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Debbie Jevans made the comments after a tweet by World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper said an early England exit was "not what they wanted to hear".
Jevans would be "very upset" if England failed to make it out of their group but not in an official capacity.
"From our perspective it doesn't make a difference," Jevans said.
"Of course you think about it when you look at the tough group England are in and the impact that may or may not have, but I think our job as an organising committee is to make sure that we deliver an event that is the best it can be."
The 48-match tournament begins on 18 September when England play Fiji at Twickenham.
Stuart Lancaster's side are also in the same pool as Australia, Wales and Uruguay and only two will make it through to the knockout round.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland, whose side are in the same group as England, said he was "surprised" by Gosper's comments.
Jevans says she would like an England versus New Zealand final but claims the tournament's success does not hinge on the hosts' performance.
"Our focus is not about who wins or is in the final," Jevans added.
"From a delivery perspective we are genuinely looking at it as delivering for 20 teams and making sure they can all compete to the best of their ability.
"Our biggest selling ticket so far has been Argentina v New Zealand so I am not at all concerned about England being the sole focus of the Rugby World Cup."
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The chief executive of England's World Cup organising committee wants the hosts to make the knockout phase but says it's not essential for the event.
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Opposition councillors accused the ruling Labour group of "arrogance" and not listening to the public's concerns.
The plans had also prompted protests outside the council's offices on Wednesday.
Council leader Peter Marland said he was "disappointed" but would work with other parties to agree a new budget.
The authority's provisional 2015-16 budget had included £1.5m cuts to bus services, and reduced funding for the Citizens' Advice Bureau.
Homeless shelters faced possible closure under the plans, and the removal of other funding could have forced some scout groups to shut down.
Liberal Democrat leader, Douglas McCall, accused council leaders of refusing to listen to public concerns or engage with opposition parties.
He described their approach to a public consultation as "arrogant".
However, Mr Marland said a record consultation response showed the authority was listening.
"What we couldn't do is persuade enough opposition politicians that what we were doing was ultimately right," he said.
Former Conservative group leader Andrew Geary said his party had predicted savings for five years and put forward a "clear strategy" for delivering them when it was in control.
"You simply can't amend something that is not built on a solid foundation and this budget is built on the sand and it will collapse and it won't deliver."
The authority is set to meet again next week to discuss the revised proposals.
Analysis
Paul Scoins, Political reporter, BBC Three Counties
After the political grandstanding comes the negotiation.
Concessions will be made but the key sticking point of provision for homeless people will remain a subject for debate.
The council will then need to agree that budget and, if they fail, the government will step in and act, most likely freezing the budget in its current state.
More than £90m needs to be saved over the next few years and Labour says difficult decisions are inevitable.
Sources within the leadership group say they would be surprised if an agreement cannot be reached, suggesting the "nuclear option" of handing the decision to communities secretary Eric Pickles would be something all parties would find difficult to swallow.
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Proposals for £22m council budget cuts in Milton Keynes have been rejected over fears they would adversely affect vulnerable people.
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The void, which goes under the road on Cage Lane in Thetford, is about 3m (10ft) long and 1.5m (5ft) wide, Norfolk County Council said.
A lamp-post that was precariously close to the hole has been removed by workmen and the road cordoned-off.
The BBC has been unable to get in touch with the museum, but a volunteer told the Eastern Daily Press at the scene it would be open as normal this Saturday.
Much of the original Dad's Army BBC TV series, based around the British Home Guard during World War Two, was shot in and around Thetford, using locations such as Thetford Forest.
Eyewitness Gavin Hodge said he noticed the hole at about 13:00 and said when he looked down it there was "quite a void" filled with masonry and rubble.
In a statement, Norfolk County Council said: "Part of it is under the pavement which is starting to give way but it also stretches under the road, which is intact but beginning to crack.
"Tomorrow the county council is planning to fill in the gap and make it safe. We're then planning to resurface the road on Monday with the hope that the road can re-open in the afternoon.
"There's no obvious reason why this gap has opened up. Anglian Water have investigated and have confirmed there are no leaks that would have contributed to it and there's no recent history of similar problems in the vicinity."
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A sinkhole has opened up outside the Dad's Army Museum in Norfolk.
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Arbroath won at Clyde, Elgin City beat visitors Edinburgh City and Annan Athletic hammered Stirling Albion.
And Montrose's 2-1 win over Berwick Rangers to move above Clyde in fifth.
Shane Sutherland got a hat-trick in Elgin's 3-1 defeat of Edinburgh, while Smart Osadolor and Max Wright each scored twice for Annan.
At Station Park, Cowden's Dale Carrick put the visitors ahead, but Josh Peters brought Forfar level after the break.
And Thomas O'Brien and Lewis Milne netted to secure a 3-1 win for the hosts.
Colin Hamilton put Arbroath ahead away to Clyde only for Peter MacDonald to equalise.
However, the Bully Wee went down to 10 men when Ryan Finnie received a second booking and Ricky Little's free-kick made it 2-1 to Arbroath.
Sutherland scored twice for Elgin before Craig Beattie pulled one back for Edinburgh and completed his treble from the penalty spot.
Stirling led against Annan through Blair Henderson, but Osadolor scored either side of half-time and Wright added two more for the Galabankies to round off a 4-1 victory.
Montrose trailed against Berwick early in the second half as Michael McKenna scored, but the hosts levelled through Chris Templeman and Ryan Ferguson netted the winner.
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Forfar Athletic came from behind to beat bottom side Cowdenbeath and remain eight points clear at the top of Scottish League Two.
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Tries from Bill Meakes, James Hook and Ross Moriarty coupled with Hook's accuracy with the boot gave the Cherry and Whites a 25-6 half-time lead.
A scrappy second half saw little more than a couple of confrontations between both sides, before Gloucester's Tom Savage crossed the whitewash.
Gloucester are now just three points behind fourth-placed Northampton.
Newcastle went into the match on the back of consecutive home victories over Leicester and Northampton, but a lacklustre display before the break ensured the match was over by half-time.
Relive Gloucester's win over Newcastle here
Gloucester, however, looked buoyed by last weekend's 25-12 loss at leaders Saracens and came flying out of the blocks, despite losing Jacob Rowan to a first-minute head injury.
Australian wing Meakes collected Willi Heinz's pinpoint grubber kick to open the scoring before instrumental Wales international Hook wriggled through to add a second try shortly after.
Flanker Moriarty then dived over following some quick hands from Heinz and Mariano Galarza just before the half-time whistle.
As the game turned niggly after the break, neither side was able to string any attacking momentum together until replacement lock Savage crashed over.
Newcastle's only saving grace from a disappointing afternoon was Worcester's 38-18 defeat at Northampton, which saw them stay two points ahead of Warriors in 10th and seven points clear of bottom side London Irish.
Gloucester director of rugby David Humphreys told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:
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"In the same way that we reacted very positively immediately after the Leicester defeat, we got the same reaction today - I thought the players were outstanding.
"I thought the last 10 minutes were much better, we stayed patient, subs came on and made a difference, made a real impact.
"There's a sense of relief more than anything else I think after that game because we played so well that we felt we just deserved the bonus point.
Gloucester: Cook; Sharples, Meakes, Twelvetrees (capt), Purdy; Hook, Heinz; McAllister, Hibbard, Afoa, Thrush, Galarza, Moriarty, Rowan, Ludlow.
Replacements: Dawidiuk, Thomas, Doran-Jones, Savage, Kvesic, Braley, Burns, Trinder.
Newcastle: Hammersley; Venditti, Harris, Powell, Watson; Willis, Takulua; Vickers, Lawson, Vea, Green, Wilson, Mayhew, Welch (capt), Hogg.
Replacements: McGuigan, Rogers, Hatakeyama, Botha, Clever, Young, Sinoti, Socino.
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Gloucester ran in four tries to earn a comfortable bonus-point win over Newcastle Falcons at Kingsholm.
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Police were called to the vessel near Wroxham Island, on Wroxham Broad, at about 16:00 BST after concerns were raised about the length of time it had not moved.
Officers found the two people and the dog and have started an inquiry into their deaths.
Norfolk Police said the deaths are being treated as unexplained.
Police have sealed the site while officers from Great Yarmouth CID conduct investigations.
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Two people and a dog have been found dead on a boat moored on the Norfolk Broads.
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At least 183 procedures have been cancelled at hospitals across the north-east since the beginning of November, the health board said.
They include 13 procedures due to take place at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary since 1 January.
The health board blamed "staffing challenges and winter pressures, not budgetary constraints".
It said it had problems filling vacancies due to complex training requirements of theatre nursing but procedures were only rearranged as a "last resort".
A patients' group raised concerns that elderly patients were being affected disproportionately because of the lack of staff with specialist skills.
The Patient Action Co-ordination Team, which provides support to patients in Grampian, said orthopaedics and eye surgery for conditions such as cataracts are among those worst affected.
It said that because these are ailments which predominantly affect older people, they are worst affected by the number of cancellations.
The patients group also warned that the cancellations will affect the north-east health authority's waiting time target performance.
Dr Annie Ingram, director of workforce at NHS Grampian, said: "We've made huge progress over the last year but, like other public sector organisations in Grampian, we face challenges in recruiting."
"We apologise to any patients whose procedures have had to be re-scheduled."
She said that around 30,000 operations are carried out every year in the region and the number which are postponed is usually between 1 and 2%.
"Rearranging elective procedures is a last resort for us and is done according to clinical prioritisation: our most clinically urgent patients will still be seen," she added.
"When providing staff for a theatre list of operations on any given day, the theatre nurses must meet the needs and skills required for that speciality and have enough knowledge to act as a skilled practitioner to maintain safe practice.
"Vacancies have been difficult to fill due to the requirement to try and train staff in what is a complex area of nursing.
"Normally when staffing is at a sufficient level, staff rotate specialties, gaining more knowledge and skills in a variety of different areas and subsequently building more resilience into the service."
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NHS Grampian has had to cancel routine operations because of a shortage of theatre nurses.
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Emergency services were called to Holyhead's Newry Beach at about 22:50 GMT on Sunday.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers believe she is local to the area, although no formal identification has taken place.
The death is not being treated as suspicious and the coroner as been informed.
Insp Jason Higgins of North Wales Police said: "We are now in the process of locating and informing her family. Our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time"
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A woman's body has been discovered at a beach on Anglesey, police have said.
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The agreement between the Ceredigion library and Cardiff University means the public will be able to access resources from a new base in the Arts and Social Studies Library.
Previously they were only available on site in Aberystwyth.
There are also plans for joint exhibitions, lectures and events.
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People will be able to access the National Library of Wales' digital collections from Cardiff under a new agreement.
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A report by NHS Shetland has suggested the move, in a bid to curb excessive drinking.
About three-quarters of all alcohol consumed in Scotland is now bought from supermarkets or off licences.
The proposal will be considered by the local licensing board after the council elections next year.
Elizabeth Robinson, one of the report authors from NHS Shetland, told BBC Scotland: "People with alcohol problems have told us that they can go out the next morning and buy alcohol at 10am.
"If there was just a bit of a longer break until some time in the afternoon that would really help them.
"You can buy your 14 units a week for about £3 in Shetland.
"People tend to pour larger drinks at home."
However, shopkeeper Jordan Thomason said: "I think such a drastic increase in time runs the risk of people buying too much alcohol and then it could have the opposite effect of what they are trying to do."
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A proposal that supermarkets and off licences should only be able to sell alcohol later in the day is to be considered in Shetland.
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A team of archaeologists and volunteers has spent five years investigating the origins of 17 altars found at Maryport Roman fort in 1870.
Now the final phase of the Maryport Roman Temples project is under way.
Project director, professor Ian Haynes, said "so much depends" on the "last crucial season" of the dig.
Built on the cliffs overlooking Solway Firth, it is believed the fort was founded in the First Century AD when the Roman army initially entered the region.
The civilian settlement, which lies north-east of the fort, is believed to be the largest currently known along the Hadrian's Wall frontier.
The altars are housed at the Senhouse Museum Trust in Maryport and form part of a significant collection of Roman sculpture and inscriptions at the museum.
Believed to be the biggest single find of Roman inscriptions ever made in Britain, the altars provide evidence that three regiments from as far away as Spain and Germany were stationed at the fort.
In 2012, the team found another complete altar at the site.
Dated to the 2nd or 3rd Century AD, it was inscribed on behalf of Titus Attius Tutor, commander of the First Cohort of Baetasian, which came to Maryport from what is now the Netherlands.
Prof Haynes said: "We believe that we have located the general area where the altars once stood; in 2015 we will close in on the part of the site where we think that they were originally erected.
"By the end of the season we hope to have a detailed understanding of one of the most important Roman cult complexes ever to have been explored in Britain."
The final excavation ends on 14 August.
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The final part of a Cumbrian excavation to unearth the history of what is believed to be the biggest ever find of Roman altars in Britain has begun.
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Setting off at a leisurely pace through the west end, the former governor of California promptly began cycling on the wrong side of the street.
The Terminator star was in the capital to attend a black-tie dinner in his honour at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
The Hollywood star is often spotted cycling at home in California.
He shocked London commuters last year when he jumped on a Boris bike to enjoy a sightseeing tour.
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Action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken to the streets of Edinburgh for a morning bike ride.
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The 21-year-old made his debut for the League Two Essex side in 2013 and scored 14 goals in 76 appearances.
He spent part of this season on loan at National League leaders Lincoln City, where his only goal in eight outings came in a 1-0 win at Tranmere Rovers
Woking are in the relegation zone with one win in their last five games and play Eastleigh on Saturday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.
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National League Woking have signed striker Macauley Bonne on a one-month loan from Colchester United.
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The 22-year-old joined the Shakers in August 2014, following a brief loan spell at the club, and went on to make 81 appearances in all competitions.
Rose said: "[Moving to Mansfield] means playing games regularly, scoring a few goals, contributing to the team and hopefully a push towards promotion.
"It's a good club and I'm delighted to be here. Hopefully it will be a successful time here."
Rose scored five goals for the League One side last season, with his last league goals coming in the 4-3 victory over Blackpool in October.
The fee may be enhanced dependent on goals scored, promotion and a future sell-on clause provision.
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Mansfield have signed striker Danny Rose from Bury for an undisclosed fee.
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In March, the Gulf state said that those without papers would not be arrested if they left within 90 days.
The deadline was extended by another month, but so far only 60,000 out of an estimated 400,000 Ethiopians have left, the Ethiopian government says.
Ethiopians make up a large portion of the kingdom's undocumented workers.
All those without papers now face imprisonment or forced deportation.
Africa Live: Updates on this and other stories
Ethiopia's Communications Minister Negeri Lencho told the BBC he feared what could now happen to his compatriots who were still in Saudi Arabia, adding they must return "with a sense of urgency".
"They will be imprisoned and we don't want our citizens to face unnecessary imprisonment, or suffer any physical harm or humiliation," Mr Lencho said.
One of those who returned is 28-year-old domestic worker Nura Ahmed. "Life was really tough," she told the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza just after she arrived in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
"Sometimes I was jobless because I did not have the proper documentation, so I had no freedom to move around.
"One can never be at peace there," she added.
In 2013, a number of Ethiopians died in clashes with Saudi police as they were being rounded up for deportation.
Saudi Arabia attracts migrant workers from around the world, particularly Africa, and south and south-east Asia.
Saudi authorities estimate that up to one million people are working in the country illegally.
So far, tens of thousands of people of different nationalities have taken advantage of the grace period and have either left or acquired correct papers.
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Ethiopia says that only a fraction of its citizens working illegally in Saudi Arabia have returned home before today's amnesty deadline.
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The 21-year-old will finalise a £31m move to Old Trafford when the transfer window opens in June.
Depay made his final appearance for PSV on Sunday, playing 83 minutes of their 3-2 victory at Den Haag.
He finished the season as Eredivisie's top scorer with 22 goals as PSV secured their first Dutch title since 2008.
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PSV Eindhoven winger Memphis Depay has completed a medical at Manchester United.
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Ex-Wales striker John Hartson is concerned that the risk of injury is too great with the tournament less than a week away.
Coleman's team start their Euro 2016 campaign against Slovakia six days after their Stockholm visit, and already have several injury concerns.
"I don't think he'll take many chances with his big players," Hartson said.
"Chris has to be slightly cautious because there's only six days after Sunday until Wales open against Slovakia."
Hartson, who scored 14 goals in 51 Wales appearances, thinks that short turnaround could lead to Coleman resting Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale among others.
The world's most expensive player was last in action when he helped club side Real Madrid to win their 11th Champions League title.
"He might not play the likes of Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and Ashley Williams," added Hartson.
"Bale might have 10-15 minutes to shake off the cobwebs near the end maybe. I just don't think we can risk him.
"It's very close, but I don't think we can risk our big players."
Bale joined up with the Wales squad this week after his Champions League involvement.
After playing Slovakia, Wales face England in Lens on 16 June and Russia in Toulouse on 20 June.
Coleman's team is the first from Wales to qualify for the finals of a major international tournament since the 1958 World Cup.
The manager has already selected Crystal Palace's Joe Ledley who broke a bone in a leg less than a month ago.
Joe Allen and Hal Robson-Kanu are also likely to miss the Sweden clash.
"Chris has to be careful with injuries," added Hartson.
"The last thing he wants is any more injuries to deal with. He needs to make sure everyone is fit and well to play that first game in France."
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Wales manager Chris Coleman has been urged to rest his star men in Wales' final warm-up game before the Euros.
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Mr Farron was quoted in the Mail on Sunday suggesting that the Lib Dem brand would be tainted for a generation by governing with the Conservatives.
Lord Ashdown said: "Tim's a very able guy but at the moment judgement is not his strong suit."
He was asked about Mr Farron's comments on Radio 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics.
The Lib Dem election campaign chief, and former leader, went on to say: "I know Tim very well. He is a great campaigner, a good friend of mine. I think his well-known ambitions would probably be better served with a little more patience and a little more judgement."
Mr Farron was quoted as saying: "In 2010, many people said: I am not voting for you because of the Lib Lab pact (in the 1970s) when I was seven years old. Just think what going into coalition with the Tories will do to our brand over the next generation."
The Lib Dems insist that was not a new quote.
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Lord Ashdown has said Tim Farron - one of the frontrunners to be a future Liberal Democrat leader - lacks judgement.
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The 31-year-old, who joined the Reds in 2014, has the option to extend his stay at the West Sussex club by a further year as part of the deal.
Harrold scored nine goals in 39 appearances last season.
"I know what he can bring. He can handle himself physically but his touch and positional play is excellent," Crawley head coach Dermot Drummy said.
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Crawley Town striker Matt Harrold has signed a new one-year contract with the League Two club.
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A "limited number" of European shops would also close, the San-Francisco-based company said in a statement.
In addition, Gap will also cut about 250 jobs from its head office.
It has been struggling with falling sales as it competes with the likes of Europe's H&M and Zara.
Like-for-like sales for the Gap brand fell by 15% in April, compared with a 3% rise in the same month last year.
Chief executive Art Peck said: "Returning Gap brand to growth has been the top priority since my appointment four months ago."
"Customers are rapidly changing how they shop today, and these moves will help get Gap back to where we know it deserves to be in the eyes of consumers," he added.
The store closures will mean a loss of sales worth about $300m, Gap said, with one-off costs expected to be between $140m to $160m.
It did not say how many employees would be laid off as a result.
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The retailer Gap is to close 175 stores across North America over the next few years as it attempts to turn around the business.
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New Zealand, who set a new record in the professional era by winning all 14 of their Tests in 2013, won team of the year for the seventh time.
And Steven Hansen was named coach of the year for the second time in a row.
"This is fantastic recognition of a very special team," said New Zealand Rugby chairman Mike Eagle.
Kieran Read is the third New Zealander to win the IRB world player of the year award. Dan Carter triumphed in 2005 and 2012, while Richie McCaw won the award in 2006. 2009 and 2010
"We are very proud of what Steve, Kieran and the team have achieved in 2013 as they have worked hard to be the best."
Read, 28, who has played 61 Tests for New Zealand, was chosen ahead of countryman Ben Smith, Wales' Leigh Halfpenny, South Africa's Eben Etzebeth and Italy's Sergio Parisse.
He is the third New Zealander to win the award, following Dan Carter in 2005 and 2012 and Richie McCaw in 2006, 2009 and 2010.
"I'd like to congratulate Kieran on his award as it is well deserved," said Hansen.
"He has been outstanding and has been a major contributor all season. It's been a big year and I'm incredibly proud of what the boys have achieved.
"It's certainly special to have the All Blacks named for all three awards so it's important that we thank and acknowledge all those behind the team."
The winners of the three awards were picked by a panel chaired by Australia's 1999 World-Cup winning captain John Eales and made up of Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Raphael Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustin Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Tana Umaga and Paul Wallace.
New Zealand's 14th win of 2013 came against Ireland late last month as they secured victory with a converted injury-time try to edge the autumn international 24-22.
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New Zealand number eight Kieran Read has been named world player of the year as the All Blacks dominated the International Rugby Board awards.
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Arteta, 34, joined the club in 2011 and made 150 appearances, scoring 17 goals.
Rosicky, 35, signed in 2006 and was given an award for 246 appearances and 10 years of service before the Gunners' final-day win over Aston Villa.
Manager Arsene Wenger described the pair as "two exceptional players and influences in the dressing room".
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Spaniard Arteta and Rosicky of the Czech Republic leave Arsenal with two FA Cup medals, won in 2014 and 2015.
Arteta, who signed from Everton for £10m, thought he had scored on his farewell but his late strike in the 4-0 win over Villa on Sunday was given as a Mark Bunn own goal.
He was then seen crying after the final whistle.
In his match programme notes, Arteta said that failing to win the Premier League was "not good enough for this club".
Tottenham's 5-1 defeat by Newcastle meant the Gunners leapfrogged their north London rivals to finish second in the table, but they have not won the title since 2004.
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Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta and fellow midfielder Tomas Rosicky will leave the Premier League club when their contracts expire this summer.
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The 27-year-old, who came through City's academy, left for Reading in 2006 after making 15 appearances.
Golbourne, who joined Wolves in August 2013 and played 92 times for Wanderers, would have been out of contract at Molineux at the end of the season.
"Scott is a Bristol lad and that's important to us," said interim manager John Pemberton.
"He has been here before, he's athletic and someone we need for this football club."
The left-back joins new loan signings Lee Tomlin, Alex Pearce and Ben Gladwin at Ashton Gate.
Colchester United manager Kevin Keen has also confirmed to BBC Essex that the League One club have rejected another offer for midfielder Alex Gilbey from City.
Last week Keen said the U's received a "joke bid" for the 21-year-old.
Meanwhile, right-back Luke Ayling is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks after undergoing surgery on his cartilage.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
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Bristol City have re-signed former defender Scott Golbourne from Wolves on a two-and-a-half year deal.
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The distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack was aimed at the website of industry expert Brian Krebs.
At its peak, the attack aimed 620 gigabits of data a second at the site.
Text found in attack data packets suggested it was mounted to protest against Mr Krebs' work to uncover who was behind a prolific DDoS attack.
In a blogpost, Mr Krebs detailed the attack, which began late on Tuesday night and quickly ramped up to its peak attack rate.
DDoS attacks are typically carried out to knock a site offline - but Mr Krebs' site stayed online thanks to work by security engineers, who said the amount of data used was nearly twice the size of the largest attack they had ever seen.
"It was among the biggest assaults the internet has ever witnessed," added Mr Krebs.
Security firm Akamai said the attack generated such a huge volume of data by exploiting weak or default passwords in widely used net-connected cameras, routers and digital video recorders. Once in control of these "smart" devices the attackers used them to swamp the site with data requests.
"These new internet-accessible devices can bring great benefits, but they are also an increasingly easy and lucrative targets for cybercriminals," said Nick Shaw from security firm Symantec.
The security firm has carried out research which shows swift growth in the number of malware families scouring the net for vulnerable devices. Typically, said Mr Shaw, malicious hackers who take over gadgets are not interested in stealing personal data.
"Cybercriminals are interested in cheap bandwidth to enable bigger attacks," he said.
Mr Krebs speculated that the attack could have been prompted by an article he published, in early September, that named two young men allegedly associated with a service called vDos that carried out DDoS attacks for cash.
Soon after the article was published, Israeli police arrested the two men named by Mr Krebs. Released on bail, the pair were barred from using the net for 30 days.
Buried inside many of the data packets despatched towards Mr Krebs' site was text calling for the release of one of the men named in that article.
"I can't say for sure, but it seems likely (to be) related," said Mr Krebs.
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One of the biggest web attacks ever seen has been aimed at a security blogger after he exposed hackers who carry out such attacks for cash.
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Gabbiadini scored twice to bring Saints level at 2-2, but had what would have been the opener incorrectly ruled out.
"Gabbiadini's first was a good goal, it should have stood. He scored three good goals," Puel said.
"It's a lot of disappointment. We deserved better," the Frenchman added.
"I would like the video for the future for this situation, but at the moment we are without. Sometimes there is a bad decision against us, it is important to accept this.
"The memories are always for the winner. It's football and congratulations for Manchester. I'm proud of my players because we played very well."
Zlatan Ibrahimovic collected the 32nd trophy of his career after heading an 87th-minute winner at Wembley on Sunday, having earlier given United the lead with a brilliant 19th-minute free-kick.
Jesse Lingard put United 2-0 in front before Gabbiadini struck twice - his fourth and fifth goals in three games since joining from Napoli for £14m.
"Puel has reason to be really sad and disappointed because he did fantastic work and his team deserved extra time,'' United manager Jose Mourinho said.
"To lose in minute 87 with very little time to try to react, as they did in the first half, is a little bit unfair on them."
Goalline technology - to determine whether the ball has crossed the line - was brought in to the Premier League for the start of the 2013-14 season.
And a trial - possibly in Britain - using video assistant referees for "game-changing decisions" will begin no later than the 2017-18 campaign, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) has said.
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Southampton manager Claude Puel says he would like to see video technology used for offside after Manolo Gabbiadini's disallowed goal in the 3-2 EFL Cup final defeat by Manchester United.
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The New Zealander wants them to finish as the top Welsh team in the table and also stake claims for places for Wales' summer tour Tests against Samoa and Tonga.
Scarlets have secured a top-four finish and Ospreys are all but assured of qualifying for the play-offs.
"One of the team goals was to be the top Welsh region," said Pivac.
He continued: "So to finish top, we need a win on the weekend."
The Pro12 title will be decided after semi-final play-offs in which Scarlets or Ospreys will travel to Ireland to face either Leinster or Munster.
The leading Irish teams go into round 22 first and second in the table respectively.
The team finishing top will play the fourth-ranked team with second hosting third meaning, as things stand, Scarlets would go to Munster while Ospreys would be at Leinster later in May.
Pivac said the clash with the Ospreys, "is not a cup final", however, adding: "In isolation, it's one of our team goals is to finish top Welsh team on the ladder.
"We were able to do that last year and we want to replicate that.
"There's also the small matter of a tour to the southern hemisphere for Wales to play two Test matches.
"Part of our role is to get results for the club.
"It's also to help promote players to that next level so there's a lot to play for in this weekend's game."
Pivac also highlighted how finishing highest among Welsh teams can affect which group they would play in during the 2017-18 Champions Cup.
He said: "There is pressure. The top four is put to bed, but we certainly are looking at finishing as high up as we can because it impacts on the pool we have for Europe next year, which is important."
Wales lock Jake Ball and Scotland back-rower John Barclay are doubts to face their local rivals as the regular season ends.
Ball came off with a shoulder injury in Scarlets' win at Connacht on Saturday, and Pivac says he is "50-50" to be fit to face Ospreys.
Barclay was withdrawn before kick off in Galway after suffering a hamstring twinge in the build-up and Pivac says he will not be tempted to select any injured players.
He added: "We are selecting to achieve our team goals and to do that we're up against a strong Ospreys team who have similar goals, I would imagine.
"And their players are playing for positions on the tour as well so will be equally motivated.
"We'll be putting out the strongest team possible without being silly.
"If there are players carrying injuries we have that luxury of the semi-final to think about as well."
Scarlets won what was then called the Celtic League title in the first season of Welsh regional rugby in the 2003-04 campaign but they have not won it since.
Their most recent semi-final play-off appearance came in 2013, when they lost at that stage to Ulster.
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Scarlets boss Wayne Pivac has given his players a double target when they host Ospreys in the Pro12 on Saturday.
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Following the announcement of the new global calendar in March, Premiership Rugby confirmed the 2019-20 domestic season will start in early September and finish at the end of June.
However, players have voiced their concerns about the schedule.
"I think it fills us all with a bit with dread," Tigers hooker Youngs, 30, told BBC Radio 5 live.
"I know they are trying to look after us a little bit, but that's a long time. It's long enough now."
Premiership Rugby say the 10-month campaign will allow clubs to become "more sophisticated" in their management of players, with chief executive Mark McCafferty insisting player welfare remains the priority.
But Youngs, who has 28 England caps and three for the British and Irish Lions - is among those to stress the need for a long summer break and pre-season, rather than shorter rest periods during the campaign.
"It would shorten pre-seasons, and pre-season is so vital to get us ready to go through the season," he added.
"I know in June, if I don't go on any tours or anything, I have five weeks off and that is nice to know. Even when pre-season games come round, it feels a little bit like you have only played last week.
"I don't know the ins and outs, but I wouldn't be too keen about it to be honest. I do feel the players are going to be the ones to drag it through. To just extend the season, I don't think that will really work."
Senior figures in the club game, such as Northampton forward Christian Day, have not ruled out the option of players going on strike and Youngs says the next few months could be critical.
"It will be interesting to see what happens over the next year or so, and how the players try to get this resolved to where we would like it to be," he said.
"It's probably going to clash at some point and we will have to see how it all unfolds."
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The proposed 10-month Premiership rugby season "fills players with dread", says Leicester Tigers captain Tom Youngs.
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The Ross County striker transferred his prolific club form onto the international stage to beat the All Whites in the friendly in Belfast.
"My family were all in the stands so to score in front of all of the fans and hear the noise of a goal was unreal.
"I thought I took my goal well, it's a brilliant feeling," Boyce said.
Boyce was unlucky to be omitted from Michael O'Neill's squad for the Euro 2016 finals but finished this season as the Scottish Premier League's top-scorer with 23 goals, including 10 in his last 10 games.
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With forwards Conor Washington and Jamie Ward out injured, Boyce seized his chance and said the early goal after just six minutes was exactly what he wanted.
"The form I've been in you want to get a goal as early as possible and try to add to that," said Boyce.
"I cut inside and hit it well between the defender's legs and once that happens, more than likely it's going to go in."
Boyce is determined to make an impact in Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifier away to Azerbaijan on 10 June by scoring his first competitive goal.
"It's not so long ago I was playing in the Irish League and I want to show I'm better than that and see how far I can go in football," added the ex-Cliftonville man.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill described Boyce's display as evidence of "a player on top of his game".
He admitted he was "slightly disappointed" the team did not add further to their tally.
"It was a physical game, a demanding game, which was exactly what we wanted.
"It leaves us in a good place for next week."
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Liam Boyce described the feeling of scoring his first international goal as "unreal" after netting the winner for Northern Ireland against New Zealand.
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Lee Cook's fourth-minute shot from the right-hand side of the penalty box was enough to separate the sides.
Brendan Moore denied Cook a second in the first half while Angus MacDonald twice went close for the Gulls.
Torquay, who had been on an eight-game unbeaten run, have now lost two in a row and are two points from safety.
They have scored just one goal in their last six games and dropped to third from bottom of the table after Boreham Wood's 3-0 win over Dover.
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Eastleigh moved to within two points of the National League play-off places as they won at relegation-threatened Torquay United.
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The Briton is trying to be the first rider in 38 years to win the Tour de France and Vuelta in the same year.
Another of Froome's key rivals, Nairo Quintana, finished four-hundredths of a second adrift with his Movistar squad.
Manxman Pete Kennaugh led the Team Sky squad over the finish line to take the race leader's red jersey.
Just five of Sky's nine-man squad crossed the line together, the minimum needed to register a time.
Spaniard Contador was the last man to win two of the three main road races in a calendar year, winning the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta in 2008.
Only Jacques Anquetil, in 1963, and Bernard Hinault, in 1978, have previously won the Tour de France and Vuelta in the same season.
"To start almost a minute from direct rivals is more than I imagined," said Contador, who is looking to win the Vuelta for a joint record fourth time.
"It's a big deficit. There are still 20 stages to go and we will try to reduce the gap day by day."
Sunday's 159km second stage takes the riders from Ourense to Baiona.
Team time trial classification:
1. Team Sky (GB) 30mins 37secs
2. Movistar (Spa) same time
3. Orica BikeExchange (Aus) +6 secs
4. BMC Racing (US) +7secs
5. Etixx - Quick-Step (Bel) +22secs
6. Trek-Segafredo (US) +50secs
7. Cannondale (US) +52secs
8. Tinkoff (Rus) Same time
9. BORA Argon (Ger) +57secs
10. Astana (Kaz) +58secs
General classification:
1. Peter Kennaugh (GB/Team Sky) 30mins 37secs
2. Salvatore Puccio (Ita/Team Sky) same time
3. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol/Team Sky)
4. Leopold Koenig (Cze/Team Sky)
5. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky)
6. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar)
7. Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa/Movistar)
8. Ruben Fernandez (Spa/Movistar)
9. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa/Movistar)
10. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar)
Selected others:
14. Simon Yates (GB/Orica BikeExchange) +6 secs
50. Alberto Contador (Spa/Tinkoff) +52 secs
124. Scott Thwaites (GB/BORA Argon) +02mins 01sec
179. Hugh Carthy (GB/Caja Rural) +04mins 34secs
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Chris Froome opened a 52-second lead over rival Alberto Contador after Team Sky won the team time trial on the opening stage of the Vuelta a Espana.
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The £20m contract is with wind farm developer Scottishpower Renewables.
The engineering firm is to make 24 steel foundation jackets for wind turbines to be used in the North Sea. The work will take two years to complete.
Harland and Wolff said the new contract is "very significant for Belfast".
It added that the structures, at more than 65m tall, will almost be as "prominent in the Belfast skyline as the famous Samson and Goliath cranes".
Harland and Wolff stopped shipbuilding in 2003 and its more recent work has included refurbishing oil rigs.
In March, it announced 60 jobs were to go because of a downturn in the offshore oil and gas sector.
Accounts for last year show it had made a profit of £1m and described market conditions as difficult.
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Harland and Wolff has secured a major manufacturing contract that it says will support 200 jobs.
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Swansea are four points clear of the relegation zone after a much-needed 2-1 win at Everton.
The Swans had beaten Watford earlier in the week and Williams wants the team to continue the momentum.
"The main thing is we build on it and that was my message before the game," Williams said.
"We want to put a run together now and pick up as many points as we can to put a bit of distance between ourselves and the drop zone.
"Every team has a little run, whether it's a good one or a bad one, throughout the season.
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"We'll try and make it our turn to have a good one now."
New head coach Francesco Guidolin's first game in charge saw Swansea secure a first ever league win over Everton and two successive wins for the first time this season.
Wales defender Williams has been impressed by the Italian, who previously coached Udinese and Monaco.
"He's lifted the place a bit and also tried to implement some of his own ideas into the team in the week," Williams added.
"He wants us to play our own game with a few little tweaks and ideas that he thinks will help us.
"I look forward to working with him and all the lads have been impressed with his first week and the way he goes about work and what he's asking of us.
"It looks good at the minute. It's been a good week for us and now we can settle down again, collect our thoughts and go again."
Swansea's next Premier League game on Tuesday, 2 February will be away to the side immediately above them in the table, West Bromwich Albion.
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Captain Ashley Williams has challenged Swansea City to maintain their winning form following back-to-back wins in the Premier League.
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The actor, best known for playing the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit wizard Gandalf and the X-Men supervillain Magneto, is to be given a star in the town's Believe Square.
The 75-year-old lived in Wigan in the 1940s and has said he was inspired to act by watching market traders there.
He said he was looking forward to returning to accept the honour in June as Wigan "holds many special memories".
The actor, who was born in Burnley in 1939, moved to a semi-detached house near Mesnes Park with his family at the age of three and stayed there until he was 11.
McKellen has spoken previously of his love of watching brass bands play in the park, the performances of the Frank Fortescue Players at the town's now-defunct Hippodrome and how traders pedalling their wares in Market Square was one of the things that sparked his interest in acting.
Sir Ian gone on to become one of Britain's best loved actors, combining his film performances with Shakespearean roles on stage and even a cameo appearance on Coronation Street.
"It will be fascinating to see how the town has developed since 1951, when our family moved to Bolton," he said. "If only the Hippodrome was still there."
Wigan Council leader Lord Peter Smith said Sir Ian was "rightly one of this town's most loved sons", adding there were "few better ambassadors".
Believe Square was unveiled in 2013 to celebrate the sporting achievements of the town's rugby league and football clubs.
Other personalities honoured include writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie, athlete Jenny Meadows, football manager Roberto Martinez and pioneering heart surgeon Dr Nayyar Naqvi.
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Sir Ian McKellen is to be honoured by his childhood hometown of Wigan.
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It fell from 170th best ranked university in the world in 2014/15 to 182nd in the QS World University Rankings for 2015/16.
Ulster University, meanwhile, was ranked in a band from 551-600 in 2015/16, similar to last year.
The QS rankings are one of the most authoritative rankings of universities across the globe.
The ratings are based on a number of factors, including evaluating each university's strengths in research, teaching, academic reputation, staff to student ratio and the number of international staff and students.
However, QS said it has changed its methodology slightly this year to counteract a bias in favour of universities specialising in life sciences and to better reflect the qualities of institutions focusing on other areas.
The other main global ranking table for universities is the Times Higher Education system, which is due next month.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA was rated the world's top university in 2015/16, followed by Harvard in second place, with Stanford and the University of Cambridge in joint third place.
The UK had 30 universities, including Queen's University, in the world's top 200.
In the UK alone, QUB was ranked 29th, while Ulster University was ranked 56th.
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Queen's University, Belfast (QUB) has fallen 12 places in the latest global university rankings.
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The fighter gave himself up when he was approached near the town of Sinjar on Monday morning, an Iraqi Kurdish general said.
He was reportedly carrying a large quantity of cash, three phones and a US driving licence.
The US is leading an international military coalition against IS.
The US state department said that it was aware of reports that a US citizen had been captured by Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, Reuters reports.
"We are in touch with Iraqi and Kurdish authorities to determine the veracity of these reports," a state department official said.
CBS News said the man was trying to enter Turkey when he was intercepted by Kurdish forces.
Maj Gen Feisal Helkani of the Kurdish peshmerga forces said the man was currently being held by the peshmerga for interrogation, AP reports.
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US officials are checking reports that an American member of the so-called "Islamic State" group (IS) has been held in northern Iraq.
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10 December 2014 Last updated at 07:08 GMT
Nasa astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield dropped into Newsround's mission control to answer kids questions, taste our finest space food and sing a cracking space lullaby.
Here's your chance to watch it again.
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It has been a fantastic year for space exploration this year, from landing the Rosetta space probe on a comet, to testing out rockets that could take astronauts to Mars.
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The 21-year-old became the youngest ever back-to-back champion in the premier class as he clinched his second world title on the Motegi track.
Repsol Honda rider Marquez won the title with an unassailable lead of 312 points in the overall standings with three races to go.
"Just two years in MotoGP with two titles is incredible, " said Marquez.
Spain's Jorge Lorenzo won the race 1.638 seconds ahead of Marquez with Italy's Valentino Rossi third.
Rossi moved up to second place in the championship ahead of Marquez's team-mate Dani Pedrosa with Lorenzo fourth.
Marquez won the the title with 11 victories in 15 races, including a record-equalling 10 in a row.
He is also the youngest rider to win two consecutive world championships, beating the previous record held by Britain's Mike Hailwood in 1963.
Marquez did not make the best start off the line from fourth on the grid.
But he hunted down the front group and overtook Pol Espargaro, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Iannone in the opening laps.
He then picked off Andrea Dovizioso who started on pole and won a mid-race battle with Rossi, overtaking at the second attempt on lap nine for second place.
Marquez made an attempt to catch Lorenzo, but the Yamaha rider responded and Marquez settled for second.
Pedrosa finished in fourth place just 0.5secs behind Rossi.
"The race doesn't really matter today, " said Marquez, who has also won world titles at Moto2 and Moto3.
"Maybe I wasn't riding like always, as I felt a little different. It was hard to overtake and I didn't want a mistake. I had two mistakes in the last races but we got the title. It's incredible to take it at home. Thanks to my family and Honda."
"Maybe for the people it looks easy because I'm always smiling, but there is a lot of pressure. I'm really happy with my team and family and fans, they're all pushing me. It's like a dream right now."
The next race is Phillip Island, Australia on 19 October.
Motegi MotoGP result:
1. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 42:21.259 secs
2. Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda +1.638
3. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha +2.602
4. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda +3.157
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati +14.353
6. Andrea Iannoneita (Italy) Ducati +16.653
7. Stefan Bradl (Germany) Honda +19.531
8. Pol Espargaro (Spain) Yamaha +19.815
9. Bradley Smith (Britain) Yamaha +23.575
10. Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Honda +35.687
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Spaniard Marc Marquez retained his MotoGP championship title with a second-place finish in Japan on Sunday.
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Rowe, 27, had not planned to take part in the race, which will be held over eight days in September.
But he says the opportunity to race on the streets of the Welsh capital would be "special".
"It's yet to be decided but it's on the radar and something I would like to do," Rowe told BBC Radio Wales.
"Potentially it's a once-in-a-career moment, racing a professional bike race on the home roads I grew up as a kid racing.
"It would be so special to have the home Welsh support and have my mates and my family out there."
The eight-stage event, won last year by Britain's Steve Cummings, will conclude with a 180km stage finishing in Cardiff on 10 September.
Rowe said he has already held discussions with Team Sky about the possibility of taking part in the race.
"It's all up in the air at the moment," Rowe said.
"Originally the plan was definitely not to ride it as it wasn't in the race programme.
"But once I heard it finishes in Cardiff suddenly a few phone calls were going back and forth and I'm quite interested in racing it now."
Rowe is taking part in the three-day Tour de Yorkshire, which begins in Bridlington on Friday, as he starts his preparations for this year's Tour de France.
The Welshman hopes to be selected for his third Tour de France having been part of the team that supported Team Sky colleague Chris Froome's wins in 2015 and 2016.
"The race in Yorkshire is my first race back," Rowe added.
"I'll have an altitude camp in Tenerife then I'll have the Criterium du Dauphine, which is a week-long stage race in France and after that will be the Tour de France.
"It's not guaranteed I'll ride. I'll have to perform well in the next month, six weeks to gain selection.
"But I'm quietly confident and hopefully I'll bank a place in the team and 'Froomey' can do the business again."
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Team Sky's Luke Rowe is hoping to take part in this year's Tour of Britain, which will finish in his home city of Cardiff.
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The institution, which is based in Edinburgh, has been sold to Macquarie Group for £2.3bn and will now operate under the name Green Investment Group.
The government said the deal ensures that all taxpayer funding invested in the bank has been returned, with a gain of around £186m.
It employs 50 people at its headquarters in the Scottish capital.
Another 85 work at its London office.
The bank was set up by the UK government five years ago to fund renewable and low-carbon projects.
Climate Change and Industry Minister Claire Perry said: "We led the world in setting up the Green Investment Bank and it is now being copied by others.
"Now that it's in the private sector, it will be able to operate on an international level to tackle the global challenge of climate change.
"It is also perfectly placed to help us finance green initiatives for our Clean Growth Plan and realise the commitments set out in the Paris Agreement."
The government said the Edinburgh office will be home to a new revenue-generating business.
It will also provide services to the green energy portfolios of both Macquarie and the Green Investment Group in the UK.
Vince Cable, who launched the bank in 2012 when he was business secretary, said its sale was "environmentally irresponsible".
"The bank has done an extremely good job in supporting renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-carbon projects," the Liberal Democrat leader said.
"It has managed to attract over £10bn of private investment in these sectors that would not otherwise have happened.
"At a time when business confidence is falling and the Conservatives are giving mixed signals on their commitment to the environment, this is the worst time to undermine investment in the green economy.
"The Green Investment Bank's environmental mission is in danger of disappearing under the ownership of a private Australian bank whose track record does not inspire confidence."
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The sale of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) by the UK government has been completed.
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The 18-year-old won his first Grand Slam title along with Gordon Reid.
The second seeds came from a set behind to beat top seeds Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer 4-6 6-1 7-6 (8-6).
"I actually had to re-watch the match point because I just couldn't remember what had happened," Hewett told BBC Radio Norfolk.
"One of the players asked what was the rally like at match point and I couldn't answer them, I just couldn't remember what had happened - it was an insane moment.
"Thoughts start coming in your head about winning two or three points before, you've just got to try to keep as calm as possible."
Despite his success, Hewett was asked if he would rather be a Wimbledon champion or watch his team Norwich City win at Wembley? "Wembley, all day long."
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Wimbledon men's wheelchair doubles champion Alfie Hewett has revealed that he forgot the winning rally of their final.
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Carwyn Jones hailed figures showing exports from Wales increased by £1.5bn over the past year to £14.8bn.
Wales exported most to the United States, followed by Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and Holland.
The most popular Welsh export was machinery and transport equipment, worth £6bn.
Mr Jones said: "At the start of 2013 I set out the most extensive programme of trade missions since devolution.
"Today's figures clearly demonstrate the overwhelming success of our approach, with companies in Wales benefitting from substantial increases in exports to every major trading market.
"Today's figures add to the growing list of economic indicators that show the Welsh economy clearly outperforming the rest of the UK."
Welsh Conservatives welcomed the figures, whilst pointing out that exports were "rising from a low base".
Shadow Business Minister William Graham said: "Welsh businesses have a positive story to tell in many of the products and services on offer, but we need the Welsh Labour government to improve the way it markets Wales to maximise potential gains to the Welsh economy.
"The Welsh government needs to properly develop a Welsh identity brand and to ensure better liaison with UKTI (UK Trade International) with its world wide contacts and experience.
"While this long-awaited progress is welcome after 15 years of successive Labour governments, Welsh ministers must not get complacent and should redouble their efforts to secure economic growth and make Wales a more prosperous nation."
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Exports from Wales are up more than 11%, outperforming the rest of the UK whose exports rose by just 0.4%, the first minister has said.
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The club has not been able to buy players since January this year after breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
The news came the day after the club removed Russell Slade from his position as manager to take up a new role as the club's head of football.
Slade will be in charge of the team for the last time when they play their final match of the season against Birmingham City at home on Saturday.
The sanction will be lifted after the game, and means the club can start looking at potential summer recruits with the transfer window due to open on 10 June.
Chief executive Ken Choo insisted the club would not rush appointing Slade's replacement.
"We will take our time - we need to get the right person into the role," he said.
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Cardiff City's transfer embargo has been lifted by the Football League.
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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy grew by 0.4% in the quarter, compared with an earlier estimate of 0.3%.
Growth was boosted by a better performance from the construction industry than previously estimated.
On an annual basis, the economy grew by 2.9% from the first quarter of 2014, up from a previous estimate of 2.4%.
The latest revision is the third estimate for the period.
For 2014 as a whole, economic growth was revised up to 3% from 2.8%.
The ONS figures showed household disposable income grew by 4.5% year-on-year, the fastest annual pace since the second quarter of 2001.
Earlier this month, the ONS said construction output in the UK was 0.2% lower in the first quarter, rather than 1.1% lower as previously estimated.
"The slight upward revision to growth in the first quarter of 2015 is down largely to the recently announced new methods to measure construction output," ONS chief economist Joe Grice said.
Quarterly growth in services output was left unrevised at 0.4%.
Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, forecast economic growth would accelerate in the three months to June as the uncertainty caused by the general election in May subsided.
He said he expected the economy to grow by 0.7% in the second quarter and by 2.5% over the course of the year.
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The UK economy grew faster than previously estimated in the first three months of the year, figures have shown.
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Downing Street said "good progress" had been made on the UK's proposals but there were still "difficult issues" to resolve.
The prime minister's spokesman said there would be "substantive discussions" on the reforms instead.
The UK's PM has promised an in/out vote on EU membership by the end of 2017.
The prime minister is said to want to hold an early vote but he has said he will not set the timing of the poll until the negotiations, on Britain's terms of membership of the 28-member bloc, are concluded.
Q&A: What Britain wants from Europe
Guide to the UK's planned in-out EU referendum
BBC News EU referendum special report
Mr Cameron spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone on Thursday to discuss the renegotiation efforts.
After the call, Downing Street said: "The prime minister explained that his priority is to get the substance right, underlining the need for legally binding, irreversible changes.
"He noted that the scale of what we are asking for means we will not resolve this in one go and consequently he did not expect to get agreement at the December European Council.
"Instead, we should keep up the pace of discussions and use the summit for a substantive discussion of the proposed changes in each area."
The government had never committed to a deal by December but it is thought that was what the negotiating team had hoped.
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said it suggested Mr Cameron was "running into real difficulties" in his renegotiations, in particular over proposals to restrict EU migrants' access to benefits in the UK.
"That has always been a sticking point," he said, adding that European leaders have "serious reservations" about the proposals.
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David Cameron has said that he does not expect an agreement to be reached on his EU reform aims at December's summit of European leaders.
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The hosts held a slender 13-11 lead at the break, with Bristol wing David Lemi responding to Will Hurrell's try.
But second-half scores from Ross McMillan and Ben Glynn put the away side, who finished the season top of the table, in command of the tie.
The two teams play the second leg at Ashton Gate on Wednesday, 25 May.
Bristol, who are taking part in the Championship play-offs for the fifth time in seven seasons, elected to play the first leg away from home after losing in the final in each of the last two campaigns.
They are looking to return to the Premiership for the first time since they were relegated in 2009, when they finished bottom with only two wins from 22 matches.
Andy Robinson's team finished 16 points ahead of second-placed Doncaster in the regular season.
Doncaster: Jarvis, Bulumakau, M. Clark, Hurrell, Lewis, Cusack, Heaney, List, Hunter, Quigley, Challinor, Phelan, Makaafi, Hills, Shaw.
Replacements: Veikoso, Brugnara, W. John, Steadman, Young, Flockhart, Field.
Bristol: Arscott, Varndell, Tovey, Mosses, Lemi, Sheedy, Cliff, O'Connell, McMillan, Perenise, Evans, Glynn, Mama, Lam, J. Phillips.
Replacements: Brooker, Traynor, G. Cortes, Sorenson, Robinson, Roberts, Morgan.
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Bristol took a significant step towards promotion to the Premiership with victory at Doncaster in their Championship play-off final first leg.
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The French-born ex-AS Monaco left-back, 20, has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal, with the option of an extra year.
He becomes the second attacking full-back to join Blues in as many days after right-sided player Emilio Nsue's move from Middlesbrough on Wednesday.
"He is very highly rated in Italy and one we have kept an eye on," Blues boss Gianfranco Zola told BBC WM.
"Juventus and Torino are following him, so he is a valuable player. Everyone speaks so highly of him.
"I am sure we can do something with him that might make him a complete player. He is one of those that maybe in a few years we are selling to a big club. He has the potential to reach the top."
Keita, who is Blues' fourth signing of the January window following the arrivals of Lukas Jutkiewicz, Craig Gardner and Nsue. made 67 league appearances for Virtus, who he joined in 2014.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.
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Birmingham City have signed Cheick Keita from Italian Serie B outfit Virtus Entella for an undisclosed fee.
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It is estimated the new law could raise up to £1m a year for the Welsh NHS.
The bill's sponsor, Labour AM Mick Antoniw, said it would help people whose lives had been blighted by "this terrible disease".
The insurance industry has raised concerns, questioning whether the move is within the assembly's powers.
Before becoming an assembly member, Mr Antoniw was a solicitor at the legal firm which has acted for many asbestos victims and their families.
Speaking before the bill was passed, he said: "It is only right that medical costs incurred by the NHS should be recovered from those who caused the disease and used to give more support to asbestos victims and their families - for example, a cancer nurse costs £50,000 per annum.
"We could employ an additional 20 cancer nurses or a mixture of cancer nurses and counsellors or additional research into the cause and treatment of asbestos disease.
"It is my belief this new Welsh law can make a significant improvement to the quality of life of those whose life is blighted by this terrible disease."
Last December assembly Presiding Officer Rosemary Butler certified that the bill was within the institution's powers, but admitted it was a "finely balanced" decision on some aspects of the legislation.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) wrote to her and the secretary of state for Wales with a number of what it called "serious concerns" about the bill's lawfulness.
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A bill to recover the costs of treating Welsh asbestos patients from businesses or insurers has been passed by assembly members.
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Cdr Sarah West, 42, took charge of Type 23 frigate HMS Portland in May 2012, but left her vessel last month.
A Royal Navy spokesman said Cdr West had now been "removed from command" but gave no further details saying it was an "internal matter".
She would be reappointed to another post, the spokesman added.
Cdr West had been on board Plymouth-based HMS Portland on a deployment since January.
Last month, the Ministry of Defence confirmed it was "aware of an allegation of a breach of the code of social conduct" on board the ship, which it said it was "treating seriously".
The code governs personal relationships, which are not permitted if they compromise operational effectiveness.
Confirming her removal, a Royal Navy spokesman said the case was an "internal matter between the individual and her senior officers".
"Cdr West will continue to serve in the Royal Navy and she will be reappointed to a post where her skills and experience can be used to best effect," the spokesman added.
The spokesman said Cdr West's second-in-command had taken over the running of HMS Portland.
When she took up her post in May 2012, Cdr West said it was "definitely the highlight of my 16 years in the Royal Navy so far".
Cdr West, who grew up in Lincolnshire and joined the Royal Navy in 1995, previously commanded four minesweepers. There has been no confirmation that Cdr West had a relationship with a fellow officer.
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The first female commander of a major Royal Navy warship has been removed from her post following allegations of an affair with one of her officers.
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The 22-year-old 14th seed went down 6-3 1-6 6-4 6-1 in the first round in New York.
Kyrgios looked to have taken control of the match before he hurt his shoulder in the third set.
"One serve and my arm's totally dead," he told the physio while receiving treatment.
"I don't know what to do. It's so dead and numb, it's incredibly weak. I wasn't feeling it at all, and all of a sudden, bang, with one serve."
After dropping the first set to Millman, the world number 235, it appeared as though Kyrgios was on his way to victory when he took the second 6-1.
However, the contest changed dramatically with Kyrgios serving at 1-1 in the third, at one point asking a ball boy to help him stretch his right arm.
To add to his frustration, Kyrgios was given a warning for an audible obscenity and, after losing the third set, penalised a point for violently smashing his racquet.
"My forehand's painful, it's just so annoying," he told the trainer.
When fully fit, Kyrgios has shown the kind of form this year that has made him tipped as a possible Grand Slam champion, taking a rampant Federer to a final set tie-break in Miami and reaching his first Masters final in Cincinnati this month.
"I don't know what to do, I really don't," he added on court.
"I'm feeling good, I finally had a good week last week, playing a good match, middle of the third set against an Aussie, and bang - that's it."
Millman goes on to face Tunisia's Malek Jaziri or Thiago Monteiro of Brazil in the second round.
"I know Nick's shoulder deteriorated as the match went on, so it's a victory, but slightly hollow," said Millan. "I feel for him."
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Australia's Nick Kyrgios struggled with a shoulder injury as he lost to compatriot John Millman at the US Open - admitting: "I don't know what to do."
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Lalmatia Club were dismissed for 88 in 14 overs on Tuesday before bowler Sujon Mahmud sent down just four legitimate deliveries, despite bowling 20 balls.
Three deliveries were no-balls and 13 were wides - all of which raced to the boundary, costing his side 80 runs.
The four legal deliveries were hit for 12 runs by Axiom opener Mustafizur Rahman - not the Bangladesh Test bowler of the same name - as they completed a 10-wicket win in 0.4 overs.
Club secretary Adnan Rahman said the deliveries were part of a protest against poor umpiring in the Dhaka Second Division League, and that his team's captain was not allowed to see the coin after the toss.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board, which organises club cricket in Dhaka, told AFP they had asked match officials to submit a report before launching a formal investigation.
The most runs conceded in a Test innings is Australian left-arm wrist-spinner Chuck Fleetwood-Smith's 1-298, which came from 87 overs against England in 1938.
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A Bangladeshi cricket team conceded 92 runs in the space of four balls to deliberately lose a match in a protest over umpiring.
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The union is fighting plans by Southern owner Govia Thameslink (GTR) to turn conductors into "on-board supervisors", with drivers taking over responsibility for opening and closing carriage doors.
Services have been disrupted for months due to industrial action.
Southern said the action was "unnecessary, unjustified and futile".
Passenger service director Alex Foulds said: "Passengers and staff will once again be appalled by the RMT's decision to hold yet another strike.
"We are moving forward with our plans for the benefit of customers after nine months of fruitless attempts to reach an agreement."
Changes to the role of guards were imposed by the company from Sunday.
Mr Foulds added: "We have guaranteed all our onboard staff a job until the end of the franchise, as valued members of our future operation, with no reduction in salary."
The RMT has held a series of one-day strikes since April after balloting 393 members.
Earlier this month, thousands of Southern passengers faced disruption during a five-day strike, which was then suspended after three days to allow fresh talks.
Nearly 1,000 services across the network, which operates from Sussex and Surrey to London, Kent, Hampshire and Buckinghamshire, were cancelled on each of the strike days.
Staff shortages, blamed by the company on high levels of sickness absence, have also resulted in delays and cancellations to trains.
Commuters and other passengers have staged demonstrations to protest at the level of service, with some saying they have had to change their way of working to accommodate the disruption.
The RMT union said the announcement of new strike dates were "after the company walked away from talks and opted instead to bulldoze through the roll out of the new operational arrangements from last Sunday without any serious attempt to secure agreement".
Describing it as a "flagrant disregard for the safety and security of passengers and staff alike", the union said industrial action would begin at 00:01 BST on Wednesday 7 September and continue until 23:59 BST on Thursday 8 September.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "This action has been forced on us by the arrogance and inaction of the Govia Thameslink and the government who have made it clear that they have no interest in resolving this dispute or in tackling the daily chaos on Southern.
"Instead they have begun the process of bulldozing through the drive towards wholesale Driver Only Operation without agreement and without any concern for the impact on safety, security and disability access."
He added: "Our fight is with the company and the government who have dragged this franchise into total meltdown.
"We share the anger and frustration of passengers and we cannot sit back while jobs and safety are compromised on these dangerously overcrowded trains."
Mr Foulds said claims safety was at risk were untrue.
"The independent rail safety body has said so, and nearly half our trains run without conductors already."
Mr Cash has called for fresh talks to be held as "an urgent priority".
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Workers on Southern trains are to stage a 48-hour strike on 7 and 8 September in the continuing dispute over the role of guards, the RMT union has announced.
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Helicopters involved in Nato's Joint Warrior exercise have landed at RAF St Athan.
Parachute regiment 2 Para Battle Group will practice assaults at training areas in Caerwent, Monmouthshire and Pembrey, Carmarthenshire.
In total, around 13,000 NATO personnel from 14 countries are taking part.
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Around 1,500 troops have converged on the Vale of Glamorgan in what is believed to be one of the largest military exercises held in Wales.
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Plans to employ a marksman to shoot the pied wagtail at the Great Yarmouth store were put on hold after TV star Chris Packham tweeted his opposition.
The British Trust for Ornithology said it had been caught, with Mr Packham tweeting a photo of the "renegade".
Tesco said shooting the bird was only considered as a last resort.
Natural England granted the firm a licence to shoot the wagtail earlier this month on the grounds of public health after it was spotted in the shop's aisles.
But Mr Packham, who presents BBC Springwatch, used his Twitter account to urge Tesco to get in touch with the BTO instead, to attempt to catch the bird safely.
Tesco said many attempts to catch it had failed, but tweeted it was "happy to liaise with BTO and explore other options".
The BTO confirmed it had been caught earlier after putting up a giant net in the store.
Pied wagtails are typically 18cm (7in) long and weigh 21g (three-quarters of an ounce). There are 470,000 breeding pairs in the UK.
They are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, with anybody who kills one without a licence facing a £5,000 fine.
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A small bird that earned a last minute reprieve after supermarket giant Tesco retracted a bid to shoot it has been caught and released.
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Thousands of people visited the blue flag beach over the weekend to enjoy the sunshine.
Independent Councillor Niamh Kennedy said there were only four bins on the 3km stretch of coastline and this created "mayhem".
The beach is a popular destination for visitors from Northern Ireland.
Local people collected the rubbish from the beach on Sunday and Monday after visitors had left.
The refuse left behind included deck chairs, barbecues, food waste, glass bottles and nappies.
Paul Diver, from the Sandhouse Hotel in Rossnowlagh, said the majority of people that visit the area "behave impeccably".
"A bigger issue is traffic and the lack of toilet facilities, there were three portaloos and our hotel became the public toilets for the weekend," he added.
Cllr Kennedy agreed that a lack of toilets and traffic management at the site were causing problems.
"Once the sun comes out it's bedlam," she said.
"Cars are allowed on the beach-but there is a safety issue."
"The cars were blocking the entrance, then the tide comes in and there's a big scramble, every year there are cars destroyed."
She added: "If there was something serious you would never get an ambulance down."
Last year cars got caught out by the tide at Rossnowlagh beach.
Cllr Kennedy said council resources were insufficient to properly look after the beach.
"The resources are not there," she said. "It will be a community effort to try and address the issues, but council will have to help and back them up."
She warned: "The beach could lose its blue flag status if this keeps up."
The council said the amount of litter left on the beach was "extremely disappointing".
"Donegal County Councils Litter Management team had a presence on Rossnowlagh beach over the weekend and they carried out clean ups on Tuesday and Wednesday," it said in a statement.
The council said that its traffic management plan had been reviewed and they are working with the local community."
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A Donegal councillor has complained after visitors to Rossnowlagh beach last weekend left "huge amounts" of rubbish behind.
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An Egyptian-led team said on Saturday that the information was found on a cockpit flight recording.
But the investigative committee said it was too early to say where or why the fire broke out.
All 66 people on board died when flight MS804, flying from Paris to Cairo, crashed on 19 May.
The new information appears to back up evidence from the flight recorder of smoke in the cabin.
Recovered wreckage also showed signs of high temperature damage and soot on the jet's front section.
Automated electronic messages sent out by the plane had shown smoke detectors going off in a toilet and in the avionics area below the cockpit, minutes before the plane disappeared.
No distress call was made from the plane prior to the crash.
Egyptian investigators have not ruled out any reasons for the crash, including terrorism, particularly as such catastrophic fires on passenger planes are so rare.
The data recorders were taken to Paris after being found, and the cockpit voice recorder was in need of considerable repair.
The investigative committee also said on Saturday that a research ship, the John Lethbridge, had finished its search for human remains, which have been transferred to Cairo for identification.
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An audio recording made on board an EgyptAir flight that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea in May discusses a fire, investigators say.
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The Tigers, who sit third in the Premiership behind Saracens and Exeter, suffered a shock loss to struggling Newcastle on Friday.
"The team that played at the weekend was good enough [to win]," Cockerill told BBC Radio Leicester.
"We know that the players we put on Friday can perform better."
Their next opponents Harlequins are only a point behind them despite having won two fewer games.
Cockerill says Leicester have gone back to basics in training as they look to pick up their first league win in the three weeks.
"We revisited some of those fundamentals this week in training," he said. "We have to work hard, get our mindset and attitude right.
"In sport sometimes you don't play as well as you would like to and in a scientific world, sport is not an exact science."
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Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill has said his side are "far from a crisis point" but need to get their "mindset and attitude right".
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The proposed space, part of the Central Square scheme near Cardiff Central rail station, would see the St David's House building on Wood Street demolished.
Three fully-let office buildings and a transport interchange, including office and residential units, have already been given the go-ahead.
Cardiff council's cabinet discussed the public space plan on Thursday.
Councillors gave the authority permission to dispose of leasehold interest in land north of Wood Street to enable the 270,000 sq ft (25,083 sq m) office block and square to be built.
The proposal will also include a new office development, which could accommodate 3,000 jobs, on the site of the old Western Mail and Echo building on Park Street.
The new BBC Wales Cymru headquarters, at the heart of the new Central Square development, is already under construction while a new transport hub has been given full planning permission.
Council leader Phil Bale said: "As anyone can see, the transformation on the south side of Wood Street facing the railway station is well under way with the BBC Wales HQ and No 2 Central Square beginning to take shape alongside No 1 Central Square which has been open for over a year.
"Now there are some really exciting plans coming forward for the north side of Wood Street on the old Western Mail and Echo site, which has been empty for several years, and on the St David's House site which fronts Wood Street."
Councillor Elizabeth Clark, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on Cardiff council, said: "The Labour run Cardiff council need to provide more detail on the use of the public square.
"For example, how will pedestrians, cyclists and the proposed metro be accommodated? It's important to get all this right."
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A new public square has been proposed as part of plans for the next phase of Cardiff city centre's regeneration.
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Tests by Southampton University found people's walking patterns - their gait - are so different they could be used to identify individuals.
Researchers used a multi-biometric tunnel with 12 synchronised cameras to capture and translate 25 subjects' gaits to build unique 3D images.
It is hoped the technique could be used for a variety of purposes, including security monitoring at airports.
'Extreme clothing changes'
Darko Matovski, who led the investigation, said: "We have shown for the first time that gait can be used as a reliable biometric trait over time."
The team believes the technique could be used in airport immigration halls where "a simple corridor with cameras" would be enough to identify large flows of people.
Mr Matovski, from the university's school of electronics and computer science, added: "A bank robber may wear a mask so you can't see his face, wear gloves so you can't get fingerprints, wear a hat so you can't get DNA evidence - but he still has to walk into the bank and you can identify him from the walk."
With almost 2,000 walking sequences recorded in a database, Mr Matovski claims a 95% success rate.
Gait can also be measured at a distance - an advantage over other forms of biometric identification.
However researchers found that "extreme changes" in clothing can affect recognition levels.
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Criminals could be tracked down by the way they walk, a study has claimed.
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Oxfordshire County Council wants to widen roads, upgrade paths and cycle lanes and install traffic lights at the John Radcliffe Hospital junction.
Headington residents are concerned the work will cause disruption.
Councillor David Nimmo Smith said it was "time to deal" with the area's traffic problems.
Drop in sessions for people to view the plans will take place this week.
Work is expected to start next summer with completion in spring 2018.
Meanwhile work at the busy Cutteslowe and Wolvercote roundabouts is due to start this month and will take about 16 months.
The council has warned of "major" travel delays.
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Plans for a £12.5m scheme aimed at cutting congestion in Oxford have been put out to consultation.
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But the objects are just some of the Mary Rose artefacts which have gone on display at Swansea University.
Researchers have been examining the artefacts from Henry VIII's warship, which was raised in 1982, to discover more about the ship's crew.
Their work has revealed that many of those who perished when the boat sank in 1545 were "superb athletes".
Sport physiologist Dr Nick Owen said the skeletons and objects raised with the Mary Rose have given them a "wealth of information".
"The abnormalities in some of the crew's radius bones shows that they'd have been supreme athletes," Dr Owen said.
"Today an Olympic bow has 48 lbs of tension, but to fire a Mary Rose bolt (arrow) would have taken well over 100 lbs."
Dr Owen believes that as well as providing a glimpse into the past, his team's discoveries can offer an insight into the injuries of modern athletes.
"You can see similar abnormalities in elite tennis and squash players," he said.
"Top sportsmen are singled out for elite training from such a young age.
"The cream of archers on the Mary Rose would have been in training since they were seven years old."
Dr Owen's team, including scientists from the University of Bradford, have already succeeded in creating an online 3D image of some of the sailors, which can be remotely studied by scientists.
The next challenge is to see what lies inside the bones.
"Once we can conduct Micro CT scans, we'll be able to see what changes being one of Henry VIII's elite archers caused internally," Dr Owen explained.
"These very fine scans will help us discover how their lifestyle and diet affected their bone structure from the inside."
The Mary Rose artefacts are on display to mark the university's research and innovation awards evening.
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A boot, some old skeletons and a block of wood might not sound like the type of thing to entice you to Swansea.
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Owners Hanwha Chemical Corp said the blast happened during welding work to expand a waste water disposal facility.
"Gas from the waste water, which had piled up inside the tank, was apparently ignited by the welding torch", a fire official told AFP.
An investigation into whether negligence was the cause of the explosion is under way.
The plant makes polyvinyl chloride used in wide range of products, such as cling film.
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At least four people have been killed in South Korea in an explosion at a chemical plant in the city of Ulsan.
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A 24-hour tube strike is due to go ahead after unions rejected a "new deal" from Transport for London (TfL).
But Sadiq Khan has instructed TfL "to continue negotiating".
Workers from the RMT and the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) unions are scheduled to walk out from 18:00 GMT.
The strike is expected to cause mass station closures.
Tube strike guide: What you need to know
The Labour mayor said TfL's negotiating team would "be available around the clock to resolve this dispute".
Calling the strike "pointless" Mr Khan said TfL's offer would "ensure station safety and staffing levels across the Tube network".
Steve Griffiths, chief operating officer for London Underground (LU), said the process had already begun to hire 200 extra station staff.
"Taking into account existing vacancies and natural turnover this means that over 600 staff will be recruited for stations this year."
The biggest rail union, the RMT, had walked out of talks at conciliation service Acas on Saturday.
On Sunday, the TSSA announced it had rejected the deal after consulting its members overnight.
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said the new deal would not "restore Tube safety levels" with the "urgency that is now needed".
The offer was made after RMT left the meeting, a point the RMT disputes.
In a message to its members, RMT regional organiser John Leach said the talks had "failed" and the strike would go ahead.
Talks between both unions and London Underground (LU) had previously broken down on Friday afternoon.
No details of the latest deal were revealed but Mr Leach told members of the RMT that LU had "given exactly the same offer again" during Saturday's last-ditch talks.
"This is just not acceptable. The unsafe practices and pressure on staff and passengers have to be resisted and will be," he said.
Transport for London (TfL) previously said it would address the recommendations of a recent report, which found the closure of ticket offices had caused "significant issues" for Tube passengers.
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The Mayor of London has called for "last-ditch" talks to avert a strike on the London Underground hours before it is due to begin.
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It has been a year since Northern Ireland's 26 councils were reduced to 11 - with the new bodies given wider responsibilities.
Fiona McCandless told the BBC's Inside Business programme the Planning Service was pleased with the transition.
"The councils were sufficiently resourced to deal with the applications transferred to them," she said.
"They had the necessary skills and resources to deal with that.
"Time have proven that the backlog cases that the department previously dealt with have been really significantly reduced.
"The councils now are dealing with the cases that have been submitted, more since 1 April last year."
You can hear more on Inside Business on Radio Ulster at 13:30 BST on Sunday.
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The chief planning officer has said the transfer of planning powers to the new super councils has been a success.
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Since it opened in 1984, it has closed 174 times. The barrier reached the record for the highest number of times closed in a single season on Tuesday.
This winter has been the wettest since records began, with the South East receiving double the amount of rainfall expected in a normal winter.
The Environment Agency called this year's number of closures a "blip".
The Agency is not anticipating closing it again over the forthcoming tides, but will continue to monitor river and tide levels closely and will operate once again if required.
The barrier's operation manager Andy Batchelor said: "The long term plan for the barrier recognises that we will use it on average more frequently year-by-year and we are still forecasting not to need a replacement until 2070."
The Agency's guidance says the barrier should not be closed more than 50 times a year, however a spokesman said this would only be a concern if it was a regular occurrence.
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The Thames Barrier has closed for a record 50th time this winter, making it the busiest period in its history.
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Lt Gen HR McMaster told ABC News there was consensus with China that this was a situation that "could not continue".
The comments come after a failed missile test launch by North Korea and a massive military parade.
President Trump had earlier said China was "working with us" on the issue.
Beijing, Pyongyang's biggest ally, has come under pressure from Washington to exert more pressure on its neighbour.
Sunday's comments appear to be the first confirmation that both countries are working together on how to deal with the North Korean issue.
Gen McMaster, who was in the Afghan capital, Kabul, said the latest launch "fits a pattern of provocative and destabilising and threatening behaviour".
"The president has made clear that he will not accept the United States and its allies and partners in the region being under threat from this hostile regime with nuclear weapons," he said.
"I think there's an international consensus now, including the Chinese and the Chinese leadership, that this is a situation that just can't continue."
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed North Korea during a meeting last week. Mr Xi offered co-operation on "communication and co-ordination", the BBC's Robin Brant in Shanghai reports.
Earlier on Sunday, South Korean and US military officials said a North Korean missile had detonated soon after launch. The US Pacific Command said it believed it to be a ballistic missile.
Investigations were continuing, but one unnamed US official said it was unlikely to have been an intercontinental (ICBM) missile.
Ballistic missiles follow high trajectories and are initially powered and guided, but fall to their target under gravity. ICBMs follow a sub-orbital trajectory, others stay within the atmosphere.
North Korea's aim is to be able to put a nuclear warhead on an ICBM that can reach targets around the world.
Pyongyang has claimed to have miniaturised nuclear warheads for use on missiles, though experts have cast doubt on that given the lack of evidence.
The state has already conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches in contravention of UN resolutions.
It has suffered test failures in the past but they have not deterred its development programme.
Meanwhile, US Vice-President Mike Pence is on a 10-day tour of Asia intended to reassure allies of US commitment to their security.
In the South Korean capital, Seoul, Mr Pence called the failed launch a "provocation". He is set to discuss North Korea with acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson meanwhile issued another warning to North Korea after its failed missile launch.
"They must stop these belligerent acts and comply with UN resolutions," he said.
On Friday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that the situation in the region was escalating, and that "conflict could break out at any moment".
Adding to the tension in the Korean peninsula, a US aircraft carrier group is steaming towards the region.
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The US and China are working on a "range of options" on North Korea, the US top security adviser has said, as tensions mount over the country's nuclear and missile programmes.
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Amond, 28, scored 33 goals last season for Grimsby as they won promotion through the National League play-offs.
"There were a lot of clubs in for him but we're delighted that we've managed to tempt him to The Vic," said boss Craig Hignett.
Former Chelsea trainee Woods, 26, joined in 2014 from Harrogate Town and has signed an undisclosed deal.
He has made 42 league starts for the club over two seasons, having missed the latter stages of 2014-15 with injuries to his ankle and fibula.
"Michael is a terrific player and I am delighted we have managed to get him sorted," added Hignett.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
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Hartlepool United have signed striker Padraig Amond and agreed a new deal with midfielder Michael Woods.
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The referee inspected the surface just before 19:00 GMT and deemed it unplayable.
No new date has yet been set for the game to be played.
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Tuesday's National League game between Boreham Wood and Braintree Town has been postponed because of a frozen pitch at Meadow Park.
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A 16-month project will start on Tuesday to reconfigure and "increase capacity" of junction 28 of the M4 near Tredegar Park at Newport.
The adjacent roundabouts at Bassaleg on Forge Road and Pont Ebbw at Tredegar Park's entrance will also be upgraded.
The Welsh Government wants to "reduce delays" in the area.
Permanent traffic lights will be installed at the neighbouring roundabouts which will have "smart signalling" so the they will "be synced to ensure the smoothest and quickest traffic flow".
Two lanes will be built through the middle of junction 28 to allow traffic from the eastbound carriageway of the M4 to access the Southern Distributor Road (SDR) around Newport without going around the roundabout.
Improvements will also be made on the Pont Ebbw roundabout to ease traffic flow on the SDR.
There are fears the project, which is expected to be completed in July 2018, could increase congestion while the construction work is taking place.
But the Welsh Government said: "Existing junction traffic capacity will be maintained during peak hours - prior to 09:30 GMT and after 15:30 during weekdays - throughout the construction phase, albeit the lanes will be narrower in order to provide working room.
"Off-peak lane closures will be utilised between 09:30 and 15:30 to facilitate the works when traffic flows are lighter."
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A regular congestion hotspot on the M4 is to get a £13.7m upgrade in a bid to ease rush hour traffic problems.
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Having taken part in the show's 2015 Christmas special alongside Peter Capaldi and Alex Kingston, Lucas will reprise the role of River Song's former assistant Nardole.
"I'm chuffed to bits that Nardole is returning to the Tardis for some more adventures," Lucas said.
The star will appear in the opening episode of series 10, which begins filming in Cardiff on 20 June.
Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer, added he was "delighted and slightly amazed to be welcoming Matt Lucas back on to the Tardis - and this time it's not just for Christmas, he's sticking around".
"One of the greatest comedy talents on planet Earth is being unleashed on all of time and space."
Capaldi will return as The Doctor while Pearl Mackie replaces Jenna Coleman as his new companion, Bill, in her first major television role.
Lucas said he was looking forward to reprising his role in the sci-fi drama because he "loved acting with Peter and I'm excited to work with Pearl".
Also announced to be joining the series this year is Jekyll & Hyde and Sherlock star Stephanie Hyam.
Doctor Who will return to BBC One with a December Christmas special followed by a new series in 2017.
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Matt Lucas is set to return to Doctor Who for its 10th series.
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Swansea council is showcasing proposals for the civic centre and St David's shopping centre sites.
Under the plans, a retail and leisure complex would be built on the St David's site with a walkway over the main road leading to the current civic centre site.
That would have public spaces, tourist attractions and homes.
It follows a similar presentation in London's financial district last week.
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More than 140 specialist developers and agents will arrive in Swansea to see a vision of the city centre's future.
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Jack Galsworthy, from Cornwall, and Freddie Wright, from Gloucestershire, both 21, are one week into their 3,000 mile challenge and their "morale is high" after initial seasickness.
The pair are aiming to raise £150,000 for the Brain Research Trust.
They caught and ate tuna which they had as sushi for Christmas dinner, their team said.
They will be rowing two hours on and two hours off for three months in the race from La Gomera to Antigua, as part of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.
Two days from the nearest support team, they risk facing 40ft waves, sharks, howling winds, blisters, salt-rashes, sunstroke and sleep deprivation.
The Atlantic Castaways team spokeswoman Alexandra Durnford, said they were suffering badly from sea sickness at first but have now recovered and "morale is high".
"They tried their luck at a bit of fishing and managed to catch a very small tuna and had sushi I would imagine as there are no cooking supplies on board, so they did have a very special Christmas lunch, just an unusual one," she said.
The duo are expected to lose at least 15% of their body weight during the challenge, which they hope to complete in 90 days time.
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Two university students have begun their bid to become the youngest pair ever to row across the Atlantic Ocean.
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George Bender, 68, took his own life on October 14. He had spent much of the past decade locked in negotiations with CSG (Coal Seam Gas) companies who wanted to drill 18 wells on his properties.
Encroaching gas exploration across Australia has pitted miners against farmers, who fear the environmental and health impact of CSG.
Mr Bender's daughter Helen made an emotional plea on this subject on live television panel show Q&A.
"On Saturday we buried my father," Helen Bender said. "When will farmers be given the right to say no to CSG companies?"
She spoke about how the issue had disillusioned her father: "One of the last things my father said, 'No one is listening, why am I wasting my time?'" she said.
In response to her comments Australia's rural health minister said she wanted laws to allow farmers to refuse miners onto their land.
Senator Fiona Nash said the "simple answer" to the complex issue would be legislative change to empower farmers.
Helen Bender's name then began trending on social media sites, a reflection of the potency of the debate among the Australian public.
However, Federal Opposition Minister for Rural Affairs Joel Fitzgibbon who was also on the panel on the show said that Australia had enjoyed "enormous wealth through the extraction of coal and iron ore and other commodities, and now CSG".
He added that it was a complex policy area and that responsibility for mining leases lies with individual state governments.
"In my view to be honest [it] is not going to change anytime soon because the extraction of those resources is too significant to the national economy," Mr Fitzgibbon replied.
One report said that the CSG sector had seen growth in jobs, income and consumption in Queensland which is the centre of much of the industry in Australia.
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An emotional plea by the daughter of an anti-natural gas campaigner who took his own life has re-ignited a debate about the rights of farmers.
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Play began 80 minutes late after rain with the tourists 66 runs behind and they lost Kraigg Brathwaite (8) to Charlie Hartley's fourth ball.
Kieran Powell (23) and Shai Hope (30) both spent time in the middle while Shimron Hetmyer made an unbeaten 43.
However, lightning and bad light forced the players off at 17:00 BST.
The West Indies face Derbyshire on Friday in their final warm-up match before they begin their three-Test series against England at Edgbaston on 17 August.
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The West Indies drew their tour match with Kent as weather impacted on their hopes of more batting practice on the final day in Canterbury.
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In a series of tests, researcher Ann Smet, of the University of St Andrews, offered the animals a choice between two identical buckets, then pointed at the one containing a hidden treat.
From the first trial, the elephants chose the correct bucket.
The results are published in the journal Current Biology.
The scientists worked with captive elephants at a lodge in Zimbabwe.
Prof Richard Byrne, a co-author on the research, said the elephants had been rescued from culling operations and trained for riding.
"They specifically train the elephants to respond to vocal cues. They don't use any gestures at all," said Prof Byrne.
"The idea is that the handler can walk behind the elephant and just tell it what to do with words."
Mud bath: Why elephants enjoy a good wallow
Despite this, the animals seemed to grasp the meaning of pointing from the outset. This makes them the only non-human animals to understand the gesture without being trained to do so.
In previous studies, Prof Byrne said, our closest primate cousins, the chimpanzees, proved to be "hopeless" at at similar task.
Ms Smet added that she had been impressed by the animals' apparently innate understanding of the gesture.
"Of course we had hoped that the elephants would be able to learn to follow human pointing, or we wouldn't have done the experiment in the first place," she said.
"But it was really surprising that they didn't seem to have to learn anything.
"It seems that understanding pointing is an ability elephants just possess naturally and they are cognitively much more like us than has been realised."
Source: BBC Nature
Watch how elephants use mud as a sunblock
Prof Byrne said studying elephants helped build a map of part of the evolutionary tree that is very distant from humans.
"They're so unrelated to us," he told BBC News. "So if we find human-like abilities in an animal like an elephant, that hasn't shared a common ancestor with people for more than 100 million years , we can be pretty sure that it's evolved completely separately, by what's called convergent evolution."
The researchers said their findings might explain how elephants have successfully been tamed and have "historically had a close bond with humans, in spite of being potentially dangerous and unmanageable due to their great size".
But the scientists added the results could be a hint that the animals gesture to one another in the wild with their "highly controllable trunks".
Ms Smet told BBC News: "The next step [in our research] is to test whether when an elephant extends its trunk upwards and outwards - as they regularly do, such as when detecting a predator, this functions as a point."
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African elephants have demonstrated what appears to be an instinctive understanding of human gestures, according to UK scientists.
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The government - not your party - has the machine, the power, to set the agenda. Resources are scarce, expertise often dependent on goodwill.
Even if, like Jeremy Corbyn you have just achieved a thumping victory, controlling events is impossible and pulling together a party where hardly any of your colleagues agree with you makes that job harder still.
Yes, the scale of his success means he is safe from challengers for now. But having turned down any major public appearances or chances to tell the public more of his plans today, he has spent the afternoon holed up in the Palace of Westminster.
His ambition to unite the party is characterised by his first objective, putting together a shadow cabinet that is not just packed with left wingers.
But although Corbyn has been discussing the team with one of his disappointed rivals, Andy Burnham, and other senior figures like former cabinet minister Lord Falconer, there are already signs of trouble.
There is anxiety over his potential appointment of his close friend and campaign manager, John McDonnell. One senior MP told me that would be a "declaration of war".
Others are pressing for the job to go to a woman, most likely Angela Eagle.
Although many former shadow ministers have already walked away, standby for the emergence of the Make it Work Brigade - those in the middle of the party who will take a job in Corbyn's team to stand their ground.
For Labour MPs this has been a mind-bending 24 hours - it will take a long time to acclimatise to having someone they consider to be on the fringes, in charge.
But after yesterday, together with his massed ranks of supporters, in charge he most certainly is.
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There is a long list of very good reasons why being leader of the opposition is known as the hardest job in British politics.
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The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) described the actress as a "class act" after her speech at the ceremony on Sunday night.
Streep criticised President-elect Donald Trump and said: "We need the principled press to hold power to account."
Lorenzo Soria, the president of the HFPA, has now endorsed Streep.
"As an organisation of journalists, the HFPA stands by your defence of free expression and we reject any calls for censorship," he wrote on Twitter, addressing the actress.
"We thank you for your unwavering support for the arts."
Streep has also been contacted by several fellow actors who offered their support of what she had said.
One was Robert De Niro, who told the actress in a letter: "What you said was great. It needed to be said, and you said it beautifully.
"I have so much respect for you that you did it while the world was celebrating your achievements. I share your sentiments about punks and bullies. Enough is enough."
He added: "You, with your elegance and intelligence, have a powerful voice - one that inspires others to speak up as they should so their voices will be heard too. It is so important that we ALL speak up."
It is not the first time De Niro has made his dislike of Mr Trump clear - prior to his election the actor released a video in which he described the president-elect as an "idiot" and a "fool".
Viola Davis, who introduced Streep at the Golden Globes, said after the ceremony: "She's earned the right to say that, and I think all of us felt a sigh of relief.
"Sometimes you need the first person to dive in there and have the courage and the bravery to give a mouthpiece to what we were all feeling."
At the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Streep received the Cecil B DeMille Award for outstanding contribution to entertainment.
In her acceptance speech, Streep made reference to Mr Trump's imitation of a disabled reporter during the US presidential campaign trail last year. She also spoke of the need for the principled press to hold Mr Trump to account over the next four years.
Mr Trump responded by tweeting: "Meryl Streep, one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a Hillary flunky who lost big."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
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The organisation behind the Golden Globe Awards has praised Meryl Streep for her championing of the press.
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9 June 2014 Last updated at 06:55 BST
Is the NHS better since devolution and has the Welsh government delivered on its promises?
Firstly Dr Alan Rees, of the Royal College of Physicians, said there has been huge improvements over recent decades but the health service has been a victim of its own success.
Plaid Cymru health spokesperson Elin Jones AM argues that the NHS and health boards have failed to manage their finances.
Dr Tony Calland, of the British Medical Association, said the Welsh government had done its best but had underestimated the problems.
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It is 15 years since the National Assembly started in Wales and BBC Wales is looking at what devolution has meant for the NHS in Wales.
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More than 1,500 firefighters tackled blazes which had sprung up in scrubland north of the city, injuring three people.
Homes were destroyed in the nearby town of Vitrolles and hundreds of residents were evacuated.
Fires have also been raging in mainland Portugal and on the island of Madeira.
Three people were killed on the holiday island and more than 1,000 were forced from their homes.
The French fires took hold on Wednesday afternoon and spread over more than 3,300 hectares (8,150 acres) of scrubland and wooded areas.
According to AFP news agency, three residents and four firefighters were injured, some seriously, in fires across the region.
The firefighters were hurt battling a blaze further west in Herault, when their vehicle was surrounded by flames.
Vitrolles, about 25km (15 miles) north of Marseille, was the town worst affected.
"Everything burned, the house, the car... there is nothing left," a resident of Vitrolles told BFM-TV.
Other towns affected included Pennes-Mirabeau, Saint-Victoret, Fos-sur-Mer and Rognac, where the main fire started.
Palls of thick smoke which rose from Vitrolles and Pennes-Mirabeau were drifting over Marseille on Wednesday.
Marseille airport, which redirected incoming flights to make way for firefighting aircraft, said the situation was gradually getting back to normal by midday on Thursday.
But it warned that some roads to the airport remained closed and advised travellers to use trains.
Marseille's Deputy Mayor, Julien Ruas, said firebreaks had been created to protect northern neighbourhoods.
Fires are frequent in summer in south-eastern France but it is rare for them to threaten urban areas.
On Madeira, the flames encroached on the capital Funchal and are blamed for the deaths of three elderly people whose homes caught light.
A fourth death was reported on the Portuguese mainland as wildfires raged in central regions.
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Firefighters have contained wildfires in southern France which threatened the city of Marseille but remain on alert as more windy conditions are expected.
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That is the view of a range of very senior business people and marketing gurus to whom I have spoken.
One said: "This is a nightmare for them - the reputational damage is huge".
So why aren't these huge and powerful global companies doing what the UK culture secretary John Whittingdale has asked, and following the lead of Visa - which said it would review its sponsorship deal if Fifa does not clean up its act?
Well, part of the answer is implicit even in the less mild sabre-rattling of Visa. Because it is striking that even Visa only said it might review its commercial relationship with Fifa, not that it was doing so.
The point, according to well-placed executives, is that Coca Cola, Hyundai, Budweiser, McDonald's, Gazprom and Visa (among others) have signed legally binding contracts.
So they may not be able to get out of the contracts without paying spectacular damages - given that they are each believed to be paying Fifa up to $200m (£130m) over four years for the marketing opportunities associated with the World Cup.
"They are all asking their lawyers to examine whether they have 'moral' clauses in their contracts, which would allow them to get out because of Fifa's behaviour," said a businessman with links to the sponsors.
There is another point, though - put to me by a member of one of the sponsor's boards - which is that the World Cup is "the best sponsorship opportunity on the planet".
How so?
Well, association football is arguably the world's most global sport - though the Olympics and Formula One also have serious worldwide reach.
And the World Cup allows the sponsors to get their names in front of hundreds of millions of consumers, both in the rich West and in the faster-growing economies of Asia and South America.
What I am told makes World Cup sponsorship particularly special is that Fifa is far less prescriptive about how the sponsoring companies promote their brands and conduct their marketing than the Olympic Organising Committee.
"Fifa is the least anal and controlling of its sponsors," said a marketing executive. "And that is highly prized."
Or to put it another way, although all the sponsors want to be seen to be doing the "right thing" by putting pressure on Fifa to reform, they are fearful that if they completely incinerate their relationships with the World Cup, they may simply be providing a precious and rare marketing opportunity to their bitterest rivals.
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The Fifa scandal is an "absolute disaster" for the multinationals who sponsor it - because they cannot escape taint from the perceived lapses of football's supreme governing body.
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Australian half-back Miller, 23, arrived from Hull FC in 2014 and his previous deal was due to expire at the end of the current season.
Tonga prop Fifita, 27, joined from NRL side Cronulla Sharks in June 2016 and his new contract includes an option for an additional year.
"Fifita has become an important member of the squad," said boss Chris Chester.
"He has so much passion for the club both on and off the field which is great to see.
"Jacob is still a young player with exceptional talent - I am looking forward to working with him for another two years and see him improve even more."
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Wakefield Trinity duo Jacob Miller and David Fifita have both signed new two-year contracts.
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The Saudis say they do not know who fired the mortars, or from where.
A small Shia militant group in Iraq, known as the Mukhtar Army, has claimed it carried out the attack, although this cannot be confirmed.
The group said it was a warning to Saudi Arabia to stay out of Iraq's affairs.
The militia's commander, Wathiq al-Batat, told Reuters that the goal of the attack "was to send a warning message to Saudis to tell them that their border stations and patrol are within our range of fire".
The mortars fell in an uninhabited area near Hafr al-Batin in the kingdom's Eastern Province.
The mortar fire comes two days after suicide bombers killed more than 20 people outside the Iranian embassy in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
On Thursday Saudi Arabia advised its citizens to leave Lebanon following those bombs.
The continuing civil war in Syria is fuelling increased tensions between nations in the region.
Saudi Arabia, which is largely Sunni, backs the rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, whereas Shia Iran and Shia militias in Iraq and Lebanon back the president.
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Saudi Arabia and Iraq are investigating an incident in which six mortar bombs landed in a remote area of Saudi Arabia near the border with Iraq and Kuwait.
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Irish fell to a 15th defeat of the league season against Sale on Saturday to leave them four points adrift at the bottom with three games left.
Back row Narraway dismissed concerns at the spirit of his squad heading into the Premiership run-in.
"It's the one thing I think we have in abundance, accuracy and being clinical are things we haven't," he said.
"That's why we find ourselves here (at the bottom)," Narraway added. "Not because of the spirit or the want or desire not being there.
"It's just that 5-10% in terms of accuracy that probably a little bit of confidence gives us," the 32-year-old former Gloucester, Perpignan and England player said.
Irish face Harlequins in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup at The Stoop on Saturday before their Premiership status will be determined in remaining games against Newcastle, Quins and Wasps.
The fixture against fellow strugglers Newcastle at Kingston Park on 17 April has been described as "a Grand Final" by Narraway, who said: "Newcastle is huge, they're one place above us, one win above us."
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London Irish captain Luke Narraway says improving their accuracy is the missing piece to their Premiership survival.
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With temperatures at Indian Wells in excess of 105 degrees, Evans broke in the opening game but world number five Nishikori hit back immediately and captured the set in 42 minutes.
Breaks were traded again at the start of the second before Nishikori sealed the match in an hour and 24 minutes.
Kyle Edmund is also out, 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to defending champion Novak Djokovic.
Following the surprise defeat of world number one Andy Murray at the hands of qualifier Vasek Pospisil the previous evening, Evans, 26, produced a spirited performance, but some pinpoint accuracy from Nishikori saw him break again in game eight of the first set.
World number 41 Evans, who beat Dustin Brown in the previous round, continued to frequently match the quality of his Japanese opponent's groundstrokes but gradually faded as the assured Nishikori moved through to face Gilles Muller of Luxembourg in round three.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
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British number two Dan Evans was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Japan's Kei Nishikori in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
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Oman captain Sultan Ahmed had won the toss and opted to field before the rain set in.
Oman now top Group A with three points, while the Netherlands are eliminated.
If the rain also forces the abandonment of Ireland's game against Bangladesh on the same ground on Friday, the Irish will also be out of the competition.
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Netherlands' World Twenty20 Group A match against Oman was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of heavy rain in Dharamsala.
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The Horizons project has already helped two dozen acts since 2014 - with radio airplay and UK festival appearances.
"Supporting new music is at the heart of what the BBC does across the whole of the UK, and internationally," said BBC Music's Jason Carter.
Bands and solo artists have until 12 February to apply.
"We're proud to support Horizons for a further year and see another 12 artists have a creative and potentially career changing 2016," said the Arts Council's Lisa Matthews.
"There's been some incredible opportunities created so far and we're looking forward with excitement to more incredible music experiences."
Solo artist Violet Skies said the 2015 project had meant a "mad year" for her.
She said: "I've been lucky enough to tick off a lot of things from my musical bucket list - The Great Escape, Festival No.6, Sŵn, Maida Vale and now, I'm looking forward to Eurosonic and SXSW festival in 2016.
"It's been a lovely little Welsh family of talented musicians and a really good support team - it's nice to turn up at festivals or a show knowing you have people there to help you."
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A scheme to help new Welsh bands get wider exposure is set to return for a third year, backed by BBC Wales and the Arts Council of Wales.
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He told the BBC he was hopeful the party could get "over the line in a number of seats".
But he would not be drawn on how many seats, or in which constituencies.
The party is standing in about half the number of seats contested in 2015. Its only MP in the last parliament, Douglas Carswell, defected in March.
Mr Nuttall said UKIP was campaigning strongly in seats where it has local councillors.
And he rejected suggestions the party was in decline, predicting that by the end of 2018, UKIP would be "bigger in terms of membership and higher in the polls than it's ever been before".
Asked about suggestions support for UKIP could cost the Conservatives seats, he told BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine he had struck deals with Brexit-supporting MPs from both the Tories and Labour, to help them retain their seats:
"In some places we have stood down in favour of a Labour MP," he said.
"People like Kate Hoey, for example, I don't want to see Kate Hoey not in the House of Commons because she's been a true Brexiteer all her life.
"What we need is for the prime minister to go into these negotiations strong, confident in our country and not prepared to backslide."
He also spoke about the Manchester attack and said that while the prime minister was not to blame for last week's bombing, Theresa May was responsible for cutting police numbers
Local police officers who are known in a neighbourhood were more likely to have the trust of the locals who would pass information to them, he said.
He also talked about banning Muslim women from wearing a full face veil.
He said he was "serious" about banning the veil in the UK and claimed that other countries in Europe were also going the same way.
He said such a ban was needed for greater integration, so that people could be identified on CCTV and also because of vitamin D deficiency.
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UKIP will win seats at the general election, even though they had no MPs at the end of the last parliament, its leader Paul Nuttall has predicted.
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Fox was unseated after his mount, Luxford, veered sharply to the right.
Television replays showed the filly had been distracted by a stray golf ball on the course, which appeared to be thrown up by eventual winner Big Lachie.
The ball ricocheted off the helmet of another rider and across the sightline of Fox's mount.
Sandown Park in Surrey has three nine-hole golf courses close to the racetrack, but clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said they were not open on racedays.
"I am satisfied that we take all reasonable precautions to make sure that the course is as clear as we can make it but we accept that there will be some balls buried in the grass," said Cooper.
"We have a 14-strong team that walk the course, and other parts of the track, looking for golf balls.
"Even where there is netting next to the driving range we have found them. It is not a unique occurrence and we probably have this happen once every three or four years."
The afternoon ended on a more positive note for Fox as he partnered First Experience to victory.
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Jockey Kieren Fox escaped unhurt when he fell from his horse in a bizarre incident involving a golf ball during a race at Sandown.
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The Speaker announced the clerks, who advise him on conduct and constitutional issues, would also no longer wear wing collars and white tie.
Conservative Sir Gerald Howarth said the tradition of wearing wigs went back "several centuries".
But Mr Bercow said there was an even older tradition of not wearing wigs.
He announced the changes on Monday, but added that clerks would keep part of their garb - black gowns, to signify they are experts on procedure and constitutional issues.
Mr Bercow said changes to clothing and headgear represented the "overwhelming view" of clerks themselves.
They would "convey to the public a marginally less stuffy and forbidding image of this chamber at work".
But Sir Gerald, MP for Aldershot, raised a point of order, telling the Commons: "I was surprised by [the] statement, which had the sort of appearance of an executive order."
He added that traditional clerks' dress was "key to the dignity of the House" and had been so "for several centuries", adding that MPs "should discuss this".
Mr Bercow replied that it was "a matter that can properly be decided by the Speaker", adding that the House of Commons Commission had approved the changes, which clerks themselves had suggested.
He said that, if one went back more than a "couple of hundred years", the situation was different from that presented by Sir Gerald, and that "several centuries ago", clerks "did not wear wigs".
Mr Bercow has refrained from wearing a wig himself in the Commons since becoming Speaker in 2009, as did his predecessors Michael Martin and Betty Boothroyd.
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John Bercow has defended the decision that Commons clerks will no longer have to wear wigs, after one MP likened the move to an "executive order".
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The 26-year-old Scottish forward was sold to the Ibrox club by Saints for £500,000 in February 2016.
But he found starts hard to come by despite 24 appearances last season and has been sent back to Perth on loan.
"He knows when I need a kick up the backside or an arm round the shoulder," O'Halloran said of Wright.
O'Halloran joined Saints after leaving Bolton Wanderers in January 2014 and, after 16 goals in 90 appearances, was persuaded to move down a division to join Mark Warburton's Rangers.
He scored three goals as he helped the Glasgow side win the Championship title, but he failed to find the net last season and fell out of favour under new manager Pedro Caixinha.
"I came here a few years ago from Bolton and, at the time, it felt right when I spoke to the manager and again it feels right," said O'Halloran of his six-month loan.
"He knows me as a person and how to get the best out of me as a player and I trust him and I think he trusts me, which is important.
"You also see how he is with the boys, it is such a tight group, a family club and we work hard for each other.
"The manager, the staff and the boys were a big part in coming back and I am just looking forward to it."
O'Halloran came on at half-time in Saturday's friendly against East Fife and is hoping to start in this weekend's Premiership opener against Kilmarnock.
"The last game I started was in January," he added. "I haven't done a lot of training sessions and pre-season has been on my own as well.
"It was good to get training with the boys again and get some minutes on the pitch on Saturday, which was important as well going into the season."
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Michael O'Halloran believes St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright is the best man to help him rediscover the form that led to a transfer to Rangers.
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Instead, it will be used to assess the impact of immigration on schools.
Schools in England were asked to start collecting this information in September, leading to fears it may be used to find illegal immigrants.
Campaigners have written to Education Secretary Justine Greening to ask her to axe the data collection plans.
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "Collecting this data will help ensure our children receive the best possible education.
"It will be used to help us better understand how children with, for example, English as an additional language perform in terms of their broader education, and to assess and monitor the scale and impact immigration may be having on the schools sector.
"Data on pupils' country of birth, nationality and level of English proficiency is collected through the school census in line with the national population census.
"These data items will not be passed to the Home Office.
"They are solely for internal Department for Education use for analysis, statistics and research."
An earlier letter to Ms Greening from at least 20 organisations said: "Without assurances to the contrary, our grave concern is that the new data collected will be shared with the Home Office and therefore potentially used for immigration enforcement purposes.
"We have already seen data sharing between the Home Office and other departments increase since the government announced its commitment to creating a 'hostile environment' for undocumented migrants.
"Such measures deter vulnerable children and families from accessing essential services, exercising their human rights, and participating on an equal basis in our communities."
Under the new expanded census, schools are, for the first time, asking parents to say which country their child was born in.
Disclosure is not compulsory, but a report by Schools Week found many schools were demanding copies of pupils' passports amid confusion about the new stipulation.
Gracie Mae Bradley, from Against Borders for Children, which is leading the campaign to have the policy overturned, urged parents to boycott the data collection.
She said: "School should be a place where all children are treated equally.
"In the context of a 'hostile environment' in which employers, landlords and even healthcare workers are being turned into border guards, we believe this new requirement could be used to add school administrators to the list.
"We are also deeply concerned that this data will be made available, without time limit, much more widely outside the schools system, which cannot be acceptable.
"Over the coming weeks we expect the organisations opposing this divisive approach to be joined by many more and for parents and schools to join the boycott and protect young people from this dangerous threat to their privacy."
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Data on pupils' nationality now being collected by schools will be not passed to immigration officials or the Home Office, the government has said.
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The 24-year-old beat GB team-mate Alfie Hewett 6-2 6-1 in 54 minutes to collect his second medal in Rio.
On Thursday, Reid and Hewett had to settle for silver in the doubles event, losing out to French pair Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer.
Reid won the inaugural singles title at Wimbledon this year as well as the Australian Open title.
"I felt I hadn't played that well on the big stage until Australia this year and ever since then I've enjoyed every match on the big stage," said Reid after his latest triumph.
"I was nice and relaxed and managed to play one of the best matches of my life.
"Me and Alfie know each other inside out. We train together, we play doubles together. It just felt like anything I tried tonight came off.
"It's an incredible feeling. I'm really clear headed at the moment but I might just lose the plot as soon as I get back to the locker room."
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Scotland's Gordon Reid won Paralympics gold in the wheelchair tennis singles final.
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The Namibian full-backs have been on the fringes of the Premiership side's squad this season, making only two appearances between them.
Botha, 27, has had his time in Devon disrupted by a broken leg and dislocated ankle in November 2014.
McGuigan, 26, was signed as a result of Botha's injury and has scored four tries for the club.
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Exeter Chiefs pair Byron McGuigan and Chrysander Botha will leave Sandy Park in the summer, the club has confirmed.
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Met Office statistics showed the Shetland area had 192.9 hours of sunshine from 1-29 July, while Cornwall had 153.5 hours.
Shetland lies about 700 miles (1,130 km) to the north east of Cornwall.
It was a wet month for the UK as a whole, with 22% more than the average rainfall for July.
Properties were damaged and people had to be rescued after heavy rain and storms hit the Cornish village of Coverack.
Climate scientist Mike Kendon said while it hadn't been a remarkable weather month, there were some "significant events".
"It is uncommon for Shetland to experience more sunshine hours than Cornwall at this time of year," he said.
"There is also a notable gradient between a cooler, sunnier and slightly drier than average north-west and a wetter, dull and warmer than average south-east."
One of the wettest places in July was Hampshire - which received 118% more than its average rainfall for the month.
Northern Ireland was the wettest region of the UK, with 39% more rain the average.
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The Shetland Islands had more sunshine than Cornwall in July - only the eighth time this has happened since records began in 1929.
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Lila Tretikov wrote in an email that it was time for her to move on.
A leaked memo suggesting the Foundation was looking at creating a "commerce-free" search engine had upset the volunteer Wikimedia community.
Many were angry that it had not been discussed first, as transparency is key to the ethos of the organisation.
In September 2015, Wikimedia was awarded a $250,000 grant from a trust called the Knight Foundation for work to "advance new models for finding information by supporting stage one development of the Knowledge Engine by Wikipedia, a system for discovering reliable and trustworthy public information on the internet," according to a document uploaded by Wikimedia itself.
The project summary at the end of the document - although its author is unclear - states that the Knowledge Engine would be "the world's first transparent search engine, and the first one originated by the Wikimedia Foundation".
The leaders of the team were listed as Ms Tretikov, vice-president Wes Moran and Wikimedia head director of search and discovery Tomasz Finc.
However, in published notes from a meeting to discuss the controversy, Ms Tretikov is recorded as saying the grant news had been shared "without context".
A new team had been set up, given the task of researching "how Wikimedia users seek, find, and engage with content", Ms Tretikov wrote in a piece co-authored with Mr Moran.
But they went on to deny that a search engine was the intended outcome.
"What are we not doing? We're not building a global crawler search engine," they wrote.
"We're not building another, separate Wikimedia project... Despite headlines, we are not trying to compete with other platforms, including Google."
Wikipedia editor William Beutler recently told the website Motherboard that the controversy was the result of a "culture clash" between the Foundation and its volunteers.
"The community is this volunteer group that is made up of people who largely buy into Wikipedia for ideological reasons," he said.
"Then you have the Foundation, which has increasingly fewer people from the community and a larger Silicon Valley contingent that comes from a tech background."
The Wikimedia Foundation has been contacted by the BBC for comment.
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The executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, has resigned after denying the group is considering building a search engine.
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The 35-year-old extended his stay with the League Two club in June after his short-term contract expired at the end of last season.
He helped Notts win seven of their last 13 games to avoid relegation.
"I believe we're on the cusp of doing something great. Hopefully I can be a big part of that," Ameobi said.
Talking to BBC East Midlands Today, the former Newcastle striker continued: "I feel that we have the quality in this squad to compete with any team in this league.
"Promotion spots, fighting for play-off spots. For me, as a team I think we're good enough to be in those positions."
At Meadow Lane, Ameobi is working under former Newcastle United team-mate Kevin Nolan, who initially brought the former Nigeria international in after taking over as Notts boss in January.
"As soon as I got the phone call, it wasn't really a big decision," Ameobi said.
"I know how he works, what sort of character he is, for me that's a big thing, understanding who you're working for. What he's trying to build is a big part of why I decided to come here. "
Ameobi, who represented Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup having played as a junior for England, said Nolan's demanding pre-season fitness routines have been punishing.
"I think the older you get the harder everything is," he added.
"I think it's my 20th pre-season now. I'm still loving it, even if it's a bit painful at times we know it's all for a reason and hopefully we'll see the results once the games start."
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Striker Shola Ameobi says he signed a new deal with Notts County because he has unfinished business with a club capable of challenging for promotion.
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Crystalla Dean, 52, was last seen by her daughter at her home in Longsdale Crescent, Oban, at about 20:00 on 15 December.
On 5 January a body was found on the shore at Ardmucknish Bay near Benderloch.
Police said the body had now been formally identified as that of Ms Dean and her relatives had been informed.
Following a post-mortem examination, the death is not being treated as suspicious.
A large-scale search for Ms Dean took place, involving Police Scotland's mountain rescue team, the coastguard and the local mountain rescue team.
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A body found in Argyll earlier this month has been confirmed as being that of a missing woman.
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When operational, the £10bn nuclear plant is expected to create 850 permanent jobs and should start generating power by 2025.
But in a draft letter, the council has criticised Horizon for the lack of detail in its final consultation.
Horizon said it was "surprised and disappointed" by the council's response.
In the letter, the council's chief executive expressed concern at a decrease in proposed local employment during the building phase.
Dr Gwynne Jones also said there was "an objectionable lack of detail" on proposals to house 4,000 building workers on site.
The letter called for "immediate" investment in education to ensure that local young people will be employed at the proposed power station.
It suggested that, due to the lack of detail, the legality of the process could be in doubt.
"The council remains committed to working with Horizon and other key stakeholders but... not at any cost nor with promises of 'jam tomorrow'," the letter added.
A third and final consultation into the power station plans has been held and Horizon hopes to submit a planning application, known as a development consent order, later this year.
Responding to the council's comment, Horizon's Richard Foxhall said: "They have been made aware of what we intended to consult on before May 2017. They agreed with the content of what we do in the consultation.
Of course, what we've consulted on is what to change since last year, not necessarily on the whole project.
"However we do look forward to working with the council. This isn't the end of the game as far as input."
He added there was no question of the company's consultation process being illegal.
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The company behind Wylfa Newydd has been told Anglesey council will not support the scheme "at any cost".
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The Shanghai Composite index closed 2.3% higher at 3,361.84 points as measures from regulators to support the stock market started to have an impact.
Local reports said the securities regulator would keep in effect its ban on share sales by major shareholders until new rules were released.
The ban was set to expire on Friday.
It was put in place six months ago at the height of the mainland stock market sell-off over the summer and locked up an estimated 1.24tn yuan ($190bn; £129bn) worth of shares.
Monday's 7% plunge in the Shanghai market, which led to the suspension of trading for the first time, triggered a global equities rout.
But a sense of calm has now moved over financial markets, said Chris Weston, chief market strategist at trading firm IG in a note.
"While we haven't seen a snap-back rally, the flat moves in US and European markets means we can stop to catch our breath," he said.
Beijing's decision on Tuesday to inject cash into the falling market also helped soothe fears.
Economic data that suggested activity in the country's services sector expanded at its slowest pace in 17 months in December had little impact on investors' confidence.
The Caixin/Markit purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 50.2 from 51.2 in November. A reading above 50 suggests growth in the sector, while one below that suggests contraction.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index failed to match the positive run from the mainland market and ended the session 1% lower at 20,980.81.
Traders in the rest of Asia were cautious after a North Korean nuclear test heightened geopolitical tensions.
The country claimed that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb on Wednesday morning, drawing widespread criticism from around the world.
South Korea's Kospi index finished down 0.3% to 1,925.43, but the index was already lower before the news of the bomb.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index ended lower by 1% to 18,191.32, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed down 1.2% to 5,123.1.
Shares of Japanese electronics maker Sharp fell 3.3% after reports that the troubled firm is expected to book an operating loss of at least 10bn yen ($84m; £57m) for the nine months to December.
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Mainland Chinese shares headed higher on Wednesday, recovering some of the steep losses made earlier this week on concerns about the economy.
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Patterdale terrier Taz became trapped beneath a concrete terrace at Bath City FC on Thursday night.
Crews from Bath Fire Station had to remove part of the stand at the Twerton Park ground to get to the dog.
A spokesman for Avon Fire and Rescue said: "Once crews reached the terrier they found he was still pinched between the bottom of the stand and soil and rubble below."
The spokesman added: "Firefighters were able to dig out the ground around Taz before pulling him to safety through the gap.
"Once free, he was reunited, unhurt, with his extremely grateful owners."
Bath City have been approached for comment.
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A dog has been rescued after getting stuck under a football stand.
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Both sides have already qualified for the semi-finals the winners of Group A face Zamalek of Egypt while the runners-up will play South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns.
Wydad know they need just a point to top the table and will take encouragement from their comfortable 2-0 win over Zesco in Morocco two months ago.
Coached by former Real Madrid manager and Liverpool striker John Toshack, Wydad top Group A with 10 points despite a mid-group crisis.
After wins over Asec Mimosas of the Ivory Coast and Zesco, the Moroccans only took one point from a possible six off struggling Al Ahly of Egypt.
Wydad then battled to translate dominance over Asec at home into goals until Congo Brazzaville-born Fabrice Ondama scored in the final minute to secure a 2-1 win.
That result, and Zesco holding record eight-time African champions Ahly 2-2 away, eliminated the Egyptian and Ivorian clubs.
Zesco have exceeded expectations by reaching the semi-finals although coach George Lwandamina remains worried about concentration lapses in defence.
"Our defence has a tendency to fall asleep after we score and this allows opponents back into matches," said Lwandamina, who doubles as the caretaker national coach.
What Zesco do boast are consistent goal scorers with Idris Mbombo from the DR Congo scoring five in this Champions League campaign.
Clatous Chama and Kenyan Jesse Were have notched four each and John Ching'andu three.
Failing to reach the semi-finals cost Ahly coach and former Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol his job amid safety concerns.
Assistant coach Ossama Orabi has taken charge for the meaningless midweek match against 1998 champions ASEC at Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan.
Another fixture where only pride is at stake involves already-eliminated Enyimba of Nigeria and Sundowns in Port Harcourt.
Zamalek have a bye as Entente Setif of Algeria were disqualified.
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Wydad Casablanca of Morocco travel to face Zesco United of Zambia on Wednesday to decide who tops Group A of the African Champions League.
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