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Separation Surgery of Tanzanian Conjoined Twins Begins in Riyadh

The separation procedure is scheduled to be performed in 10 stages and will take approximately 16 hours. SPA
The separation procedure is scheduled to be performed in 10 stages and will take approximately 16 hours. SPA
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Separation Surgery of Tanzanian Conjoined Twins Begins in Riyadh

The separation procedure is scheduled to be performed in 10 stages and will take approximately 16 hours. SPA
The separation procedure is scheduled to be performed in 10 stages and will take approximately 16 hours. SPA

The medical and surgical teams of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program (SCTP) began on Thursday the complex procedure of separating 18-month-old Tanzanian twin girls, Nancy and Nice.

The surgery is taking place at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (KASCH) at King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh in implementation of the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

In a statement to the press, Advisor to the Royal Court, Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) and head of the Surgical and Multidisciplinary Team for the SCTP Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah stated that Nancy and Nice arrived in the Kingdom on January 27.

Following the twins’ admission to KASCH, the medical team conducted comprehensive and detailed examinations of the girls, who are conjoined at the lower chest, abdominal, and pelvic areas. Each girl has one leg, and they share a third, deformed lower limb.

Al Rabeeah explained that the medical team conducted a thorough series of examinations and clinical consultations to discuss details about the girls’ case; the twins share one liver, large intestine, anus, urinary and reproductive systems, and also share an external genitalia malformation.

The separation procedure is scheduled to be performed in 10 stages and will take approximately 16 hours.

A team of 35 consultants, specialists, and nursing and technical staff from the fields of anesthesia, pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, pediatric urology, pediatric orthopedics, and other supporting specialties will participate.

Al Rabeeah clarified that while this procedure is delicate, it has a success rate of more than 60%. He stated that Nancy and Nice are the third pair of conjoined twins from Tanzania to be separated by the SCTP since the program began in 1990, and the 71st separation to date.

He added that a total of 157 cases from 28 countries across five continents have been reviewed by the team thus far.

On behalf of himself and his colleagues, Al Rabeeah expressed his appreciation to the Saudi leadership for their ongoing support and follow-up of the program.

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Troubled Waters: Jakarta Battles Deadly, Invasive Suckerfish

The sapu-sapu was introduced to Indonesia from South America, brought in to keep aquariums algae free but chucked into rivers as they outgrew their tanks. BAY ISMOYO / AFP
The sapu-sapu was introduced to Indonesia from South America, brought in to keep aquariums algae free but chucked into rivers as they outgrew their tanks. BAY ISMOYO / AFP
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Troubled Waters: Jakarta Battles Deadly, Invasive Suckerfish

The sapu-sapu was introduced to Indonesia from South America, brought in to keep aquariums algae free but chucked into rivers as they outgrew their tanks. BAY ISMOYO / AFP
The sapu-sapu was introduced to Indonesia from South America, brought in to keep aquariums algae free but chucked into rivers as they outgrew their tanks. BAY ISMOYO / AFP

Mounds of slimey carcasses pile up on a riverbank in Jakarta where authorities are fighting an uphill battle against a fast-breeding invasive fish flourishing in Java island's heavily polluted waterways.

The sapu-sapu, a sucking fish introduced from South America decades ago to keep Southeast Asian aquariums algae-free, has made a home in Javan rivers, many after being thrown out for outgrowing their tanks.

Unlike in the Amazon River where it has natural predators, the sapu-sapu quickly took over in Java, outbreeding indigenous freshwater fish, eating their eggs and outcompeting them for food.

Residents and campaigners have complained about the stinky, unsightly pileups of fishy remains, and the potential health risk for those who consume snacks made from polluted sapu-sapu stock.

Invasive species are spreading ever faster across the globe and cost well over $400 billion a year in damages and lost income, according to a 2023 United Nations assessment.

Surprisingly adept at living in polluted water, the sapu-sapu -- also known as suckermouth catfish, janitor fish or pleco -- can grow to half a meter (20 inches) in length and a female can lay thousands of eggs every year.

"That there are thousands of (sapu-sapu) fish in some of these river bodies, where, you know, the rivers are like dark black, almost smelling like rotten eggs... is completely crazy," clean river campaigner Gary Bencheghib told AFP.

Killing sapu-sapu is not addressing the real problem, he added in a phone interview, nearly halfway through a 1,200-kilometer (746-mile) run from Bali to Jakarta to raise money for river cleanups and having witnessed the crisis at several stops along the way.

The real solution is cleaning up "the waste it lives off... that you find in these polluted waters," said Bencheghib, co-founder of the Sungai Watch NGO.

- 'A dangerous snack' -

More than half of Indonesia's rivers are heavily polluted, and two of the country's major river systems are among the dirtiest in the world, according to data from the UN Environment Program.

Nationwide, only about 7.4 percent of municipal wastewater is safely collected and treated.

Greater Jakarta, a water-stressed metropolis of 42 million people, is particularly affected.

But sapu-sapu are able to live in oxygen-poor and polluted waters, digging holes into riverbanks to lay their eggs and weakening walls that have been known to collapse as a result.

In recent weeks, Jakarta has embarked on a killing campaign involving residents, sanitation workers, fisheries ministry workers and even soldiers.

In two weeks, about 5.3 tons of the fish have been removed from rivers in South Jakarta alone, mayor Muhammad Anwar told AFP while overseeing an operation at Babakan Lake this week.

The sapu-sapu are caught in nets, separated from indigenous fish that are thrown back, then decapitated to make sure they are dead, and buried in mass graves.

Some activists have criticized the procedure as wasteful, arguing the skin could be used for fish leather products and the rest processed into fertilizer or animal feed.

But others say the fish are too contaminated to be useful, and definitely not fit for human consumption.

"It contains... heavy metals and is dangerous to humans," Anwar said.

Tests conducted for scientific studies have found traces of lead and mercury as well as E.coli bacteria beyond safe levels in sapu-sapu.

"In some places, it is consumed as a dangerous snack called siomay (steamed fish dumpling) and pempek (fish cakes)," the mayor said.

"Please be careful when buying fish cakes. Don't be led by the (cheap) price."

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Judge: Alaska wildlife Agents Can Kill Bears from Helicopters in Effort to Protect Caribou

FILE - Two brown bears look for salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, July 4, 2013. (AP File Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
FILE - Two brown bears look for salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, July 4, 2013. (AP File Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
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Judge: Alaska wildlife Agents Can Kill Bears from Helicopters in Effort to Protect Caribou

FILE - Two brown bears look for salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, July 4, 2013. (AP File Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
FILE - Two brown bears look for salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, July 4, 2013. (AP File Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Alaska wildlife agents can resume shooting and killing black and brown bears — including from helicopters — as part of a plan to help recover a caribou herd that was once an important source of food for Alaska Native hunters, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Two conservation groups, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance and Center for Biological Diversity, sought to halt the program while their lawsuit challenging its legality plays out. But Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman said the groups had failed to show that the state acted without a reasonable basis for approving the plan.

The timing of the ruling is important: The Mulchatna caribou herd in southwest Alaska is expected to begin calving soon. The babies are particularly susceptible to being eaten by bears or wolves.

State officials see the bear-killing program as important to helping the caribou herd recover. The herd, which once provided up to about 4,770 caribou a year for subsistence hunters from dozens of communities, peaked at around 190,000 animals.

But the caribou population began declining in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and by 2019 numbered around 13,000 animals. Last year, the population was estimated around 16,280, according to the state Department of Fish and Game. Hunting has not been allowed since 2021.

The state killed 180 bears from 2023 to 2024, most of them brown bears, plus 11 more last year, according to the conservation groups' lawsuit. The groups argue that the Alaska Board of Game last year authorized reinstating the program without key data on the bears’ population numbers and sustainability.

Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement the groups want to see the caribou herd thrive, “but the state simply hasn’t shown that the unrestrained killing of bears is going to help us get there.”

“We need to stop this disgraceful waste of the state’s limited resources and work based on science to protect all our wildlife,” The Associated Press quoted Freeman as saying.

State attorneys have said that officials took a “hard look” at factors related to bear numbers in adopting the plan.

“The herd has persisted at low numbers but started showing a positive response since 2023, when bear removal during calving seasons began,” they wrote in a court filing.

The Alaska Department of Law welcomed Zeman's decision “to allow this management program to continue during the upcoming caribou calving season, a crucial time for herd recovery,” spokesperson Sam Curtis said by email. The department represents the board and Department of Fish and Game.

“Continuing this program makes sense in light of the scientific record,” Curtis said.

Attorneys with Trustees for Alaska, representing the conservation groups, are reviewing the ruling and “will consider all available options,” spokesperson Madison Grosvenor said by email.

The program has been the subject of ongoing litigation. A judge last year, in a case previously brought by the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, found fault with the process in which it was adopted and concluded the state lacked data on bear sustainability.

Emergency regulations implemented by the state were later struck down. A subsequent public process was announced surrounding plans to reauthorize the program, which the board did last July.

Varieties

Pioneering CNN Founder Ted Turner Dead at 87

Ted Turner speaks during the CNN World Report Contributors banquet in Atlanta on May 4, 1995. (AP)
Ted Turner speaks during the CNN World Report Contributors banquet in Atlanta on May 4, 1995. (AP)
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Pioneering CNN Founder Ted Turner Dead at 87

Ted Turner speaks during the CNN World Report Contributors banquet in Atlanta on May 4, 1995. (AP)
Ted Turner speaks during the CNN World Report Contributors banquet in Atlanta on May 4, 1995. (AP)

Ted Turner, the flamboyant US entrepreneur who transformed television news with the creation of CNN in 1980, has died at the age of 87, the network said Wednesday.

The mustached southerner, yachting enthusiast and philanthropist, whose empire also included sports clubs, had been suffering from the degenerative disease Lewy Body Dementia.

Cable News Network upended established broadcasting with its dedication to around-the-clock breaking news and shot to global recognition with its coverage of the Gulf War in 1990-91.

The 24-hour network was the first in the United States to run non-stop news and quickly built a worldwide footprint.

Correspondents brought live coverage from major events ranging from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the Chinese crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests. CNN's decision to keep reporters in Baghdad amid US bombing on the Iraqi capital cemented the network's reputation as an indispensable source of breaking news.

"Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world," Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement.

"He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN."

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in November 1938, Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III went to a military boarding school in Tennessee, and then attended Brown University, but was expelled before graduating.

Turner took over a faltering family advertising business after his father, despondent over financial problems, committed suicide.

After buying a number of radio stations, Turner's purchase of a struggling Atlanta station in 1970 was his first move into television.

Ten years later, that became the flagship of his nationwide Turner Broadcasting System, the profits from which he parlayed into the launch of CNN.

CNN's success inspired the creation of other 24-hour news channels including Fox News by longtime Turner rival Rupert Murdoch, MSNBC and countless networks worldwide.

Turner's television empire expanded beyond CNN and included TBS and TNT channels for sports and entertainment, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network, among others.