The Telegraph

Since Russia’s soldiers first stormed Ukraine, women have been gang-raped, men castrated, children sexually abused, and civilians forced to parade naked in the streets, according to the United Nations. The Kremlin stands accused of terrorising the Ukrainian population with sexual violence in a systematic and unsparing manner. It is thought …

A German court has issued an arrest warrant for the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann over a string of alleged sex crimes involving children that took place in Portugal. The court in the town of Braunschweig confirmed on Monday that it had issued the arrest warrant for …

Since moving into his east London home, restoration expert Owen Pacey has added character and value by reinstating architectural elements

The German government has come under fire for failing to act fast enough to bolster its army, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz accused of “breaking promises” made to the country’s soldiers nearly a year ago. Three days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Mr Scholz pledged €100 billion (£86 billion) in …

Germany accused Boris Johnson of spouting “utter nonsense” on Wednesday after he claimed Berlin wanted Ukraine to quickly fold to Russia to avoid a protracted conflict. The former prime minister had accused the EU’s three most powerful nations of having initially adopted a “disastrous” approach to the Russian invasion. In …

In three months, north-eastern Kenya’s villages have witnessed a seismic shift: the men have all but left. “In August the men moved, taking their little [remaining] livestock,” says Yusuf Abdi, a local programme coordinator for Action Aid. “It is only the women now. They are struggling to feed their families …

On the south bank of Hamburg’s sprawling harbour, one of the largest cargo ships on the planet, a 400-metre behemoth with “Cosco Shipping” emblazoned on the side, is being unloaded on a rain-swept quay. A dozen cranes lift containers down from the Chinese vessel before smaller straddle carriers whisk them …

Olaf Scholz has defended his upcoming trip to Beijing, claiming he will tell the Chinese leadership that “business as usual is no longer an option”. The German chancellor, 64, travels to Beijing on Friday, where he will become the first Western leader to meet Xi Jinping since he was appointed …

China is behaving like a terrorist state and is already in a form of war with the UK, the new chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee has said. “We have focused on terrorists that behave like states rather than states behaving like terrorists,” Alicia Kearns told the Telegraph’s How to …

Olaf Scholz has condemned German climate activists after they prevented emergency services from reaching a critically injured cyclist during a road blockade. Mr Scholz said it was “very regrettable” that activists appeared to have prevented fire crews in Berlin from reaching the injured woman. He appealed to the activists to …

A German comedian has been accused of endangering the lives of informants after he published a secret report on the neo-Nazi scene that was supposed to remain classified for a century. Jan Boehmermann, a Left-wing satirist, announced on his late-night television show that he had obtained classified files from a …

Like his peers Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones, influential Welsh musician John Cale is refusing to let time’s march slow him down. Hitting the stage at Wales Millennium Centre to celebrate his 80th birthday, special guests joined Cale for a set that commemorated nearly six decades of sonic experimentation …

Germany risks being turned into a drug tourism haven akin to the Netherlands if it goes ahead with a plan to decriminalise the sale of cannabis, the country's conservatives have warned. Adults over the age of 21 will soon be allowed to buy up to 30 grams of the drug …

Emmanuel Macron reportedly cancelled a press conference with Olaf Scholz amid frustration that the German chancellor doesn’t text him enough. Mr Scholz’s chancellery had told the media that the two leaders would appear for a joint statement after a hastily organised lunch meeting in Paris on Wednesday. But the Elysée …

Tourists flock to Mabul Island, one of the world's best diving spots, but poor infrastructure means locals are plagued by deadly disease

Olaf Scholz has been warned by EU colleagues not to break the bloc’s unity on China after he confirmed that he would visit Beijing in the coming weeks. “Considering what’s going on in China … It’s in their interests to divide us. It should be in our interests to stay …

We asked the professionals for their top tips on how to spruce up your home without spending a fortune

An elderly woman accused of being the ringleader of a terror cell plotting a monarchist revolution was arrested in Germany. The cell allegedly wanted to kidnap the country’s health minister and attack the electricity grid to spark a civil war and restore the Prussian monarchy. Elisabeth R, a 75-year-old retired …

Walking through the streets of Queens, New York, with her two best friends at the age of 12, Melanie Thompson was being assessed. Two boys from her neighbourhood – a few years older but familiar faces from middle school – made a calculation and invited the girls indoors. “It was …

The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been charged with five sex crimes that took place in Portugal, including two assaults on young children. Prosecutors in Germany issued five charges against Christian Brückner, 45, who is also being investigated for the murder of McCann. The British toddler …

Surveillance data and technology are being exploited to stoke fear and prevent abortions in countries including the United States, China, Hungary and Poland. Period tracking apps, car licence plate data and pregnancy registers are the latest tools activists warn are being harnessed to stop women using legal or geographic loopholes …

An escalating cholera outbreak in Syria has been caused by private companies selling untreated water to desperate communities, according to the International Rescue Committee. In the last three weeks, roughly 6,000 people have caught the disease and at least 36 have died in northern Syria, in an outbreak that shows …

Health officials in New York are “very, very concerned” about a recent outbreak of polio, the latest in a string of infectious diseases to rattle the state. Polio was eradicated in the United States in 1979 thanks to high vaccination rates. But now the disease has been detected in wastewater …

It’s a tuberous rooted perennial native to Mexico and known for its showy flower heads, providing late-summer colour through to the end of October and the first frosts. It could only be a dahlia, the fashionable bloom currently at its dramatic best. “Dahlias used to be seen as old-fashioned, but …

It’s a tuberous rooted perennial native to Mexico and known for its showy flower heads, providing late-summer colour through to the end of October and the first frosts. It could only be a dahlia, the fashionable bloom currently at its dramatic best. “Dahlias used to be seen as old-fashioned, but …

Queen Elizabeth II was mourned across the world during her state funeral on Monday – a testament to the scale of global reverence and respect for her. During her reign, the late monarch visited more than 100 countries across six continents, with her death prompting commemorations from all corners of …

The Germany army has spent too long drilling wells and stemming floods, Olaf Scholz said on Friday, as he promised to turn his military into "the best equipped" on the continent. Speaking at an army conference, the German chancellor admitted that his country had lived in an illusion that it …