Britney Spears' father to stay in control

Britney Spears' father will retain control of the singer's assets and estate for another five months, a Los Angeles court has ruled.

James Spears' temporary authority was due to expire on 10 March but a judge has extended it until 31 July.

Mr Spears was originally granted "temporary conservatorship" over his daughter in February after she was admitted to a psychiatric ward.

A US court creates conservatorship when a person cannot care for themselves.

The singer's estate is thought to be worth $100m (£50.8m).

Hospital stay

Ms Spears has led a troubled existence since splitting from her husband, Kevin Federline, in 2006.

Her increasingly eccentric behaviour - which included shaving off her hair in full view of the paparazzi and a shambolic performance at the MTV awards - ended with a spell in a psychiatric ward at the beginning of February.

She was recently allowed to see her sons for the first time in nearly two months after reaching an agreement with her former husband, who has sole custody of the children.

Mr Federline's spokesman, Elliot Mintz, said Ms Spears' father had played a key part in making possible her visit to Jayden James, aged one, and Sean Preston, two.

Via bbc.co.uk