Some 30 women had accused WHO employees of sexual exploitation and abuse. Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the allegations were "horrific" and launched the independent investigation.

Nearly two dozen WHO employees have been accused of sexual abuse during an Ebola outbreak in Congo. The organization's main donors, including the US and EU, have called for accountability.

The first of October means Britain is taking back control. As of this Friday, European travellers to post-Brexit Great Britain can no longer bring a simple ID card – they will have to show a passport. However, as petrol shortages continue, tempers are running short as lines get long. This Friday, around one quarter of British service stations ran dry, leading to scenes of shouting, fist fights and motorists hoarding fuel in water bottles.

Prison officials in the southern Russian province of Saratov have been fired following the release of videos seeming to show torture and sexual abuse. Russian authorities have opened an investigation into the claims.

It is estimated that 216,000 children have been abused clerics in the French Catholic Church since the 1950s. The inquiry that unearthed the scale of the abuse could also lead the way to reforms within the church.

The World Health Organization has been under pressure after nearly two dozen of its employees were accused of sexual abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Federal Criminal Police chief has warned that the huge increase in cases is stretching police resources. On the same day, a Catholic priest was fired over a probe into child sexual abuse images.

The Dutch public health institute said in a statement that testing was continuing on the samples of 61 people who tested positive for COVID after arriving from South Africa.

German judoka Marie Dinkel was sexually abused by her coach when she was 13. Now 25, she speaks to DW about her experience, lack of trust and how she hopes to help others.

The shutdown was initiated over fears of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Meanwhile, Germany's health minister has ruled out a lockdown before Christmas. Follow DW for the latest.

The Netherlands has become the first European country to enact a strict lockdown over Christmas. Omicron infections are spreading rapidly across the country. All nonessential businesses have been closed until at least mid-January.