The Iraqi military says it has driven off Islamist-led militants attacking the country's biggest oil refinery amid reports it had been overrun.

The army said 40 attackers had been killed, a claim which could not be verified independently.
But an official source told Reuters the rebels had seized 75% of the Baiji refinery north of Baghdad.
PM Nouri Maliki has urged Iraqis to unite against the militants in a televised speech.
Government forces are battling to push back ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and its Sunni Muslim allies in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, after the militants overran the second city, Mosul, last week.
US President Barack Obama is due to discuss the Iraq crisis with senior Congress members on Wednesday.
Senate leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said he did not "support in any way" getting American troops involved in the Iraqi "civil war".
In other developments:
The attack reportedly started at 04:00 (01:00 GMT) from outside two of the three main entrances to the refinery, located 210km (130 miles) north of Baghdad.
Smoke rose from a spare-parts warehouse and some stores of oil were reportedly destroyed.
"The militants have managed to break into the refinery," the unnamed official told Reuters from inside the refinery. "Now they are in control of the production units, administration building and four watchtowers. This is 75% of the refinery."
Army spokesman Qasim Ata said in news conference broadcast live on TV: "The security forces thwarted an attempt by ISIS to attack the Baiji refinery and 40 terrorists were killed."
The nearby town of Baiji was overrun by ISIS-led militants last week. Foreign personnel, including a small number of British nationals, were evacuated from the refinery earlier but local staff reportedly remained in place.
Hundreds of people have been killed since the start of the militant offensive last week, many of them believed to be captured soldiers publicly shot by ISIS-led firing squads.
During fighting in the city of Baquba this week, 44 prisoners were killed inside a police station in unclear circumstances.
The refinery which is now shut down is critical for Iraq's supplies of petrol and other petroleum products. It supplies a quarter of the country's refining capacity. The power plant is equally important, as the country still suffers from acute shortages of electricity.
It was always likely the militants would target Baiji. The area is dominated by Sunni Muslims and was a hotbed of insurgent activity during the US occupation, making it fertile ground for ISIS.
And ISIS has a track-record of seizing lucrative assets such as refineries.
Government forces have renewed air strikes on militants while militants in the western province of Anbar say they have made advances, with a number of police stations near the town of Hit going over to dissident tribes.
Further north, the Iraqi government said it had recaptured the citadel in the strategic town of Tal Afar, where militants were said to have taken control on Monday.
An army spokesman told the AFP news agency that troops were planning to press on to militant-held areas in Mosul on Thursday.
"I would like to say once again that what has happened in Iraq is a setback but not every setback is a defeat," Mr Maliki said on Wednesday.
"This setback has allowed Iraq to recover its national unity and Iraqis have managed to recover their feeling that they are in danger and that not a single Iraqi will benefit from this crisis."
Mr Maliki has long been accused of favouring the country's Shia Muslim majority and fomenting unrest among the Sunni minority.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said Tehran will not "spare any effort" to defend Shia holy shrines in Iraq against "mercenaries, murderers and terrorists".
He was speaking amid reports that the head of the elite Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Qasem Soleimani, was in Baghdad to help co-ordinate the fight against the militants.
ISIS grew out of an al-Qaeda-linked organisation in Iraq
Iraq 'massacre' photos: What we know


Recent criticism of Paul Pogba is motivated by "envy", and those targeting the midfielder do so because they "need every coin to survive", says Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Pogba, 24, re-signed with United for a world-record £89m fee from Juventus in August, having left for £1.5m in 2012.
The midfielder's performances have at times come under fire this season.
"It is not his fault that some pundits are in real trouble while Paul is a multi-millionaire," Mourinho said.
"I feel that the world is losing values and I am scared about the level of envy coming in. It is not Paul's fault that he gets 10 times the money some players did in the past," the Portuguese added.
"Paul reached the top and nobody gave him anything. I am really worried about the way things are going with previous generations. Envy is everywhere."
Pogba, who has scored seven goals and provided five assists in 40 matches this term, was outshone by N'Golo Kante in United's 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Chelsea on Monday.
After the game, former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard said Kante was the "best central midfielder in the world", while ex-England captain and BBC pundit Alan Shearer said: "I think you are looking at the Football Writers' Player of the Year and the Players' Player of the Year."
Speaking before United play their second leg against Rostov in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, with the tie level at 1-1, Mourinho said he was "very happy" with Pogba's performances.
"The best thing is that because of his personality he doesn't give an ass to what people say about him," he added.
Mourinho said forward Anthony Martial was not available to face Rostov after missing Monday's FA Cup defeat at Chelsea with an injury.
The 21-year-old France international reported for training on Tuesday and joined defender Luke Shaw and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, plus some youngsters, in a separate training group on an adjacent pitch.
"Martial is out of my mind," said Mourinho. "I don't think about him.
"He was injured for the Chelsea match and if you are injured for the Monday night game, you are injured for the Tuesday morning training session. If you are injured for the Tuesday morning training session it's not because of what he does on Wednesday that he can play on Thursday."
Mourinho also confirmed United had been forced to travel back to the north-west by coach after the Chelsea game, arriving at 4am after their charter flight failed to make it to Heathrow.


Pop star Rita Ora and BBC Radio 1 presenter Nick Grimshaw have signed up as judges for the 12th series of The X Factor, producers have confirmed.

Grimshaw, who hosts Radio 1's breakfast show, replaces Louis Walsh, taking his seat beside show creator Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
Pop star Rita Ora fills the fourth chair, jumping ship from BBC One's The Voice after just one series.
The singer previously appeared as a guest judge on The X Factor in 2012.
"I am excited to be coming back," said the star. "I had a ball here in 2012. This is a journey I can't wait to embark on to find some talented singers.
"It's the new generation taking over. Booooom."
Grimshaw added: "I love X Factor and have watched the series religiously since it started, so obviously I'm hugely excited to be joining the show.
"Music is my job and my passion and I'm really looking forward to seeing what talent we can find and nurture this year. I can't wait for judges' houses in Oldham!"
Ora and Grimshaw are close friends, and producers will be hoping their chemistry adds a new dynamic to the venerable TV talent show.
Cowell said: "The best-kept secret in TV is out!! But I am really happy with the new judging line-up for X Factor this year. It's going to be a lot of fun."
He said he had "met a lot of people" when looking for new judges. "We have always had great judges. And I will always be thankful for their passion and expertise," he said.
"I have no idea what the show will look like but I feel both excited and nervous. It's going to be very different! Embrace the madness..."
Dermot O'Leary and Louis Walsh are out.
Nick Grimshaw, Rita Ora and Olly Murs are in.
The new appointees for The X Factor suggest Simon Cowell is chasing a younger audience as the show enters its 12th year.
At the moment the programme has a broad reach, but only 8.9% of the viewers are in the 16-24 age range. That's more than The Voice UK but less than ITV's other reality behemoth I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
Grimshaw and Ora certainly appeal to a younger audience than the judges they replace (sorry, Mel B). Add in the fact that Kiss FM presenters Rickie and Melvin are being tipped to host The Xtra Factor spin-off, and it seems like ITV is aiming for a more streetwise, credible feel.
Which all makes sense: The show's reputation lives or dies on the success of the winning acts. With younger audiences casting votes, the chances of producing another Little Mix or One Direction increase.
It is not the first time ITV has poached one of the BBC's talent show judges; Alesha Dixon was lured from Strictly Come Dancing to Britain's Got Talent in 2012.
Last week, Ora said she was enjoying being fought over by bosses of The X Factor and The Voice.
"It is very complimentary, of course," the pop star told the Evening Standard. "A massive compliment."
"Watching a bidding war going on makes me feel special."
X Factor is being given a thorough shake-up after ratings for last year's final dipped to a 10-year low.
An average audience of 9.1 million tuned in to see Croydon's Ben Haenow win the contest, the lowest since Steve Brookstein's victory in 2004.
Only Cowell and Fernandez-Versini are returning to their roles in 2015.
Host Dermot O'Leary will be replaced by former contestant Olly Murs and TV presenter Caroline Flack, while DJ Sarah Jane Crawford has also stepped down as presenter of spin-off show The Xtra Factor.
This year's arena auditions - which mark the contestants' first opportunity to perform for the panel - begin in Manchester on 6 July.


Valencia boss Gary Neville says he is remaining calm and focused despite failing to win any of his nine La Liga games since taking over.

Neville's side are 14th, four points above the drop zone, before Saturday's visit of Espanyol (19:30 GMT).
But the ex-England defender said: "I haven't seen the players panic and they've not seen me panic.
"There can be a hurricane on the outside but you have to be in the eye of the storm on the inside."
Neville, 40, has come under increasing pressure, with former Valencia captain Santiago Canizares telling him to quit.
Valencia, who finished fourth last season, have lost four and drawn five league games since Neville was appointed at the start of December.
Last week's embarrassing 7-0 first-leg defeat at Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final led to Canizares demanding his resignation.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"There's been no huge sway to behave in a different way the last few weeks of results," Neville added.
"We've not changed tack, we've not changed the way in which we work. We believe in our work and proving ourselves.
"We have to win against Espanyol and that's what we're focusing on. It's a final."
Espanyol are fourth-bottom in the Spanish top-flight, three adrift of Valencia before Saturday's meeting at the Mestalla.
And Neville has urged Los Che fans to get behind his team after only 10,000 showed up to Wednesday's 1-1 second-leg draw against Barca.
"I am grateful to the fans who came out to support us," added Neville. "Those who didn't want to come are within their rights.
"Mestalla will be full on Saturday, and the atmosphere will be electric.
"We need the fans more than ever on Saturday."


Shrewsbury Town will not be short of inspiration when they try to knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Ahead of Monday's fifth-round tie at the Greenhous Meadow, the League One side's boss Micky Mellon has already gathered a battle plan that cannot fail to strike a chord with the competition's romantics.
No-one loves roughing up the elite more than Sam Allardyce (just ask Arsene Wenger) so it is fortunate that Mellon is big pals with Big Sam.
Friends from having played under Allardyce at Blackpool, Mellon has the perfect inside track on how to upset the odds.
The current Sunderland boss is the last man to beat United domestically, thanks to their 2-1 win last Saturday in the Premier League, and Mellon admits he will use all his old manager's know-how.
"I'm seeing Big Sam and see what his plan was and if there's any help we can get from that then we will," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.
"I'm a big schoolboy when it comes to football and to be able to prepare my team to face Manchester United is a fantastic moment in my career."
Perhaps the magic and miracle of cinema can also provide a source of hope.
If Shrewsbury had Pele up front, Ossie Ardiles in midfield and Bobby Moore at the heart of the defence, they could well afford Michael Caine at left-back and still beat Manchester United, or anyone else for that matter.
But, unlike the Germans in the iconic 1981 film Escape to Victory, they did defeat a side that contained more than a hint of that heroic Allied XI.
Russell Osman, John Wark, Kevin O'Callaghan and Paul Cooper (body double for goalkeeper Sylvester Stallone in the film) were all in Bobby Robson's stylish Uefa Cup-winning Ipswich side that lost 2-1 to Shrewsbury in the fifth round in February 1982.
But if it is all going pear-shaped at half-time on Monday for Town, in keeping with the film, they can always dig an escape tunnel under the bath.
In addition to the Tractor Boys of '82, Shrewsbury saw off another top-flight side Manchester City on their way to the sixth round in 1979 - still their best run in the competition to date.
More recently, it was Kevin Ratcliffe's side that wrote the third-round headlines as two goals from Nigel Jemson, including a last-minute winner, dumped Ratcliffe's old club and five-time winners Everton out in 2003. It gave a 17-year-old Wayne Rooney an early introduction to the FA Cup's capricious nature.
If you only looked at the visitors' FA Cup record, you would tell the Shrewsbury squad to stay in, watch their favourite box-sets on Monday, and give the tie a wide berth.
Only Arsenal can boast a better record than United's 11 Cup wins, but Town fans will point to the fact that they have not won the famous old trophy since beating Millwall in Cardiff in 2004.
And like a lot of the big boys, they have not been immune to the odd upset over the years.
Bournemouth's famous win over holders United in the third round in 1984 still ranks as one of the competition's biggest-ever shocks and League One Leeds United's victory at Old Trafford six years ago is another Red Devils fans want to forget.
Exeter City and Burton Albion - both Conference sides at the time - also forced third-round replays in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
So that, together with the scale of United's current injury crisis - 14 players struggling at the last count - is surely grounds for optimism?
Aberdeen-born Jack Grimmer will always love Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson's masterminding of the Dons' stunning Cup Winners' Cup triumph over Real Madrid in 1983 saw to that.
"It's something that'll never ever be forgotten - he's a folk hero at Aberdeen and what he went on to do at United will never be matched," Grimmer, who is on loan at Town from Fulham, said.
The Scot has taken some of that Ferguson gold dust and sprinkled it over his two loan spells at Shrewsbury in the last two seasons.
A League Cup cracker with Chelsea last term preceded a stunning last-gasp winning goal in that crazy finish against Sheffield Wednesday to set up the shot at United.
Grimmer has been nursing a tight hamstring but says nothing is going to stop him being part of another huge occasion.
"If I broke my leg, I'd still be going out there - it's a game everyone wants to play in and you only get a handful of these matches in your career," the 22-year-old said.
And maybe another winner?
"That's what I'm looking for. That's what dreams are made of so if anything remotely close to that happens it'll definitely top Sheffield Wednesday.
"It'll be a special night with a packed ground and if the crowd can get behind us an upset could definitely be on the cards."
Another one with a taste for the big occasion is Andy Mangan.
The 29-year-old striker, on loan from Tranmere, shone in last season's League Cup run, grabbing the only goal as Premier League Leicester City were knocked out in the second round.
He then got the Shrews' equaliser in their pulsating fourth-round tie with Chelsea, before the Londoners squeezed through 2-1.
Like all the best stories, he suffered disappointment, leaving the club last summer before returning in a blaze of glory, netting the winner on his first appearance back at the club against Cardiff City in the third round last month.
"Manchester United are a superpower," Mangan said.
"Everyone knows them and to be involved in that is really magical - when they got pulled out of the hat I was jumping around the room.
"I'm in awe of some of their players but I'll try and perform, and to play against them makes me very proud."
James Bond, BBC Radio Shropshire sports editor
"TV cameras at training, the national media descending on the club... normally pre-match interviews involve Micky Mellon and his players chatting to BBC Radio Shropshire and the Shropshire Star.
"But attention is very much focused on the lowest-ranked club left in the FA Cup and Shrewsbury folk have been talking about little else.
"The ticket office has been besieged. Local musicians have written songs about the big game. Even special bread has been baked! It's been an unforgettable experience.
"Town fans fancy some giant-killing. A 2-1 win is a popular thought."
Interviews with BBC Radio Shropshire's James Bond.


A man has been charged with the murder of a woman found dead at a house in Evesham, Worcestershire.

The 53-year-old woman, who has not been formally identified, was pronounced dead at the address in Bewdley Street on Friday.
She was found to have suffered a cardiac arrest after police were called at 05:48 BST.
Mark Pearce, 51, also of Bewdley Street, will appear at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday.
More on the Evesham murder inquiry and news from Hereford & Worcester


Scotland survived a thrilling Ireland comeback at Murrayfield to record only their second opening-round victory in Six Nations history.

Media playback is not supported on this device
The hosts enjoyed a stunning start despite Ireland's scrum dominance, full-back Stuart Hogg crossing twice.
Keith Earls scored in the corner but Alex Dunbar's try from a clever line-out move put the Scots 21-5 up.
Tries from Iain Henderson and Paddy Jackson put Ireland 22-21 ahead before Greig Laidlaw's two late penalties.
It was a remarkable conclusion to a scintillating opening match of this year's Championship, with Ireland - who took a losing bonus point - having 70% of the possession in the second half.
But, despite scoring 17 unanswered points either side of the interval, Irish hopes of a third title in four years suffered a major blow.
They must now lift themselves for next Saturday's trip to face Italy in Rome, while Scotland travel to play France the following day in buoyant mood.
This was an absolute firecracker of a Test match, a classic of its kind. It got off to a thunderous start and rarely let up. The portents for the Scots were not good in the early minutes when their scrum came under heavy attack and started shipping penalties at an alarming rate, but their game-breakers soon came to prominence and set Murrayfield alight.
Scotland were clinical, seizing on uncharacteristic Irish errors. When they applied pressure in the visitors' 22 and Garry Ringrose unwisely came out of the defensive line, Hogg went outside him and through for the opening score.
The Scots weathered an Irish backlash and hit them with another score just after the first quarter.
Zander Fagerson forced a turnover on the floor and Scotland went from there. From a line-out, Finn Russell, standing flat to the advantage line, found Huw Jones, who sent Hogg away. The full-back dummied Rob Kearney to go over and Laidlaw made it 14-0 with the conversion.
Ireland responded and got reward for waves of pressure when Earls went over, but that only galvanised Scotland to get a third try. And it was a thing of wonder. A beautiful crossfield kick from Russell forced Simon Zebo into conceding the line-out.
The Scottish line-out then pulled the canniest trick in the book, front-loading it with three backs - Laidlaw, Tommy Seymour and Dunbar.
Ireland didn't think for one second that Ross Ford's throw was going to one of them, but it did. He threw it flat to Dunbar who, surreally, went through a gap to score.
Laidlaw's conversion made it 21-5, Jackson's penalty reducing the deficit to 21-8 just before the break.
The second half was utterly extraordinary. Ireland mobilised their troops in a very major way. They owned the ball for vast sections of the half, Henderson scoring after monumental pressure finally broke through incredible Scottish resistance.
Ireland came again, with power and intent. Conor Murray broke free and linked with Jamie Heaslip but the outstanding Ryan Wilson, with help from a Sean Maitland interception, snuffed out the danger.
Next, Maitland's tackle forced Kearney to put a foot in touch on the right wing, denying Earls a second try.
In the midst of the onslaught, Jonny Gray was a defensive rock. A total colossus. When Irishmen went down in the tackle it was normally Gray who put him there.
Not even Gray and his army of heavy-hitters could stop Ireland from scoring again, however. They were making yards and finding holes against a seemingly tiring Scotland and Jackson stretched to score and then converted his own try.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Ireland were ahead for the first time; 21-20 after 62 minutes.
Scotland's goose looked cooked, but these players have learned some lessons on the road to this victory, some bitter lessons from matches that should have been won but were lost in the closing minutes.
Roles were reversed here. From somewhere, Scotland summoned grunt and control and won a penalty that Laidlaw fired over to put them back in the lead. They kicked on, controlling the ball, looking after it like it was a new-born babe. Ireland couldn't get near it.
The last act was another penalty from the captain, boomed over against a backdrop of sheer delirium.
This was Scotland's biggest victory in 18 years, since they were champions in 1999. Nobody will be thinking about trophies, but Scotland have momentum - and history.
Paris next, with a mighty spring in the step.
TEAM LINE-UPS:
Scotland: Hogg; Maitland, Jones, Dunbar, Seymour; Russell, Laidlaw (capt); Dell, Brown, Fagerson, R Gray, J Gray, Wilson, Watson, Strauss
Replacements: Ford (for Brown, blood 5-11, then 27), Reid (for Dell, 56), Berghan, Swinson (for Strauss, 65), Barclay (for Watson, 49), Price, Weir (temp for Russell, 46-52), Bennett (for Jones, 60)
Ireland: Kearney; Earls, Henshaw, Ringrose, Zebo; Jackson, Murray; McGrath, Best (capt), Furlong, Henderson, Toner, Stander, O'Brien, Heaslip
Replacements: Scannell, Healy (for McGrath, 56), Ryan (for Furlong, 69), Dillane (for Henderson, 64), Van der Flier (for O'Brien, 66), Marmion, Keatley, Bowe (for Earls, 68).
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Touch judges: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) and Nick Briant (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.


Juventus striker Simone Zaza has joined Valencia on loan until the end of the season after his spell at West Ham was ended prematurely.

Media playback is not supported on this device
The 25-year-old had signed for the Hammers on a £4.3m season-long deal last summer but only played 11 times and failed to score.
According to reports, had Zaza played 14 games the Premier League club would have had to buy him outright for £20m.
The Italy forward was signed by Juve from Sassuolo for £12.75m in 2015.
He scored eight goals in 24 appearances for the Italian Serie A champions before joining West Ham last August.
Valencia are struggling in La Liga and are currently in 17th position.


A house fire which killed a mother and her three children was caused accidentally by a halogen heater, fire investigators have found.

The blaze broke out at a terraced house in Rosamond Street, Bolton, at about 09:00 BST on Saturday.
The victims were five-year-old Khadija Umerji, her brothers Yusuf, 10, and Hammad, 12, and their mother Anisha Umerji, 40.
The children's father Zubair Umerji jumped from the first floor.
He tried to smash through glass on the ground floor window to reach his family. He is being treated for his injuries.
Senior firefighter Tony Hunter said: "He was absolutely distraught, screaming [that] his wife and children were in there."
A neighbour, Fatima, said: "I heard screaming, banging and shouting. 'Save my kids, save my wife. Help. Help.'
"Everyone started to try to break the door and the windows but the flames were already all over.
"It is a loss to our neighbourhood. God bless their souls."
Their funerals will take place in Bolton on Tuesday.
Following a joint investigation, officers from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) believe the fire was caused accidentally by a halogen heater in the living room at the front of the house.
Jim Hutton from GMFRS said: "We believe a halogen heater may have caught a sofa alight.
"We're looking into [how the heater came to be on]. We're trying to speak to the father following this tragedy to see if he can give us some more information."
The two youngest children attended Brandwood Primary School in Bolton.
In a statement the school said it had been a "privilege" to have been part of the lives of the Umerji family.
The school would do all it could to support them, it added.
Community safety teams and firefighters have since visited more than 200 homes in Bolton offering safety advice.
Chairman of the fire committee at Manchester City Council, councillor David Acton, urged people to check electrical appliances, plugs and cables and make sure they do not overload sockets.


One Welsh group taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage when a stampede killed at least 717 people is yet to make contact, a Muslim leader has said.

About 250 people are believed to have made the journey from Wales to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, near where the incident happened on Thursday.
Saleem Kidwai, of the Muslim Council of Wales (MCW), said members had difficultly contacting groups in Mecca.
He added there is no alarm that a group from Cardiff has not been in touch.
Elsewhere, Muslim leaders in Newport and Swansea say they are not aware of any missing people from their cities.
Mr Kidwai said: "We have spoken to the families of the groups that haven't been in contact with them. They don't want to say anything until the situation becomes clear. They just hope and pray everything is okay.
"It is a horrific event, with no news coming out. We hope that there will be good news but we will be providing counselling facilities if necessary.
"We are constantly trying to ring and get some information. Even our contacts in that part of the world are trying to get some information. Other organisations are very active in trying to find information.
"We hope that the situation will improve. The families find solace and tranquillity in faith. It was not a holy day, but they can have solace in their religion. We're praying for those unaccounted for."
Along with those killed, a further 863 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which happened as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj's last major rite.


An IT expert who laundered almost £600,000 has been jailed for six years.

Stephen Goodwin, 51, of St Saviours Road, St Helier, Jersey, illicitly transferred the money between 2006 and 2011 through several jurisdictions, including the UK and Jersey.
He had pleaded guilty to several counts relating to money trafficking and tax evasion at Jersey's Royal Court.
He was also fined £2,000 and had assets of £214,237 confiscated on Thursday.
Goodwin was sentenced for two counts of income tax fraud, one count of attempting to pervert the course of justice and a fourth count of converting, transferring or removing proceeds of drug trafficking from the jurisdiction.
A spokeswoman for States of Jersey Police said: "He deliberately sought to remain under the radar, in terms of declared earnings to government departments, and evade any suspicious activity that is reported through the banking mechanisms."
Police said "cash packages" were intercepted in 2011 by Jersey Customs and Immigration Services which led to an investigation being launched through the Joint Financial Crimes Unit.


Drivers of Kent are facing gridlock on the roads all weekend as Operation Stack remains in place on the M20.

The motorway is shut coastbound for the 20th day in three months as lorries queue because of delays crossing the English Channel.
Vanessa Challess, from Maidstone,  who is eight months pregnant, fears what will happen if she needs to get to hospital to give birth.
"It could take me hours to get to hospital whilst in labour," she said.
"The NHS has decided that high risk Maidstone women can't give birth in their home town.
"I therefore changed trusts to give birth at the William Harvey at Ashford, thinking it was a jaunt down the M20.
''The police will not allow an escorted trip down the middle of Operation Stack and tell me to call an ambulance, but I will then have no choice on where I give birth
"We will be stranded without a car and the ambulance may well face its own delays."
Matthew Balfour, Kent County Council's cabinet member for transport, said the situation in Kent was a nightmare.
"All the roads in east Kent get completely blocked up so people can't go to the shops, they can't get to the doctor, the hospital.
"They can't pick up their children, queues are endless and it's really insufferable.
"And it means that people who run shops in the towns and the villages don't get their trade because people stay at home."
He said the chaos was costing a estimate Â£1.5m a day for Kent's economy.
Franscesca Murphy, an osteopath in Hollingbourne, near junction eight of the M20, said patients could not get to their appointments.
"It's having an effect on the practice with patients cancelling," she said.
"I'm losing money and losing business."
Tourist attractions Leeds Castle and Dover Castle, both accessed from the M20, said they had seen a drop in visitor numbers in the past month.
Sarah Codrington, head of marketing at Leeds Castle, said travel bulletins and overhead gantries on motorways saying that junction eight was closed were having a negative impact.
Dover Castle said pre-booked groups were cancelling their visits.
A summit meeting in Maidstone on Friday agreed to look at setting up a contraflow on the M20 to keep local traffic moving while Operation Stack was in force.
Mr Balfour said the emergency services' Gold Command would be discussing it on Monday morning and it was hoped it would be operating next week.
The contraflow plan was welcomed by drivers' organisation the AA.
"Getting some traffic moving southbound on the London-bound carriageway would certainly ease up conditions for Kent drivers," said spokesman Paul Watters.
Highways England said it was looking at the feasibility of the contraflow.
"Our highest priority is to ensure it could be done safely and we will be working with Kent Police and others in the operational coordination group to consider how it could be achieved," said a spokeswoman.
"We will report back through the Kent tactical co-ordinating group as soon as possible."


Eastleigh remain unbeaten under new manager Ronnie Moore after victory over Macclesfield at Moss Rose.

The Silkmen made a decent start but soon found themselves on the back foot as James Constable and Jai Reason both went close for Eastleigh in the early stages.
Danny Whitaker blazed a great opportunity over the bar for the hosts in the 38th minute, before Luke Coulson scored the winner five minutes after the interval.
Constable was inches away from doubling Eastleigh's lead in the 64th minute after Reason crossed in from the byline, but in the end it did not matter as Moore's side extended their unbeaten run to seven games.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Macclesfield Town 0, Eastleigh 1.
Second Half ends, Macclesfield Town 0, Eastleigh 1.
John McCombe (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Eastleigh. Adam Dawson replaces Jake Howells.
Jai Reason (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Andy Halls replaces Neill Byrne.
Neill Byrne (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Jack Mackreth replaces Danny Whitaker.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. David Fitzpatrick replaces Mitch Hancox.
Kingsley James (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!  Macclesfield Town 0, Eastleigh 1. Luke Coulson (Eastleigh).
Second Half begins Macclesfield Town 0, Eastleigh 0.
First Half ends, Macclesfield Town 0, Eastleigh 0.
Paul Lewis (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Joe Partington (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


After just four Premiership wins all season, London Irish have been relegated from English rugby's top flight for the first time since 1994.

Championship rugby awaits for one of the Premiership's founding members when the game turned professional in 1996, with an uncertain future ahead for players, coaches and staff.
Worcester and Newcastle have bounced back from the second tier with immediate effect in recent seasons, while others such as Harlequins and Northampton have returned to win titles.
But clubs such as Bristol and London Welsh have found life below the Premiership harder to adapt to than expected.
What path will London Irish's future take? BBC Sport speaks to players, supporters, coaches and rugby writers to find the formula behind bouncing back from relegation.
Media playback is not supported on this device
As recently as 2009, Irish were contesting a Premiership final at Twickenham and reached the last four of the European Cup a year earlier.
But the last three seasons have produced finishes in the bottom three, a change of ownership and changes in playing and coaching personnel.
"Although former director of rugby Brian Smith didn't enjoy the same success at the club in his second spell as he did in his first, the Australian had extensive experience of the English game," said BBC 5 live rugby reporter Chris Jones.
"He was able to comfortably avoid relegation before his abrupt departure at the start of 2015.
"Tom Coventry arrived last summer as head coach with a justifiably big reputation considering his achievements at Waikato Chiefs.
"But my understanding is that transferring coaching techniques from a Super Rugby side to a Premiership outfit wasn't a smooth process, especially given the fact Irish pretty quickly found themselves in a relegation battle.
"Coventry and his coaching team needed time to adapt to the unique nature of English rugby. The other directors of rugby involved in the basement battle - Dean Richards and Dean Ryan - are steeped in experience on this front."
Steve Jones, treasurer of the London Irish supporters' club, believes other clubs have shown Irish the way to cope with life in the Championship.
"The key is that the core of the team is kept together and our investment in the academy remains to produce young talent," he said.
"There are a lot of good players in the system that could really benefit from a year in the Championship playing regular rugby. The under-18 team that won the Academy League this season is testament to that.
"But the Championship is a hard league and Irish will find it very tough. A mixture of seasoned pros and academy graduates will be needed."
Aside from what happens on the pitch for Irish is the debate over where it happens.
Their 16-year association with Reading's Madejski Stadium could be in its final throes despite a contract that allows them to ground-share in Berkshire until the 2025-26 season.
Chief executive Bob Casey has guaranteed the Exiles will play their home games at the venue next season despite several years of dwindling attendances, but beyond is an uncertain scenario.
There are rumours that Brentford's Griffin Park and their planned new stadium at nearby Lionel Road have become favourable alternatives for the future.
"Regardless of where, for Irish to get back to the top table in England and Europe we will eventually need our own ground," Jones added.
Back row and captain Luke Narraway: "Sticking together is going to be key. We've got to eat some humble pie and learn from our mistakes.
"I'm pretty sure that most of the side, if not all of the squad, are here next year.
"In 12 months' time, we want to be sitting here looking at the following season back in the Premiership."
Scrum-half Scott Steele: "I've never been in that situation before. It's going to be about lads sticking together, not getting too caught up in it.
"I think we can't be too complacent either. We can't go down to the Championship thinking it's going to be a walk in the park.
"It's going to be a really tough league with a lot of good players and good teams."
Fly-half Greig Tonks: "I don't think there's huge changes that need to be made.
"You look at some of the results this season and there's been a lot of games that have been extremely close.
"The small margins between staying up and going down - I think we've been on the wrong side of those narrow margins, which has been very unlucky. We've had a lot of injuries.
"I think the club's still in a very good place with a great set-up. I think a lot of players will buy in to whatever happens next year.
"They'll just give it everything and I'd like to think if the boys give it everything next year, we'll come straight back up."
Prop forward Tom Court: "Everyone can point the finger in hindsight, but in essence it's one of those things where experience in the Premiership and what is required at certain times in the season is essential.
"We've got to try to retain the experienced guys in our squad.  We've seen teams like Harlequins and Northampton that have gone down and bounced back and that's what we've got to do."
John Kingston will have his hands full as the new director of rugby at Harlequins next season, but the current Quins head coach has first-hand experience of life in the Championship and how to come back at the first attempt.
They were relegated from the Premiership in 2005 and Kingston was part of the coaching staff who masterminded their immediate return.
"The big thing was we kept the nucleus of the squad together," Kingston told BBC Sport.
"There was a trust from Dean Richards (then director of rugby) coming in within the coaching group, within the players, and we stuck together. We found and evolved a style we felt worked best for us.
"We got a confidence then about what we were doing, we found what it was we believed in and it allowed us to breathe and stop accepting mediocrity and start to reach out for the stars.
"That approach and that energy has been instrumental in us being as successful as we have."
Additional reporting by Chris Jones.


German Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised a new push to send home failed asylum seekers after Berlin truck attacker Anis Amri murdered 12 people.

She called for a "national effort" to ensure that anyone who had a right to protection was integrated while those denied it should leave.
Germany turned down Amri's asylum bid in June but failed to deport him because Tunisia refused to accept him.
Ministers are preparing tougher rules for such cases in future.
The chancellor said the attack showed that the government had to "act faster, act correctly, not just to get stuck with announcements but also to show where it really stands".
Justice Minister Heiko Maas believes the authorities should have the right to detain for an 18-month period individuals who are designated a threat to security and given a deportation order. More than 220 foreign suspects in Germany have reportedly been labelled as potential threats.
More on Berlin attack:
Anis Amri was not kept in custody because he did not have Tunisian documents. Although he was seen as a security risk by authorities in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia for planning a serious act of violence, he moved to Berlin and was not detained because of a lack of evidence.
The justice minister said such suspects should be made to wear electronic tags even without a conviction. "Electronic ankle monitors should not be a taboo," Mr Maas said. Although they were not a complete solution, they could help improve monitoring of suspects, he argued.
He is due to meet Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Tuesday to seek agreement on security measures. Mr de Maiziere has already called for special centres to be set up to house rejected asylum seekers.
However, part of the problem for the German government has been its difficulty in sending people back to Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. The chancellor said reaching an agreement with such states would only succeed if respect was shown to them.
"Those who have no residency status must be returned to their homeland, but that also demands of us that we concern ourselves with the problems of these countries and find solutions that are in our mutual interest," Mrs Merkel said on Monday.
The opposition Green party has so far refused to back a move to declare the three countries as "safe countries" for deporting failed asylum seekers. The head of the Left party, Bernd Riexinger, warned that anyone "frantically" calling for stricter punishments was slowly calling into question Germany's rule of law.


The Irish Naval Service ship, the LÉ Niamh, has saved another 125 people during its ongoing migrant rescue mission in the Mediterranean.

The migrants were on board a "highly overloaded inflatable vessel" which got into difficulty off the coast of Libya on Monday afternoon.
The rescuees included seven children, 26 women and 92 men.
They were helped on board the Irish ship, where they were given food, water and medical attention.
On Monday evening, the crew was redeployed to transfer a further 375 migrants from an Italian vessel to the nearest Italian port.
The operation was led by the Italian Marine Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (MRCC).
More than 2,000 migrants are said to have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
The LÉ Niamh is the second Irish naval vessel to be deployed to assist the international humanitarian rescue effort.
Its sister ship, the LÉ Eithne, brought more than 3,376 migrants to safety during its seven-week deployment that began on 16 May.


A South African woman has been found guilty of kidnapping a three-day-old baby in 1997.

Police accused her of fraudulently claiming to be the girl's mother since snatching her from a hospital in Cape Town.
The 51-year-old woman was arrested last year after suspicions were raised when there was a similar-looking girl at the child's school.
DNA tests then proved that the two girls were sisters, police said.
Read more updates on this and other stories from Africa
The kidnapped girl's biological parents, Celeste and Morne Nurse, called her Zephany, but the name she grew up with has not been revealed to protect her identity.
The convicted woman, who has been denied bail while she awaits sentencing, has also not been named for similar reasons.
Zephany had been living with the accused, near the Nurse family's home in the Cape Flats, a mainly working class neighbourhood in Cape Town, when she was identified last year.
The discovery came after one of the Nurse family's other daughters started going to a local secondary school and noticed a similarity with an older girl.
Mr Nurse told the court that he took the two girls out for lunch and began asking Zephany about her life.
He said that her date of birth matched the day his daughter was kidnapped, and added that a photo he was shown of Zephany's mother looked nothing like her.
He said he then spent a month gathering evidence before going to the police.
A DNA test showed that he had found his missing daughter.
A nationwide search in 1997 failed to find her.
In her evidence, the accused woman said she believed she had legally adopted the child after her own pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.
She said she was handed a new-born baby at a busy railway station by a woman called Sylvia, who cannot be found.
She also said that she had signed adoption papers, but they have been lost.
Giving his verdict, Judge John Hlophe described the defendant's account as a fairy tale and said the "court rejects it with the contempt it deserves".
The accused told the BBC before the verdict was issued that she was a victim too as she feels she was tricked into taking Zephany.
She also apologised to the Nurse family "for everything they went through".
In a statement issued through the Centre for Child Law at the weekend, Zephany complained about the way the media had portrayed the accused who she sees as her mother.
"Don't you think for once that that is my mother? Whether it is true or not is not for you to toy with," she said.
Zephany has chosen to continue living with the man who brought her up as her father.
She also spoke about him in the statement: "How would you feel as a father, desperately broken but still finds the goodness to support his family."
Before the verdict was announced he told South African media that if his wife was found guilty it would break up a happy family that has been together for 18 years.
Mrs Nurse broke down when she testified at the start of the trial.
She said Zephany was her first daughter, and she was 18 when she gave birth to her via a caesarean section at Groote Schuur Hospital, where the world's first human heart transplant was done in 1967.
She denied giving the accused permission to take her daughter from a ward.
"My baby was crying and I saw a person dressed in maroon clothes standing by the door. She asked if she could pick up the child," Mrs Nurse said.
"I was in pain and under medication. I fell asleep. Next thing I remember is the nurse asking where my child was.
"We ran around looking for the child in every floor of the hospital. The baby was gone. Nowhere to be found. I thought it was a joke," Mrs Nurse said.


There has been a sharp increase in the number of NHS outpatients who have waited more than a year for treatment, according to new figures.

A total of 1,186 people waited more than 12 months for hospital treatment in 2016 compared to 228 in 2015.
The Scottish Conservatives said it was evidence of "shoddy planning" by the Scottish government.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said they were committed to ensuring patients get quick access to services.
The figures were obtained by the Scottish Conservatives through Freedom of Information requests.
They found that, of those waiting more than a year in 2016, 16 faced a two-year wait and two waited four years.
Most outpatients waiting more than 12 months were getting urology treatment (303), followed by people waiting for trauma and orthopaedic surgery (277) and gastroenterology patients (170).
The number of people treated in under a year fell by more than 28,000 in the same period from 1,462,989 in 2015 to 1,434,813 last year.
The Conservatives' health spokesman Miles Briggs said it was evidence of "shoddy planning" by the Scottish government, adding "nobody should have to wait longer than a year for care".
He said: "This is just another measure which shows a real collapse in the standard of service being offered to patients.
"That's not the fault of hardworking staff - this is all on an SNP government whose shoddy forward planning has led to these unacceptable delays.
"To see these statistics shoot up by more than 400% in the space of just a year is remarkable."
Ms Robison said: "We remain committed to ensuring patients get quick access to the services they require.
"We announced an extra £10m to deliver 40,000 more outpatient appointments immediately between November 2016 and March 2017, and have also provided an additional £50m to improve waiting times at all stages of a patient's journey through the NHS.
"In December 2016, we published a new strategy for responding to the rising demand in outpatient appointments, aiming to free up 400,000 appointments.
"We have recently completed the consultation exercise and will be pushing ahead with this over the next year.
"To meet increasing demand, we are investing £200m in a network of five new elective treatment centres across Scotland as well as expanding the Golden Jubilee National Hospital."


The Aurora Borealis - better known as the Northern Lights - was spotted across parts of England on Sunday night into Monday morning.

22 December 2015 Last updated at 09:56 GMT
Photographer Ben Gadsby-Williams filmed them off the Norfolk coast at Morston Quay.


The Chicago Cubs have won Major League Baseball's World Series, ending the longest title drought in the game.

Manager Joe Maddon's team beat the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in 10 innings to scoop the top prize in world baseball.
The Cubs, who had been 3-1 down in the best-of-seven series, blew a three-run lead in the final game but came back after a rain delay to clinch the title.
The last time they were crowned champions was in 1908, 108 years ago, when they beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1.
In 1945, a curse was placed on the team by local bar owner Billy Sianis.
He is said to have cursed the Cubs, so that they would never win a World Series game again, or even reach the World Series again (different versions of the story exist).
"There's no more curse now, the goat is history," said Cubs fan Rodrigo Gonzales moments after victory had been achieved.
US President Barack Obama, who supports city rivals the Chicago White Sox, tweeted about the win.
"It happened: @Cubs win World Series," he wrote. "That's change even this South Sider can believe in. Want to come to the White House before I leave?"
The win gave the Cubs their third World Series crown.
It also sparked wild celebrations in the streets of Chicago, with fans congregating outside the team's Wrigley Field home.
Many of them took turns writing their names and words of congratulations in various colours of chalk on Wrigley's brick walls.
"I can't even explain how I feel right now," said Dina Mansaour, a 33-year-old Cubs fan. "This is so epic. This is the most amazing feeling in the world."
Another Cubs supporter, 22-year-old Jason Nye, added: "I've been waiting my whole life for this, my grandfather has been waiting his whole life for this, everyone has been waiting for this."
Cleveland's loss leaves their fans waiting for their first World Series title since 1948.
"It's going to hurt," said Indians manager Terry Francona. "Somebody was going to win, somebody was going to lose, I wish they'd lost."
Cubs leftfielder Ben Zobrist was named most valuable player of the World Series.
It was the second consecutive year he has won the World Series after helping the Kansas City Royals to victory last season.


A club runner with Swansea Harriers stunned Britain's elite men at the London Marathon to qualify for the 2017 World Championships in London.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Josh Griffiths, 23, finished in two hours 14 minutes 49 seconds on his marathon debut to claim an automatic qualifying place for August's Worlds.
Griffiths, who started behind the elite field, was the first British runner to cross the finish line and 13th overall.
"The crowd was amazing and carried me to the finish line," Griffiths said.
"The goal for me was to try and run the Welsh Commonwealth Games qualifying time of 2:16:00. It never crossed my mind that I would be running in the World Championships in the summer."
Robbie Simpson was fastest of Britain's established names, finishing in 2:15:04 ahead of Andrew Davies (2:15:11).
The race was won by Daniel Wanjiru of Kenya in 2:05:56.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I didn't really realise until I crossed the finish line what I had just done," Griffiths continued.
"I managed to catch up to the lead British runner at about mile 13, but I was working hard with a group of really elite runners who I have looked up to for a long time.
"Before I knew it, I started to pull away from some of them. I was working hard with Robbie Simpson at mile 22 and I knew that my legs were starting to tire.
"Around mile 25, I started to think I had passed everybody, but you're never really sure until you cross that line."
Griffiths, who finished third in the Cardiff Half Marathon in October, says he was aided by the pace of Simpson.
He added: "I've known Robbie from mountain running previously and I know he's a great runner so the fact that I was able to run with him and work together with him was just great.
"He's really strong and I think we helped each other get to the end.
"This is all very new to me and the thought of being able to run in the World Championships in the summer, I just can't wait."


Revised plans to demolish a Penarth mansion and build 30 flats have been submitted to Vale of Glamorgan council.

The original plans from Celtic Developments were rejected due to the "excessive size" and "failure to preserve or enhance the nearby conservation area or listed buildings".
New plans for the headland site in Northcliffe Drive include parking, a new access and landscaping.
The council is currently waiting on the results of a consultation.


An RAF pilot who caused his plane to nosedive while using a digital camera has been dismissed by a military court.

Flt Lt Andrew Townshend cost the Ministry of Defence millions of pounds when he deactivated the autopilot of the military passenger jet.
The Voyager aircraft, which had 198 passengers and crew on board, plummeted 4,400ft (1,341m) over the Black Sea.
Townshend pleaded guilty to negligently performing a duty and was also handed a four-month suspended prison sentence.
The court martial heard that during a flight from RAF Brize Norton to Afghanistan on 9 February 2014 the 49-year-old pilot's camera was pushed into the aircraft's control stick as he moved his seat, switching off the autopilot.
A board of RAF officers at Bulford, Wiltshire, heard crew and passengers thought they were going to die during the flight, and some were thrown weightless into the air and smashed into the ceiling.
Nigel Lickley QC, prosecuting, said the incident led to the grounding of the military fleet of six Voyager aircraft for 13 days while the cause of the nosedive was investigated.
This led to service personnel being stranded in Afghanistan while they waited for the aircraft to be brought back into service, he added.
He said up to 48 personnel were left unfit for duty and the co-pilot, Flt Lt Nathan Jones, who suffered fractures to his spine, is still unable to resume flying duties.
Mr Lickley said: "Their lives and health and welfare were put at significant risk by Flt Lt Townshend's negligence."
The experienced pilot - who has served with the RAF for 30 years and completed 5,500 flying hours - had been using his camera to photograph other aircraft from the cockpit and had taken 95 shots that day.
He also told the court that he had been viewing the star-filled sky moments before the incident, as he had a passion for star-gazing.
Judge Advocate Alan Large told Townshend: "This was not a momentary lapse of concentration, your eye was well off the ball."
On Wednesdy, Townshend was found not guilty of perjury and making a false record, after being accused of dishonestly claiming the dive was caused by a technical fault.


Two men have been jailed for grooming and raping a group of teenage girls they befriended at a parade of shops in West Sussex.

Osmon Koroma and Max N'Gasa met 12 girls, aged between 13 and 15, at Wick Parade in Littlehampton, where Koroma lived in a flat, Sussex Police said.
The pair requested sex acts from the girls in exchange for cigarettes and alcohol they bought for them.
At Lewes Crown Court Koroma was jailed for 14 years and N'Gasa for 11 years.
The court heard the offences were committed between 2010 and 2014 and some of the 12 victims knew each other.
Det Insp Miles Ockwell said the girls were sometimes sexually abused by both defendants.
"We are glad to know that justice has now been done for the girls," he said.
"It was clear that Koroma's flat acted as a magnet for the girls, whose physical maturity outstripped their emotional maturity."
In a victim impact statement, one victim described how she felt "worthless" while another said "I don't want it to happen to anyone else."
Koroma, 31, was found guilty of eight offences, including one rape and N'Gasa, 25, also of Littlehampton, was convicted of 10 offences, including two rapes.
Both will be registered sex offenders for life.
After Koroma and N'Gasa were convicted, Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, said he was "absolutely determined" to get to the bottom of what happened.
"If these young girls have been exhibiting behaviour that was picked up by any of our services or any other individuals and wasn't acted upon we need to know that," he said.
"We need to make sure other young people are given protection they deserve from predators like these two."
N'Gasa was cleared of one sex assault and a charge of attempting to carry out sexual activity with a child.


Palestinian militant group Hamas says seven of its fighters have died after an attack tunnel they were working on in north-east Gaza collapsed.

The tunnel near the Israeli border collapsed after heavy rain, it said.
Palestinian militants have used tunnels on Gaza's borders with Israel and Egypt to launch attacks on Israel, transport weapons or smuggle goods.
Israel destroyed dozens of tunnels during the 2014 Gaza conflict, but Hamas has been rebuilding them.
Meanwhile, tunnels on the Egyptian border have been used to smuggle weapons into Gaza, as well as civilian goods.
The tunnels have played a vital role in the economy of Gaza, which has been under a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt in 2007.
The Egyptian military began flooding tunnels on its borders late last year, and says it has eliminated about 90% of them.
Israel occupied Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war and pulled its troops and settlers out in 2005.
Israel considered this the end of the occupation, but it still exercises control over most of Gaza's borders, waters and airspace. Egypt controls Gaza's southern border.


Wasps have made another big-name signing by bringing in South Africa full-back Willie Le Roux.

Le Roux, 26, capped 37 times and nominated for world player of the year in 2014, will arrive once his current spell in Japan with Canon Eagles ends.
He joined the Japanese club after the Sharks' Super Rugby campaign ended.
"Willie has shown on a regular basis that he has the ability to be one of the best full-backs in world rugby," said Wasps director of rugby Dai Young.
"When we were looking to replace Charles Piutau, who is up there in the world's top two or three international full-backs, Willie was certainly in that level of international company.
"We now have fantastic facilities and the best way to fill those facilities is to play entertaining rugby and to have some of the best players in the world in your team. Willie falls into that category.
"We are also fortunate to have Rob Miller, who has shown his ability at full-back on a regular basis, and is in the same attacking mould. Between Rob and Willie, we feel we can more than hold our own against any team in the full-back category.
"Willie and Rob are also comfortable on the wing and Rob can also cover 10, so we've got versatility."
Wasps have made 13 new signings to counterbalance the 13 players who have left, including both Piutau brothers, Charles and Siale, Australia flanker George Smith and Wales lock forward Bradley Davies.
The list of incoming players includes England pair Danny Cipriani and Kyle Eastmond, who followed the signing of Australian full-back Kurtley Beale.
But they could start the season without both Beale, who is ahead of schedule in his recovery from the knee injury he suffered in May, and joint captain James Haskell, who is out for up to six months with a foot injury.
"Our medical team at Wasps have been in close contact with their counterparts at the NSW Waratahs," said Young. "We're happy that Kurtley is moving in the right direction. We're all looking forward to him joining up with the squad in mid-August, but our priority is the player's welfare."


Liverpool striker Danny Ings will be out for up to nine months with a knee injury that requires surgery.

The 24-year-old sustained the injury to his right knee during last week's EFL Cup fourth-round win over Tottenham.
It is not the same knee in which he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in October 2015 that sidelined him for seven months.
"To say we are gutted would be an understatement," said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
"He is such a great boy and has worked so hard that he deserves better luck than this.
"It is typical of Danny's personality, on and off the pitch, that he picked up this injury to his knee when courageously trying to win the ball back for his team by making a tackle.
"But it is this same personality that means he will come back as good and as strong from this latest setback as he has done in the past.
"He is mentally strong, physically strong and will have the very best treatment and rehab possible to make sure when he returns he is ready to play for us at the level we know he is capable of."
England international Ings will have surgery in London on Tuesday.
He joined Liverpool from Burnley in June 2015 for a fee that was later set at £8m by a tribunal.
However, injuries have limited him to just 11 appearances for the Reds since then, in which he has scored four times.
He made his one and only England appearance as a substitute in the 3-0 Euro 2016 qualifier in Lithuania in October 2015, shortly before he suffered his anterior cruciate ligament injury.


The heart-warming story of a cat named Bob and his owner, which has already spawned a series of best-selling books, is to be turned into a major film.

A Street Cat Named Bob, the original book about how Bob helped busker James Bowen turn his life around, has sold more than a million copies in the UK.
Work on the film will begin version in October.
Luke Treadaway, who found fame on stage in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, will play Bowen.
The movie will also star Treadaway's real-life girlfriend, actress Ruta Gedmintas, and be directed by Roger Spottiswoode, who made Tomorrow Never Dies.
The film will be based on the book, which tells the story of how Bowen, then a recovering drug addict, found an injured Bob in his sheltered accommodation in 2007 and nursed him back to health.
The pair became inseparable and Bowen credits the scarf-wearing cat with aiding his own recovery.
A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life was published in 2012, and there have since been five further books.
A film has been in the pipeline for several years, and in 2013 Bowen told the BBC: "Bob changed my life and if they make a movie about us, that will just be the ultimate rags-to-turning our life somewhere better."


Eintracht Frankfurt captain Marco Russ scored an own goal in their Bundesliga relegation play-off first leg with Nuremberg, one day after being diagnosed with a tumour.

The 30-year-old defender tested positive on Wednesday for high levels of growth hormone HCG, which was found to be caused by the illness.
He decided to play Nuremberg on Thursday but put Sebastian Kerk's free-kick into his own net after 42 minutes.
Mijat Gacinovic made it 1-1.
The second leg of the play-off, which decides who will play in the Bundesliga next season, is on Monday in Nuremberg.
Frankfurt were third from bottom in the Bundesliga, with their opponents finishing third in the second tier.


Exeter Prison is "significantly overcrowded" with the use of illicit drugs "higher than expected", an unannounced inspection has found.

However, the chief inspector of prisons also praised it as "well led", with competent and caring staff.
He said that the jail - which was built for 317 inmates, but houses more than 500 - was making progress.
Last year, the Prison Reform Trust said Exeter was the fifth most overcrowded jail in the UK, with 530 inmates.
The report, by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons, also highlighted that while prisoners at risk of self-harm were well cared for, improvement was needed, "particularly as there had been three self-inflicted deaths at the prison since its last inspection in 2009".
It said the typical Victorian prison was "old and difficult to maintain", adding there was "limited space and significant overcrowding", both in terms of the availability of accommodation and access to amenities and services.
But Nick Hardwick, chief inspector of prisons, said that, despite these challenges, it was a "broadly good report".
He added: "Overall, and despite some weaknesses and gaps, Exeter is one of the better older local prisons we have seen recently.
"There are clear structural challenges for the prison, not least the poor environment and the lack of space, but the prison is well led, and is not overwhelmed by these challenges. There is meaningful work to tackle risks and a sense that progress is being made."
Michael Spurr, chief executive officer of the National Offender Management Service, said: "Exeter is a safe local prison where staff are working well with offenders.
"There are challenges in running the Victorian prison, but I am pleased that the chief inspector has acknowledged the good work that is being done there, especially in resettlement, respect and safety."


A driver who led police on a high-speed chase in Caerphilly county before getting stuck in a tunnel has been jailed for 18 months.

John Paul Jones, 27, admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving while disqualified and without insurance, and failing to provide a blood sample.
Cardiff Crown Court heard he reached speeds of 78mph.
It came to an end when the car got wedged under a railway bridge.
The court was told police attempted to stop Jones' car near to Brynhyfryd to carry out checks on 15 June.
He initially stopped, but when officers approached he made off.
The seven-mile (11km) pursuit came to and end in what Gwent Police described as a "moment of sheer recklessness and stupidity" when Jones drove down a footpath and got wedged under a railway bridge towards Churchhill Park.
PC Matt Richley said: "He proceeded to drive in such a manner that he not only put members of the public at risk but also himself, his passengers and the police."
As well as the jail sentence, Jones of Pontypridd, was disqualified from driving for four years and nine months.


Manager Francesco Guidolin toasted his "magic" relationship with Swansea City's fans as the club ended the season with a 1-1 draw against Manchester City.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Appointed on a short-term basis in January with the Swans in the Premier League relegation zone, Guidolin guided them to a 12th place finish.
He was rewarded with a new two-year contract, and Swansea's fans repeatedly sang his name during the game.
"It was fantastic," Guidolin said.
"It was a nice surprise for me. A magic moment and a nice day with the sun shining and the fans singing.
"If it happened, it is for my players. They run, they work very hard and they changed the situation since January.
Swansea will now turn their attention to preparing for their sixth successive season in the Premier League.
Guidolin has said he will not have the final say on transfers, with that responsibility falling to chairman Huw Jenkins.
"For this situation, to prepare a good team for next season, I'll speak with my chairman," Guidolin added.
"But we have a good team and I think we need something more, but not many changes in my opinion.
"I have my idea of what I would like to change but in front of you [the media] it's difficult to say. My attitude is to keep private."
One player who has been linked with a summer move to the Liberty Stadium is former Swansea striker Wilfried Bony.
The Ivory Coast international left the Swans for Manchester City for £25m in January 2015, and he was an unused substitute on Sunday.
Swansea's supporters chanted Bony's name, and with the 27-year-old a peripheral figure at City, Guidolin was asked if he could return to south Wales.
"I don't know," was the Italian's response.
"I don't know him but I know his characteristics as a player.
"I like him. He's a good player and I know he worked very well here. For this, people here like him."


Two friends who were a few feet away from a landslide say their pet dog's "sixth sense" saved their lives.

Amy Jones and Matt Smith were sitting above Great Western Beach in Newquay when their collie "sensed" danger and ran off, with the friends following.
Seconds later about 100 tonnes of debris fell from the cliff on to the access road.
No-one was injured, but the area has been sealed off and there is no access to the beach.
Ms Jones said: "She [Hazel the dog] was sniffing around the ground and then suddenly bolted off.
"Next there was a sound from the railings and they were wobbling, and then the ground collapsed and we ran and called the police."
Mr Smith added: "If it wasn't for her we would have been left leaning against the railings.
"She definitely knew something was happening."
A Cornwall Council engineer said more than 100 tonnes of material had collapsed, probably as a result of the cold and wet weather.
The engineer said it would be a significant time before the road would reopen.


Ilham Aliyev took over as president from his father, Heydar, in 2003.
Heydar Aliyev described his son as his "political successor". When his father died, Ilham was already prime minister, vice chairman of the state oil company and deputy leader of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP).
He won the 2003 presidential elections by a landslide. Western observers were highly critical of the campaign which they said had been marred by voter intimidation, violence and media bias. Opposition demonstrations were met with police violence. There were many arrests.
Heydar Aliyev, a former Soviet Communist leader, reinvented himself as a post-independence political strongman and had ruled Azerbaijan with an iron fist since 1993 following a period of great instability. His record on human rights and media freedom was often criticised at home and abroad.
Human rights groups have also expressed profound reservations over Ilham Aliyev's commitment to democracy. But like his father before him, Ilham has been courted by the West which sees access to Azeri oil and gas supplies as a way of reducing dependency on Russia as an energy supplier.
Concerns over Mr Aliyev's democratic credentials were reinforced when police used force to break up opposition demonstrations in Baku before the November 2005 parliamentary elections in which the ruling NAP won well over half of the seats. EU and OSCE observers said the process fell far short of international standards.
Mr Aliyev won a second term of office in 2008, scoring an overwhelming victory in an election that was boycotted by the main opposition parties.  He cemented his grip on power even further when a law banning the president from serving more than two terms of office was scrapped after a referendum the following year. He won again in 2013, amid now customary allegations of fraud from the opposition and election monitors.
In November 2010, the ruling NAP increased its already healthy majority in parliamentary elections, with the main opposition party failing to win a single seat. Main opposition parties boycotted the 2015 polls altogether, and reputable international observers declined to monitor them.


US Open champion Dustin Johnson has joined the list of golfers to pull out of the Olympics citing the Zika virus.

His withdrawal means three of the top four players in the world will not compete in Rio in August, with Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Jason Day of Australia also choosing not to play.
World number two Johnson, 32, won his first major at Oakmont in June.
"This was not an easy decision for me, but my concerns about the Zika virus cannot be ignored," he said.
"Paulina [Gretzky, Johnson's fiancee] and I plan to have more children in the near future, and I feel it would be irresponsible to put myself, her or our family at risk.
"While I am sure some will be critical of my decision, my hope is that most will understand and support it."
The Zika virus is mosquito-borne and has been linked to defects in newborn babies, prompting those looking to start a family to take extra precautions.
Olympic chiefs and the World Health Organisation have issued guidance for athletes and visitors to Rio and say the risk of catching Zika is low.
Johnson's compatriot Jordan Spieth, the world number three, has said he will go to the Games.


Roberto Martinez said he is "disappointed" Everton were not able to "finish what we started" following his sacking as manager this week.

He also said the summer transfer window would have been "significantly important for many reasons".
The Spaniard was sacked on Thursday with Everton 12th in the Premier League following a 3-0 defeat by Sunderland.
He added: "It has been an honour to be the manager of Everton Football Club for the past three seasons."
Everton reached the semi-final of both the FA Cup and League Cup this season but have only won five home league games and will finish with their lowest points tally at Goodison Park since the introduction of three points for a win in 1981.
Martinez, 42, took over at Everton in 2013, finishing fifth in his first season but slipping to 11th last term.
He added: "I will treasure this period as Everton manager forever - the memories of reaching a club record 72 points tally in the Premier League, reaching the final 16 of the Europa League and the excitement of reaching the semi-finals of both domestic cups this season.
"I express my gratitude to chairman Bill Kenwright, who understood and supported my vision and who gave me the privilege of becoming an Evertonian."
Martinez offered his "sincere thanks" to the players and staff at the club.
He added: "I appreciate that over the last eight weeks our league results haven't been up to the levels that we would expect. However, over the past three years the support the fans have given to me and the team has been inspiring.
"I know that the team and the fans will react well against Norwich today and I wish everyone the best of luck for three points which would match last season's league points tally."
Everton host Norwich in their final Premier League of the season on Sunday with current under-21s coach David Unsworth and former manager Joe Royle taking charge.
Martinez also praised American keeper Tim Howard, who is making his final appearance for the club before heading to Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids, for his "outstanding contribution" to the club.


Top judges in Germany are set to examine a European Central Bank bond-buying scheme, because critics say it risks enabling the ECB to prop up indebted eurozone governments.

The German Constitutional Court is considering legal objections to ECB Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) - a scheme launched in 2012 during the eurozone debt crisis, but not yet used.
The ECB is buying â‚¬60bn (Â£46bn; $67bn) of bonds monthly to help the eurozone.
That bond-buying is separate from OMT.
The announcement of OMT in 2012 by ECB President Mario Draghi had a calming effect on markets that were spooked by the eurozone sovereign debt crisis. OMT would involve unlimited bond purchases.
Mr Draghi famously declared that he would do "whatever it takes" to safeguard the euro.
Last summer the European Court of Justice (ECJ) - the EU's top court - ruled that OMT was compatible with EU law. The scheme fell within the ECB's mandate of maintaining price stability, the ECJ decided.
The idea of the ECB buying up the sovereign bonds of a country in distress, to prevent speculators forcing up yields - the interest charged on those bonds - alarms some German politicians.
OMT purchases would be made under the strict terms of a eurozone bailout - a government would have to enact major economic reforms, in order to get such emergency ECB support.
Observers say the German court's ruling - not expected for months - could have an impact on the current ECB bond-buying programme, known as quantitative easing (QE).
The OMT critics in the German case include Peter Gauweiler, a conservative MP in the Bavarian CSU party, ex-justice minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin (Social Democrat SPD) and leftist Die Linke MPs.


The father of Samia Shahid, allegedly killed in a so-called "honour killing" in Pakistan, has denied accusations she was murdered.

17 September 2016 Last updated at 15:54 BST
Chaudhry Muhammad Shahid made the denial before he appeared in court along with Ms Shahid's first husband, Chaudhry Muhammad Shakeel, who is accused of murder.
It is the first time Mr Shahid has publicly denied that his daughter, 28, was murdered.
He also refused to knowledge her second marriage.
BBC Pakistan correspondent, Shaimaa Khalil,


Gateshead and Guiseley extended their unbeaten runs with a 1-1 draw at the Gateshead International Stadium.

Neil Aspin's promotion-chasing hosts have not lost in nine National League matches while Adam Lockwood's side are unbeaten in five.
Guiseley went ahead on 15 minutes against the run of play when a throw-in found James Hurst who squared to Jake Lawlor to stroke into an empty net.
Gateshead defender Liam Hogan superbly blocked Jordan Preston's effort and Guiseley keeper Jonny Maxted then saved well from Wesley York's shot just before the break.
The hosts, who started the second half well, levelled on 62 minutes when a slip by half-time substitute Derek Asamoah let York curl sweetly into the top-right corner from the edge of the box.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Gateshead 1, Guiseley 1.
Second Half ends, Gateshead 1, Guiseley 1.
Substitution, Guiseley. Michael Rankine replaces Jordan Preston.
Substitution, Gateshead. Luke Hannant replaces Gus Mafuta.
Gus Mafuta (Gateshead) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Guiseley. Adam Boyes replaces Jake Cassidy.
Goal!  Gateshead 1, Guiseley 1. Wes York (Gateshead).
Substitution, Guiseley. Derek Asamoah replaces Kevan Hurst.
Second Half begins Gateshead 0, Guiseley 1.
First Half ends, Gateshead 0, Guiseley 1.
Simon Walton (Guiseley) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!  Gateshead 0, Guiseley 1. Jake Lawlor (Guiseley).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


Department store chain Debenhams has appointed an executive from Amazon's European business as its new chief.

Sergio Bucher, who has been vice president for Amazon Fashion Europe since 2013, will take up his role in October. He has previously worked at Puma, Nike and Zara owner Inditex.
Mr Bucher replaces Debenhams' current chief executive, Michael Sharp.
Online retailer Amazon, once famous for its books, has become one of the largest fashion retailers in Europe.
Announcing the appointment, Debenhams chairman Sir Ian Cheshire said: "Sergio's wealth of e-commerce expertise, international experience and clear leadership qualities stood out."
Debenhams own online sales have been growing strongly.
Mr Sharp said last year that he would be standing down. There had been reports that investors were unhappy with the company's performance under his tenure, but Mr Sharp said he had always been clear he would stay five years in the role and then move on.
During his time, he cut back on promotions, strengthened online ordering and delivery options, and added concessions in under-used store space to increase shopper numbers.
He also strengthened the firm's international presence.


Asian markets experienced mixed fortunes as investors digested comments from Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen on the timing of a US rate rise.

Ms Yellen said that a rise in interest rates before the end of the year was "a live possibility".
In Japan, the benchmark Nikkei index closed up 1% at 19,116.41.
Takata shares dived 25% as both Mitsubishi Motors and Fuji Heavy Industries said they were considering stopping using its airbag inflators.
Investors will be watching shares of Toyota on Friday after the firm reported a rise in second-quarter profits but trimmed its annual sales target.
While shares in electronics firm Toshiba closed down by more than 3% after it confirmed a local media report that it would report its first operating loss in six years as a result of its accounting scandal.
The firm's six-month earnings report is expected on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Chinese shares were mixed, with the Shanghai Composite closing up 1.8% at 3,522.82, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed flat at 23,051.04.
The benchmark indexes had rallied up to 4% on Wednesday on the back of positive comments about the economy's growth from President Xi Jinping.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed down 0.9% at 5,193.00, while in South Korea the Kospi index ended 0.2% lower at 2,049.42.


A bus ended up stuck in a manure heap after apparently taking a wrong turn.

The Stephensons single-decker was a mile off the local bus route and must have been driven down a farm track, said farmer James Mizen.
Mr Mizen said a bus mechanic knocked at the door of his Thaxted, Essex, farmhouse to tell him a vehicle was stuck on the property.
Stephensons declined to comment on the incident. It is understood the bus did not have passengers at the time.
Live: For more Essex stories
Mr Mizen said: "The mechanic said the bus was on our muck heap.
"He must have gone down a no-through road, down a single track road, ignored the 'no unauthorised vehicles' sign and then down our farm track before stopping at the muck heap.
"Apparently there had been a road closure and one of his colleagues told him to take a right, which he did.
"It doesn't seem there was much common sense at play. The further he was getting the more awkward it was going to get for him.
"We don't even like taking our tractor right down to the muck heap, never mind a commercial bus."
Mr Mizen and his brother Chris used a tractor to tow the bus free.


Republican Donald Trump has set out what he will prioritise in office, if he beats Democrat Hillary Clinton in November's election.

"There is one common theme in all of these reforms. It's going to be America First," he said in a broad-ranging speech in New York.
Here is his plan for the first 100 days:
Mr Trump has pledged to appoint judges who will uphold the Constitution and thinks "radical" judges that could be appointed by Hillary Clinton would "virtually abolish" the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.
There is a vacancy in the Supreme Court because former justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative, died earlier this year.
Mr Trump has said undocumented immigrants in the US take jobs that US citizens could have.
Controversially, he has also said repeatedly - although not in this speech - that he would build a wall on the southern border that Mexico would pay for, to stop Mexico's criminals and rapists from coming to the US.
He also wants to ban Muslims from entering the country in an attempt to prevent terrorism, a move that has provoked fierce criticism from within his own party.
Mr Trump has said there should be less regulation of energy production and that the US should drill more for oil and gas.
He said the country's energy potential remains "untapped".
Mr Trump has called Obamacare a disaster and that he pledges to repeal and replace it. He says it is a job-killer and ineffective.
Obamacare, which is actually the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is President Barack Obama's signature law and aims to extend health insurance to those in the country that do not have it.
He has threatened to raise taxes on US-based companies that have moved operations overseas, like Pfizer, Ford and Nabisco.
He said lowering taxes for all - businesses and people - would create millions of new jobs.
Mr Trump declared in his New York speech, wrongly, that the US has the highest taxes in the world. Politifact says it is actually ranked near the bottom among OECD countries.
His tax plan would not raise taxes on the top earners in the US.
He said Mrs Clinton ran the State Department like her own personal hedge fund and that she is responsible for the death of American diplomats in Benghazi, and that she was a destabilising force in the Middle East.
Mr Trump has also criticised her use of personal email while working as secretary of state.
Mrs Clinton said the speech was "more hypocritical lies and nutty conspiracy theories".
Trade deals with other countries are "killing" the country, he has said, and that he will defend the US against countries that "cheat" on trade like China.


MSPs have backed plans to allow fans the right to buy their football clubs.

Members of the local government committee supported amendments to the Community Empowerment Bill to extend the right-to-buy to football fans.
Green MSP Alison Johnstone, who moved the amendments, told the committee that agreeing to the changes would turn the legislation into a landmark bill.
If passed by the full parliament, supporters' trusts would get "first refusal" when a club comes up for sale.
A supporters' trust with a registered interest in a football club would also have the right to buy shares in that club, including a controlling interest, at any point.
It is understood the Scottish FA and the Scottish Professional Football League are against the plans.
The bill was initially designed to allow community groups the right to purchase local land but could now be extended to football clubs.
Ms Johnstone said: "This is an extraordinary day for the future of Scottish football.
"We know how badly the game has been struggling, from Gretna to Hearts and Rangers, and we know fan ownership works.
"It's great that parliament has today united around the principle of a responsible fans' right to buy their clubs."
The Scottish Green MSP said that, if passed by the full Scottish Parliament, fans would have "nothing to fear from irresponsible owners like those who have undermined so many clubs".
She added: "We know there are plenty of good private owners of clubs, and this will not require fans to buy them out, but when they move on, fans will be in the right place to take over if they wish."
Ms Johnstone's amendments bring the principles of rural land reform laws, which help communities buy land, to supporters of football clubs.
The new legislation would mean that supporters' trusts would legally register an interest in a football club.
This would mean the owner of the club would be prohibited from "taking any action with a view to the transfer of ownership of that football club" until it had complied with the act.
The supporters' trust would then be given an opportunity to buy the club at a price assessed by an appointed valuer.
Local Government Minister Marco Biagi said the Scottish government wanted to give fans the right to buy their clubs using regulations which would be put in place after the bill was passed.
"Affirmative procedure for the development of the details, with the aim put in the bill, would allow consultation with the wider football community; it would allow consultation, as appropriate, with the parliament; and it would ensure that we don't just endorse the principle but we ensure that any legislation we introduce we get right," he said.
Scottish Labour's Ken Macintosh, who supported Ms Johnstone's amendments, said: "I believe it would be difficult for anyone in Scotland to stand up and defend the current state of Scottish football in terms of its accountability, its sustainability or simply its success.
"Football fans and local communities have not only lost out, they have been made to feel powerless, sometimes even taken advantage of or had their goodwill exploited."
"Fan ownership is not the only option but it should be one of the options open to all those who want to see Scottish football thrive."


Police who stormed a concert hall during the Paris attacks "really saw hell", a union official has said.

Officers who entered the Bataclan are not allowed to speak on camera about what they saw, but police union spokesman Nicolas Comte has recounted their story to the BBC.
He said: "Inside the Bataclan, there was someone who was talking to the police by phone. He was hiding in a technical area. He told us he could hear more shooting, he could hear they were still executing people."
Mr Comte said specially trained police then began their assault on the building.
"At first they thought they were walking in water, then they realised it was blood," he told the BBC's Damian Grammaticas.
"They had to make their way in the dark, stepping over bodies.
"The wounded lying there saw the police. They were calling out to the officers, moaning, begging them. They tried to catch hold of my colleague as [he] went past but the officers couldn't help them."
Speaking in French, Mr Comte said the police had to "neutralise the terrorists before they could save everyone".
He said the attackers fired at the advancing police, and 27 rounds hit a metal shield officers were using to protect themselves.
"There were around 20 hostages between them and the attackers," he said.
"The officers realised they had to finish things quickly. They managed to shoot one and soon, as he saw that, the second one blew himself up."
Officers took in the full horror of the scene after the attackers were dead, Mr Comte said.
"They saw there were tens and tens of bodies lying on top of each other, some with terrible injuries," he said.
"Many of them were very very young. My colleagues told me: 'We really saw hell tonight'."


Republic of Ireland midfielder Jeff Hendrick has been found not guilty of violent disorder by a jury at the Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin.

The 25-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the alleged offence outside a nightclub in Dublin in October 2013.
Sean Gillane, defending Hendrick, said the incident "was just drunk men shouting at each other and not a crime".
Hendrick's current club, Burnley, said they consider the matter now closed.
After deliberating for half an hour, the jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict but Hendrick's co-accused, Jonathan Doran, was found guilty of violent disorder.
Hendrick joined the Clarets from Derby last summer for a club-record £10.5m fee and made 35 appearances in the 2016-17 season, scoring two goals.


Pop star Miley Cyrus has confirmed she is to star alongside Woody Allen in the veteran director's first TV series.

There will be six half-hour episodes of the as-yet unnamed 1960s-set show, which will stream on Amazon.
Cyrus, who first hit the small screen as Hannah Montana, said she was "stoked" to be joining the cast with Allen and actress Elaine May.
Allen has previously described signing up to write and direct the show as a "catastrophic mistake".
He said at last year's Cannes Film Festival: "I thought six half-hours would be a cinch, but it's not. It's very hard. I'm not good at it, I'm floundering.
"It could be a cosmic embarrassment. I just hope I don't disappoint Amazon."
Cyrus, who starred in Hannah Montana from 2006 to 2011 as a schoolgirl who led a double life as a singer, announced the news on Instagram, with a post accompanied by a painting of Allen.
In the message, scattered with expletives, she said she had originally decided 2016 was the year of "chillin" but changed her mind when the TV opportunity arose.
Referring to the portrait, which has been next to her bed for several years, the 23-year-old told followers she was "looking into his eyes" when she "got the call" to work with May and "da dude himself".
Annie Hall director Allen, 80, has previously worked with May on his 2000 film Small Time Crooks.
The series is due to be available to Amazon Prime subscribers in the US, UK and Germany later this year. Deadline reported that shooting will begin in March.
When the series was announced last year, Amazon Studios vice president Roy Price said it was an "honour" to be working with Allen, whose films also include Blue Jasmine, for which Cate Blanchett won and Oscar, and Bafta-winning Manhattan.
Amazon has won awards for comedy Transparent and is also behind the new motoring show fronted by former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond .


More than six million workers who pay into master trust pensions will see their money better protected, under a bill that has been published.

There had been concern that their savings might be at risk, should one of the pension schemes collapse.
Master trust pensions will now need to meet higher standards of governance, while there will be new powers for the regulator.
The bill will also enable a cap to be put on exit fees from pension pots.
"We want to make sure that people saving into master trusts enjoy the same protection as everyone else, which is why we are levelling-up that protection, to give these savers more confidence in their pension schemes," said pensions minister Richard Harrington.
Master trust pensions are typically used by smaller employers, and include the government-backed NEST scheme, as well as Now: Pensions.
In February this year the BBC reported that up to a quarter of a million people who pay into master trust schemes might not have their savings protected.
It also aired concerns about the qualifications of people who are allowed to set up master trust pensions.
When the bill becomes law, operators of master trust schemes will have to show:
The chief executive of The Pensions Regulator (TPR), Lesley Titcomb, welcomed the publication of the bill.
"We are very pleased that the Pension Scheme Bill will drive up standards and give us tough new supervisory powers to authorise and de-authorise master trusts according to strict criteria, ensuring members are better protected and ultimately receive the benefits they expect."
However, the chief executive of one of the biggest master trust schemes, Now: Pensions, said he was disappointed that the master trust assurance framework - a kitemark for such schemes - would not be made compulsory.
"The voluntary assurance framework was introduced as a quality standard to enable trustees of master trusts to demonstrate high standards of scheme governance and administration," said Morten Nilsson.
"Making it compulsory and building on this existing framework seemed logical."
The bill will also enable regulators to introduce a cap on exit fees from pension pots, which in some cases had been as high as 10%.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) wants there to be no exit charges on private pensions from March next year. The government wants occupational pensions to have a similar cap.
The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) welcomed the bill, but said it would require detailed scrutiny to ensure it works as intended.


Thousands of dementia patients are missing out on vital support they should be receiving from the NHS, a BBC Scotland investigation has found.

The scheme, which promised support for one year after diagnosis of dementia, was launched three years ago.
But the BBC found patients' prospects of getting help varied dramatically depending on where they lived.
The Scottish government said Scotland was the only part of the UK to offer such support.
But a government spokeswoman acknowledged that there was "clearly more to be done" to deliver the service.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the BBC has revealed that from 2013 to March this year thousands of people have missed out on the 12-month post diagnostic guarantee.
In the Western Isles, the service stopped in March 2015 for nearly 18 months, but 100% of people diagnosed with dementia in Orkney and Shetland have received the support.
Forty-nine patients were diagnosed in Orkney and 125 in Shetland.
NHS Western Isles said new staff were being recruited and they have been supporting patients in other ways.
Source: BBC Scotland FOI request
In Greater Glasgow, 4,293 people have been diagnosed since 2013 and 3,228 have received the support. In Lothian, 3,725 were diagnosed with dementia and 1,949 were able to get help from the scheme.
Forth Valley Health Board said it was too expensive to produce figures and denied the FOI request.
The one year post-diagnostic support guarantee gives the person with dementia and their carers support from a link-worker for 12 months.
That can be help with benefits, someone to offer information about where support groups are, or just to keep an eye on the condition.
Mandy Couston said her family had received some support from the NHS after her mother was diagnosed with dementia, but not the specialist link-worker they had been promised because of staff shortages.
"We've been thrown into the deep end and my mum at the end of the day is probably the one that's suffered the most because I think she's been let down," she said.
June Andrews, emeritus professor of dementia studies at the University of Stirling, told BBC Scotland the service offered in Scotland was "fantastic", but said she was concerned about why the figures for health boards were so uneven.
"The variation in uptake could be caused by whoever it is that's offering it, is not offering it in a way that people want it. Or it could be that in [some] places it's just not being offered," she said.
"The research shows that if you give it to people it makes a lot of difference right through the progress of the condition. I think it's the condition that still very many people are having different experiences and sometimes it's not very satisfactory."
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "We're working to deliver our ambition that everyone newly diagnosed with dementia receives a minimum of a year's worth of support. While progress has been made there is clearly more to be done.
"Later this year we will publish the first robust statistics for the implementation of these services at a local level, for 2014-15.
"We're working closely with our partners to support the delivery and measurement of this important and innovative service. Scotland is the only part of the UK to make a national commitment on dementia post-diagnostic support."
A new three-year dementia strategy will be published later in 2016, the spokeswoman added.