Meet the twins

It's an odd idea, twinning towns; two places in completely different parts of the world with no apparent relation to one another are linked, supposedly with the goal of fostering better international relations and cultural understanding. Ok, but is the process of choosing a twin completely arbitrary, as it seems to be? Sheffield, for instance, has four twins (actually that would make the lot quintuplets then, wouldn't it?).

But does Sheffield have anything in common with its International siblings, or is it the black sheep of the family? Itchy set out to do a little internet-based research.

Anshan, China: Both cities have big steel industries, not to mention some cracking Chinese restaurants. Itchy tried to track down the Chinese equivalent of the Full Monty on Youtube, but our IT supervisors came over and had a quiet word.

Bochum, Germany: Here's a weird one: Nottingham-based rock band Six by Seven has a single called Bochum (Light Up My Life). Apparently they like hanging out in Sheffield as well.

Donetsk, Ukraine: It was founded by a guy from the UK named John Hughes. And for all those needing some new bed sheets, there's a fantastic branch of TJ Huges in the city centre. Bit of a stretch, we'll admit.

Esteli, Nicaragua: Lo siento, amigos. We don't even want to try.

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