RIYADH: Smoking kills more people every year than traffic accidents and hard drugs, according to the Ministry of Health, a local publication reported recently.
Jamal Abdullah Basahi, a tobacco control specialist at the ministry, was quoted as saying that the government also has to bear increasing costs associated with health problems caused by smoking, including heart attacks, atherosclerosis and lung cancer.
Basahi was speaking during a television talk show produced annually in Ramadan by the ministry’s National Center for Health Promotion and Information. He said it was not easy to quit because nicotine is an addictive substance. “Tobacco may be the hardest unhealthy habit that humans try to give up,” he said, and advised people to seek specialist help.
He said passive smoking was extremely harmful because the toxic gases were still present in the smoke exhaled by smokers, particularly for children. He said some studies have linked smoking with rising levels of blood sugar among people with diabetes because of the nicotine, and people with diabetes had other complications if they are smokers.
“It is only natural that a smoker feels the desire to smoke after quitting because the habit is addictive. But there are alternatives to cigarettes in the form of pharmaceutical substances such as chewing gum and stickers, which help them to quit,” he said.
He said studies have shown that smoking causes several types of cancer, most notably lung cancer. “If urgent action is not taken, the number of deaths as the result of smoking will increase to more than 8 million by 2030,” he said.
Smoking kills more people than road accidents
Smoking kills more people than road accidents
King Abdulaziz Foundation reveals rare images from king’s 1916 Basra visit
- Photographs form part of a wider collection documented by British photographer Gertrude Bell
RIYADH: The King Abdulaziz Foundation has revealed archival photographs documenting King Abdulaziz’s tour of the outskirts of Basra in 1916, a visit that came at an early stage of his efforts to build regional relationships.
One of the photographs, taken by British photographer Gertrude Bell, shows King Abdulaziz standing with his men in the Basra desert, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The image reflects his early political and diplomatic engagement in the region, as he sought to strengthen ties with neighboring areas and engage with the wider Arab and international community, SPA added.
The photograph forms part of a wider collection documented by Bell, which records key developments and transformations across the Arabian Peninsula during the early 20th century.
The Basra visit holds particular significance in King Abdulaziz’s journey as a unifying leader.
Rather than crossing borders in pursuit of power, the visit reflected an approach focused on stability, cooperation and long-term regional harmony, laying the groundwork for a leadership style defined by pragmatism and openness, SPA said.
