How Gambian children died from toxic cough syrup

British tabloid editors stayed up late to publish front page "bombshells" from the much-anticipated Oprah interview with Harry and Meghan. For French paper Le Monde, the "family quarrel" between the couple and the royal family has evolved into "a toxic communication war". We also look at the trial of the police officer charged with killing George Floyd, how a rape accusation against a Senegalese opposition leader could silence sexual assault victims, plus visual representations of International Women's Day.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has said at least 12 people have died after a river was contaminated with toxic waste from an Angolan diamond mine.

Today's Focus takes us to Kinshasa, DRC's sprawling capital city, where growing addiction to "bombé," a new artisanal drug, is rattling authorities. The lethargy-inducing mixture is made of crushed pills (often opioids but composition varies) and chemical residue that's been filtered through exhaust pipes.

Toxic foam covered parts of the Yamuna river flowing through India's capital of New Delhi on Tuesday, which according to a local activist, is mostly attributed to illegal dumping of industrial waste and untreated sewage water.

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Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae — simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater — grow out of control and produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds. The human illnesses caused by HABs, though rare, can be debilitating or even fatal.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, and The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have notified healthcare providers and the public of the death of 66 children in The Gambia, following the use of four substandard cough syrups made in India.

Indian health officials have ordered a maker of cough syrups to halt production after they were linked to the deaths of children in The Gambia. Maiden Pharmaceuticals broke rules "across its manufacturing and testing activities," Indian regulators found.

Indian drugmaker Marion Biotech is under investigation after Uzbekistan said at least 18 children died after consuming the syrup it manufactured.

Contaminated cough syrups have been linked to hundreds of child deaths in Africa and Asia. The WHO is reportedly investigating potential connections between the pharmaceutical companies that made the products.