The trial of the Grammy-winning US singer R Kelly is set to begin at a US federal court in New York on Wednesday. The R&B star is accused of racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery; charges which he has denied.

Some of the allegations made against the singer – full name Robert Sylvester Kelly – date back more than two decades. If he is convicted on all counts he could faces 10 years-to-life in prison. Kelly is best known for hits including Ignition (Remix), I Believe I Can Fly, Bump n’ Grind and If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time.Kelly and members of his entourage are accused of recruiting women and underage girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with the singer. The stories go back to the start of his career in the 1990s, with many centring around the alleged predatory pursuit of teenage girls. The 54-year-old is currently facing multiple state and federal charges in the US, with accusations including sexual assault, abuse of a minor, making indecent images of minors, racketeering and obstruction of justice. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.(BBC)…[+]

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has identified counterfeit versions of India’s primary Covid vaccine, Covishield. The doses were seized by authorities in India and Africa between July and August, a WHO statement said. It also said the vaccine’s maker, Serum Institute of India, confirmed that the doses were fake.

The WHO warned that fake vaccines “pose a serious risk to global public health”. It called for their removal from circulation. There has been no official statement by the Indian government, but local reports said the country’s health ministry was investigating the matter. “Although we have a strong system to prevent such cases, with this development, the only thing we want to ensure is that no Indian received a fake vaccine,” an unidentified health official told the Mint news website. Covishield is the Indian-made version of AstraZeneca’s jab and is the most widely used vaccine in India with more than 486 million doses administered so far.  Serum had supplied millions of Covishield vaccines to countries in Asia, Africa and South America – as part of deals that were inked with various governments and the global Covax scheme for poorer countries. India also sent Covishield doses to some of its neighbours as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “vaccine diplomacy”. (BBC)…[+]

Lithuania has accused 12 Belarusian officers in riot gear of illegally entering its territory to push a group of migrants over the border. Lithuania’s border service said the Belarusians were repeatedly told they had violated the border during the tense incident on Tuesday. But Belarus disputed this and accused Lithuanian guards of violence towards migrants. EU ministers will meet later to discuss a recent migrant influx from Belarus.

More than 4,100 mostly Iraqi migrants have entered EU member Lithuania illegally from neighbouring Belarus so far this year. The rise in illegal crossings started in June after the EU imposed sanctions on long-time Belarusian President President Alexander Lukashenko.(BBC)…[+]