“Nobody in my family or my husband’s family has twins, but two years after my first son was born, I conceived a boy and a girl. The doctor left us alone for a few minutes, but when she returned, we were still looking at each other in complete silence, as we processed the news that caused us to feel fright and delight all at once,” says Dubai resident and cake craft artist Khushi Malani, 40, mum to Aryan, 13, and twins Rhea and Rehan, 10.
The Malanis, it seems, are something of the rule rather than the exception in the 21st century, as a study conducted by the University of Oxford and published in the Human Reproduction journal reported on Saturday.
Researchers, led by professor Christiaan Monden, found that more than 1.6 million twins are being born every year, which works out to one in 42 children. This figure is nearly a third more than those reported in the 1980s – when it was 9 in every 1,000 compared with 12 in every 1,000.
The main reason cited is the rising use of IVF and other fertility treatments, which are sought by parents who may be unable to conceive owing to age or lifestyle-related issues. Somewhat paradoxically, the team noted that with fertility clinics better able to modify their techniques and technologies, the rate of twin births may now be at its peak.
The increase is most notable in fraternal or non-identical twins, as the rate of identical twins has not changed drastically.
Prof Monden and his team drew their conclusions on the back of data gathered from 1980 to 2015, from 165 countries.
Why does IVF lead to twins?
Medically-assisted reproduction is more common than ever before, and takes forms such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), ovarian stimulation and artificial insemination. These techniques are linked to a likelihood of multiple births compared with natural conception because they often involve women taking hormones to stimulate egg production.
This may lead to the release of two eggs at the same time.
IVF clinics also tend to transfer more than one embryo to boost the chances of conception, which leads to a higher occurrence of twins, triplets or even quadruplets.
Older women more likely to have twins?
Delayed childbirth is another contributing factor to many women conceiving twins, albeit to a lesser extent than fertility treatments.
Couples often wait it out to become more financially independent and more women are joining the workforce, especially in high-income and middle-income countries, and so delay starting families.
As older women are more likely to release two eggs at the same time, there is a chance that they will conceive twins.
Modern technology to the rescue
On the one hand, modern medicine is able to ensure that the mortality rate among twins born today is lower compared with the 1970s and 1980s, which means "more twin pairs than ever before will survive until adulthood", according to the study.
On the other hand, twins are still considered a high-risk group "associated with complications during pregnancy, at birth and thereafter, including preterm deliveries, lower birth weight, increased stillbirths and infant and maternal mortality", compared with single births.
Accordingly, IVF clinics in many countries have been directed to rely on new medical technologies, and reduce the number of transferred embryos and focus on “successful live birth delivery of singletons”, says the study, which predicts that twin births may in fact start to plateau in the months and years ahead.
ICC T20 Team of 2021
Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Malcolm & Marie
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars
