Harrowing Tales Of Nazi Persecution Uncovered

First-hand accounts of the horrors suffered by British victims of Nazi persecution have been made available to the public for the first time.

Harrowing tales of "rampant" cannibalism and "jungle law" in Nazi concentration camps have been uncovered in hundreds of records released by the National Archives.

Some 900 applications for compensation, filed by the victims and their families in the 1960s, have been released so far, with 3,000 more to come by spring 2017.

The documents include an application from Harold Le Druillenec, the only British survivor found at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp who went on to give evidence at the Belsen Trials.

He wrote: "All my time here was spent in heaving dead bodies into the mass graves kindly dug for us by 'outside workers' for we no longer had the strength for that type of work which, fortunately, must have been observed by the camp authorities.

"Jungle law reigned among the prisoners; at night you killed or were killed; by day cannibalism was rampant.

"The bulk of Auschwitz had been transferred to Belsen when I arrived and it was here that I heard the expression: 'There is only one way out of here - through the chimney!' (crematorium)."

Le Druillenec was arrested in the Channel Islands - the only part of the UK occupied during the Second World War - the day before D-Day in 1944 for helping his sister harbour an escaped Russian prisoner of war, having a radio and for "non-cooperation" with German forces. 

During his 10 months in the camp he lost more than half his body weight and was "hours" from death when the camp was liberated in April 1945.

He spent almost a year recovering from the dysentery, scabies, malnutrition and septicaemia he suffered.

He was awarded £1,835 - around £30,000 today - as a result of his application.

In 1964 the Federal Republic of Germany agreed to pay the British Government £1m - about £17m today - to give to British citizens who had suffered as a result of Nazi persecution. 

In total, the Foreign Office paid 1,015 victims compensation, following more than 4,000 applications. 

Among the recipients were:

He was imprisoned in various camps including Buchenwald and Dachau. 

He claimed for concussion, kidney damage, bronchitis, thyroid trouble and renal colic.

The concussion was due to a heavy blow he received in Buchenwald which left him with permanent headaches.

The kidney damage was due to beatings during interrogations in Gestapo prison. 

He recounted "continuous beating and killing" by the Germans and wrote: "I realised then that I was condemned to die". 

He received just over £2,000 in compensation. 

:: Molly Burgess Dessy 

She was arrested in 1943 for harbouring two American airmen in a flat in Brussels and taken to St Gilles prison where she was subjected to six months solitary confinement.

On 9 February, 1945, she was sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp where she was told her name no longer existed and she was "as good as dead".

She was taken to be gassed on several occasions, sometimes waiting for 12 to 14 hours, but managed to escape death.

She left the concentration camp and was sent to an isolation hospital in Sweden with typhus. 

She received £1,468 in compensation.

:: Frank Herbert Tuck

He was held in concentration camps for just over three years.

In his application he said he had suffered a back injury after being hit across the spine by a German guard. He also claimed for starvation, privation and excessive forced labour.

The Foreign Office eventually agreed to pay him the maximum amount of £4,000 compensation.

Global Summit To Discuss Nuclear Terror Threat

World leaders are set to gather in Washington to discuss how to prevent terrorists getting hold of radioactive material, with the UK poised to play a leading role in protecting nuclear facilities from cyberattack.

The UK and the United States will hold a joint exercise next year to prepare for any online attack against nuclear power plants and waste storage facilities.

Prime Minister David Cameron is to offer British expertise to other countries to protect their own civil nuclear installations, amid fears Islamic State could attempt to create a dirty bomb.

The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), hosted by President Barack Obama, will see heads of government consider what their response to such a scenario would be.

Last week's terror attacks in Brussels have renewed concerns about the threat of nuclear terrorism.

According to Belgian media, two of the suicide bombers in the attacks, Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui, had video footage of a senior official at a Flanders nuclear waste facility.

A UK Government source said there was no "credible evidence" terrorists were targeting British facilities.

But the joint exercise with the US would make sure both governments and their civil nuclear industries were prepared and could rectify any potential weaknesses.

The source said: "You saw just last week in Belgium concerns that were raised around the security of civil nuclear sites and therefore, in the world in which we currently live, we think it's the right thing to do."

Mr Cameron will also use the summit to offer British expertise on cyber security.

The Government source said countries including Japan, Turkey, South Korea and Argentina have all expressed an interest in learning from British "experience and expertise", with other nations expected to follow.

The UK will also commit £10m this year to improve security around nuclear plants and waste facilities.

In addition, Mr Cameron will announce plans for the largest ever shipment of nuclear waste from the UK to the US.

In return, the US will send highly enriched uranium back across the Atlantic to be converted in France into medical isotopes for use to diagnose and treat cancer in hospitals across Europe.

"It's a win-win, we get rid of waste and we get back something that will help us to fight cancer," the source said.

The summit will be the fourth and final NSS, following on from the last meeting at The Hague in the Netherlands in 2014.

The gatherings are a personal initiative pushed by President Obama, with the International Atomic Energy Agency taking forward the work on nuclear security.

Central African Republic abuse: UN looks into 'bestiality' report

UN officials say they are investigating "extremely troubling" claims of sexual abuse by peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR).

Last year, there were 69 allegations of child rape and other sexual offences by peacekeepers from 10 missions.

One advocacy group says it has passed on new reports to the UN that a soldier made four girls have sex with a dog.

The UN said it was looking into the "exact number and nature" of the claims.

Road to anarchy

The new reports of abuse were made by the Code Blue campaign run by the advocacy group Aids-free World. The group says the abuse was reported to have happened between 2013 and this week.

It says the bestiality claims, dating back to 2014, involved a commander with French forces. The girls, one of whom later died of an unknown disease, were each paid 5,000 Central African francs ($8.60; £6), the report says.

Other allegations centre on troops from France, Gabon, the CAR and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Forces were deployed in 2014 to help restore order in CAR after the president was overthrown the previous year and sectarian violence gripped the country.

A UN statement on Wednesday said the allegations involved some of its staff, as well as non-UN peacekeepers.

Teams were now on the ground investigating the reports, it said, while alleged victims will receive counselling and medical help.

UN response criticised

Earlier this month, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the repatriation of peacekeeping units whose soldiers face allegations of sexual abuse.

Last August, the UN envoy to Central African Republic (CAR), Babacar Gaye, was sacked amid multiple allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers.

An independent panel called the UN response to the allegations "seriously flawed" and a "gross institutional failure".

It accused senior UN officials of abusing their authority by failing to take action over allegations of abuse by soldiers from France, Equatorial Guinea and Chad.

US Announces Transfer Of Guantanamo Prisoners

The Pentagon has told Congress it intends to transfer about a dozen prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay to at least two countries, a US official has said.

The first transfer is expected to happen in the next few days and the other will take place in the coming weeks, according to the official, who declined to name the countries.

Among those transferred will be Tariq Ba Odah, a Yemeni man who has been on a long-term hunger strike and has lost around half his body weight.

The development marks the latest move in President Barack Obama's push to close the facility.

Some 91 prisoners are currently held in the prison at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - 37 are expected to be transferred by this summer.

The remainder face trial by military commission or have been classified as too dangerous to be released, but are not facing charges.

At its peak in 2003, Guantanamo held nearly 680 detainees.

Despite opposition in Congress from many Republicans and some of his fellow Democrats, the President is hoping to close the facility before he leaves office in January.

Mr Obama's closure plan, which he presented to Congress last month, calls for up to $475m (£336m) in construction costs for a facility in the US where several dozen of the remaining Guantanamo prisoners would be kept.

However, US laws bars such transfers to the mainland, and the administration has not ruled out doing so by use of executive action.

Officials have said the plan considers 13 different locations in the US, including seven existing prison facilities as well as six other locations on current military bases.

Julianne Hough Says Not Restricting Her Diet Makes Her Happier

After years of monitoring her diet, Julianne Hough realized that it wasn’t making her happy—and it wasn’t working.

“In the past, I used to be so strict, and because I was strict, I used to fall off really easily, and once I fell off, I would just go crazy,” Hough tells PEOPLE. “[I] was being very strict and disciplined, all or nothing.”

But now, happily engaged to hockey player Brooks Laich and working as a brand ambassador for the Fitbit Alta, Hough has realized that obsessively trying to eat healthfully all the time just doesn’t work.

“This phase of my life, it’s not about that, it’s about a mindset and a belief,” Hough says. “I’m doing this so I’m healthy, when I have kids my kids will be healthy, when I’m older I’ll be in shape to play with them. There’s that thought process.”

“I think by not being so strict, I’m basically allowing myself to do what makes me happy rather than [focusing on] what I should do.”

And a major part of what makes her happy is a daily sweat session. Hough is seriously dedicated to her workouts, going to Corepower Yoga about twice a week, Body By Simone two to three times, and going for hikes with her dogs on the other days.

“I like to keep myself pretty occupied, and I feel like if I’m doing the same thing over and over again I get pretty bored,” Hough says. “So I try to mix it up.”

Which means she’s also constantly in search of new workout classes to try.

“I really want to try Rise Nation, which is like a stair treadclimber thing,” Hough explains. “It’s only 30 minutes I’ve heard because it’s so hard, you do literally 5 minutes and you want to fall over, that would be epic for the Fitbit. I love pushing myself.”

And all that sweat has an added bonus.

“After I work out I actually feel the best. When you sweat, I feel like you glow more,” Hough says. “I also feel good when my fiance says I look good first thing in the morning with no makeup. It has to do with him too!”

“Once you make yourself happy, you can give so much more to the world, to the people you come in contact with. For me it’s working out, and my slogan is: The way you move directly affects the way you feel. It’s good for your soul, your health, future generations to come!”

Boko Haram attack in Niger kills six soldiers

Six soldiers from Niger's army were killed in an ambush by Boko Haram militants, the country's interior ministry said.

The attack happened near the town of Diffa close to the border with Nigeria early on Wednesday.

It comes two weeks after a Boko Haram assault on a military convoy in the same area that left one soldier dead.

The Islamist group is based in Nigeria but is being tackled by a multinational force, including soldiers from Niger.

In the latest attack, three other soldiers were wounded. Niger's military deployed aircraft to try and track those responsible soon afterwards.

Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou has been praised in the West for rallying neighbouring countries to fight Boko Haram.

On Wednesday, the country's constitutional court confirmed the result of the second round of presidential elections, which saw Mr Issoufou re-elected with more than 92% of the vote, a result the opposition dismissed.

Mr Issoufou will be sworn in on Saturday.

Can Iraq make headway against corruption?

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has sought guidance from parliament on whether he should appoint party politicians, or independent experts, to the new cabinet he has promised.

He was responding to a deadline set by parliament, which wants him to come up with a new line-up by Thursday. This new cabinet is to focus on reining in corruption.

Influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is meanwhile threatening Abadi with a no-confidence vote if he fails to announce his new ministers by Thursday.

Sadr on Sunday launched a personal sit-in inside Baghdad's Green Zone, which houses embassies and government offices.

To escalate the pressure on Abadi, Sadr's supporters are continuing with a sit-in just outside the district's gates.