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Nigerian Siamese Twins Successfully Separated in Saudi Arabia

Al-Rabeeah thanked the medical team that performed the surgery for their efforts. SPA
Al-Rabeeah thanked the medical team that performed the surgery for their efforts. SPA
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Nigerian Siamese Twins Successfully Separated in Saudi Arabia

Al-Rabeeah thanked the medical team that performed the surgery for their efforts. SPA
Al-Rabeeah thanked the medical team that performed the surgery for their efforts. SPA

A specialized surgical team in Saudi Arabia separated the Nigerian Siamese twins, Hassana and Hasina, who were attached at the lower chest and abdomen and shared the liver, bile ducts, and intestines, after a complex surgery that lasted over 14 hours and was conducted in eight phases, with the participation of a 36-member team of surgeons and 85 members of the multidisciplinary medical team.
Advisor at the Royal Court, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), and head of the medical and surgical team in the separation of Siamese twins, Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, explained that the operation comes under the generous directives of the Saudi leadership, becoming the 56th of the Saudi program for the separation of conjoined twins.
He added that during the past 33 years, the program was able to operate on 130 Siamese twins from 23 friendly countries, stressing the Kingdom's pioneering role in humanitarian work in general and the medical profession in particular.
Al-Rabeeah thanked the medical team that performed the surgery for their efforts, stressing that the achievement reflects the wise leadership's keenness to help people wherever they are. He added that it also reflects Saudi medical excellence, which aligns with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to develop the health sector in the Kingdom and advance its quality and efficiency.
He extended, in his name and on behalf of his fellow members of the medical team, the appreciation and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the generous support received by the Saudi program for the separation of conjoined twins.

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Bangkok Air Pollution Forces 352 Schools to Close

Air pollution in the Thai capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools Friday -- around a hundred more than the previous day. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
Air pollution in the Thai capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools Friday -- around a hundred more than the previous day. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
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Bangkok Air Pollution Forces 352 Schools to Close

Air pollution in the Thai capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools Friday -- around a hundred more than the previous day. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
Air pollution in the Thai capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools Friday -- around a hundred more than the previous day. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP

Air pollution in the Thai capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools on Friday, city authorities said, the highest number in five years.

Bangkok officials announced free public transport for a week in a bid to reduce traffic in a city notorious for noxious exhaust fumes.

Seasonal air pollution has long afflicted Thailand, like many countries in the region, but this week's hazy conditions have shuttered the most schools since 2020, said AFP.

"Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has closed 352 schools across 31 districts due to air pollution," the authority said in a message shared on its official LINE group.

On Thursday, more than 250 schools in Bangkok were closed due to pollution, as officials urged people to work from home and restricted heavy vehicles in the city.

Air pollution hits the Southeast Asian nation seasonally, as colder, stagnant winter air combines with smoke from crop stubble burning and car fumes.

By Friday, the level of PM2.5 pollutants -- cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- hit 108 micrograms per cubic meter, according to IQAir.

The reading makes the Thai capital the world's seventh-most polluted major city currently.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 24-hour average exposures should not be more than 15 for most days of the year.

By Friday morning, 352 of the 437 schools under the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority had shut their doors, affecting thousands of students.

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday ordered a ban on stubble burning -- intentionally burning leftover crops to clear fields -- with those responsible risking legal prosecution.

In another bid to curb pollution, a government minister said Friday that public transport in Bangkok would be free for a week.

The capital's Skytrain, metro, light rail system and bus services will be free to users from Saturday, transport minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit told reporters.

"We hope this policy will help reduce pollution."

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is currently attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, called for tougher measures to tackle pollution on Thursday, including limiting construction in the capital and seeking cooperation from nearby countries.

Regional problem

Cities in neighboring Vietnam and Cambodia also ranked high on IQAir's most-polluted list on Friday, with Ho Chi Minh second and Phnom Penh fifth.

Cambodia's environment ministry confirmed on Friday that the air quality in Phnom Penh and three other provinces had reached a "red level", meaning highly polluted.

The ministry said in a statement that the air pollution was caused by climate change, waste incineration and forest fires, and urged the public to monitor their health and avoid outdoor activities.

Air pollution has closed schools across other parts of Asia recently -- specifically Pakistan and India

Nearly two million students in and around New Delhi were told to stay home in November after authorities ordered schools to shut because of worsening air pollution.

Pakistan's most populated province of Punjab in November closed schools in smog-hit major cities for two weeks, with thousands hospitalized as air pollutants hit 30 times the level deemed acceptable by the WHO.

Bangkok's school closures come as UNICEF said in a report that 242 million children's schooling was affected by climate shocks in 2024.

Climate change can worsen the problem of air pollution which is considered a "secondary impact of climate-induced hazards", according to the report published Friday.