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Filipino Conjoined Twins Arrive in Riyadh for Potential Separation Procedure

The Filipino Siamese twins arrived in Riyadh on Sunday. SPA
The Filipino Siamese twins arrived in Riyadh on Sunday. SPA
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Filipino Conjoined Twins Arrive in Riyadh for Potential Separation Procedure

The Filipino Siamese twins arrived in Riyadh on Sunday. SPA
The Filipino Siamese twins arrived in Riyadh on Sunday. SPA

Filipino Siamese twins Akhizah and Ayeesha Yosoph arrived on Sunday in Riyadh via a Saudi evacuation plan facilitated by the Ministry of Health.

After arriving at King Khalid International Airport along with their parents, the twins were promptly transferred to the King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital (KASCH) under the Ministry of National Guard. At KASCH, a medical team is assessing the twins' condition to determine the feasibility of performing a separation surgery.

This initiative came upon the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

The Advisor at the Royal Court, Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), and head of the medical team overseeing the case, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, expressed his gratitude to the King and the Crown Prince for their unwavering support. He commended their support and care to the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program and humanitarian endeavors at large.

Al Rabeeah highlighted the program's significance on a global scale, serving as a milestone in the field while aligning with the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to enhance the Kingdom's healthcare services to a prominent position.

The parents of Akhizah and Ayeesha expressed their heartfelt appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to them since their arrival in the Kingdom.

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Malaysia's Johor Reopens Schools as Haze Eases

A tourist takes a selfie with the city skyline seen in the background as haze conditions due to Indonesian wildfires improve in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2026. Mohd Rasfan / AFP
A tourist takes a selfie with the city skyline seen in the background as haze conditions due to Indonesian wildfires improve in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2026. Mohd Rasfan / AFP
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Malaysia's Johor Reopens Schools as Haze Eases

A tourist takes a selfie with the city skyline seen in the background as haze conditions due to Indonesian wildfires improve in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2026. Mohd Rasfan / AFP
A tourist takes a selfie with the city skyline seen in the background as haze conditions due to Indonesian wildfires improve in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2026. Mohd Rasfan / AFP

Schools reopened in southern Malaysia on Monday as air quality improved after weeks of toxic haze from wildfires in neighboring Indonesia.

The closures were a consequence of a regional haze crisis that blanketed parts of Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia and Singapore, sending respiratory complaints soaring and fueling diplomatic tensions.

In Malaysia's southernmost Johor state, face-to-face classes resumed in stages Monday after a 10-day suspension affecting more than 1,000 schools and about 600,000 students.

Johor education and information committee chairman Muhammad Naqib Md Ghazali said the decision followed a review of air quality readings across the state and health risk assessments.

Attendance on Monday and Tuesday is limited to students sitting examinations, he said in a statement Sunday.

Full operations are expected to resume on Wednesday if air quality continues to improve, he added.

Air quality had improved across Johor and much of peninsular Malaysia by Monday afternoon, with government monitoring data showing no areas recording unhealthy pollution levels.

Several districts in eastern Sarawak state, however, continued to report unhealthy air quality, including the state capital Kuching.

Malaysia's weather agency said changing wind patterns were expected to reduce the risk of further haze episodes for the rest of the year.

"As the wind direction has finally shifted from southwest to northeast, we highly expect there will be no more haze episodes this year," Meteorological Department director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip told AFP.

The regional picture remained uneven, however, with Singapore still among the world's 20 most polluted major cities on Monday afternoon, according to Swiss-based air quality monitor IQAir.

Indonesia has struggled for months to contain fires that deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas said consumed more than 1.9 million hectares in the nine months to September.

On Saturday, Indonesia cut natural gas exports to Singapore to prioritize domestic demand, an official said, with the two countries at loggerheads over regional air pollution from wildfires on the vast archipelago.

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Saudi Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority Records 19 Wildlife Births in Q3 2026

The births included 16 Arabian sand gazelles, two Arabian oryx, and one Arabian mountain gazelle. (SPA)
The births included 16 Arabian sand gazelles, two Arabian oryx, and one Arabian mountain gazelle. (SPA)
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Saudi Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority Records 19 Wildlife Births in Q3 2026

The births included 16 Arabian sand gazelles, two Arabian oryx, and one Arabian mountain gazelle. (SPA)
The births included 16 Arabian sand gazelles, two Arabian oryx, and one Arabian mountain gazelle. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia's Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority recorded 19 wildlife births during the third quarter of 2026 in the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve and King Khalid Royal Reserve.

The births included 16 Arabian sand gazelles, two Arabian oryx, and one Arabian mountain gazelle, reflecting the effectiveness of the authority's efforts to protect wildlife, reintroduce species, and provide suitable natural habitats, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

Head of the Wildlife Division at the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority Abdullatif Al-Abdulwahab said the births were recorded through ongoing field monitoring and the use of wildlife monitoring cameras. These tools enable specialist teams to document breeding cases, monitor newborn animals, and observe species' behavior in their natural habitats.

Al-Abdulwahab added that the recorded births reflect continued natural breeding among wildlife in the two reserves and the availability of suitable environments for species to reproduce and survive.

The Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority recorded 19 wildlife births during the third quarter of 2026 in the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve and King Khalid Royal Reserve. (SPA)

He stressed the importance of protecting natural habitats to support the stability of wildlife populations and enhance biodiversity.

These results build on the authority's efforts to protect and reintroduce wildlife and develop natural habitats, contributing to environmental balance and ecosystem sustainability. They support the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 in environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.

Varieties

UK Endures Second Big Storm of the Weekend, with the North Bearing the Brunt This Time

People walk through heavy rain in Liverpool, Britain, 24 October 2026. (EPA)
People walk through heavy rain in Liverpool, Britain, 24 October 2026. (EPA)
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UK Endures Second Big Storm of the Weekend, with the North Bearing the Brunt This Time

People walk through heavy rain in Liverpool, Britain, 24 October 2026. (EPA)
People walk through heavy rain in Liverpool, Britain, 24 October 2026. (EPA)

The second of two storms to hit the UK this weekend brought widespread travel disruptions and power outages to Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England on Sunday.

The Met Office, the UK's national forecaster, said Storm Boelo will bring a danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves and people should stay indoors as much as possible.

Gusts above 80 mph (128 kph) have already been recorded in Scotland, including on the island of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides. Energy company SSEN had reported a total of 93 unplanned power cuts in Scotland by 10 a.m.

An amber wind warning, the Met Office’s second most severe, is active across Scotland and the north of England until late Sunday. Flood warnings are also in place, while airports, ferries, railways and roads have seen disruptions.

Boelo, pronounced “Boo-Loh”, has followed hard on the heels of Storm Austen, which battered southern England on Friday. The National Grid, which distributes electricity around the UK, said power had been restored to more than 130,000 properties impacted by Austen by 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The Met Office began naming major storms in 2015 as a way to keep the public informed about severe weather. Storms are named in alphabetical order throughout the season, from September to August.