German police have begun an attempted murder investigation after six people were taken to hospital in a case of suspected poisoning at Darmstadt Technical University. They had all had food or drink from a small kitchen on the university’s Lichtwiese campus. A “harmful substance” was added to milk cartons or water, police believe. Investigators have not revealed what type of poison was found but say they know what it is.

The chemical involved is described as having a noticeably “pungent smell”. One 30-year-old student was taken to hospital in a critical condition but the university said everyone affected was feeling better and the last two remaining patients would be leaving hospital later on Tuesday.(BBC)…[+]

A second accuser took the stand at R. Kelly’s sex-trafficking trial on Monday, testifying that the star abused her, knowingly infected her with herpes and ordered her to have an abortion. The woman, identified as Jane Doe No 5, said her five-year relationship with Mr Kelly began in 2014, when she was 17. She alleged that the singer sought to control every detail of her life and would punish her if she did not comply. Mr Kelly, 54, has denied the allegations against him. His lawyers have portrayed his accusers as groupies out for revenge after their relationships with the R&B singer faded.The anonymous woman, now 23, testified that she had met the singer, whose real name is Robert Kelly, when he invited her to his hotel room after a gig in Orlando, Florida.(BBC)…[+]

Chad’s ex-ruler Hissène Habré has died at the age of 79 while serving a life sentence for crimes against humanity.  He was being treated for a coronavirus infection, reports say. Habré was found guilty in 2016 of crimes committed while he was president from 1982 to 1990. The conviction was the result of a landmark trial in Senegal. It was the first time an African Union-backed court had tried a former ruler for human rights abuses.

Habré was accused of being behind rape, sexual slavery and ordering killings while in power. He denied any knowledge of the crimes. A commission of inquiry formed in Chad after he was deposed in 1990 said his government carried out some 40,000 politically motivated murders and 200,000 cases of torture in the eight years he was in power.(BBC)…[+]