March 1 'likely' to be first day of Ramadan 2025
The Director of the Centre, Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, said the crescent may be visible by telescope in some parts of the Islamic world on February 28.
Given that the conjunction occurs before sunset and the moon sets after sunset in all Islamic regions, it is expected that most Islamic countries will declare March 1 the first day of Ramadan.
The UAE is awaiting official confirmation on the start date of Ramadan by the moon-sighting committee.
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The National
9 hours ago
- The National
New fertility treatments offer hope in reversing declining birth rates
An Emirati woman has defied the odds by successfully giving birth to a healthy baby boy thanks to a scientific breakthrough, five years on from her first attempts at starting a family. Hussa, 42, was given a pioneering treatment of breast cancer drugs, repurposed to restore her uterus to optimum health, allowing her to conceive. When that was paired with a genetic test to ensure her eggs were in the best possible condition for fertilisation and a new technique removing them at a smaller growth stage than usual, Hussa and her husband Ahmed were told they had a successful pregnancy. The procedure at the Art Fertility Clinic in Abu Dhabi is the latest example of how personalised medical care is helping deliver the best possible outcome for patients. Fertility and birth rates around the world are on the slide due to economic, environmental and lifestyle factors. But with similar successes and new scientific discoveries, doctors hope that can be reversed to resolve the issue of declining populations. 'It's extremely important to realise that fertility is a very new field of medicine,' said Dr Human Fatema, a consultant in obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive health at Art Fertility Clinics. 'IVF treatments have existed for only 45 years, whereas ophthalmologists, cardiologists and many other fields have been there for centuries. It means our knowledge is extremely poor and why research is important to go one step ahead. 'Now, we have reached the era of individualised medicine, it's not a one-size-fits-all approach any more. Every month, the endocrine profile of a woman differs, so the way you approach stimulating a woman for IVF is different.' Multiple techniques Hussa, who lives in Abu Dhabi, had been experiencing primary infertility for more than four years, with a history of endometriosis and severe adenomyosis, a condition where tissue that normally lines the uterus grows into its muscular wall. The couple underwent an intracytoplasmic sperm injection using frozen sperm from the Micro-TESE procedure, a technique that extracts sperm directly from the testes. The resulting embryos were subjected to preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, which identified a single euploid embryo suitable for transfer. Then, a carefully designed five-month course of Decapeptyl 3.75 and Letrozole, two drugs used for breast cancer, was initiated, followed by a uterine wash and hormone replacement therapy. A first procedure took place during the pandemic, but when Hussa caught Covid-19, she lost the pregnancy. A second attempt proved a resounding success, with Hussa giving birth to a healthy baby boy five months ago. The couple now hope by revealing their struggles they can inspire others to not give up hope of starting a family. 'We used to operate on these type of cases, or suppress hormones with injections, but the success was very limited so we just tried to think a little bit out of the box,' said Dr Fatema. 'When we scanned Hussa's uterus, it was pushing against her lungs, which I have never seen before. We looked to combine these cancer drugs, plus the treatment of suppressing the hormones. 'After five months, the results were extraordinary and she had almost a completely normal uterus. If you see this kind of success, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Standard IVF doesn't exist any more.' In a world where fertility rates are steadily declining due to the fast-paced, high-stress lifestyles of modern couples, comprehensive, tailored approaches towards fertility are offering a viable path forward for hopeful parents. Plunging birth rates According to the UN's World Fertility Report 2024, the fertility rate in the UAE has dropped dramatically, from 3.76 live births per woman in 1994 to just 1.21 in 2024. It is a familiar pattern around the globe. Fertility rates in India have dropped from five to two births per woman since the 1970s, while in South Korea a total fertility rate of around six births per woman in the 1950s has plummeted to less than one in 2023. Dr Fatema said there were a number of contributing factors. 'The prevalence of infertility in the Gulf is significantly higher than what we see in the West,' he said. 'Key reasons are environmental and lifestyle. When you cover yourself, you have a lack of sun exposure, leading to a decline of vitamin D. 'This decreases the number of eggs, so women go earlier to menopause because they're fully covered and have no sun exposure. "Other factors are consanguinity and obesity. In married cousins, daughters have a reduced ovarian reserve and go earlier to menopause. 'Also, a lot of physicians do elective C-sections in this region, as they think this is the easy way to go, but those C-sections also reduce the receptivity of the uterus.' According to the Gulf Research Centre Foundation, fertility in Oman fell from six babies per woman, on average, in 1995 to four on 2016. In Saudi Arabia, the number fell from 3.6 in 2004 to 2.4 in 2016, and from 4.4 in 1997 to 3.2 in 2015 in Qatar. New parents Hussa and Ahmed, however, are looking forward to an exciting new future. 'I knew we would be happy if we had a child, I was on medication and I was suffering, despite that I always had hope,' said Hussa. 'Dr Fatema gave me that energy to come back after we had been trying for so long. I always wanted to get the feelings of being a mum and having a family of our own. I knew it would make our lives very different. It has made me happier. 'Family is a very important part of our culture. We need to have kids and actually we love a big family. But from my side, a small family is more than enough. 'If I could speak with any other couples who may be struggling, I would tell them to be patient, you will get good results eventually if you keep trying.'
The National
2 days ago
- The National
Emirati school pupils hone AI skills at IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi summer camp
High school pupils took part in a rigorous energy and artificial intelligence programme in Abu Dhabi this summer, held at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology. About 50 pupils were selected from 400 who registered from schools across the Emirates for the five-day workshop held at the IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi campus in Khalifa City this week. One of the world's top engineering colleges, IIT Delhi opened its first international campus in Abu Dhabi two years ago as part of a vision to develop a global hub for research, development and innovation in the region. The short, intensive summer programme gave pupils the opportunity to conduct experiments, gain hands-on experience in AI, apply knowledge to real-world case studies, and interact with professors and researchers in the field. 'There is so much interest in AI, but a lot of it is at the programming level or ChatGPT exercises and we wanted to provide real experience with AI,' Prof Mohammad Haider, vice-provost at IIT Delhi, told The National. 'It's exciting for the students because here they can actually design the chip and the programme. We brought a kit here called the Buddhi [intelligence] kit designed by an IIT Delhi professor specially to teach AI to school pupils.' During waste-to-wealth sessions, teenage pupils learnt about converting discarded date seeds into energy. In 3D-printing workshops, they created new designs for windmills. They focused on projects building microgrids that operate independently to generate electricity for a specific area, and learnt to balance the energy mixture with thermal, solar and renewables. 'We decided to combine hardware plus software so they are exposed to energy problems as well as AI solutions,' Prof Haider said. 'This is important because this is an energy economy that is going through a transition. We spoke about developing a multilevel perspective, about ethical choices. How will they make decisions to achieve net zero by 2050? We want to enable this young generation to be leaders in the energy industry with new technology like AI.' In one room, groups of pupils used computer simulations in a competition to effectively and quickly connect different energy sources to varying power demands from homes, factories and offices. New way of learning Of 53 high school pupils in the select summer programme, 39 were UAE citizens and part of an overall push to expose the young to new ways of learning science, technology, engineering and maths. UAE citizen Saif, 17, said the workshops helped boost his understanding of AI and sustainability. 'This has changed my thinking about the possibilities of AI and how this can be used to help the environment, there are so many possibilities,' he said. 'These courses will help me in advanced maths classes in school, it's been a lot of learning.' Syrian citizen Alaa, 17, is considering studying sustainable energy after the programme. 'This is our planet and I must try to do something to benefit the generations to come. This course has shaped me to think differently about science and how it can help people.' Lebanese citizen Sameer, 17, is keen to study aerospace engineering and gained insights into energy consumption. 'I learnt critical information about how we can reduce emissions,' he said. 'I want to build aeroplanes and I feel I now have a better understanding about sustainability, energy and the physics behind the things I want to do.' IIT plans to host similar programmes in the winter for pupils. The institute offers bachelors, masters and doctorate programmes with about 80 students signed up, of which more than 20 are Emirati.
The National
2 days ago
- The National
Emirati school pupils hone AI skills in IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi summer camp
High school pupils took part in a rigorous energy and artificial intelligence programme in Abu Dhabi this summer, held at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology. About 50 pupils were selected from 400 who registered from schools across the Emirates for the five-day workshop held at the IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi campus in Khalifa City this week. One of the world's top engineering colleges, IIT Delhi opened its first international campus in Abu Dhabi two years ago as part of a vision to develop a global hub for research, development and innovation in the region. The short, intensive summer programme gave pupils the opportunity to conduct experiments, gain hands-on experience in AI, apply knowledge to real-world case studies, and interact with professors and researchers in the field. 'There is so much interest in AI, but a lot of it is at the programming level or ChatGPT exercises and we wanted to provide real experience with AI,' Prof Mohammad Haider, vice-provost at IIT Delhi, told The National. 'It's exciting for the students because here they can actually design the chip and the programme. We brought a kit here called the Buddhi [intelligence] kit designed by an IIT Delhi professor specially to teach AI to school pupils.' During waste-to-wealth sessions, teenage pupils learnt about converting discarded date seeds into energy. In 3D-printing workshops, they created new designs for windmills. They focused on projects building microgrids that operate independently to generate electricity for a specific area, and learnt to balance the energy mixture with thermal, solar and renewables. 'We decided to combine hardware plus software so they are exposed to energy problems as well as AI solutions,' Prof Haider said. 'This is important because this is an energy economy that is going through a transition. We spoke about developing a multilevel perspective, about ethical choices. How will they make decisions to achieve net zero by 2050? We want to enable this young generation to be leaders in the energy industry with new technology like AI.' In one room, groups of pupils used computer simulations in a competition to effectively and quickly connect different energy sources to varying power demands from homes, factories and offices. New way of learning Of 53 high school pupils in the select summer programme, 39 were UAE citizens and part of an overall push to expose the young to new ways of learning science, technology, engineering and maths. UAE citizen Saif, 17, said the workshops helped boost his understanding of AI and sustainability. 'This has changed my thinking about the possibilities of AI and how this can be used to help the environment, there are so many possibilities,' he said. 'These courses will help me in advanced maths classes in school, it's been a lot of learning.' Syrian citizen Alaa, 17, is considering studying sustainable energy after the programme. 'This is our planet and I must try to do something to benefit the generations to come. This course has shaped me to think differently about science and how it can help people.' Lebanese citizen Sameer, 17, is keen to study aerospace engineering and gained insights into energy consumption. 'I learnt critical information about how we can reduce emissions,' he said. 'I want to build aeroplanes and I feel I now have a better understanding about sustainability, energy and the physics behind the things I want to do.' IIT plans to host similar programmes in the winter for pupils. The institute offers bachelors, masters and doctorate programmes with about 80 students signed up, of which more than 20 are Emirati.
