned via a Chinese client.
"Initial research when cataloguing had pointed to a number of historic precedents sold in the tens and hundreds of thousands.
"We examined the decoration to the collar and felt that it lacked sophistication of these early pieces.
"Whilst we dealt with a number of condition inquiries before the sale, little could have prepared us for the result."


UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation turned negative in April for the first time on record, falling to -0.1%, official figures show.

It is the first time CPI has turned negative since 1960, based on comparable historic estimates, the Office for National Statistics said.
The biggest contribution to the fall came from a drop in air and sea fares.
The Bank of England has previously warned that inflation could turn negative for a brief period this year.
Chancellor George Osborne said the fall in the inflation rate was only temporary.
"We should not mistake this for damaging deflation," Mr Osborne said in a statement, adding that the lower cost of living driven by last year's fall in oil prices would be a welcome relief for family budgets, in an environment in which average wages were finally beginning to rise.
"Of course, we have to remain vigilant to deflationary risks and our system is well equipped to deal with them, should they arise," he added.
The latest inflation figure means that a basket of goods and services that cost Â£100 in April 2014 would have cost Â£99.90 in April this year.
The last time CPI inflation was negative, according to estimates by the ONS, was March 1960, when prices were 0.6% lower.
Inflation as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) in April remained unchanged from the month before at 0.9%.
The latest inflation figures show that transport costs were nearly 0.5% lower in April than the same time a year ago, while food was 0.32% cheaper.
Ian Stewart, chief economist at Deloitte, said the fall was "likely to prove short-lived and positive for growth".
"Falling prices raise consumer spending power and help keep interest rates low. This looks like the mild and benign variety of deflation, which is good news for consumers and for growth," he said.
Andrew Sentance, senior economic adviser at PricewaterhouseCoopers and a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, said he did not expect the fall in prices to be sustained.
"Once the impact of the big drop in oil prices drops out of the annual inflation rate, it will move back up to 1-2% over the next year or so. With wage inflation picking up, we may soon be considering the prospect of above-target inflation," he said.
"In the meantime, flat or slightly falling consumer prices are good for growth, boosting real consumer spending power. So a temporary period of slightly negative inflation can be good for the UK economy."
Almost nothing changed between March and April's inflation figures.
The ONS says that the thing that did move, which was the price of air fares and sea fares, was depressed by the timing of Easter.
The prices that are used to calculate the CPI are collected in a few days in the middle of the month.
In 2014, Easter fell during those days, which meant transport fares were inflated.
This year it didn't, so fares were lower, which means today's tiny deflation may be seen as a technical effect.


Disabled dressage rider Verity Smith has said making competitors wear blindfolds at Rio 2016 is like somebody tying Usain Bolt's shoe laces together.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Smith feels she may not be able to take part at the Paralympics as she has just a few weeks left to adapt.
Rules introduced in January state blind riders must be blindfolded to be able to compete in Brazil, taking away any available light.
But the 42-year-old has just 10% vision that she relies on when riding.
"It's like tying Usain Bolt's laces at the start, it's so destabilising," Smith told BBC Points West.
"The whole ethic of the Paralympics is about breaking down stereotypes which is something I have tried very hard to do my whole life.
"They are about using what you have got, no matter how small it is and it is very sad that this rule is taking it away."
Smith, who started riding at the age of three, started to go blind aged eight and first represented Para Team GB in 1990.
However, when blindfolded, Smith is unable to ride at a beginners level, let alone compete and admits wearing the blindfold is a distressing experience.
"In the blindfold, I am a prisoner frightened of the dark," she added. "To take away the little light and dark that I have is actually very terrifying.
"It's a dangerous sport anyway, but to disable somebody further is very, very treacherous. We rely on every inch that we have to keep us and the horse safe.
"It is the different between having no day and no night."
Smith has been battling with the governing bodies who sanctioned the ruling - the International Paralympic committee (IPC) and the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) - since the rule came into place.
It will be reviewed after next year's Games, but that would be too late for the Cirencester-based athlete, who has just weeks to either adopt the blindfold and dramatically alter her training programme or see her dream of competing disappear.
"I think it is just an oversight that has been rubber-stamped because the rule cannot benefit anybody and I really hope it changes," Smith added.
"It has been a huge ambition for me to ride at the Paralympics because I think we have the best team in the world.
"My love of horses was hoof-printed upon my heart even before my blindness set in."


Neill Byrne bundled home a late equaliser as Macclesfield rescued a draw at fellow National League high-flyers Barrow.

The Irish defender struck eight minutes from time after Danny Livesey looked to have put the hosts on course for victory with a headed opener three minutes earlier.
Bluebirds forward Jordan Williams came closest to breaking the deadlock in a tight first half, firing his first opportunity over the crossbar before being denied by Macc goalkeeper Scott Flinders minutes later.
Barrow, who were eight games unbeaten going into the game, eventually edged in front when captain Livesey rose to nod in Williams' 79th-minute cross.
But they were denied all three points as Byrne grabbed his first goal of the season.
Report supplied by the Press Association
Match ends, Barrow 1, Macclesfield Town 1.
Second Half ends, Barrow 1, Macclesfield Town 1.
Liam Hughes (Barrow) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Jack Mackreth replaces Jack Sampson.
Goal!  Barrow 1, Macclesfield Town 1. Neill Byrne (Macclesfield Town).
Goal!  Barrow 1, Macclesfield Town 0. Danny Livesey (Barrow).
Substitution, Barrow. Andy Haworth replaces Richard Bennett.
Second Half begins Barrow 0, Macclesfield Town 0.
First Half ends, Barrow 0, Macclesfield Town 0.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


Glenn Irwin finished second in race two at the third round of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park to move up to fifth spot in the series.

Irwin was ninth in race one, won by Leon Haslam, before coming in runner-up to PBM Ducati team-mate Shane Byrne.
Alastair Seeley was 17th in the first race for Tyco BMW but Michael Laverty failed to finish in both events.
Eglinton rider David Allingham was second behind Tarran Mackenzie in Monday's feature Supersport race.
Yamaha-mounted Mackenzie maintained his 100% winning start to the season by overtaking early leader Allingham and has now collected a maximum 150 points from six outings.
Allingham lies 54 points behind the Scot in second place in the standings, with fellow Northern Ireland riders Andrew Irwin and Keith Farmer fourth and fifth in the series respectively.
Carrickfergus rider Irwin, brother of Glenn, had clinched a second position in Sunday's sprint race, with Allingham third and Farmer fourth.
Haslam continues to lead the Superbike class despite crashing in race two in an incident which also saw James Ellison and Seeley come off.
Laverty and his machine were both recovering from the after-affects of a spectacular crash in practice.
Eugene McManus was second in the Motostar event, with Richard Kerr fifth and Scott Swann 26th.
McManus is third in the championship and Kerr fifth.
Michael Dunlop continued his preparation for the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT by taking 19th in Superbike race one on his Bennetts Hawk Racing Suzuki, but failed to finish the next race.
Carl Phillips, backed by Dunlop's MD Racing Team, was a non-finisher in the Superstock 1000cc class.


Patients may be waiting months for NHS operations unaware they could get the health service to pay for quicker treatment in Europe.

Under European law, UK patients who are clinically eligible for NHS treatment can seek it in other EU countries.
They can also reclaim costs of up to what the NHS would have spent.
But fewer than 30 patients in Wales have made such applications during the past three years, BBC Wales has found.
There are concerns that patients and even some medical professionals are not aware of the rules.
Certain procedures require patients to get prior approval from their health board.
The European directive for cross-border treatment came into force in Wales in October 2013 and allows patients to be reimbursed for care in a state-run or private hospital.
It also places a duty on the Welsh government and NHS to provide easily accessible information to patients about their rights.
Anne Botterill, a retired psychologist from Cardiff, faced a wait of over a year for a hip replacement on the NHS after being diagnosed with arthritis last autumn.
"I was in enormous discomfort. I live a very active life... gardening, dancing and walking," she explained.
"I couldn't do any of those things, I stopped them all."
On the advice of her husband David, an academic with an interest in cross-border health-care, she decided to see if her local health board would pay for her surgery at a Belgium hospital.
Mrs Botterill paid Â£9,000 for her surgery and a five-night hospital stay in Ghent and was reimbursed Â£6,500 by Cardiff and Vale Health Board.
Had she chosen to be treated privately in Wales she says she would paid around Â£12,500 and would have been unable to reclaim any of it.
But Freedom of Information requests by BBC Wales show fewer than 30 applications from patients have been funded through this route since 2011.
That included nine patients from Cardiff and Vale Health Board, which reimbursed patients for treatment in the fields of trauma and orthopaedics, dental, urology, spinal trauma and ear, nose and throat surgery at hospitals in Poland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Austria and Slovakia.
In July, 17,649 patients in Wales had waited at least nine months (36 weeks) for hospital treatment -  despite the Welsh government's target stating nobody should wait that long.
The Conservatives's shadow health minister, Darren Millar, said it was clear more needed to be done to highlight the possibility of travelling for treatment.
"Awareness of this EU directive is nowhere near where it should be and that's the fault of Labour ministers alone," he said.
A spokesman for the Welsh government said guidance on the EU directive has been issued to health boards in Wales.
But they made it clear that the EU laws were not a blank cheque for health care in Europe.
"The directive does not allow NHS patients to go anywhere within Europe and get any treatment or medicine they may desire and then seek reimbursement from the NHS," stressed the spokesman.
"For this reason people are strongly encouraged to speak to their health board if they are considering seeking treatment elsewhere."


The Bank of England has warned there is evidence that risks it identified related to Brexit are emerging.

In a major report it states: "There is evidence that some risks have begun to crystallise. The current outlook for UK financial stability is challenging."
The Bank has eased special capital requirements for banks, potentially freeing up Â£150bn for lending.
Eight major banks have also agreed with George Osborne to provide more lending to households and businesses.
The chancellor signed a letter with Barclays, HSBC, Santander UK, Virgin Money, Metro Bank, RBS, Nationwide and Lloyds for the banks to make extra capital available in this "challenging time".
The Bank's change to capital buffers could help if uncertainty from the leave vote causes the economy to slow down and banks to be more cautious.
"This is a major change," said Bank of England governor Mark Carney.
"It means that three-quarters of UK banks, accounting for 90% of the stock of UK lending, will immediately - immediately - have greater flexibility to supply credit to UK households and firms," he said.
Mr Carney was speaking at a news conference following the release of the bank's six monthly Financial Stability Report.
Although Mr Carney made it clear that the economic risks were still very visible - and indeed some, such as sterling's slump, were beginning to "materialise" - preparation ahead of the referendum was now paying off.
And, yes, he actually used the word "positive" for some of the effects seen post the Big Vote.
Financial markets had remained stable, government and business borrowing costs - even for the battered banks - had fallen and the decline in the pound had provided a boost for exporters and businesses that earned revenues overseas.
Investors may be concerned with profitability and economic growth, Mr Carney said.
What they didn't seem so worried about was the resilience of the whole system, which can be a much more toxic issue - as anyone who went through the 2008 crisis will attest.
The FPC said there were risks apparent in the commercial property market, with vital foreign inflows falling by 50% in the first three months of 2016.
It also flagged concern over "the high level of UK household indebtedness [and] the vulnerability to higher unemployment and borrowing costs" for some households.
House prices could also come under pressure, particularly if buy-to-let investors abandon the market, it said.
The FPC said that banks were now well capitalised and that the Bank of England would postpone demands for Â£5.7bn of extra financing to be held on the banks' balance sheets - known as the "countercyclical capital buffer".
The Bank would reduce the level of the buffer - set to be introduced next year - from the planned 0.5% of a banks' lending "exposure" to 0%.
The 0% rate would be maintained until at least June next year, the FPC said.
Given that banks leverage their lending, the FPC said the buffer reduction would allow banks to increase credit supply to households and businesses by Â£150bn.
The FPC also said it was acting to reduce any "fragility" in the financial markets and was ready to move further if necessary.
"Financial markets are doing their job. They are adjusting to this change. They have functioned pretty well," Mr Carney said.
The Financial Stability Report said that maintaining foreign investment, necessary to support the UK's historically high current account deficit, could become harder following the decision to leave the European Union because of a "prolonged period of uncertainty".
"These measures are really about Carney aligning the Bank of England's guns in case the UK economy enters a downturn. Markets are going to be reassured by his pro-activity," said James Athey from Aberdeen Asset Management Investment.
"He's not waiting for anything bad to happen but rather acting in case it does. It also means that both halves of the BoE: the monetary policy and financial policy are pulling in the same direction."


The price of benchmark crude oil has fallen almost 4% as traders question whether Opec can agree on a deal to limit production.

In September the oil exporting cartel members voted for the first production cut in eight years.
Details of the agreement are due to be finalised at a formal Opec meeting in Vienna on Wednesday.
But key Opec members appear to disagree over the plan and some analysts believe the meeting may not produce a deal.
Indonesian Energy Minister Ignasius Jonan said he was not sure Opec would manage to forge an agreement: "I don't know. Let's see. The feeling today is mixed."
Brent crude oil was down $1.76 per barrel at $46.48, and US crude was down $1.80 at $45.28.
Analysts at Barclays said: "Volatility is set to be high in the oil market in the days ahead."
In-depth negotiations will be needed on Wednesday to cement a deal, Goldman Sachs analysts said.
"The latest headlines suggest that while there is a broad agreement on the rationale for a cut, political considerations and country level quota negotiations are so far preventing a deal from being reached," Goldman Sachs said.
In September Opec pledged to limit production by about 700,000 barrels a day, although Iran was being allowed to increase production.
Disagreements between Iran and its regional rival, Saudi Arabia, had blocked earlier attempts to reach a deal.
Many of Opec's smaller members wanted limits after oil prices fell from $110 a barrel over the past two years after oversupply and slowing demand.


A man arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a cyclist died near Leicester railway station has been released on bail.

Sam Boulton, 26, was hit by a van at about 13:20 BST on 27 July on London Road. He later died in hospital.
Leicestershire Police said a 50-year-old man was questioned and released.
The road was closed between Station Street and the entrance to the station but later reopened. Police have appealed for witnesses.
In a statement, Mr Boulton's father Jeff said: "We would like to thank you all for your kind wishes, love and support for our beautiful son, brother and fiancÃ©. We are asking you to respect the privacy of both families during this sad time."


A senior police officer has called for CCTV cameras to be installed at the Glasgow Necropolis to help keep the area free of antisocial behaviour.

Ch Insp David Pettigrew believes the cameras would act as a deterrent to disorder and vandalism.
Glasgow City Council said the implementation of cameras had been explored but the topography of the site made it difficult.
The Glasgow Necropolis is a historic cemetery and tourist attraction.
The 37-acre Victorian cemetery, east of the city centre, contains about 3,500 monuments and sculptures.
Ch Insp Pettigrew, the officer in charge of the Necropolis area, told the BBC: "At this time of year, it is not the same as the spring and summer months. This is an area where people come to drink. They do that because it is out the way.
"That brings with it anti-social behaviours and disorder, whether deliberate or otherwise. It damages the headstones as well, so there is a clearly a disrespectful aspect to that. The headstones have been here for hundreds of years and can be loose, and if they fall over they can cause serious injury.
"Primarily, we are talking about drinking in the Necropolis. Gang activity in the east end in general is very much in the decline in recent years."
Ch Insp Pettigrew said police officers take part in regular patrols of the necropolis during the spring and summer months, supported by teams from Community Safety Glasgow, who work in close consultation with the city council.
The senior officer said the teams from Community Safety sometimes patrol the area with mobile CCTV vans but he would like to see this taken a step further.
He added: "CCTV has proven to be an effective aide to policing in many other parts of the city, so I think it would go without saying that it would be a benefit to this area also.
"The cameras themselves act as a deterrent because when people know they are here, they clearly don't have the same advantage as being able to hide behind a bush or a tree, but in the event that something happens it gives us the opportunity to find the people responsible. Quite clearly, we cannot be here 24 hours a day."
Police Scotland told the BBC they only received six reports of crime at the necropolis between April and August 2015 - four of vandalism, one breach of the peace and once incidence of drinking in a public place. Three people were reported to the procurator fiscal over these incidents.
The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis are a group of volunteers who conduct tours of the cemetery, and raise money for conservation and restoration work at the Necropolis.
Ruth Johnston, the group's chairwoman, said: "I don't think it (anti-social behaviour at the Necropolis) is any different from a large park in a very large city. We bring a lot of tourists here.
"People feel very safe coming in here, and there wouldn't be so many people coming if they didn't feel safe.
"The Glasgow Necropolis is incredibly inspiring, no matter what your interests are - history, social history, archaeology, architecture, sculpture. Some of the most famous sculptors have done work here."
Alexander "Greek" Thomson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh are among those whose work is at the Necropolis, while William Miller - the man who wrote the Wee Willie Winkie nursery rhyme - is also buried there.
A memorial for Glasgow firefighters is one of 3,500 in the cemetery, with an estimated 50,000 people buried at the site in total.
Next year, the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis hopes to raise Â£60,000 for the restoration of the Monteith mausoleum, and they will continue commemorations for those who died in World War One and other conflicts.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "Community Safety Glasgow currently deploy two daily security patrols, staggered day and night, to the Necropolis and random mobile CCTV patrols are also conducted in the area to deter and detect antisocial behaviour. Foot patrols are also carried out within the Necropolis to deter dog fouling.
"There are also quarterly meetings between Police Scotland, the council, Community Safety Glasgow and the Friends of the Necropolis group to discuss any issues.
"The possibility of using re-deployable CCTV in the Necropolis was also explored, but the topography of the site made it difficult in terms of radio signalling."
A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland, which is a statutory consultee for the Glasgow Necropolis, added: "We are aware that there has been an issue with vandalism and anti-social behaviour at Glasgow Necropolis.
"Whilst we are not aware of any recent requests to Glasgow City Council planning department regarding the potential installation of CCTV we would be happy to discuss this and other proposals for improving security within the grounds of the Necropolis with them.
"Public security measures such as CCTV are not uncommon practice within other historic sites and buildings and we would work with the applicant to discuss possible options."


Mexican politicians, commentators and media have hit back at President Donald Trump's formal launch of his US-Mexico border wall project, calling it the act of an "enemy" and "unworthy" of the United States.

Shortly after President Trump signed an executive order for "the immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border", prominent Mexicans began reacting with outrage.
"From threat to reality: Trump's words about the wall," Mexican newspaper Milenio headlined its story, publishing a string of past tweets from the US president to show how he was following through on his pledge to bolster border security, crack down on illegal immigration, and shift investments and jobs back to the US.
Left-wing daily La Jornada featured the president's confident assertion to ABC TV that the border wall would be constructed quickly, with Mexico expected to pick up the bill.
"Trump: the wall, in 'months'; Mexico will pay 100 per cent", it reported.
Senator Armando Rios Piter called Mr Trump's announcement a "hostile and enemy act" and urged Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to stay away from a scheduled meeting with the new US president, scheduled for 31 January.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a former Mexican presidential candidate and leader of the left-wing opposition party National Regeneration Movement, MORENA, portrayed Mr Trump's plan as an act of aggression.
"President Trump: your wall attacks us and leaves the [US] Statute of Liberty as a myth. We'll go to the international courts. Long live fraternity," he wrote on his @lopezobrador Twitter account.
Influential Mexican journalist Leon Krauze also took to Twitter, calling the announcement a day that was "unworthy of America's foundation #AmericanWall".
Prominent Mexican political analyst Jesus Silva-Herzog Marquez called it an "announcement of a humiliation", and appeared unimpressed by Mr Trump's offer of a "win-win" relationship between the two neighbours.
"Trump offers a sweet to Pena Nieto, while not hiding the stick," he tweeted.
Major newspapers and commentators noted that Mr Trump's executive order coincided with a visit to Washington DC by two of Mexico's President Pena Nieto's top envoys - Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray and Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo.
The former president of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, Agustin Basave, said on his Twitter account that Mr Videgaray - who organised a meeting between Mr Pena Nieto and Mr Trump last year - should cancel his trip.
"Trump welcomes his friend @LVidegaray by spitting in his face," he said.
Earlier in the day, when Mexican newspapers were already braced for Mr Trump's announcement, leading daily La Reforma also highlighted the fact the announcement coincided with the pair's visit to Washington.
"They run into the wall," the newspaper's print edition headline observed.
The governor of the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, Miguel Marquez, added his voice to those calling for Mr Videgaray and Mr Guajardo to cut short their official trip to Washington for the sake of national honour.
In a radio interview, he said Mexico should keep "its head held high" and act "with dignity".
On the prospect of the two ministers returning from the US early, he said such a move would not be "breaking ties" but said of the Mr Trump: "This is not how you should receive us".
Mexico's outrage also appeared to be shared by Latin American leaders meeting at a regional summit in Dominican Republic.
"A wall is not the solution to migration," Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, said from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit, cited by pan-American TV news network TeleSUR.


The family of an eight-year-old boy who died after a headstone fell on him at a Glasgow cemetery have spoken of their anger and pain at his loss.

Ciaran Williamson was playing with friends in Craigton Cemetery when the tragedy happened on 26 May 2015.
An inquiry into his death has heard its final submissions.
His mother Stephanie Griffin and stepfather Thomas McGee have spoken to BBC Scotland about the day Ciaran died, and their devastation at his death.
They believe his death might have been prevented if safety checks had been carried out.
However, that is disputed by Glasgow City Council, which said it was speculation that such tests would have averted the tragedy.
The council said it had done everything it could to assist the court, and that it would be "inappropriate" to comment further while the inquiry was ongoing.
Sheriff Linda Ruxton, who heard the fatal accident inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court, will deliver her findings at a later date.
The inquiry heard that following Ciaran's death, Glasgow City Council carried out a safety assessment at the cemetery and laid flat between 500 and 900 headstones over concerns they were unsafe.
Ciaran's family said they hoped other children would be warned off playing in unsafe locations.
His mother Stephanie said: "Every day I feel angrier. I feel I need to know what happened."
She hoped that other parents would become more aware of what was around them.
"Maybe it's a graveyard - or an old factory. Maybe just try to speak to their children," she said.
"If they see something that needs repaired, to report it."
At the time of the tragedy, the family lived next to the cemetery.
Stephanie said she had warned Ciaran about the dangers two days before the tragedy.
"We tried to speak to him and he said 'right mum, I promise you I won't go in'," she said.
Two evenings later Ciaran joined other boys in the cemetery.
He had only been gone for 10 minutes when another boy knocked on the family's door to say he had been injured.
Ciaran's stepfather Thomas hurried to the scene, followed shortly afterwards by Stephanie.
"I remember saying to Thomas 'what's happened to him, what's happened to him?'
Stephanie recalled that she saw Ciaran on the ground with a headstone or tombstone next to him.
She said "Thomas said to me 'Stephanie, that was on him. I've had to take that off him. It's fell on him'.
"And I was screaming and I was shouting. I was slapping his face and saying: 'Ciaran, Ciaran, come on, please, just get up'."
Thomas then called the ambulance service and they talked him through administering CPR.
He recalled: "It must have only been five minutes, but it felt to me like it was an hour. And I'll never forget it."
Stephanie said the family was still adjusting to life after Ciaran's death, and that some days it was difficult to get out of bed.
"It just hits me, all over again, that he's not here anymore," she said.
"And then I need to get up for the other kids. Otherwise, I don't think I would. If I'm honest, I don't."
Stephanie said the tragedy had badly affected Ciaran's elder sister.
"Even now at night she'll still cry for him. She says 'mum, I miss Ciaran' - and I say 'I know, mum misses him too. We all miss him'."
In the family's living room, words stencilled on the wall are a daily reminder of the loss and suffering they continue to endure amid the lasting memories of a special little boy.
Those words read: "Because someone we love is in heaven, there's a little bit of heaven in our home."


Women are much less visible in the media than men, the latest Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) study says.

Research by the organisation found women only make up 24% of people heard about in the news, despite comprising half of the human population.
The GMMP's Sarah Macharia says the situation is not much better than 20 years ago when the study first began.
She said it would take "at least three quarters of a century" to reach parity between the genders.
Read highlights here from the live debate about whether news is failing women chaired by the BBC's Philippa Thomas between 1300 and 1430 today.
Ms Macharia added: "In 1995 women were 17% of the people interviewed and the subjects in the news, compared with 24% today."
Our 100 Women season showcases two weeks of inspirational stories about the BBC 100 Women and others who defy stereotypes around the world.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram using the hashtag #100Women.
The report claims digital media has a similar gender divide - with women featuring in a just a quarter of online news stories and tweets across the world.
Some areas of news coverage are better than others for gender balance. Women are more likely to feature in stories about science and health, for example, than they are about politics.
And big regional variations exist too. Women are most visible in the news in North America and least visible in the Middle East.
The report commends Latin America for improving the proportion of female reporters and presenters. In 2000, only 28% of women were in these roles. Now, 15 years on, it stands at 43%.
Dr Macharia thinks there are wider cultural reasons for this change. "It's the region in the world with the highest proportion of female heads of government and it has vibrant feminist movements," she said.
In North America, on the other hand, the proportion of women working in the media appears to be dropping. In 2005, 48% of reporters and presenters in the US and Canada were women. Today it is 38%.
The report's authors say mass redundancies in the American newspaper industry have hit women particularly hard - leaving online news production dominated by men.
The GMMP estimates that across the globe, women make up 37% of all reporters - exactly the same proportion as 10 years ago. That means there is still some way to go to make the world's newsrooms more equal.


Ransomware is a growing menace for computer users - but when a hospital is targeted, it makes the disruption far more serious.

Computer systems at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center have been offline for more than a week following a ransomware attack.
According to local news sources, hackers were said to have demanded $3.4m (Â£2.4m) to provide the codes to unlock the stolen data.
The hospital has confirmed the attack took place, but has not commented on the ransom.
A voicemail message at the hospital reassures patients that medical records had not been accessed by the hackers.
Investigations into the source of the attack - which hospital officials said appeared to be random rather than targeted at the facility - are being conducted by the FBI, Los Angeles Police and computer forensics experts hired by the hospital.
The hospital insists that day-to-day operations have not been impacted, although many tasks normally carried out on computer are now being done on paper, much to the frustration of staff.
Patients are also being told they must travel to pick up medical test results in person rather than receive them electronically.
Ransomware attacks are increasingly common, and are difficult to fully protect against.
Malicious software is placed on a computer - often via phishing attacks - and proceed to lock up files.
Ransomware will typically try to extort money from the user quickly, saying that if the demand is not met, the files will be deleted.
The most common type of ransomware is a malware package known as Cryptolocker, which experts say has infected hundreds of thousands of machines around the world.
Last month, the council for the English county of Lincolnshire was hit with a Â£350 ransomware demand - but it said it refused to pay.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC or on Facebook


Northampton flanker Calum Clark has been charged with striking Worcester's Donncha O'Callaghan with his elbow.

Ex-England flanker Clark was involved in an incident with lock O'Callaghan in the first half of Saturday's match.
Worcester's Ryan Mills has been charged with dangerous tackling following an incident with Rory Hutchinson.
Clark, who recently returned after 11 months out injured, and Mills will face Rugby Football Union disciplinary panels on Wednesday.
Saints won the match 18-17 at Sixways.
In 2012, Clark was suspended for 32 weeks following an incident which left Leicester's Rob Hawkins with a broken elbow.
He was also sent off for head-butting in the 2008 Junior World Cup final while playing for England Under-20s.


Prince Philip has remained in hospital as he continues to receive treatment for a bladder infection.

He did not have any visitors on Friday after doctors advised him to rest, but his family are said to have been in contact by phone.
The 91-year-old Duke of Edinburgh was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on Wednesday from Balmoral.
The Queen left Balmoral for a few hours on Friday, the first time she has been seen in public for a couple of days.
She drove herself out of the gates of the estate in a Range Rover, returning later in a convoy that included the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed an RAF helicopter was scrambled to take the duke to hospital on Wednesday, but its efforts to land near a road were thwarted by fog.
A spokesman said it was eventually decided it would be quicker to complete the 50-mile journey by road.
It is the duke's third hospital stay in nine months.
He spent four days in hospital over Christmas, following an operation to clear a blocked heart artery.
And after attending events to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June, Prince Philip was admitted to hospital for five nights, missing several days of festivities after sustaining the original bladder infection.


A driver involved in a head-on crash which killed a five-year-old boy cannot remember anything about the collision, his trial has heard.

Joseph Smith suffered multiple injuries when the Ford Focus car he was travelling in smashed into oncoming traffic on Cardiff's Western Avenue.
Cardiff Crown Court has heard he was not using a booster seat at the time.
Stepfather Dean Collins, 24, from St Mellons, denies causing death by dangerous driving in September 2015.
The jury heard Mr Collins was driving towards Barry in Vale of Glamorgan to take Joseph to football practice along with his daughter, partner Laura and her mother Michelle, when the collision happened near a Tesco store.
Giving evidence in his defence, Mr Collins said he remembered approaching traffic lights but cannot remember anything afterwards except waking up injured in the car.
Mr Collins, who tore his aorta and broke his femur, pelvis and ribs in the crash, said he had since travelled along the road as a passenger in a bid to try to jog his memory but it had not worked.
"I want to remember. I can't, I don't know if it's a body shock - it doesn't want me to remember, but I just can't," he said.
Cross examining Mr Collins, Janet McDonald, suggested he did not want to remember because he did not want to accept he was at fault.
She said witnesses had described Mr Collins driving erratically before the crash, undertaking and weaving in and out of the traffic like an "idiot" and a "boy racer".
She said: "Is it just your way of facing up, or not facing up, to what happened?
Mr Collins replied: "No, I think it's my way of coping with that day and losing my son.
"I was involved in a tragic accident."
"A tragic accident that could have been avoided," Ms McDonald replied.
"It wasn't avoidable," Mr Collins said.
Ms McDonald asked: "How can you say that? You just don't want to accept you were at fault."
"No," Mr Collins said.
The jury also heard Mr Collins had passed his driving test just three months before the crash and was not wearing a seat belt at the time.
Joseph was wearing a seat belt but was not in a booster seat, as is required for children under 12 or those under 135cm (53in) tall.
Mr Collins said he did not realise Joseph should have been using one.
"I thought he was tall enough. I never done anything in a malicious way. I never put my kids at harm. I done it because I thought he was fine," he said.
The court previously heard small traces of cocaine were found in Mr Collins' blood after the crash.
He told the court he had taken it while on a night out either the night before or two nights before the crash and did not realise it would still be in his system when he went to drive on the day of the collision.
Mr Collins also denies four charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The case continues.


Middlesex batsman Adam Voges will be out until August after suffering a torn calf muscle in his right leg.

Voges was forced to retire hurt on 86 after suffering the injury while batting during the County Championship draw with Somerset on 4 June.
Middlesex hope to have the Australian back for their T20 Blast game against Hampshire at Lord's on 3 August.
The 37-year-old has scored 230 runs in four first-class games this season at an average of 57.50.
"Losing Adam is naturally a blow as he contributes significantly to everything we do," director of cricket Angus Fraser said.
"His absence, however, does give opportunities to other players who are desperate to play in the first XI.
"In the past we have coped well without an overseas player and I expect us to do so now."
Defending county champions Middlesex are sixth in the Division One table, having drawn all four of their matches this season.
Voges retired from international cricket in February with a Test batting average of 61.87 from 31 innings, second only to Australian great Sir Donald Bradman's career average of 99.94 from 52 Tests.


Olympic gold medallist bobsledder Steven Holcomb has been found dead aged 37.

Holcomb was found in his room at the US Olympic Training Centre in Lake Placid, New York on Saturday.
He competed in three Winter Olympics, making history when he piloted the US four-man bobsled team to gold at Vancouver 2010 - the country's first Olympic title in the event in 62 years.
At Sochi 2014 he won bronze in both the two-man and four-man bobsled.
"The entire Olympic family is shocked and saddened by the incredibly tragic loss today of Steven Holcomb," said US Olympic Committee chief executive Scott Blackmun.
"Steve was a tremendous athlete and even better person, and his perseverance and achievements were an inspiration to us all."
Holcomb had been competing since 1998 and won five world titles and was also a six-time World Cup champion.


Funding for the Pakistani version of the children's TV series Sesame Street is being withdrawn, US officials in Islamabad have said.

A US development agency has begun an investigation into allegations of corruption against a Pakistani partner organisation.
The organisation, Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, denies the claims.
The US had already committed $6.7m (Â£4.3m) to develop the programme, which was first broadcast six months ago.
Sim Sim Hamara aimed to teach basic literacy and numeracy skills, as well as provide a vehicle for spreading tolerance and mutual respect.
The show was due to run for four years.
The agency that awarded the contract, US Agency for International Development (USAID), told the BBC that it began an investigation after receiving allegations of fraud via a hotline.
A spokesman for USAID said the agreement was terminated while the investigation was underway. The initial funding for the programme totalled $20m.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad said Tuesday's announcement came soon after a Pakistani newspaper alleged the family theatre group that produces the series had been involved in corruption.
Speaking to the BBC from Lahore, where the programme is made, Faizaan Peerzada, one of the group's managers, dismissed such claims as baseless.
"This is a reputable family who has done work in very difficult times and I think these claims are false and my legal cell has already served notice to the journalist who has printed this false and ridiculous story," Mr Peerzada said.
The theatre group says it hopes to find funding from elsewhere, but if it cannot the series will come to an end.
Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street in the US, worked with the theatre group on the show.
In a statement, the organisation said it was "surprised and dismayed to learn about the serious allegations".
"We trust that the facts will be fairly and fully assessed, and we will wait for the full report. It is our hope that the achievements of Sim Sim Hamara, and the gains we have made in the lives of children in Pakistan, will carry on."
Sesame Workshop provided "its expertise in children's media" to Rafi Peer as part of the USAID project.
Characters like the red monster Elmo, a well-known figure worldwide, were seen as potential cultural ambassadors.
The American version of Sesame Street first aired in 1969. The US government has since worked with the company to produce shows in about 20 foreign countries.


Powers over fracking would be devolved to Wales if Labour wins the general election, the party has announced.

Similar powers over the gas drilling technique are already devolved to Scotland.
A number of exploratory drilling applications have been approved in the Vale of Glamorgan and surrounding area.
However the Welsh government is changing its advice to local councils on fracking - effectively putting existing plans on hold.
Speaking before Labour's conference in Swansea, Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith said: "It is right that decisions like these are taken close to the communities that might be affected."
Meanwhile Planning Minister Carl Sargeant said he would stop "any local planning authority approving any planning application for fracking".
Earlier in February the Welsh government voted to back a Plaid Cymru motion in the Senedd calling for an effective block on fracking.
At its Welsh conference in Swansea's Brangwyn Hall on Friday, Labour will announce plans to speak to half a million voters in Wales ahead of May's general election.
"We cannot outspend the Tories in this election but we will out organise them," a party spokesman said, claiming to have more activists than in 2010.
It may be Valentine's Day on Saturday, but expect plenty of blood and thunder from Labour this weekend as party members gather in Swansea.
As with any pre-election conferences, it will be the big opportunity to rally an expected turnout of 600 troops.
Behind the scenes, party officials say the Tory war on Wales - as it's called by them - has helped mobilise support from the grassroots prepared to get out and knock on doors.
That so-called war is of course based on a number of longer waiting times in the Labour-run Welsh NHS than in England.
One question is whether Labour will suffer as a result - even though health is devolved and this is a general election - or whether it can be successful in persuading people that the Conservative criticism has gone too far.
Labour has 26 of the 40 seats in Wales. It lost four at the last election and has set itself the target of winning eight this time round. Ambitious it may be - but also achievable - that's the message from the party.
Labour is aiming to win Aberconwy, Arfon, Cardiff North, Cardiff Central, the Vale of Glamorgan, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire and Preseli Pembrokeshire.
Of those, the two Cardiff seats, the Vale of Glamorgan and Aberconwy are felt by the party to be the most winnable.


A father and son have been fined after admitting an assault on an actor from BBC Wales police drama Hinterland in Ceredigion.

Aneirin Hughes, who plays Ch Supt Brian Prosser, suffered facial injuries in the incident at a pub in Aberystwyth.
Dewi Lloyd Edwards, 24, received a community order and a £250 fine from town magistrates after admitting common assault and actual bodily harm.
Robert Meirion Edwards, 52, was fined £105 after admitting an assault charge.
The incident was over a long-standing dispute about agricultural land which has since been resolved, the court was told.
A third man, Steven Paul Welsby, 40, denied a charge of causing actual bodily harm.
His case was adjourned for trial next month. He has been released on conditional bail.


A church in Bath near the site of a fatal truck crash has held prayers in its service remembering those who died.

Three adults and a four-year-old girl were killed when the truck careered out of control on Lansdown Lane on Monday.
On Friday it emerged the driver of the tipper truck, 19, had recently passed a test to drive more advanced vehicles.
Rector Patrick Whitworth from All Saints Church said: "There's a lot of tenderness around in the community and that comes as a result of the tragedy."
A minute's silence was also held ahead of Bath's game at Saracens earlier.
Match commentator Nick Mullins said: "I'm sure Bath as a club would want to pay their own respects to those who died this week when they play Northampton at the Rec next weekend but they were thrilled that Saracens wanted to do something themselves this weekend."
On Tuesday the church held a special hour-long service attended by more than 400 people.
The tipper truck driver, Phillip Potter, was transporting aggregate when the crash happened.
Although Mr Potter had recently passed a licence to drive heavier vehicles, he had been licensed to drive the tipper truck for some months.
Police accident investigators are still trying to establish what caused the truck to crash.
They are looking at the load it was carrying as well as any potential mechanical faults.
Four-year-old Mitzi Steady died when she was walking with her grandmother, who remains critically ill in hospital.
Phil Allen, 52, and Robert Parker, 59, of Cwmbran, and Stephen Vaughan, 34, from Swansea, also died when their car was hit by the 30-tonne truck.
Books of condolence have been opened at All Saints, Bath Abbey and Weston library for people to pay their respects.


Two sections of the M4 in south Wales which were flooded in the wake of Storm Frank have now been cleared.

Police dealt with three separate crashes where there was standing water on both sides of the carriageway between junctions 35 (Pencoed) and 36 (Sarn).
Flooding also blocked one lane on the eastbound stretch at junction 26 for Malpas but it has now reopened.
The Met Office has a weather warning for rain in place until 18:00 GMT.
Natural Resources Wales said less rain fell overnight than expected but warned some rivers would be very high, fast flowing and dangerous.
Rivers are expected to peak by early afternoon.
The railway line has been blocked at Pencoed with trains diverted between Bridgend and Cardiff Central and replacement buses will operate for the stations in between.
Localised flooding has been reported in Pontypool in Torfaen, Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, Ferryside in Carmarthenshire and Llanishen in Cardiff.
Three flood warnings are in place for the Lower Dee Valley in Wrexham, Abergwili in Carmarthenshire and Pontargothi and Pontynyswen in Carmarthenshire.
Several flood alerts have been issued across Wales.
The storm also brought winds of up to 75mph, leading to more than 1,400 properties losing power in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea and Newport on Wednesday morning but most have since been reconnected.
The M48 Severn Bridge in Monmouthshire was closed to high-sided vehicles, as was the Britannia Bridge at Anglesey.
On Anglesey, ferry services between Holyhead and Dublin have been cancelled while phone lines were brought down in Llansadwrn and Penmynydd.
1015mm
fell in Capel Curig
The previous record was 613mm
The average rainfall in December is 309mm
And in Powys, a fallen tree blocked the A40 at Trecastle before being cleared.
Northern Ireland and Scotland has had to bear the brunt of the storm.
North Wales has suffered in recent days from previous bouts of rain with homes being evacuated and chaos on the roads.
Over the weekend the A55 dual carriageway in north Wales was shut for hours due to flooding.
Drivers were forced to abandon cars while homes at Anglesey and Gwynedd were evacuated.
Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant said Â£1m would be made available for local authorities to carry out immediate repairs and maintenance to river and drainage systems.
Live flood warnings from Natural Resources Wales, the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency
View the flood map by tapping on the image below
Tap here for up-to-date flood information.
Check if this is affecting your journey


The Northern Ireland Executive has bought five office buildings in Belfast as a way of reducing the money it spends on rent.

Among the buildings are Laganside House, which is the headquarters of the Courts Service and Clare House which is the Department of Finance headquarters.
It has also bought Seatem House on Alfred Street and 2 - 4 Bruce Street.
The purchase of Causeway Exchange on Bedford Street had already been reported.
Finance Minister Arlene Foster said her department has been carrying out an asset management project.
The objective of the project is to "achieve on-going reductions in operating costs such as rental charges within government's leased office accommodation portfolio".
She added that owning the offices rather than leasing them would "deliver £2.3m of annual rental savings from 1 April 2015".
She said this figure would increase to £3.5m per a year when the vacant space purchased becomes fully utilised over the next three years.
Causeway Exchange, Laganside House and 2 - 4 Bruce Street were all owned by Portadown-based developers Prentice Estates.
In 2014, Prentice's bank loans were sold to the US investment fund Lone Star.
Clare House was owned by Turkington Holdings which has sold off most of its investment properties over the last two years.
Seatem House was sold out of receivership.


The huge success of artists like One Direction and Adele means that British artists accounted for one in every six albums sold worldwide last year.

The UK music industry accounted for 17.1% of the global music market - its highest ever share.
Adele was the driving force, selling 17.4 million copies of her third album, 25, in just six weeks.
But despite the industry's impressive market share, total revenues fell by 1% to £688m.
Uneasy marriage of music and YouTube by BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones
The BPI, which represents the British music industry, laid the blame with advertising-funded sites like YouTube and Daily Motion, saying the industry made more money from vinyl sales last year than it did from music video streaming.
In its annual yearbook, a guide to the UK recorded music industry, the BPI said YouTube and other ad-funded websites paid out a "meagre" £24.4m in 2015. This was despite fans streaming almost 27 billion music videos - an 88% increase from 2014.
That was narrowly eclipsed by the £25.1m earned from the sale of 2.1 million vinyl LPs in 2015 (a figure that suggests the industry makes almost £12 from every vinyl album sold).
Audio streams on subscription services like Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer surpassed both. The BPI says it saw an 82% increase in streams, to 27bn, accounting for a 69% rise in income to £146.1m.
Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI and the Brit Awards, said: "It is hugely encouraging that demand for British music is so strong [but] the fact that sales revenues dipped... shows clearly that something is fundamentally broken in the music market.
"In 2015, UK fans streamed almost twice as many music videos as the year before; tens of billions more views. Yet artists and labels did not benefit from the increased demand for what they created. This is wrong. Music is precious - it's not a commodity to be strip-mined for big data.
"The long-term consequences of this will be serious, reducing investment in new music, making it difficult for most artists to earn a living, and undermining the growth of more innovative services like Spotify and Apple Music that pay more fairly for the music they use."
The music industry rhetoric around YouTube has been intensifying as the site's licensing agreements with the three major record labels - Sony, Warner and Universal - come up for renegotiation.
The industry is also pushing for reform to the "safe harbour" laws which allow YouTube and similar sites to claim some exemption from licensing laws when users upload videos featuring copyrighted content.
Artists including Debbie Harry, Katy Perry, Billy Joel and Radiohead have campaigned for the reforms, saying musicians ought to be paid fairly. In a blog for the Guardian, Harry wrote: "YouTube and Google are profiting from the law; the people who make the music are not."
A spokesperson for YouTube said: "For years, the music industry lost millions of dollars as piracy rates soared. Thanks to our rights management system, Content ID, rights holders have complete control of their music on YouTube and can easily decide whether to have content taken down, or profit from it.
"Today, revenue from Content ID represents 50% of what we pay out annually. In fact, ad-supported music streaming enables revenue from an audience that has never before paid for music. As more advertising money comes online, this will grow to match consumption. Comparisons to other audio-only, subscription music services are apples to oranges."


A charity has described its upset after hundreds of pounds worth of goods were stolen from a food bank.

Groceries and toiletries were among the items taken from ReadiFood warehouse, run by Faith Christian Group, on Boulton Road in Reading, Berkshire.
A generator, which the charity used to power its street kitchen, was also stolen.
Thames Valley Police said it was investigating the burglary and has appealed for witnesses.
Malcolm Peirce, director of Faith Christian Group, said the charity would have to find the cash to replace the generator.
With regard to food and other items stolen, he added: "I suspect people's generosity will rise to this and we'll find ourselves overwhelmed with jars of coffee before too long and hopefully shampoo and body wash.
"It sets you back, it's upsetting."
A police spokeswoman said it is thought the burglars got into the building by forcing their way in through a window, between 20:00 BST on Sunday and 08:00 on Monday.


The German, French and Spanish leaders have arrived together in the French Alps to visit the scene where a Germanwings plane crashed on Tuesday, killing all 150 on board.

Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande and Mariano Rajoy were briefed on the rescue and thanked the workers.
One of the "black box" recorders has been recovered at the site near Digne.
The Airbus A320 - flight 4U 9525 - from Barcelona to Duesseldorf crashed after an eight-minute rapid descent.
Germanwings chief Thomas Winkelmann said 72 of the 144 passengers were German citizens. The victims included 16 pupils returning from an exchange trip. Spain's government now says 51 of the dead were Spanish.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed that three Britons were on board. Other victims were from Australia, Argentina, Iran, Venezuela, the US, the Netherlands, Colombia, Mexico, Japan, Denmark and Israel.
However, there may be some duplication because of dual citizenship.
The plane's cockpit voice recorder - recovered by a helicopter team on Tuesday - was damaged but could still provide information, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.
Investigators are still searching for the second "black box" - the flight data recorder.
Analysis by Richard Westcott, BBC Transport Correspondent
The "black box" cockpit voice recorder is pretty battered but the devices are bomb-proof, literally, so investigators should still be able to listen to what happened on board.
The large, orange cylindrical part in the middle holds the memory boards that record the pilots' voices, and that looks intact to me.
The critical question now is, were the pilots speaking during those lost eight minutes when the aircraft dropped from 38,000ft to the ground?
If they're quiet, investigators will know they were unconscious, and that suggests a major decompression took place on board. That's when a hole in the fuselage lets all the air out. It's not necessarily fatal, if the pilots can get their oxygen masks on in time, something they train for, but if they were knocked out, it would explain the lack of a mayday call or any obvious attempt to steer the stricken aircraft to the nearest runway.
A day of mourning is being held at the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium school in Haltern-am-See, north-west Germany, where the 16 German pupils were from.
Pupils at the Giola secondary school in the village of Llinars del Valles, north-east Spain, held a private 15-minute ceremony of remembrance for their foreign exchange student friends.
After arriving near the crash site, French President Hollande, German Chancellor Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy thanked the rescue workers for their efforts in difficult circumstances.
At the scene: James Reynolds, BBC News, Seyne les Alpes
French gendarmes here have taken over a large part of this valley on the outskirts of town. One van with sirens escorted in a white trailer bearing the words "Mobile Criminal Investigation Laboratory".
Emergency workers in fluorescent jackets say that they want to work as quickly as they can.
"We cannot leave the victims a week in the mountains," said Roy Xavier from Civil Security.
But victims' families will have a long wait for the bodies to be returned to them. The Prosecutor of Marseille told reporters that it may be several weeks before all the victims are identified.
Mr Rajoy has declared three days of national mourning in Spain.
Bereaved relatives have also begun to arrive at the scene of the crash. The mayor of Seyne-les-Alpes, the town nearest the site, said local families were offering to host them.
Footage shot from a helicopter on Tuesday showed plane parts scattered on the rocky mountainside.
"The site is a picture of horror," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after being flown over the ravine.
Germanwings, a low-cost airline owned by Germany's main carrier Lufthansa, said some crew members were unfit for service on Wednesday "due to emotional distress".
It said one flight was being cancelled but remaining flights would be according to schedule.
Lufthansa and Germanwings staff held a minute's silence on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, the first Germanwings flight on the same route as the crashed plane took off from Barcelona on Wednesday morning but the flight number had been changed to 4U 9441.
Flight 4U 9525 began descending one minute after it reached its cruising height and continued to lose altitude for eight minutes, Germanwings managing director Thomas Winkelmann told reporters.
He said the aircraft lost contact with French air traffic controllers at 10:53 (09:53 GMT) at an altitude of about 6,000ft.
The plane, a single-aisle passenger jet popular for short- and medium-haul flights, did not send out a distress signal, officials said.
The White House has said there is no evidence so far of a terror attack. A Lufthansa official said they were assuming for the time being that the crash had been caused by an accident.
Are you affected by this story? You can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are available to speak to a BBC journalist, please include a telephone number.


More than 4,000 people have responded to proposals unveiled in Telford and Wrekin Council's "most difficult budget ever", the authority said.

The Labour-run council may stop running community centres and some children's centres and libraries to save £30m.
The 4,013 responses will help it decide whether it increases council tax "above the government-assumed 2% increase" for adult social care services.
The feedback will also influence whether it changes any planned cuts.
The council said its government grant would be cut next year by another 20%, but the opposition Conservative group said there was £12m that could be used to protect front-line services.
The authority, which has also proposed spending less money on winter gritting and flower displays, said it had already made £80m of cuts since 2010.
Lee Carter, cabinet member for finance, said the high level of response was "no surprise" considering the valued services which were threatened.
"We're looking at people's views in more depth and the public's views will help us with decisions around the council's budget and council tax," he said.
The authority added discussions with partners or community groups about how they could run some services was "progressing well".
Great Dawley Town Council and Hadley and Leegomery Parish Council are expected to take on some services.


MBi Llandudno exited the Europa League in the first qualifying round after a 7-1 aggregate defeat by IFK Goteborg.

The Seasiders lost 5-0 on their European debut in the first leg in Sweden, before succumbing 2-1 in Thursday's home leg.
Martin Smedberg-Dalence and Victor Sköld scored either side of half-time for IFK before Danny Hughes' goal.
Llandudno begin their 2016-17 Welsh Premier League season at Rhyl on 14 August.


Bomb disposal experts have carried out a controlled explosion at a government building in Newport after a suspicious package was found.

Specialist police and army teams were called to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) - formerly the Patent Office - on Cardiff Road at about 08:15 BST on Friday.
By 13:00, police said the incident was resolved, with staff allowed to return to the evacuated building.
An investigation has now been launched.
Part of the UK government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the IPO has had its headquarters in Newport since 1991.


After the 2011 London riots, photographer Julian Mahrlein set out on a project to capture the faces of inner-city teenagers.

He began wandering across the city, approaching young people who caught his eye, wanting to photograph them in an uncontrived, natural, positive way.
"The portraits, shot on the streets with natural light, reveal a tender side to a generation so often misrepresented and who face a world in profound flux," says Mahrlein, whose work has just been published.
Julian Mahrlein grew up in Germany but completed his studies in London, receiving his BA in photography from London College of Communication and his MA in art & politics from Goldsmiths.
London Youth by Julian Mahrlein is published by Hoxton Mini Press.


A security agent working for the Italian embassy in Yemen's capital Sanaa has been kidnapped by gunmen, officials said.

The Italian man was taken to an unknown destination from a street near Italy's embassy in south-west Sanaa, security and diplomatic sources have said.
Police have said they are trying to track down and identify the gunmen.
The Italian Foreign Ministry in Rome confirmed the kidnapping to the AP news agency.
Kidnappings of foreigners are common in Yemen and are usually resolved peacefully.
The majority of kidnappings are carried out by gunmen who use captives to make bargains with the Yemeni government.
Officials tend to blame tribesmen or gunmen linked to al-Qaeda for taking foreigners.
A French official working for the Red Cross was released earlier this month after being kidnapped in April.
A Swiss woman who was working as a teacher and seized by al-Qaeda militants in March remains a hostage.


Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen put the first miles on their new 2017 Formula 1 car after a low-key launch on Friday.

Vettel and Raikkonen shared driving to cover the maximum permitted 100km (62 miles) at Ferrari's Fiorano test track.
The 'shake-down' test, which was said to be trouble-free, followed a brief online unveiling of the car.
Perhaps mindful of last year's ill-founded claim they could fight for the title, no team reaction was offered.
This content will not work on your device, please check Javascript and cookies are enabled or update your browser
In 2016, president Sergio Marchionne predicted a season fighting Mercedes for supremacy, only for Ferrari to have their second winless campaign in three years.
It led to the latest in a series of management reshuffles at the Italian team as they split with technical director James Allison in July.
New chief technical officer Mattia Binotto, an engine specialist by training unlike Allison's background in aerodynamics, posed with the car during the online launch along with team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, Vettel, Raikkonen and third driver Antonio Giovinazzi.
Allison, one of the most highly regarded design engineers in F1, starts work as Mercedes' new technical director on 1 March.
The new Ferrari, which was seen for only a couple of minutes before the broadcast ended, has been named the SF70-H, a reference to this year's being the 70th anniversary of the sportscar company.
The car, designed to new rules this year aimed at making the cars faster and more demanding of drivers, features a number of unique design tweaks, especially in the region of the driver's cockpit.
There are unusually high and square air intakes into the sidepods, which are integrated with airflow conditioners in a region of the car in which many teams have exhibited intricate and complex bodywork parts aimed at maximising airflow and aerodynamic downforce.
The car features a 'shark-fin' engine cover, at the rear end of which is a high-mounted narrow wing that is expected to feature on most of the cars. Already labelled a T-wing, it exploits a loophole in the bodywork regulations and cleans up the airflow in the region of the rear wing.
McLaren also launched their new car on Friday, leaving only Toro Rosso, Haas, Williams and Red Bull to unveil 2017 machinery before the start of testing on Monday.
Much is at stake this season for a new technical organisation Ferrari have talked up despite what many considered an ill-advised decision to split with former technical director James Allison, who is now at Mercedes.
The same can be said for Sebastian Vettel, who is entering the final year of his contract after a season in which tensions between him and the team were very obvious.
If they are not regular winners, the fall-out could be intense. For Ferrari, only winning will ever do. But the pressure has been mounting in recent years because they haven't been doing it anywhere near enough - and not at all in 2016, for the second time in three years.