Get your popcorn, take your seats and settle in for a piece of business theatre with elements of near-farce and tragedy.

In all, 11,000 livelihoods and 20,000 pensions were affected when BHS collapsed with crippling debts. The mudslinging between a colourful cast of characters has only just started.
The opening exchanges between MPs and the pension regulator now give way to the principal cast in the ill-starred sale of BHS for Â£1 to a relative unknown with a chequered history.
The next few weeks of joint select committee investigations may at times seem like a game of Cluedo.
Was it the former racing driver, twice-bankrupt yacht enthusiast with no retail experience? Was it the straight-talking flamboyant billionaire retail tycoon and his glamorous Monaco-based wife?
Even the bit-players are important - the advisers from a variety of blue-chip firms who managed to combine in a way that effectively vouched for a buyer who many think shouldn't have passed the smell test.
For Sir Philip Green, the central question is this. Did he knowingly sell a struggling business to a retail novice in the knowledge that the company, its employees and its pensioners were doomed? Or did he receive enough reassurance from others and leave enough of a cash dowry to give BHS a fighting chance?
For Dominic Chappell, the inquiry should focus on whether he had any prospect or intention of turning BHS around - or whether he set about extracting as much cash in fees and management charges as he could from the business before the adminstrators stepped in to freeze the accounts.
For the various advisers (Grant Thornton, Olswang, Antony Gutman from Goldman Sachs, PWC, Linklaters etc), the question is whether this transaction satisfied the due diligence standards that blue-chip firms are expected and required to uphold.
Linklaters, who advised Sir Philip Green, and Olswang, who advised Chappell, are already in dispute over who did which background checks.
The most uncomfortable seat in the House of Commons today may be reserved for Anthony Gutman, Goldman Sachs banker and informal adviser to Sir Philip Green.
Though his firm was not engaged or paid by Sir Philip, he is thought to have vetted potential buyers for BHS - a process that seems to have badly wrong. Just how thorough was he at this early stage?
The box office attractions, however, will be the appearances of Dominic Chappell on 8 June and Sir Philip Green on 15 June.
It's a rich cast and a fascinating tale that promises to shine a light on the workings of corporate Britain.
Meanwhile, BHS continues to trade as the administrators evaluate proposals to find a new buyer offering a more sustainable future for the 90-year-old business. That process should conclude this week. Don't forget the popcorn.


The number of emergency meals handed out by a city food bank has risen by 20% in one year, its figures have shown

Cardiff Foodbank gave 14,568 three-day food supplies in 2016-17, with more than a third going to children.
Across Wales, the figure rose by 11%, with 43% of recipients citing problems with benefits as the main cause.
The Department for Work and Pensions said the reasons for food bank use were "complex" and it was misleading to link them to any one issue.
Statistics from the Trussell Trust food bank network, which Cardiff is part of, showed the numbers of emergency food parcels handed out was rising across the UK.
In Wales, the figure rose from 85,656 in 2015-16 to 95,190 in 2016-17.
The top three reasons given for food bank referral were benefit delays, low income, and benefit changes.
Cardiff Foodbank said it shared the concerns of other Trussell Trust food banks in Universal Credit rollout areas, saying the six week or longer wait for a first payment could contribute to debt, mental health issues and rent arrears.
The trust has welcomed what it called a "co-ordinated approach" to Universal Credit rollout in some council areas such as Torfaen where the local authority invited food banks and other charities to form working groups ahead of the new benefit's implementation.
Wales was the first nation to complete Universal Credit rollout to single jobseekers and is now beginning with couples and families.
Tony Graham, director of devolved nations at the Trussell Trust, said: "We are watching with interest the development of Scottish Government plans to ease the effects of Universal Credit by giving fortnightly payments and making housing payments directly to landlords, and we would welcome a conversation with Welsh Government about how we in Wales can best support people who face challenges with further Universal Credit rollout in the coming months."
Cardiff Foodbank's partnership and fundraising manager, Helen Bull, said: "It is deeply concerning that we are still seeing an increase in the number of three day emergency food supplies provided to local people in crisis in Cardiff over the last year.,
"Anybody could find themselves in need of the food bank. Every week people are referred to us after being hit by something unavoidable - such as illness, a delay in a benefit payment or an unexpected bill - it means food is simply unaffordable."
A spokesman for the DWP said: "The reasons for food bank use are complex, so it's misleading to link them to any one issue."
He added: "We work closely with local authorities to support those who need extra help. Budgeting support, benefit advances, and direct rent payments to landlords are available to those who need them."


Pakistan is bracing itself for a landmark court verdict that could see Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif forced to resign over corruption allegations.

It follows an investigation into his family's wealth after the 2015 Panama Papers dump linked Mr Sharif's children to offshore companies.
Mr Sharif denies any wrongdoing, but the case has exposed a divided nation.
The Supreme Court will decide if the case is to be dismissed, sent to trial or if he should simply be disqualified.
No civilian prime minister of Pakistan has ever completed a five-year term.
Mr Sharif, who is currently serving as prime minister for a record third time, is less than a year away from becoming the first to complete a full term in office.
This ruling represents the peak of a drama that has fuelled frenzied news coverage and heated social media debates for months, attracting both scorn and ridicule as well as trenchant support for the prime minister.
The divisions fall largely along party lines but amid the febrile accusations, many have also expressed concerns over Pakistan's political culture.
The Wikipedia profile of the prime minister has been rewritten, dated late Thursday evening and littered with obscenities and accusations.
A probe into Mr Sharif and his family began when leaked papers from a Panama-based law firm linked Mr Sharif's children to offshore companies used to buy several luxury central London flats.
The opposition was quick to accuse the prime minister of corruption and a subsequent special inquiry said his family had failed to account for the source of its financial assets.
The report caused an uproar in the country and opposition groups say his family is using its political influence to build up personal wealth. They have called on him to resign.
The prime minister - who himself is not named in the Panama Papers - denies all allegations and insists they are politically motivated. There were also questions over the make-up of the investigation team.
Having considered the findings of the controversial investigation into the matter the court now has three options:
Analysts suggests that if the prime minister is found guilty he could nominate a close political ally - possibly his brother Shahbaz, who is chief minister of Punjab province - to his post so his government could see out its turn.
Should Mr Sharif be cleared though and stay in office, his acquittal would likely trigger widespread protests by his opponents.
The case also threatens the political future of the prime minister's daughter, Maryam Sharif, who has long been tipped as her father's successor in waiting, but who has been embroiled in the scandal.
A recent document supposed to absolve her of some of the allegations was allegedly dated from 2006 - yet then found to be written in computer font only commercially available the following year. Widespread ridicule of her case on social media was quick to follow.


Leicester City are set for a potential £150m boost for winning the Premier League title, analysts at sports data and marketing firm Repucom have said.

The sum comprises Premier League prize money, Champions League participation cash, and increased match day revenues from ticket and hospitality sales.
The Foxes will also enjoy a higher valuation of sponsorship assets, and a growth in fan bases globally, it said.
Leicester clinched a fairytale first championship on Monday evening.
Chelsea's 2-2 draw with second-placed Tottenham Hotspur meant the north London club could not catch Leicester.
The East Midlands club will now feature in the Uefa Champions League next season, taking them to an even larger European and world TV audience.
Spencer Nolan, head of consulting at Repucom UK and Ireland, said adding fans worldwide remained "central to realising the club's full potential as a commercial entity".
"While it is too early to really evaluate the rapidly growing fan bases we are starting to see across Asia for example, social media provides us an opportunity to start to quantify this surge."
This season, the club's Facebook page following has grown by a huge 540%, making it one of the fastest growing accounts of any sports team globally.
Algeria's 500,000 followers represent Leicester City's largest fan base on the social network (16.7%), thanks to the performances of PFA Player of the Season, team winger Riyad Mahrez.
There have also been large increases in Thailand and Italy, the homelands of the club's owners and manager respectively.
Mr Nolan said the summer would be an important time for the East Midlands club to build its commercial presence.
"Leicester City FC's real commercial potential will become clearer in the season break as brands vie to associate themselves to the club and, in turn, the league winners aim to maximise the returns their status could command," he said.
He also said that in the 2015-16 season, Leicester's TV audiences had soared by more than 23% globally - "which will help... to increase the value of their sponsorship properties next term".
"The task now is to optimise the value of those assets and ensure they attract the incomes Leicester City could now generate."


Former England bowler Steve Harmison has tipped Hampshire leg-spinner Mason Crane to be picked for England's series away to Pakistan this winter.

The 18-year-old, already capped by England U19s, has taken 10 wickets in two first-class matches this summer.
"I think England have got to give serious consideration to taking Mason Crane to the UAE (United Arab Emirates) as third spinner," said Harmison.
"I've seen a lot of him in Twenty20 cricket and he's a really good player."
Crane, in his debut season for Hampshire, took 5-35 against Warwickshire in the County Championship last week. He has taken 10 wickets in six One-Day Cup matches and returned figures of 3-97 across his three T20 appearances.
Former England spinner Phil Tufnell also believes there could be several new faces on the United Arab Emirates tour.
"They are completely different conditions in the UAE and they will have to adapt," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
"You feel that the top order is slightly fragile and they'll be looking for one or two players to come in, or at least knock on the door.
"I'm looking forward to seeing (England one-day spinner) Adil Rashid get a Test match in the UAE. I don't think Moeen (Ali) bowled very well this summer and it's going to be interesting to see if he's up to the task."


A man who advertised a car on Gumtree was assaulted by the prospective buyer, who then drove off in the vehicle.

The victim, 55, had taken a man, who introduced himself as Lewi, for a test drive after posting an advert for his Audi RS4 on the online forum.
The pair met on Mallow Road in Hedge End at around 18:.30 GMT on Sunday 11 January.
When they got out of the car, the suspect pushed the victim to the ground, took the keys and drove off.
The suspect is described as aged between 28 and 30-years-old.
He was Asian in appearance, 5ft 7ins tall, with short black hair. He had pock marks on the left-hand side of his face and was wearing blue jeans and a dark, lightweight, waterproof jacket.
The victim suffered minor injuries.
Det Con Maryann Attard-Charrett said the car registration number was YK51 BBF.
"Have you spotted it or been offered it for sale, possibly at below its market value price?" she said.


Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki will try to win her first title of 2017 after reaching her sixth final with victory over Sloane Stephens at the Rogers Cup.

Sixth seed Wozniacki, the champion in 2010, saw off unseeded American Stephens 6-2 6-3 in the first semi-final in Toronto.
Defending champion Simona Halep was thrashed 6-1 6-1 by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the second semi-final.
The pair played twice in the day after rain disrupted the schedule.
Svitolina lost the first set against Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza before the rain arrived on Friday night, and the fifth seed fought back on Saturday to win 4-6 6-4 6-3.
Romanian second seed Halep swept past France's Caroline Garcia 6-4 6-2 in the last of the quarter-finals.
None of Wozniacki's 25 career titles have been won this year - losing all five finals she has played in 2017.
"I had one year where I went to six finals and I won all of them," she said. "I guess it's a give and take sometimes and just that I keep myself in these situations is awesome."
Svitolina said she was "a little bit tired" after the rain affected her schedule, but is ready for the final.
"I didn't expect this type of day but I'm very happy that I could stay very focused," she said. "Yeah, I'm very happy."


A robber made off with a four-figure sum of money after threatening staff at a Royal Bank of Scotland in Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire.

The man entered the bank in Stonelaw Road, Burnside, at about 15:40.
He was wearing a scarf over his face, a bright orange jacket with a logo on the sleeve, a dark hooded top and blue jeans.
No-one was were injured but police said the incident was a "very frightening experience" for those involved.
They have appealed for information.
The suspect made off towards the nearby Tesco store.
Det Sgt Martin McKendrick said: "We are checking CCTV at the moment to see whether he had been in the vicinity of the bank prior to the robbery but in meantime would ask anyone who was in the area at the time of the robbery - who may have seen him loitering or acting suspiciously, to contact police.
"Thankfully, no one was injured but it was a very frightening experience for the staff involved who are both women, aged 30 and 57 years, and it is imperative that we catch him."


The government has formally launched a £400m fund to boost investment in "full-fibre" broadband.

The aim is to offer speeds of up to 1Gbps to households and businesses.
Rather than relying on copper cables to connect them to roadside cabinets, fibre-optic cables will run directly to their properties.
The plan, announced by the chancellor in November, has been called "a drop in the ocean" compared with what will be needed to make "full fibre" the norm.
Although many households and organisations do not currently need 1Gbps speeds - consumers need only 3Mbps to watch the BBC iPlayer in high definition, for example - the idea is to provide a "future-proof" solution.
The Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund's goal is to boost the number of properties with access to "ultra-fast" fibre-to-the-property broadband over the next four years.
At present, "full fibre" is available to only about one million premises, representing about 2% penetration. That contrasts with Spain, where the figure is 80%.
The government is tapping private investors to bring the total sum to £1bn, and the money will be managed and invested by two fund managers - Amber Infrastructure, and  M&G Investments, which is part of Prudential.
"Traditionally in Britain, full fibre has been difficult to finance because the industry is relatively young and a lack of certainty around future demand makes investment hard to secure," the Treasury said in a press release.
"This has held back alternative providers from entering the market, and consumers have been left with limited choice, which, in turn, has restricted their ability to benefit from this latest technology."
A spokeswoman for the Treasury told the BBC that while no company was excluded from seeking access to the cash, the fund was designed to be attractive to small network builders, which found it harder to attract capital than BT's Openreach division or Virgin Media would.
But the Labour Party was dismissive of the news.
"This is yet another re-announcement from a Government that just isn't keeping pace with developments in the industry," commented Tom Watson MP.
"No matter how many times they announce this fund the reality remains that we are on track to have just 7% full fibre coverage by 2020. It's not good enough and it'll leave Britain in the slow lane for years to come."
One industry watcher, however, said the initiative was "important" but needed to be tempered with realism.
"Consumer broadband is cheap for us as consumers because we share it at some point in the network," said Andrew Ferguson, of the ThinkBroadband news site.
"So, while you might have a dedicated fibre for yourself through to a place that may be 10 or 20 miles away, you will still at that point be contending for access with other people.
"That may mean that at peak times, even with a theoretical 1Gbps connection, you won't be getting speeds that hit that target."
Until now, the UK government's focus has been to deliver "super-fast" broadband speeds - meaning 24Mbps or more.
It has pledged that 95% of UK properties will have this by the end of this year and 100% will have at least 10Mbps by the end of 2020.
BT's telecoms infrastructure division, Openreach, has said it believes two million premises will have access to "full fibre" by the end of 2020.
But it aims to provide speeds of up to 330Mbps to a further 10 million premises via a copper-based technology known as G.fast by the same date.
G.fast's advantage is that it is cheaper to install as it does not require roads and pavements to be dug up since it can piggyback on existing cables.
However, the service can become degraded in wet weather conditions.
In the past couple of years, the way ministers talk about broadband has undergone a radical change.
Not long ago, they used to bat away criticism about the UK relying on old copper-based networks and boast that we had the most competitive broadband market in Europe.
Now, every time they open their mouths the words "full fibre" emerge - copper is suddenly not up to the job, and a 21st-Century network means fibre connections right into every home and office.
The trouble is, £400m is just not going to pay for that. Yes, both BT Openreach and nimbler rivals are now investing more into rolling out fibre to the premises.
But with only 2% of homes having access to that kind of gold-plated connection, reaching the other 98% is going to take a lot of money and time.
What's more, it will need an army of construction workers, and the companies digging up the streets are already worrying about where they will come from post-Brexit.
That all means that there will be pressure for more taxpayer funds, with critics pointing at other infrastructure projects such as HS2 and asking why they are a higher priority.
But there is also likely to be a growing realisation that full fibre for everyone won't happen in a hurry.
That means for many the dreaded copper - albeit through G.fast - is likely to be the route to faster broadband for years to come.
But don't expect ministers to mention that.
The government has also signalled its commitment to technological matters by renaming one of its departments.
What was the Department for Culture, Media and Sport now becomes the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
However, it intends to retain the same acronym, DCMS, as before.
"Half of its policy and delivery work now covers the digital sectors - telecommunications, data protection, internet safety, cyber-skills and parts of media and the creative industries," said the minister, Karen Bradley.


Crewe Alexandra have signed former Bournemouth and Portsmouth midfielder Danny Hollands on a five-month deal running until 19 January.

The 30-year-old made 219 appearances for the Cherries in a five-year spell for the club between 2006 and 2011.
After 94 appearances for Pompey, he left in the summer, having turned down a new contract with the club.
Hollands will go into Steve Davis's squad for Saturday's League Two trip to Newport County.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


The Chinese group Nanshan has bought a 20% stake in Virgin Australia from Air New Zealand.

It is the second Chinese firm after the HNA Group to invest in the Australian carrier, which hopes to benefit from growing numbers of China tourists.
More than one million mainlanders visited Australia last year and that is forecast to grow to 1.5m by 2020.
Shares of Virgin Australia, which plans to launch direct flights to China next year, rose by 5.4% on Friday.
Shares of Air New Zealand rose by more than 3% in Wellington trading following the news.
Nanshan will pay 33 Australian cents a share for the slice of the company, valuing it at about 230m Australian dollars (Â£118m; $170m).
Aside from Nanshan and HNA, Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways are also major shareholders in Virgin Australia.
Last month, HNA bought 13% of Virgin Australia for $118m but plans to raise that stake to about 20% in the future.
"We believe Nanshan Group will be a very strong, positive and complimentary shareholder for Virgin Australia," Air New Zealand Chairman Tony Carter said in a statement.
"The sale will allow Air New Zealand to focus on its own growth opportunities, while still continuing its long-standing alliance with Virgin Australia on the trans-Tasman network".


Twitter has poached a senior Google executive as its executive chairman.

Omid Kordestani, 53, joined Google in 1999 and held various senior roles before leaving a decade later.
He returned last year as chief business officer to advise on Google's rebranding to Alphabet.
"It's rare you get to be at a company with an amazing business that's also transforming the world," he tweeted. "I've had good fortune to be at three: Netscape, @google, and now @twitter."
Jack Dorsey, Twitter chief executive, said Mr Kordestani was a "proven and experienced leader" who would coach him and other senior executives as well as help attract top talent to the company.
"A great chairperson is the first step towards continuing to make our board one of the best in the world, and purpose-built to serve Twitter," Mr Dorsey tweeted.
The company had said it would seek an external appointment as chairman in a bid to allay concerns about Mr Dorsey's dual role as Twitter boss and chief executive of Square, the mobile payments company he founded.
Mr Dorsey replaced Dick Costolo, who stepped down on 1 July after five years in the role amid pressure to increase growth.
It is his second stint as Twitter boss, having held the position between May 2007 and October 2008.
Twitter shares rose 0.7% to $29.26 following the announcement.
However, the shares are still down almost 30% from the level at which it floated in late 2013.
Tehran-born Mr Kordestani's appointment comes a day after Twitter said it was cutting 336 jobs, or about 8% of its global workforce, as part of a restructuring to cut costs.


A judge in the United States has ruled that Apple cannot be forced to give the FBI access to a locked iPhone in a case that echoes an ongoing legal battle.

The judge in Brooklyn denied a motion by the US Justice Department to get Apple to unlock a phone in a drug case.
In an unrelated case, the FBI wants Apple to unlock the iPhone of Syed Rizwan Farook, who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California in December.
But Apple has resisted, calling that demand "dangerous" and "unprecedented".
The ruling in Brooklyn on Monday centres on the same point as the San Bernardino case.
The two court cases are not linked - the magistrate in San Bernardino doesn't have to pay any attention to the ruling and remarks from the New York judge.
But Apple feels the decision in New York gives added strength to its position. A senior Apple spokesman told reporters in a conference call that he was confident the San Bernardino judge would carefully analyse the New York ruling.
Most promising for Apple is the reason for which Judge Orenstein threw out the New York case.
He said he was not at all convinced the All Writs Act, a law more than two centuries old, could be used to force Apple to comply. The same law is being used in San Bernardino.
The All Writs Act is designed to give law enforcement powers not specifically addressed in other laws - but using it requires meeting certain strict criteria, too burdensome to detail here.
No legal precedent has been set here - but as the magistrate in San Bernardino considers her ruling, momentum certainly appears to be with the computing giant.
Apple v the FBI - a plain English guide
Apple's boss hits back at FBI conduct
Bill Gates calls for terror data debate
Fourteen people were killed and 22 injured when gunman Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik opened fire in the Californian city in December.
A court order in California demanded Apple help circumvent security software on Farook's iPhone, which the FBI said contains crucial information.
Apple's CEO Tim Cook said the request was "an overreach by the US government" and risked giving authorities "the power to reach into anyone's device to capture their data". Last week, the company asked a court to overturn the ruling.
The same Act from 1789 that was used by the FBI in the San Bernardino request was applied in the Brooklyn case. But Judge James Orenstein said the Act was not applicable in this case, adding that it was not right to impose "on Apple the obligation to assist the government's investigation against its will".
The US Justice Department said it planned to appeal against the Brooklyn ruling.


The remote Indian Ocean island of Reunion lies between Madagascar and Mauritius.

As a French overseas territory, it has the same political status as other departments in mainland France.
Densely-populated and ethnically diverse, the island's capital of Saint-Denis is home to one-fifth of the population.
Reunion has traditionally prospered from the cultivation of sugar cane but tourism and financial aid from Paris help underpin the economy.
A large wealth gap had fuelled social tensions in more recent times. Unemployment is high, particularly among the young and emigration is common.
Reunion has a tropical climate and diverse landscape. It is home to one of the world's most active volcanoes, the Piton de la Fournaise, which is also a World Heritage site.
Population 865,000
Area 2,507 sq km (968 sq miles)
Major languages French (official), Creole
Major religion Christianity
Life expectancy 74 years (men), 82 years (women)
Currency euro
Head of state: French president, represented by an appointed prefect
Reunion is one of four French overseas departments. It is also one of France's 18 regions and as such shares the same status as those on mainland France.
It has two elected legislative bodies - the General Council and the Regional Council. Members are elected by universal suffrage. The territory sends seven deputies to the French National Assembly and three representatives to the Senate.
TV and radio services are provided by the French public overseas broadcaster, RFO.
The press
Television
Radio
Some key dates in the history or Reunion:
1512 - Portuguese discover the archipelago of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion - they are collectively named the Mascarenes after the explorer Pedro de Mascarenhas.
1600s - French colonialists claim the island, naming it Bourbon. At first a penal colony, slaves from East Africa are brought in to work on coffee plantations.
1794 - Island comes under the French crown and is renamed Reunion.
1810-15 - During the Napoleonic Wars, the island is lost to the British, who introduce sugarcane plantations.
1815 - Territory returns to the French under the Treaty of Paris.
1848 - With the abolition of slavery, indentured labourers are imported from Southeast Asia, India and East Africa.
1946 - Reunion changes from a colony to an overseas department of France.
1974 - The island gains the status of French region. Headquarters of the French military in the Indian Ocean are established.
1990s - Wealth inequality and high unemployment trigger demonstrations and violence as islanders seek more political autonomy and better wages and working conditions.
2000 - French government proposal to split the island into two departments is rejected by the French Senate.


Iran has lived under Western sanctions for years, but after Mr Ahmadinejad restarted the country's nuclear programme, the international community ramped up the sanctions, imposing new rounds of restrictions every year since 2006.

In July 2012, the EU banned the import, purchase and transport of Iranian crude oil, which until then accounted for about 20% of Iran's oil exports. The sanctions cut Iran's oil exports to their lowest level since 1986 - during the Iran-Iraq war - and the Iranian rial also fell to a record low against the US dollar.
In 2012, the IMF said the Iranian economy had gone into recession for the first time in two decades.
But it is not just sanctions that are hurting the Iranian people. The president's subsidy reform plan, introduced in December 2010, has also affected the economy.
The reforms were aimed at easing pressure on state finances by cutting tens of billions of dollars from government subsidies on food and fuel, while offsetting the impact on Iran's poorer citizens by giving them monthly cash payments, so they could spend more.
But the policy helped drive up food and energy prices. As a result of increased fuel costs, products became more expensive, which reduced demand, and some firms had to lay off workers and cancel production.
The price of a sangak, Iran's national bread, has risen from a UK equivalent of 6p in 2007 to 11p in 2013. An average family would consume about 42 sangaks per month - so their outlay has risen from £2.52 to £4.62. Meat, rice and milk have also soared in price.
Meanwhile, the national minimum wage has gone down in real terms. In 2010, it was over 300m rials a month, equivalent to $275 (£177.97). High levels of inflation mean the minimum wage is now 487m rials a month, but that is only worth $134 (£87.40).
Car ownership is increasing as more middle-class Iranians buy them as investments, since cash savings have been losing value because of inflation and the currency collapse. However, they are becoming more expensive because they are made with foreign parts which keep on rising in price.
Unemployment has remained above 10% since 1997, but unofficially the rate is thought to be much higher, and the unemployment rate for women is almost double that of the men. Iran has a young population -  the mean age of the population was 30 in 2011 - and youth unemployment among those aged 15-29 has remained stubbornly high at above 20% since 2006.
Critics of Mr Ahmadinejad say his populist policies have won him support among the poorer classes, but he has failed to invest in industry. During his time in power, an average of just 14,200 jobs a year have been created, whereas during his predecessor's tenure around 695,400 jobs were being created every year.
An IMF report in 2006 found Iran had the highest rate of brain drain out of 90 countries studied. According to the IMF 150,000 of the best minds were leaving the country every year - and, in 2011, official Iranian statistics said almost 4,300 students were studying abroad.
Iran was one of the first countries in the Middle East to allow women to study at university and since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, it has made big efforts to encourage more girls to enrol in higher education.
Today, enrolment levels for men and women at primary, secondary and tertiary levels are about the same. In fact university applications in 2011 were slightly higher for women than men.
But in September 2012 a number of colleges and universities announced they were closing courses to women. No official reason was given for the decision but critics believe it was an attempt to restrict women's access to education and return them to the home.
It is too soon to know whether these changes have had an impact on the numbers applying.


Chainsaws worth almost £20,000 have been stolen from a rural skills college in Dumfries.

A total of 31 tools were taken from the SRUC Barony campus at Parkgate at the weekend.
Police Scotland said the equipment was taken between 16:30 on Friday and 09:00 on Saturday.
They said the chainsaws were all Husqvarna and Stihl brands and a dark green trailer was also taken.


The epic solo flight made by aviator Amy Johnson from the UK to Australia is being retraced.

Bi-plane pilot Tracey Curtis-Taylor is following a similar route to the aviator who became the first woman to make the journey in 1930.
Ms Curtis-Taylor, 55, described the 13,000-mile flight as a "destiny which was always meant to be".
She took off from Farnborough, Hampshire, in The Spirit of Artemis, shortly before 13:00 BST.
The journey will see her fly across 23 countries, making 50 refuelling stops in the 73-year-old open cockpit bi-plane.
Unlike Amy Johnson, her flight path which sees her fly below 1,000ft (304m) is affected by the conflict in the Middle East.
"Amy just drew a straight line to Australia - she flew right through Syria and Iraq but I can't go that route for obvious reasons," Ms Curtis-Taylor said.
The flight is expected to take 12 -14 weeks with her arrival in Sydney planned for early 2016.
Amy Johnson's solo flight to Darwin took 19.5 days.
In 2013, Ms Curtis-Taylor flew 8,000-miles solo from Cape Town to Goodwood, West Sussex, to recreate the 1928 flight of Lady Mary Heath.


Four people are due to appear in court following an investigation into alleged historical child abuse in Carmarthenshire.

The abuse is alleged to have taken place at Rhydygors School between 1976-1986, and Cartref-Y-Gelli children's home between 1986 and 1990.
Two men and two women will appear at Llanelli Magistrates' Court.
It comes after Dyfed Powys Police's investigation into the allegations, Operation Almond, concluded.
A 61-year-old man, from Carmarthenshire, has been charged with nine offences of indecent assault and three offences of attempted indecent assault in Carmarthen and Hereford and will appear before the court on 15 June.
A man, 71, from Carmarthenshire, has been summonsed to appear before the court on 20 July for an offence of rape in the north Wales area.
A 68-year-old woman, from Carmarthenshire, has been served with a summons to appear before the court for two offences of indecent assault in Carmarthen.
And a woman, 54, from Essex, has been summonsed to appear on 31 August for an offence of indecent assault.


England were knocked out of the Women's World Cup in heartbreaking fashion as Laura Bassett's injury-time own goal sent holders Japan into Sunday's final.

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The Lionesses were attempting to reach their first World Cup final and only England's second after the men's team's victory in 1966.
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They looked on course to take the Olympic silver medallists to extra time after Fara Williams's penalty cancelled out Aya Miyama's spot-kick.
But as the game entered a second minute of stoppage time, Bassett diverted a rare Japanese cross over goalkeeper Karen Bardsley's head, the ball hitting the crossbar and agonisingly bouncing over the line.
There was barely time for England to respond and Notts County defender Bassett burst into tears at the final whistle as her team-mates sank to the turf.
After making history by reaching the semi-finals for the first time, the manner of the defeat was cruel on Mark Sampson's side, who missed three good chances around the hour mark.
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Kelly Simmons - the Football Association's director of women's football - said before the game that the tournament had led England to "fall in love with the Lionesses".
But that will be of little consolation as Japan prepare to face United States in a repeat of the 2011 final, which the Japanese won on penalties.
England, meanwhile, will face Germany in Saturday's third-place play-off.
Spurred on by a telephone call from the Duke of Cambridge prior to the match, England started confidently and Jodie Taylor almost scored in the first minute.
There were early chances too for Toni Duggan, who replaced Karen Carney in the starting line-up.
Japan, who have been likened to Barcelona for their passing style, took time to find their rhythm, but after 20 minutes the pattern of the game was set with the Nadeshiko dominating possession and England looking to break on the counter attack.
As the world champions grew in confidence, they drew England out of their comfort zone and opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark.
Left-back Claire Rafferty was caught out of position and pushed Saori Ariyoshi as she bore down on goal, though the initial contact appeared to be outside the box.
Captain Miyama put the penalty confidently to Bardsley's right.
England, who came from behind to beat Norway at the last-16 stage, did not trail for long, and again the goal came from the spot.
Former Chelsea striker Yuki Ogimi clipped Steph Houghton's left heel, although the contact seemed slight, and Williams scored her second penalty of the tournament.
Sampson's side looked buoyed by that response and enjoyed a period of supremacy after the break.
Duggan struck the bar from the edge of the box before substitute Ellen White drew a fine save from Ayumi Kaihori. Scott then headed wide following the resulting corner.
England's ascendancy was thrown off course by an injury to Lucy Bronze, who had to be substituted just after the introduction of the lively Mana Iwabuchi.
But they finished the stronger side and looked good to make an impact in extra time before Bassett's terrible misfortune.


The Jersey Branchage international film festival is being put on hold for 12 months to allow for a bigger event in 2013.

Creative Director Xanthe Hamilton said they would stage a smaller gala screening in November when plans for the fifth Branchage would be unveiled.
Miss Hamiliton said they plan to make next year's festival bigger and better.
She said there would be more community involvement and other arts events including comedy, theatre and poetry.
Branchage is a mixed media festival with screenings and performances at venues across the island from castles and barns to theatres and cinemas.
Miss Hamilton said: "Whilst I understand that many local filmmakers and film enthusiasts may be disappointed that Branchage won't be taking place in all its glory this year, I'm confident that the 'interim' events we have planned for November are going to be really special and unmissable for Jersey's film fans.
"When people see what we have planned for 2013, they'll hopefully agree with us that it'll be worth the wait."


Danny Cipriani's career has never been short on incident.

While a heady mix of match-winning brilliance and costly errors have filled the sports pages, the Sale fly-half's celebrity hook-ups, dressing room bust-ups and ill-advised nights out have been celebrity magazine fodder.
What the story has lacked is international caps.
He has appeared just seven times for England since his debut as a precocious 20-year-old in 2008.
Injury, indiscipline and indifferent form, combined with a move abroad, have left his potential largely unfulfilled.
But after an impressive and controversy-free season, steering Sale to a sixth-place finish in the Premiership, Cipriani has been called into an England training squad ahead of the summer tour of New Zealand.
Questions remain however.
Cipriani is by no means assured of a place on the plane for the three-Test series against the 2011 World Cup winners, never mind a chance to pull on the number 10 jersey.
Saracens's Owen Farrell and Bath's George Ford are both ahead of him in coach Stuart Lancaster's fly-half plans.
* as sub
But since Toby Flood announced that he would move to Toulouse from Leicester at the end of the season, taking himself out of international consideration, there is at least one vacancy to be filled.
Lancaster may opt to take four fly-halves on tour, particularly given that the first meeting with the All Blacks comes hard on the heels of a demanding domestic season that is still not over for either Farrell or Ford.
Cipriani's club team-mate Mark Cueto has no doubt that he should be given a chance ahead of rivals Stephen Myler and Freddie Burns, of Northampton and Gloucester respectively.
"I think he has got to be picked," the former England winger told BBC Sport.
"Naturally Owen Farrell and and George Ford are number one and two without a doubt.
"But I think behind that, when you look at Cips, Stephen Myler, and Freddie Burns, I think Cips is 100% at the top of those three. For me has to go as the third 10."
Cipriani ended last season in Accident and Emergency at Leeds General infirmary rather in international consideration.
A night out to mark the close of an underwhelming campaign, during which Sale flirted with relegation and Cipriani struggled to keep his place ahead of Nick Macleod, ended with him drunkenly running in front of a bus.
Long before he was discharged, then-team-mate Andy Powell had taken to Twitter to hail it as Cipriani's "best tackle of the season yet."
Brian Kennedy might well have agreed. The Sale owner had launched a stinging attack on his big-money signing back in December 2012 after a defensively suspect performance in the 62-0 defeat by Toulon.
"Danny didn't want to tackle," Kennedy said, accusing him of not being "prepared to put your body on the line for this club, who pay your wages and give you the chance to play at the highest level each week".
It isn't the first time that the accusation has surfaced in Cipriani's career with Josh Lewsey reportedly so irritated by his team-mates' flimsy defence and prickly attitude while at Wasps that he ended up punching him out cold.
Statistics courtesy of Opta
Sale coach Steve Diamond has had no complaints on that front this time around though with only Ford, the son of former England defence coach Mike, making more tackles than Cipriani at fly-half in the Premiership this season according to Opta.
"He needs to go out to New Zealand, play to the best of his ability and show the critics that are still around that he is a changed man mentality-wise," he told BBC Sport.
"His defence is right, his tactical kicking is right. If he goes on tour, he needs to get his percentages as high as possible, whether that is his kicking goals, or making line breaks, or hitting people."
Jonny Wilkinson came on as a replacement for the last 27 minutes of England's Six Nations win over Ireland in 2008, but before the World Cup winner could take up position as an experimental centre, he was given a barrage of instructions by Cipriani.
It seemed a watershed moment, the point where Cipriani took his place as England's creative fulcrum for years to come. Instead it was the peak of his short international career.
Brian Ashton was replaced by Martin Johnson the following month and, while Cipriani started in Johnson's first game in charge, his form was erratic after a rapid recovery from a horrific ankle dislocation.
Cipriani's charged-down kicks cost his side tries against the Pacific Islanders and South Africa and by the end of the autumn series he had been dropped to the bench.
Cipriani claimed he would have "probably done the same thing" had he been coach. If so, it was one of the few times he and Johnson were in agreement.
The personality clash between the taciturn coach and upstart fly-half was so stark that by the time the 2010 Six Nations came round, Cipriani reportedly cheered on Wales and mocked Johnson in front of the second-string Saxons.
With his hopes of an international recall shot, Cipriani upped sticks from his native west London to sign a contract with Super 15 franchise Melbourne Rebels in Australia.
It gave him the chance to play alongside similarly-minded Australian mavericks Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor, but there were more off-field scrapes.
In February 2011 he was fined by his club for taking a bottle of vodka from behind the bar without paying and three months later was banned by his team for one match after breaking a team curfew.
His return to England with Sale has brought more stable influences back into his life.
His long-standing partnership with sprint coach Margo Wells has been revived, and Steve Black, Jonny Wilkinson's mentor at Newcastle and beyond, has helped sharpen his mental focus.
"It's good to be back in the country and to have those bonds. I think that's important for any player," Cipriani told BBC Sport.
"Everyone, as you grow older, does that sort of soul-searching and that level of maturing.
"But in the last 12 months I've had a lot of people around who have helped me do that,
"I feel very happy with who I am and where I am going now."
Cueto, who has played alongside Wilkinson, believes Cipriani's realisation that this chance may be his last at international level has been as important as any motivational words from his inner circle.
"He is probably the most talented fly-half I have played with," he said.
"He knows if he doesn't get it right now, he is not going to get many more opportunities.
"He is 26 now and before you know it he will be 30 and past it so it is his last chance, particularly with this World Cup coming up."
Cipriani reacted to his call-up to England's training squad last week by tweeting that "the hard work starts now".
Playing a fresh and rested All Blacks side in New Zealand, with a set of players aching for a break, will be just that.
"Given the opportunity with a full-strength side, I think Danny could drive that car very quickly," said Steve Diamond, referring to Cipriani's ability to dictate play for England.
If he can jump-start his stalled international career on this tour, against the best in the world, it will be difficult to deny him a chance when England return to the northern hemisphere for their final season before the World Cup.


More than £1bn of government funding for Edinburgh, south-east Scotland and the Highlands is expected to be confirmed later in the Budget.

Six local authorities, including Edinburgh and Scottish Borders, have sought £1bn.
Highland Council has applied for up to £300m to support projects in Inverness and the wider Highlands.
Known as City Region Deals, the money would be provided by the UK and Scottish governments.
Similar deals have previously been secured by Glasgow and jointly by Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire councils.
The idea behind the initiatives, which involve direct funding and greater borrowing powers, is to support economic growth.
The Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal bid aims to secure major funding to help better protect historic attractions in Scotland's capital, and also boost the wider area's overseas trade and opportunities for new businesses.
Those involved have calculated that an additional £3.2bn worth of private sector investment could be leveraged if the bid is successful.
Highland Council would use its funding for infrastructure projects and jobs creation.
The local authority and the MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Drew Hendry, said they expected confirmation of the funding.
The region has already secured £3m of City Region Deal funding.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell confirmed this support during a meeting with Highland Council last year.
The local authority plans to use the money on improving the appearance of Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, upgrading the grounds of Inverness Castle and on creating a free public access wi-fi scheme for the city.


Turkey's president has said he wants to close the nation's military academies and put the spy agency and the military chief of staff under his own control.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the proposals would be brought before parliament.
The measures are the latest in a large-scale crackdown launched after the failed coup on 15 July.
The authorities say Fetullah Gulen was behind the army-led coup in which at least 246 people died. The US-based cleric denies the allegation.
"We are going to introduce a small constitutional package which, if approved, will bring the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) and chief of staff under the control of the presidency," President Erdogan told Turkey's A Haber television on Saturday.
"Military schools will be shut down... we will establish a national defence university," he said.
The president added that the size of the gendarmerie would be cut, but its weaponry would be increased.
Mr Erdogan needs a two-thirds majority for the proposals to be adopted and therefore will have to secure support from opposition parties.
Turkey announced a military reshuffle on Thursday, including the dishonourable discharge of 1,700 military servicemen. About 40% of generals and admirals have been discharged since the coup.
More than 66,000 public sector workers have been dismissed from their posts and 50,000 passports cancelled, while the labour ministry is investigating 1,300 of its staff.
The state has shut 142 media outlets and detained several journalists.
A three-month state of emergency has also been declared across the country.
President Erdogan has also stepped up his attacks on nations criticising his actions, telling them to "mind your own business".
He has accused US Gen Joseph Votel, head of US Central Command, of being "on the side of the coup plotters".
Gen Votel responded by saying that any reports that he was involved in the abortive coup were "unfortunate and completely inaccurate".


Scientists have created bacteria covered in tiny semiconductors that generate a potential fuel source from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water.

The so-called "cyborg" bugs produce acetic acid, a chemical that can then be turned into fuel and plastic.
In lab experiments, the bacteria proved much more efficient at harvesting sunlight than plants.
The work was presented at the American Chemical Society meeting in Washington.
Researchers have been attempting to artificially replicate photosynthesis for many years.
In nature, the green pigment chlorophyll is key to this process, helping plants to convert carbon dioxide and water, using sunlight, into oxygen and glucose.
But despite the fact that it works, scientists say the process is relatively inefficient. This has also been a big problem with most of the artificial systems developed to date.
This new approach seeks to improve that efficiency by essentially aiming to equip bacteria with solar panels.
After combing through old microbiology literature, researchers realised that some bugs have a natural defence to cadmium, mercury or lead that lets them turn the heavy metal into a sulphide which the bacteria express as a tiny, crystal semiconductor on their surfaces.
"It's shamefully simple, we've harnessed a natural ability of these bacteria that had never been looked at through this lens," said Dr Kelsey Sakimoto from Harvard University in Massachusetts, US.
"We grow them and we introduce a small amount of cadmium, and naturally they produce cadmium sulphide crystals which then agglomerate on the outsides of their bodies."
"You grow them in their liquid broth and you just add small aliquots of cadmium solution and you wait a couple of days and out pops these photosynthetic organisms.
"It's all very simple, mix-in-a-pot-chemistry."
These newly boosted bacteria produce acetic acid, essentially vinegar, from CO2, water and light. They have an efficiency of around 80%, which is four times the level of commercial solar panels, and more than six times the level of chlorophyll.
"We prize these cyborg bacteria and their ability to make acetate because they produce a substrate that we can already use to produce more valuable and more interesting products," said Dr Sakimoto.
"We have collaborators who have a number of strands of E. coli that are genetically engineered to take acetic acid as their food source and they can upgrade it into butanol and a polymer called polyhydroxybutyrate."
Dr Sakimoto believes that these bacteria offer some advantages over other approaches to generating green energy from biological sources.
Other techniques for artificial photosynthesis require expensive solid electrodes.
The cyborg bug approach really only needs large vats of liquid to be kept out in the Sun - the bacteria are self-replicating and self-regenerating, making it potentially a low waste technology. It might work best in rural areas or in the developing world.
The research work was carried out at the University of California, Berkeley in the lab of Dr Peidong Yang.
"The thrust of research in my lab is to essentially 'supercharge' non-photosynthetic bacteria by providing them energy in the form of electrons from inorganic semiconductors, like cadmium sulphide, that are efficient light absorbers," Dr Yang said.
"We are now looking for more benign light absorbers than cadmium sulphide to provide bacteria with energy from light."
The researchers believe that while their approach has taken an important new step, it might not ultimately be the technology that prevails.
"There are so many different designs of these systems coming out and really we've only begun to explore the different ways we can combine chemistry and biology," said Dr Sakimoto.
"And there's a real possibility that that there will be some upstart technology that will come out that will do better than our system."
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Goals from Jack Marriott and Jake Gray earned 10-man Luton a 2-1 comeback win at Crewe.

Crewe raised the bar in front of their new manager David Artell, taking a first-half lead through skipper Ryan Lowe's ninth goal of the season.
Charlie Kirk should have done better when well placed on the left of the box early on, only to drag his finish past the far post, while Guthrie was also left to rue skying a close-range header over after getting on the end of a teasing free-kick from George Cooper.
Crewe took a deserved lead in the 28th minute when Lowe was slipped clear by Alex Kiwomya, the 38-year-old veteran finding the far corner as he scored in the league for the first time since also netting against Luton at Kenilworth Road in October.
But the impressive Marriott had Luton back on terms on the stroke of half-time, as the striker's shot from a tight angle managed to evade Garratt's clutches and slip in at the near post.
Nathan Jones' side looked to be up against it when they were reduced to 10 men eight minutes after the break after full-back Alan Sheehan caught Danny Hollands to earn his second booking.
But Crewe were undone when Marriott cut infield to force a save from Garratt and Danny Hylton kept the attack alive to pull the ball back from the by-line for Gray to sidefoot home the winner.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Crewe Alexandra 1, Luton Town 2.
Second Half ends, Crewe Alexandra 1, Luton Town 2.
Attempt missed. Callum Saunders (Crewe Alexandra) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high following a corner.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by James Justin.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by John Mullins.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Jack Senior.
Attempt missed. Ryan Lowe (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right.
Hand ball by Callum Saunders (Crewe Alexandra).
Attempt missed. Alex Kiwomya (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Jack Senior.
Substitution, Luton Town. Isaac Vassell replaces Jack Marriott.
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Ryan Wintle replaces Danny Hollands.
Attempt missed. Callum Saunders (Crewe Alexandra) header from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner,  Luton Town. Conceded by Jon Guthrie.
Corner,  Luton Town. Conceded by Alex Kiwomya.
James Jones (Crewe Alexandra) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Corner,  Luton Town. Conceded by James Jones.
Pelly Ruddock (Luton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by James Jones (Crewe Alexandra).
Attempt saved. Jack Marriott (Luton Town) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. James Jones (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Callum Saunders replaces Zoumana Bakayogo.
Attempt missed. Danny Hollands (Crewe Alexandra) header from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right following a corner.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Jake Gray.
Attempt blocked. George Cooper (Crewe Alexandra) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Danny Hylton (Luton Town) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Goal!  Crewe Alexandra 1, Luton Town 2. Jake Gray (Luton Town) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Danny Hylton.
Attempt saved. Jack Marriott (Luton Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Corner,  Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Jack Senior.
James Justin (Luton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Alex Kiwomya (Crewe Alexandra).
Attempt missed. Scott Cuthbert (Luton Town) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right following a set piece situation.
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Chris Dagnall replaces Charlie Kirk.
Pelly Ruddock (Luton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by George Cooper (Crewe Alexandra).
Attempt missed. George Ray (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high following a set piece situation.
Foul by Jonathan Smith (Luton Town).
Oliver Turton (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Luton Town. Jack Senior replaces Lawson D'Ath.
Substitution, Luton Town. Jonathan Smith replaces Jordan Cook.


About 15,000 street lights will stay on for an extra two hours after a council u-turn over criticism of a money-saving decision to turn them off at 22:00.

Lincolnshire County Council started to reduce street lighting from April to save Â£1.77m of its annual budget.
A Lincoln resident said it was a "flawed policy from the start" causing people "anxiety and worry".
Councillor Richard Davies, said the reversal meant "there may be less potholes filled or cuts elsewhere".
See more on this story and others from around Lincolnshire
Dilys Jerman, whose street lights have already been turned off at 22:00 said: "I haven't been out after 10 o'clock because our street is so dark. I can't walk down it.
"It has altered completely what I do."
Mr Davies, the council member responsible for the county's street lighting, said the council had gone "back to the drawing board" after criticism from residents.
The authority would still turn off "a huge number of lights at midnight" and there "won't be as many street lights in the county as there is now", he said.
Mr Davies previously said of the original decision "the policy is set".
The scheme called 'part-night' lighting was being introduced mainly in residential areas, the council said.
About 15,000 lights due to be turned of at 22:00 will now stay on until midnight.
A further 23,000 are due to be turned off midnight.
Outside of urban areas 3,000 street lights are to be switched off completely and 17,000 of the county's 68,000 lights will be swapped for low-energy LED ones to be dimmed at night.
The savings are to meet the need to cut Â£41m from the 2016/17 budget, said the council.
It is responsible for about 80% of the county's street lights.


Nasa has created a new interactive web site to allow people to explore the surface of Mars just like the Curiosity rover is doing.

Nasa has created Mars Trek to mark the third anniversary of the rover landing on Mars.
It allows people to see for themselves some of the features of the red planet using information gathered by Nasa over the past 50 years.
A team from Nasa is also using the interactive map to look at possible landing sites for future missions.


Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a body was found in Leeds.

Police were called by fire crews, who discovered the body after being called to a report of a minor blaze in Hyde Park Terrace.
It has not been confirmed whether the victim, who was found at about 19:00 GMT on Saturday close to Wrangthorn Church Hall, was male or female.
Two men, aged 37 and 50, are being held in custody, West Yorkshire Police said.
"Inquiries are obviously at a very early stage and we are yet to confirm the circumstances of this person's death," said Det Supt Simon Atkinson.
He appealed for witnesses to contact police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.


The American singer, Frank Sinatra Junior, who carried on his father's legacy with his own career in music, has died at the age of 72.

He suffered a heart attack in Daytona Beach in Florida where he was due to play a concert on Wednesday evening.
He followed his father in the music business as a teenager, and later became his father's musical director and conductor.
He was famously kidnapped and held for ransom when he was 19.
A gang seized him at gunpoint at a casino in Lake Tahoe. His father paid a $240,000 (Â£168,000) ransom, which was later recovered after the kidnappers were arrested.
When he died on Wednesday, Frank Junior was due to perform at the Peabody Auditorium as part of his Sinatra Sings Sinatra tour, which included some of his father's greatest hits interwoven with family reminiscences.
The venue announced on its Facebook page: "Frank Sinatra Jr has passed away. Our love to his family and friends."
His sister Nancy, who also followed their father into the music business, said on her Facebook page: "Sleep warm, Frankie."
Tony Bennett wrote on Twitter: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Frank Sinatra Jr and send my sympathy to Tina and Nancy and the Sinatra family."
TV and radio host Larry King tweeted: "I always admired Frank Sinatra Jr. He was born with a hard name to live up to, but I loved his talent and his ability to be forthright."
Frank Sinatra Jr released six full-length albums and often made television appearances, recently starring as himself in two episodes of Family Guy.
Seth MacFarlane, who created the animated comedy, wrote: "Frank Sinatra, Jr. was a friend to Family Guy, and a friend to me. I'm saddened at his passing, but grateful to have known him."
Mia Farrow said: "RIP Frank Sinatra Jr. Thoughts with his mother Nancy, sisters Nancy and Tina and his son Michael."
Frank Sinatra Jr began singing with the Tommy Dorsey band, a version of the ensemble the elder Sinatra had sung with more than two decades before, at the age of 19.
The New York Times wrote in 1963: "Young Mr Sinatra has taken careful note of every aspect of his father's singing.
"He knows - and projects - the inflections, the shading, the phrasing that his father used."
Last year, he performed the national anthem at Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees games in celebration of the centennial of his father's birth.
Frank Senior died of a heart attack in 1998.


Chester have signed defender Lathaniel Rowe-Turner from Torquay United on a one-year deal.

The 27-year-old left-back made 29 appearances for Torquay last season in his second spell with the Gulls.
Rowe-Turner previously had spells in the National League with Luton Town and Kidderminster Harriers.
The Leicester City youth product is the third defender signed by Chester this summer following the arrivals of Andy Halls and John McCombe.
They will help plug the gap left by star youngster Sam Hughes' six-figure departure to 2016 Premier League champions Leicester City this week, on a three-year deal.
Midfielder Paul Turnbull and strikers Harry White, Nyal Bell and Ross Hannah have also signed for the Bumpers Lane club, taking the number of new signings to seven.


Northampton Town's players and staff have now all been paid their October and November wages after Kelvin Thomas' takeover of the League Two club.

Players and staff were not paid two months' wages by the club because of a winding-up petition over unpaid taxes.
It led the Professional Footballers' Association to step in and pay the players' wages.
"We can only pay tribute to the staff and players for their commitment and professionalism," said Thomas.
"It was a priority for us to pay the wages as soon as technically possible for our employees especially in the build up to Christmas."
The winding-up petition from HM Revenue & Customs was withdrawn following a court hearing on Monday after Thomas paid the £166,000 tax bill.
On December 11, an administration petition brought by Northampton Borough Council against the club is set to be heard.
But Thomas and the council have a memorandum of understanding in place over an unpaid £10.25m loan to the club for redevelopment work at Sixfields Stadium, which would would see the debt wiped out, with the council acquiring land near Sixfields for development in return.


Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal has been suspended by the International Cricket Council for an illegal bowling action.

The 36-year-old off-spinner was reported last month after match officials raised concerns during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Analysis of Ajmal's action revealed that "all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees" by which the arm is allowed to bend, the ICC said.
Ajmal said he was disappointed, but added: "I know I can correct it."
He is currently the world's top-ranked one-day international bowler.
He also has 178 Test wickets, at an average of 28.10, and is still the leading wicket-taker in the County Championship this season with 63 in nine matches for Worcestershire, despite not having played for them in almost two months.
"An independent analysis has found the bowling action of Pakistan's off-spinner Saeed Ajmal to be illegal and, as such, the player has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect," the ICC said in a statement.
Ajmal's action was analysed by an ICC-accredited team of human movement specialists using the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, Australia, on 25 August.
"The ICC has stopped me from bowling because my elbow is bending beyond the 15 degrees allowed and I know I can correct that," Ajmal said.
"It is very disappointing to know the results of the tests, but I am a fighter and I know what I have to do to get back into international cricket before the World Cup."
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed it was considering an appeal, but was more circumspect on Ajmal's chances of returning to the international arena.
PCB spokesman Agha Akbar told BBC Radio 5 live that Ajmal's chances of playing in the World Cup early next year are "bleak".
Asked if the ban could signal the end of the bowler's international career, Akbar said: "It looks like that."
The ECB told BBC Sport that the ban would extend to domestic competitions, preventing Ajmal from returning to county cricket.
"We're disappointed for Saeed," said Worcestershire chief executive David Leatherdale. "He was never reported while playing for Worcester.
"He will now have to go through the remodelling process like other cricketers have had to do before him.
"As regards next season, it's not something to be talked about while he goes through that remodelling process."
Ajmal, who made his international debut in July 2008, can apply for a re-assessment after he modifies his bowling action.
The ICC has recently taken action against several off-spinners.
Sri Lankan Sachithra Senanayake and New Zealand's Kane Williamson were banned from bowling in July, while Zimbabwe's Prosper Utseya and Bangladesh's Sohag Gazi are currently under investigation.


A US jury has awarded $150m (£100m) to the family of a four-year old boy that died in a crash involving a Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2012.

Remington Walden died after the Jeep he was travelling was struck from behind by a truck, which ruptured its rear fuel tank causing it to ignite.
Chrysler will pay 99% of the sum and the driver of the other vehicle 1%.
In 2013 Chrysler recalled 1.56 million Jeep SUVs built between 1993-98 with similar rear fuel tanks.
The model Remington died in was built in 1999 and was therefore not among those recalled.
Chrysler said that the 1999 model was not defective and dangerous.
But jurors said the car giant was liable for the death and the company had failed to warn customers that the tank's position could increase the risk of a fire.
The family claimed their son would have been better protected if the tank was placed further forward in the car.


A Chelsea supporter suspected of racist chanting on the Paris Metro is challenging a possible football banning order on the grounds of jurisdiction.

Scotland Yard is seeking the order under the Football Spectators Act 1989, which applies to England and Wales.
Richard Barklie, who lives in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, is one of five Chelsea supporters facing the order.
A judge at Thames Magistrates' Court said he would hear the point on 7 July.
District Judge Gareth Branston said this would happen ahead of a full hearing at Waltham Forest Magistrates' Court on 15 and 16 July.
In February some Chelsea fans were filmed singing racist chants and refusing to let a black man on the Paris Metro ahead of the west London club's match against Paris St Germain.
Several Chelsea supporters chanted: "We're racist, we're racist and that's the way we like it."
Police are applying for banning orders to be imposed on five men who they believe were involved.
They are: Mr Barklie, 50, of Victoria Street, Carrickfergus; Dean Callis, 32, of Liverpool Road, Islington, north London; Jordan Munday, 30, of Ellenborough Road, Sidcup, south-east London; Josh Parsons, 20, of Woodhouse Place, Dorking and William Simpson, 26, of Hengrove Crescent, Ashford, Surrey.
An earlier hearing at Waltham Forest was told the men oppose the orders, which are designed as a preventative measure to stop potential troublemakers from travelling to football matches at home and abroad.
The man kept off the train, Souleymane S, has claimed what happened "destroyed" him and left him unable to work or travel on public transport.
Mr Barklie's lawyer Nick Scott said: "He vehemently denies all the allegations made against him.
"His work in human rights healing the scars of the troubles in Northern Ireland shows what a man of compassion he is."


A 29-year-old refugee has been shot dead by police after a row at a Berlin asylum centre involving claims that his daughter had been sexually abused.

Police were called to the shelter in the Moabit area amid reports that the girl had been abused in a nearby park.
A suspect aged 27 had just been put in a police car in handcuffs when the girl's father is said to have lunged at him with a knife.
Witnesses said the father had shouted out: "You won't survive this."
Police responded by opening fire and the man, of Iraqi origin, was taken to hospital where he later died.
Witnesses reported hearing two or three shots. An investigation into the shooting will be carried out by Berlin police's homicide division.
Merkel rules out migrant policy change after violence
What is going on in Germany?
Questions have been raised about whether police were right to use firearms. But Berlin police union spokesman Bodo Pfalzgraf said they had no option but to open fire and rejected suggestions that they should have aimed for the man's legs.
"The officers had to stop people taking the law into their own hands and halt what was for them a life-threatening situation," he said.
Stun weapons known as Tasers are being tested in some areas of Berlin but these officers did not appear to have access to them.
The refugee's daughter, aged six, has been described as uninjured, and she is being given special care.
According to local reports, she and her family were being taken to alternative accommodation.
Police have begun an inquiry into the allegation of sexual abuse. Local reports say the suspect is from Pakistan but that has not been confirmed by police.
More than 1.1 million irregular migrants and refugees arrived in Germany in 2015 alone and violence and sexual abuse in asylum shelters has been a problem for women and children.
There has also been a rise in anti-migrant violence in some eastern areas of Germany. Earlier this month, dozens of far-right activists clashed with young migrants in the town of Bautzen.


The outlook for the UK financial sector has improved since Brexit was triggered, the policy chief for the City of London Corporation has said.

Mark Boleat said London would remain a leading financial hub, with only a few banking jobs likely to move.
Urging speedy trade talks, he added: "We would hope that the negotiations go quickly and go well."
The triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty last month began the two year countdown to the UK's EU exit.
Before the referendum, the financial services sector largely backed the Remain campaign, warning that quitting the bloc could spur an exodus of City jobs.
The City of London, the council that covers London's financial centre, itself backed EU membership.
Since then, banks including Goldman Sachs, HSBC and UBS have said they will move some jobs out of London as a result of Brexit.
The historic insurance market Lloyd's of London has announced plans to open a Brussels subsidiary in early 2019.
But in an interview with the AFP news agency, Mr Boleat said that while a few people would be moved, "no one is going to say 'we are closing down in London'".
"Banks have had contingency plans since before the Brexit referendum in some cases," he said.
"They have known there is a possibility that Britain will not be in the single market - that has now been confirmed."
He said banks would need to "restructure what they are doing - perhaps cease doing a few things, in some cases build up business elsewhere in the European Union. They are getting on and doing that."
Mr Boleat also said it was important the UK reached an early agreement over the terms of its exit from the bloc and on the rights of EU nationals.
That would minimise disruption to "business and consumers in this country - and in Europe," he said.
On Friday, the Bank of England governor warned of sector-wide consequences if the UK left without a trade deal.
Mark Carney said the "vast majority" of City firms already had contingency plans in place.
However, he said some financial firms still needed to prepare in case of a "more extreme" outcome.
The Bank has written to the UK's biggest financial firms, urging them to plan for "all eventualities" from the UK leaving the bloc.


More than 20 people travelled to the UK's least visited railway station to meet a couple attempting a train challenge with a difference.

Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe asked people to join them at Shippea Hill, Cambridgeshire as they try to visit 2,563 stations in three months.
Shippea Hill is a request stop with just two trains a day and was used just 12 times in the last financial year.
Geoff has previously set records for visiting all London's tube stations.
Geoff and Vicki decided to embark on the trip across the country to "capture the true status of Britain's railways today".
They are hoping to donate their video and photo footage to the National Railway Museum and London Transport Museum.
The journey has been made possible by donations from the public. They raised about Â£38,500 through an online fundraising page.
"We have a lot of love for public transport and this is just a bigger version of it  [visiting  all the tube stations]," said Geoff.
"The idea just grew and grew and now we are actually doing it."
He said they were stopping at every station but not always getting off.
If they got off the train at each station it would probably tell them more than 10 months, they added.
The couple were due to explore the Norfolk and Suffolk train lines on Sunday before heading back to London. So far they have visited about 850 stations.
The couple have been documenting their challenge on their Twitter and Facebook pages.
Shippea Hill received a boost in December when former Great British Bake Off finalist Ian Cumming offered mince pies to anyone who disembarked there and attracted 16 people to the station.


Properties were evacuated in Livingston after a suspicious fire caused a gas leak, police have said.

Two wheelie bins were set alight in Burnbank, Ladywell, at about 05:00 on Sunday.
The blaze in the bins, which were against the wall of a property, damaged a gas main which led to the evacuation.
No-one was injured in the fire and the gas leak has now been fixed. Police in West Lothian have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Det Con Lee McCall said: "Thankfully no one was injured as a result of the fire as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were able to quickly bring this, and the resultant gas leak, under control.
"However, the consequences of this act could have been far worse and we are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry to trace those responsible.
"We are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the Burnbank area during the early hours of Sunday morning or, similarly, anyone with information that can help us identify the culprits."


Swindon strengthened their chance of League One survival with victory at Coventry, who are 11 points adrift from safety at the bottom of the table.

The home side looked strong for the first 20 minutes but failed to take their best chance when Kwame Thomas turned in the box and shot straight into the legs of keeper Lawrence Vigouroux.
Nicky Ajose shot a 30th-minute free-kick over the bar but made no mistake two minutes later when Ben Gladwin crossed from the left and the striker turned in from close range.
Swindon extended their lead when another cross from the left-hand side, this time from Charlie Colkett, was headed in by Jonathan Obika.
Coventry forced a couple of corners early in the second half and substitute Stuart Beavon could have pulled a goal back, but put his effort off target.
But that was nothing compared to Ajose's glaring miss in the 53rd minute when he rounded keeper Lee Burge but blazed over with an open goal in front of him.
Coventry sent on Aiyegbeni Yakubu to try to nick something, but Ajose grabbed a second, sliding in to finish Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill's cross from the left.
George Thomas pulled one back for the home side in injury time but it was scant consolation.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Coventry City 1, Swindon Town 3.
Second Half ends, Coventry City 1, Swindon Town 3.
Conor Thomas (Swindon Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Kyel Reid (Coventry City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Conor Thomas (Swindon Town).
Goal!  Coventry City 1, Swindon Town 3. George Thomas (Coventry City) left footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Yakubu.
Foul by Kyel Reid (Coventry City).
Charlie Colkett (Swindon Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Coventry City. Kyel Reid replaces Kwame Thomas.
Attempt missed. Kevin Foley (Coventry City) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right.
Substitution, Swindon Town. Conor Thomas replaces Bradley Barry.
Corner,  Coventry City. Conceded by Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill.
Kevin Foley (Coventry City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Charlie Colkett (Swindon Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kevin Foley (Coventry City).
Corner,  Coventry City. Conceded by Ben Gladwin.
Attempt blocked. Kwame Thomas (Coventry City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Stuart Beavon (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Rohan Ince (Swindon Town).
Substitution, Swindon Town. John Goddard replaces James Brophy.
Bradley Barry (Swindon Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Kwame Thomas (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bradley Barry (Swindon Town).
Kevin Foley (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ben Gladwin (Swindon Town).
George Thomas (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Rohan Ince (Swindon Town).
Substitution, Swindon Town. Dion Conroy replaces Lloyd Jones because of an injury.
Corner,  Coventry City. Conceded by Lloyd Jones.
Attempt blocked. Ryan Haynes (Coventry City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Goal!  Coventry City 0, Swindon Town 3. Nicky Ajose (Swindon Town) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill.
Substitution, Coventry City. Yakubu replaces Marcus Tudgay.
Foul by Kwame Thomas (Coventry City).
Bradley Barry (Swindon Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt blocked. Nicky Ajose (Swindon Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner,  Coventry City. Conceded by Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill.
Foul by Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill (Swindon Town).
George Thomas (Coventry City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Callum Reilly (Coventry City) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
Delay in match Lloyd Jones (Swindon Town) because of an injury.


Just a few months ago, Thwaiba Kanafani was leading a normal life with her husband, six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter in Canada.

An engineer by training, she had been working in the oil industry.
But now she has left all that behind.
When we met up in the city of Adana in southern Turkey, she had just fled across the border from the Syrian city of Aleppo after a mission with rebel forces that went wrong.
Two male colleagues who were acting as her minders, were killed.
At the end of June she joined the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and was given a particularly dangerous role to fulfil.
As a woman she has able to move more easily around the streets of Aleppo than the men.
"Lots of women are working with me and we do a lot of spying work," she says.
"We usually check the locations of regime people [military forces] and check where would be the best points to locate the Free Syrian Army.
"We also spy on high-ranking people in the government so we can help the FSA arrest and capture them."
In the midst of all this, she speaks on the phone with her family every day to reassure them she is fine.
"I wonder why I am not afraid of being shot through the head," she says pointing to her forehead.
"But sometimes when you face death, you lose your fear."
Thwaiba Kanafani is one of a growing number of Syrians without any previous military experience who have joined the rebels.
There is a special training programme based in Turkey at secret camps run by the Turkish military, she says.
"The Turkish people are really helping us. Lots of people are getting training in those camps."
"The training is really professional. You can only sleep four hours a day.
"You have to climb mountains, you get weapons training. It's hard work."
Qatar and Saudi Arabia are also reported to be providing assistance for what has been described as a secret nerve centre for military aid and communications for the Syrian rebels.
This is reported to have been set up in Adana.
None of these countries has confirmed the existence of the base.
Separately, Syrian opposition sources have told the BBC they have been called to meetings with foreigners in Istanbul in recent weeks to discuss recruiting volunteers from different cities in Syria to staff an "operation room" in Turkey.
The aim is to co-ordinate and plan rebel actions and the supply of weapons.
Turkey has denied supplying weapons to the Syrian rebels.
The failure of the United Nations to reach agreement on how to resolve the Syrian crisis seems to have spurred a number of countries to step up unilateral assistance to rebel forces.
It has been reported in recent days that US President Barack Obama has given the go-ahead for covert help to be provided, although it is not clear what kind of assistance is being considered.
On Friday the British government confirmed it would provide more communications equipment to the rebels next month.
The rebels themselves have been asking the international community for many months for much more sophisticated weapons, including portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.
This, they believe, would turn the tide of the conflict decisively in their favour.
At the moment helicopter gunships and fighter jets of the Syrian armed forces are able to carry out frequent attacks on rebel positions and tanks are being used in all major operations.
But so far countries backing the rebels have been reluctant, fearing the consequences of such weapons getting into the hands of jihadi groups now operating inside Syria.


Police Scotland's chief constable is to stay on in his post despite being the subject of an inquiry over allegations of gross misconduct.

Phil Gormley had faced calls to step aside while he is under investigation by the police watchdog.
BBC Scotland understands the probe concerns an allegation about bullying.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said it would be "necessary" for Mr Gormley to take a leave of absence to ensure an effective investigation.
However, after a meeting on Thursday afternoon the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) said a suspension was "not appropriate" in the circumstances.
Other parties have called for "full transparency" in the investigation and want the full findings to be published.
The probe follows a referral from the SPA, which passed the matter to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) for investigation.
There has been no formal indication of the nature of the complaint made against Mr Gormley, or who submitted it. However, Pirc said that "the allegations, if proved, would amount to gross misconduct" - defined as a breach of professional standards under which "dismissal may be justified".
BBC Scotland understands the complaint was one of bullying, from a fellow senior officer at Police Scotland.
Mr Gormley, who took up the post of chief constable in January 2016, said he was "cooperating fully with Pirc" and would provide "all necessary assistance".
But he added: "I would like to stress that I remain focused on leading Police Scotland, ensuring that we continue to serve and protect the people of this country."
Mr Rennie said the allegations were "incredibly serious" and needed "a thorough and prompt investigation".
He said: "You cannot have the chief constable, the boss of the organisation, in place while his office is being investigated.
"I think it would be appropriate for him to step to one side. I think it would be wise if he took that decision himself.
"This is a very serious allegation, about gross misconduct, so it wouldn't be appropriate for the chief constable to remain in position while that investigation is being conducted."
Niven Rennie, a former president of the Association of Police Superintendents, also said it might be best if Mr Gormley stepped aside for the duration of the inquiry.
He told BBC Scotland: "There is the potential that witnesses might not come forward because he's there, or might not say something they otherwise would have said.
"There's also a question about other members of the executive team - they'll be getting interviewed as well. Did they see such conduct? And if they did, why did they not step in to stop it? So the whole matter is very complicated."
Analysis by Reevel Alderson, BBC Scotland home affairs correspondent
BBC Scotland understands the allegations come from a senior officer at Police Scotland headquarters at Tulliallan Castle and are of bullying behaviour.
Normally these investigations would be investigated by the force's professional standards department, but because Mr Gormley is of such a senior rank, the regulations require that it's passed to the Scottish Police Authority.
They don't have any investigation capabilities so they have passed it to the Pirc - and that investigation is now under way.
Mr Gormley has said it is inappropriate to comment further while that is ongoing. In the meantime, he continues to work while he awaits the results of this inquiry.
However, some have said there is no need for Mr Gormley to stand aside while the probe is in process.
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: "I presume what's being said is that he should actually be suspended while the investigation is ongoing. I just don't think that would be terribly helpful.
"We don't know the full nature of the allegation, we don't know the full nature of the investigation. We only know that potentially it might be gross misconduct - but it might not be.
"There's a process of dealing with issues like this, and it needs to be allowed to run its course."
SPA deputy chairwoman Nicola Marchant said the board had met to consider whether suspension was appropriate.
She said: "At this stage, and having carefully considered and balanced the various investigatory and public interest criteria within the regulations, the SPA takes the view that a suspension is not appropriate. As with any process of this nature, that is an issue we will keep under review.
"While complaints and conduct issues relating to senior officers are handled within a clear set of guidelines and procedures, the circumstances behind each case are different and so therefore should any consideration of whether a period of suspension is appropriate."
Mr Kerr said it was "essential" that there was "full transparency as to what exactly has happened".
Scottish Labour's Claire Baker also urged Pirc to be "as transparent as possible", saying: "With the most senior police officer under investigation, it is vital that whatever the outcome the public maintains confidence in Police Scotland."
Scottish Green MSP John Finnie, himself a former policeman, said it was "vital that a thorough investigation is undertaken and the full findings are published".
Ms Marchant said investigations must be allowed to progress confidentially, but said it was in the public interest that information would come out "in due course".
She said: "While we recognise the visibility and keen interest that comes with any allegation relating to an individual of this seniority, it is important for all those involved for the investigative process to be allowed to progress with diligence, proportionality and confidentiality.
"In due course, and subject to appropriate dialogue with the parties at the time, SPA would take the view that it is in the public interest that there should then be a public communication on the outcomes of this process."
The investigation is the latest in a string of controversies to hit the single police force since it was established in 2013.
Its first chief constable, Sir Stephen House, left the role in 2015 in the wake of criticism over armed officers being put on routine patrol, the force's policies on stopping and searching juveniles and the response to a fatal crash on the M9.
The Scottish Police Authority is looking for a new chairman after Andrew Flanagan announced he would quit amid sustained criticism from MSPs. He had also faced allegations of bullying behaviour.
Holyrood justice committee convener Margaret Mitchell, a Conservative MSP, said the police service was "rudderless".
She said: "The chief constable is under investigation, the chair of the Scottish Police Authority is resigning. The service is rudderless.
"[Justice Secretary] Michael Matheson needs to take control of the situation. This shambolic situation can't be allowed to go on any longer."
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "We note the Pirc investigation and that they will provide a report to the Scottish Police Authority.
"It would not be appropriate to comment on any current investigation."


The UN special envoy to Syria has welcomed Russia's proposal of a 48-hour pause in fighting in the city of Aleppo to allow aid deliveries.

Staffan de Mistura told the BBC the move was positive, but stressed that Russia would now have to get its ally President Bashar al-Assad to agree.
The US also had to persuade the rebels to abide by the truce, he said.
The initiative came as photos of a young boy from Aleppo who was hurt in an air strike caused worldwide outrage.
Five-year-old Omran Daqneesh was photographed sitting alone in an ambulance, caked in dust and blood and looking dazed, after being pulled from the rubble of his home in the rebel-held Qaterji district.
A doctor who treated the boy for a head wound said he was lucky to be alive.
"He was afraid, he didn't cry and we cleaned his face blood and dust to see the wound. He has a lucky chance he didn't have any brain damage," Dr Mohammed told the BBC.
Opposition activists said the boy's home was bombed by Russian warplanes, but the Russian defence ministry insisted its forces never targeted civilian areas and said it was "more likely a mine or a gas tank explosion, which are used by terrorists".
BBC chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet says stories like Omran's are repeated day in, day out in Syria, and many are much worse.
On Friday, doctors shared a photo they said showed the body of boy who was killed in a fresh air strike, as well as a brother and sister who were injured.
Aleppo, once Syria's commercial and industrial centre, has been divided roughly in two since 2012, with the government controlling the west and rebels the east.
Fighting has escalated in recent weeks, with rebels severing the government's main route to the west of the city. The offensive sought to break a siege by pro-government forces, who encircled the east in July and stepped up air strikes.
Russia's offer of a 48-hour "humanitarian pause" in the city came hours after a rare display of anger by the UN envoy, our correspondent says.
For months, Mr de Mistura has urged the warring parties to agree even a temporary truce to allow food and medicine to reach Syrians trapped in besieged areas, some two million of them inside Aleppo.
But on Thursday, he revealed that not a single aid convoy has been allowed through since the start of August and asked for a "gesture of humanity".
Russia responded by saying that deliveries of food and medicine to Aleppo could start as early as next week, but that it required security guarantees from the US.
"We welcome the reply because it was a clear reply to answer to our strong, reiterated appeal. So it's a positive reply," Mr de Mistura told the BBC. "Now, of course, the devil is in the detail but that's where the challenge is."
A US state department spokesman said any effort to stop the bombing was welcome, but that a nationwide cessation of hostilities was what was really needed.
Our correspondent says it will take far more than an envoy's anger and a child's distress to bring this war to an end. But there is now, at the very least, another effort to ease the suffering of millions of Syrians, she adds.