Mother gives birth to nine, two take her by surprise

A 25-year-old mother from Mali has given birth to nine babies, two of them a surprise after doctors failed to spot them in scans. Halima Cisse’s delivery by caesarean section of five girls and four boys ‘‘who are all doing well’’ could set a world record for the most children in a single birth to survive. Malians had been fascinated with the expected birth of septuplets. President Bah Ndaw insisted last month that Cisse be flown to Morocco for specialist care in the final weeks of her pregnancy.