In an email to customers, London Stansted said: “We would urge you to be particularly cautious of unexpected emails, calls or text messages claiming to be from us. We will never contact you unexpectedly to ask for payment or banking information. We apologise for any inconvenience or concern this may cause.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly told lawmakers who held the key to his confirmation last year that a 2019 visit to Samoa before a deadly measles outbreak had “ nothing to do with vaccines.” New documents obtained by The Associated Press and The Guardian refute that testimony.

Kennedy, then a prominent anti-vaccine activist, preceded the visit with a letter to the Samoan prime minister requesting to study the Pacific island nation’s measles, mumps and rubella vaccines after the deaths of two children who had received them. In the letter, he used the words vaccine or vaccination eight times.

The letter raises questions about how truthful Kennedy was in testimony before Congress. During an arduous confirmation process where he needed the support of some skeptical Republican lawmakers to advance, Kennedy also pledged to maintain vaccine policies that, once in office, he moved to change.

“I am writing this letter to you in the hope that we might be helpful to the people of your great nation,” Kennedy wrote, adding that he believed the deaths of the two children could have resulted from manufacturing issues.

“I would propose my team conduct detailed health informatics assessment in Samoa of what happened with your MMR vaccines,” he continued.

“Any claim or insinuation based on these letters that Secretary Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is not only false but outright defamatory,” the department said in a written statement. Kennedy was not under oath during his confirmation hearing. Knowingly giving material false testimony to Congress is a crime that carries a possible prison sentence regardless of whether a person is under oath, though it is rarely prosecuted.

HHS did not make Kennedy available for an interview. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The Samoan prime minister’s office and the former prime minister who corresponded with Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment.

Kennedy’s Samoa visit has become one of the most contentious events in his career. At the time, he was leading a nonprofit known for its anti-vaccine activism. Critics said the visit emboldened anti-vaccine activists in Samoa, which later experienced the measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children under 5.

Lawyers with expertise in Senate procedure said that if lawmakers choose, they could use Kennedy’s statements as grounds for hearings, an impeachment inquiry or creating other obstacles for him. But such action is unlikely under the current Republican-led Congress, which is aligned with President Donald Trump’s administration.

Under repeated questioning, Kennedy insisted vaccines weren’t the reason for the trip

At the start of Trump’s second term, Kennedy — a leader in the anti-vaccine movement before entering politics — faced an uphill battle as he sought to become the nation’s health secretary. Lawmakers from both parties had criticized his anti-vaccine rhetoric, and during his confirmation hearings, he tried to assure them that he supported childhood vaccination.

The Samoa trip also came under scrutiny.

Kennedy told the senators that his Samoa visit did not influence people’s decisions on whether to vaccinate.

Several times, he flatly denied that his reason for the trip had anything to do with vaccines.

When it came up during questioning by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Kennedy replied: “I went there, nothing to do with vaccines. I went there to introduce a medical informatics system that would digitalize records in Samoa and make health delivery much more efficient.”

The following day, when Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., asked, Kennedy said: “My purpose in going down there had nothing to do with vaccines.”

Upon further questioning, Kennedy again denied it had anything to do with vaccines before adding: “My purpose in the trip was not to — I ended up having conversations with people, some of whom I never intended to meet.”

In the end, Kennedy won crucial support from Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana physician who leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and has strongly advocated vaccination. The Senate confirmed Kennedy on a 52-48 vote.

Cassidy said he voted to confirm Kennedy because he received commitments that as health secretary, he would not change certain vaccine policies and guidance. For example, Cassidy said in a speech announcing his vote, Kennedy pledged to maintain a federal vaccine advisory committee “without changes.” Once in office, Kennedy ousted all 17 members of the committee and named his own advisers.

Cassidy has acknowledged his trust in Kennedy was broken.

“The commitments that were made to me have been violated,” Cassidy said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” in June.

Letters show Kennedy wanted to study Samoa’s use of MMR vaccine

Kennedy for years was chair and chief legal counsel of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit group known for its anti-vaccine activism. The group turned its attention to Samoa in July 2018, when two young children died after being given a tainted MMR vaccine that had been improperly prepared. The two nurses involved were criminally charged the month after the children died. The nurses ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The Samoan government halted all vaccinations for 10 months, until April 2019. Vaccination rates plummeted.

During that time, CHD started contacting the Samoan government, according to emails previously obtained by the AP and the Guardian as the result of a lawsuit against the State Department brought with the aid of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

In the newly obtained letter from Kennedy, also revealed through the lawsuit and dated Jan. 20, 2019, he addressed then-Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and described his desire to study Samoa’s use of the MMR vaccine.

Kennedy speculated that the deaths in Samoa may have been caused by issues with different vaccine lots. Writing on CHD letterhead, he said his team wanted to evaluate whether that was the case through a “detailed health informatics assessment.”

He expressed his belief that it was difficult and time-consuming in most of the world to investigate “adverse health events associated with vaccines” and said health information systems are rarely designed to quickly study links “between diagnoses and specific vaccination events.”

The letter did not specifically discuss anti-vaccine activism.

The prime minister responded a month later, saying Samoa could benefit from CHD’s assessment of MMR vaccines.

“It is certainly beneficial for Samoa to have the benefit of your Team’s independent health assessment of our MMR Vaccines and I would welcome with much anticipation your Team’s proposed visit to our islands,” he wrote, including a representative from the U.S. Embassy on his communication.

Public health experts have said their efforts to address the outbreak were hampered by anti-vaccine activists, some of whom they claim were emboldened by Kennedy’s visit.

The AP and the Guardian previously reported that officials with the State Department and UNICEF privately discussed that the trip was about vaccines. In response, some Democratic politicians, including Wyden and Markey, have said Kennedy lied or misled the Senate.

She was one of the lucky professionals to survive Strictly Come Dancing’s mass cull of long-serving dancers.

But Dianne Buswell was noticeably absent from the recording of one the first group dances for this year’s series, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The long-standing Strictly pro prompted concern among fans at the recording this week, as she had been expected to take part.

The Australian star, 37, who gave birth to her first child in March with partner Joe Sugg, was due to perform a group dance with the rest of this year’s professional dancers.

Bosses had planned the high-octane routine, which will air during the launch show, as a way to introduce the five new dancers to viewers.

An insider said: ‘It was really odd Dianne wasn’t there.

The Australian star, 37, who gave birth to her first child in March with partner Joe Sugg, was due to perform a group dance with the rest of this year’s professional dancers

‘Producers had planned the dance for the specific reason of making a big fuss of the newbies and new era of Strictly.

‘It was their very first group number together which was pretty spectacular and included big, glitzy props.’

The mole added: ‘Lots of questions were asked during the breaks about where Dianne was but the crew were reluctant to say anything.’

Another show insider said: ‘There’s no need for fans to be concerned.’

They added: ‘Dianne has been busy rehearsing with all her fellow Pros over the past month, and will feature in the majority of group numbers this series.’ 

A Strictly spokesperson said: ‘As is standard on Strictly, not every Pro dancer appears in every group routine.’

Ms Buswell had been back at rehearsals with her co-stars and previously told her 1.2million Instagram followers how she would miss her baby boy Bowden ‘so much’ while away.

The new series marks her ninth year on the show.

Strictly is also where she met YouTube star Joe, 34, when he competed with her in 2018.

She returns alongside Katya Jones, Kai Widdrington, Aljaž Škorjanec, Lauren Oakley, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Alexis Warr, Julian Caillon and Vito Coppola.

While the five new faces are Ukrainian Aleksandra Isaeva, Italian hunk Cristian Priori, South African latin champion Lethabo Monametsi as well as Canadian dancer Mark Karmalita and UK National Ballroom Champion Maddie Ingoldsby.

Despite notable changes to this year’s series, the iconic and recognisable set was rebuilt at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire earlier this month, where the dancers have been practicing.

Strictly is where Dianne met YouTube star Joe, 34, when he competed with her in 2018

Venezuelan dancer and Strictly’s longest-serving female pro Karen Hauer, was axed by producers along with Michelle Tsiakkas, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Gorka Marquez.

Presenter Emma Willis, former dancer Johannes Radebe and comedian Josh Widdicombe are taking over hosting duties from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down last year.

The celebrity lineup has been lambasted by fans as the ‘worst ever’ in Strictly’s 22-year history.

It includes former Love Island star Dani Dyer, Australian singer Delta Goodrem, dog trainer Graeme ‘The Dogfather Hall’ YouTuber John Nellis and actress Jaime Winstone.

This might look like a regular phone, but it’s actually loaded with a clever technology designed specifically for kids’ safety called SmartMode.

You buy the phone – a lightweight phone with all the functions of a regular phone from cult brand Nothing – as it is.

There’s need to download software, apps, or fiddle around with controls, because it’s already got SmartMode baked into it, which uses AI to monitor, block, and filter content that you deem inappropriate for your child.

Unlike other safety software, which blocks specific websites or keywords, SafetyMode has been trained to read real conversations and understand context, so it won’t pose annoying blocks for your kid, and cause an unnecessary family fallout.

It also tracks their location, and you can change the filters according to their needs, so you can constantly adjust what content they have access to as they grow up.

Plus, when worrying content is detected, it will send an alert straight to you, so you won’t feel like you’re constantly having to check in on what they’re doing.

When you’re watching a loved one battle with addiction, the sense of despair can be overwhelming.

You might be a parent whose child has a drug problem and who gets arrested, gets a criminal record, and seems intent on destroying their future.

Or you might be a long-suffering partner whose other half is deteriorating through alcohol or cocaine misuse, having seizures, coughing up blood, repeatedly being admitted to hospital.

You might be asking yourself: Why do they keep making such bad choices and unwise decisions? Why can’t they see the harm they’re doing to themselves? And the hurt they’re causing to everyone around them?

These are questions I hear all the time in my role as regional operations manager at UKAT Addiction Centres – a group of rehab clinics across the country. 

Many people in this situation – who are desperate to help their husband, wife, son, daughter or friend – will instinctively understand that one way to set them on the road to recovery is to stage an intervention.

An intervention, for those who have not heard the term, is a planned meeting in which family, friends and sometimes an addiction professional confront someone about the harmful effects of their drug or alcohol use.  

The goal of an intervention is to encourage someone to accept treatment. 

Typically this involves loved ones preparing anecdotes of how the person’s substance abuse has affected them, and a plea for them to seek help.

Research shows that interventions work too. A 2009 US study found that those who are confronted by loved ones are significantly more likely to enter into addiction treatment than those who do not. 

However, interventions can be fraught with difficulties. I often hear from families who say they are worried that their loved one will feel attacked, get angry – or even violent.

So how can you stage an intervention that is both effective and safe?

Perhaps the most important thing to explain is what an intervention isn’t. It absolutely isn’t an opportunity for airing grievances or venting anger.

Obviously, your loved one needs to know how worried you are about the damage their addiction is doing to them and the people who love them.

But chastising them will only breed shame, guilt and embarrassment – which may well push them away, make them feel more hopeless, and actually stop them reaching out.

Instead, an intervention should be about getting together with a loved one to have a calm and controlled conversation, where the aim is to elicit change and get them proper support.

Barry Keoghan revealed on a podcast that after a medical emergency, he entered rehab and is sober at the age of 33

It’s often wrongly assumed there’s no point trying to help an addict until they have hit ‘rock bottom’ – the point at which the consequences of someone’s addiction become so severe or unbearable that the person finally becomes willing to seek help or change.

Rock bottom might refer to unbearable physical, financial, legal, relational, or emotional issues.

Last year, actor Barry Keoghan, 33, spoke of how a near death experience finally led to him entering rehab.

‘I technically did die for a few seconds,’ the Saltburn star told a podcast, of the moment he ended up in a medical emergency because of cocaine use. ‘I’m clean now, I’ve been clean for two and a half years.’

But the truth is that it doesn’t always work this way. Everyone’s idea of rock bottom is different. Sadly, even when you think things can’t possibly get any worse, you often discover that they can.

So even though the idea of an intervention may be daunting, it’s best to act sooner rather than later.

Yes, there’s a danger in sitting down and openly tackling the issues of a loved one’s addiction. By putting it out there, you’re drawing a line in the sand. It’s possible you might drive them away.

But if you weigh up the consequences of doing nothing, you might well decide it’s worth the risk.

Nick Dunkley is regional operations manager at UKAT Addiction Centres – a group of rehab clinics across the country

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So who should be involved? There are plenty of professionals, such as counsellors and addiction experts, who can be called in to mediate. 

But addiction is a really sensitive and personal issue. If someone is already depressed or anxious about their situation, they might be extremely uncomfortable if a professional – someone they don’t know – suddenly turns up.

It might be better to gather a small group of relatives, friends and even work colleagues – anyone the person respects and will listen to.

Family members who have suffered directly and are too emotionally involved may not be suitable, as their anger – even if it’s justified – may get in the way: the intervention has to be totally focused on the person you’re hoping to help.

No one expects to be ambushed by a group of their loved ones, so do everything you can do to make it feel as calm as possible. Approaching the person in their own home may not be ideal as they can feel trapped, with nowhere to retreat to. 

Instead, choose a place – maybe a friend or relative’s house – which is quiet, with no interruptions or disruptions. Avoid any triggers for their substance misuse – so obviously not a pub.

Staging an intervention when someone’s intoxicated is never a good idea, which means arranging it for earlier in the day will tend to be better: once they’re up and feeling human – but before the pattern starts all over again.

It’s also important not to present them with an ultimatum: ‘Get help or I’ll leave you… Get help or you’ll never see the kids again… Get help or I’ll tell such-and-such.’

Threats like these just put up a barrier. If you force someone to shoot for the stars and they miss, it may reinforce their sense of worthlessness and make them not want to try again.

A better strategy is to offer something positive: ‘You might feel the situation is hopeless, but we’ve looked at the options, and here are some things we think might be a good idea.’

If you’ve done your research in advance, you can then present them with a list of different treatment centres, council services and local meetings run by groups like AA.

Even though an intervention is all about optimism, you should be careful to have realistic expectations.

If you ask someone if they’re ready to go into rehab and they say no, it’s a normal response for the family to break down in tears and feel all hope is lost. But if everyone is wailing and despairing, the person might just give up on the whole idea.

So be prepared to be patient and compassionate. The reality is that, although today might not be the day, tomorrow might be. Ask the person whether they would agree to revisit the issue – maybe next week or in two weeks time.

And remember, the loved one probably wasn’t expecting this conversation. If it’s just been sprung on them, they might well need some time to think about it.

Even if the intervention doesn’t go as planned or doesn’t look like it’s worked immediately, don’t write it off as a failure. Sometimes it’s enough just to plant the seeds of recovery.

The person may well find themselves thinking about it – even years in the future. However bad their situation is by then, the memory of their family or friends coming together to offer help may just be enough to finally spur them on to seek support.

The best outcome is, of course, if the person acknowledges the problem then either changes their behaviour or takes on professional support, counselling, or rehab.

It is incredibly challenging, but a properly prepared intervention can also be incredibly powerful – as it sends a potentially life-changing message: ‘We don’t want you to suffer. We want you to receive help – because we think you’re worth it.’

Tim Curry faced a potentially deadly medical emergency in 2012

Celebrated English actor Tim Curry has died at the age of 80 and while the cause of death has not yet been confirmed, the star had been struggling with his health for years following a medical emergency in 2012 that he didn’t believe was happening at first after dismissing the early warning signs.

In July 2012, the IT actor was getting a massage and felt a little out of sorts but didn’t believe anything was terribly wrong. However, his massage therapist recognised the early signs and called for medical help despite reluctance from the Hollywood star.

A stroke is when blood stops flowing to parts of the brain, it is a life-threatening medical emergency that needs to be treated in hospital as soon as possible. However, the symptoms can differ depending on what part of the brain is affected and why the blood has stopped flowing.

Common early signs include:

• Face weakness where one side may droop or make it hard to smile
• Arm weakness, preventing a person from fully lifting both arms and keeping them in the air
• Speech problems like slurred words or sounding confused

The NHS urges people to remember the acronym FAST, which stands for:

• Face
• Arm
• Speech
• Time to call 999

In Curry’s case, he had an ischemic stroke caused by blood clots and his brain was so inflamed doctors had to remove bone from his skull. He had to undergo emergency brain surgery and the stroke temporarily took away his ability to speak as well as completely changing the trajectory of his career.

In the years following the stroke, Curry stayed out of the spotlight while undergoing rehabilitation. The next time his fans would lay eyes on him was June 2015 when he appeared at the Actors Fund’s Tony Awards Viewing Party where he received an artistic achievement award.

He attended the event in a wheelchair as he was still dealing with the aftermath of the stroke and would have mobility issues as a result of it for the rest of his life.

While Curry had a cult fanbase for his work on stage and screen, the impairments left by the stroke saw the actor turning towards voice work instead so he could still do the job he loved despite his newfound limitations.

Last year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Dr Frank-N-Furter actor revealed he wouldn’t be singing or dancing again anytime soon because he still couldn’t walk 13 years after the stroke.

Jamestown is a district of secrets. Accra‘s oldest neighbourhood always seems to have something happening just out of sight. A burst of laughter behind a closed door. Music drifting from a narrow alleyway. A figure disappearing down a shaded alley just before you can properly register them.

The history of this district is on display everywhere you turn. Fishing boats sit beneath colonial-era warehouses and boxing gyms occupy fading merchant buildings. It is intense, intoxicating and oddly magnetic all at once.

Collins, my guide, is about to reveal another secret. Promising a beer, he stops outside a large garage door and knocks twice. A metal latch clanks open from below and we’re beckoned inside. It’s unlike any pub I’ve visited before. Mainly because, until recently, the pub was a a working car wash.

Tourist itineraries often divide cities neatly into attractions, restaurants and nightlife. Accra cannot be defined in this way.

Read more: The best luxury hotels in Mauritius

As an increasing number of UK tourists discover Accra, the city has enjoyed a boom in micro-tours that focus less on major landmarks and more on helping visitors experience everyday life, while bringing revenue back into communities that don’t always reap the benefits of increased tourism. Jamestown Walking Tours was among the first to realise the potential in helping visitors experience less-visited neighbourhoods and community traditions.

It’s a warm and breezy April afternoon when I join three others on this walking-cum-pub tour, all of us intrigued by the prospect of exploring a district four centuries old in the company of an expert local guide.

“Most visitors are a bit embarrassed to admit they wouldn’t know where to start a visit here,” says Collins, the co-founder of Jamestown Walking Tours, before we set off. “That, and they’d just get lost”.

Within minutes, we’re threading through a maze of courtyards and alleyways, stepping around tailors stitching sofas, women pounding cassava to make fufu, the ubiquitous starchy dish of West Africa, and coffin makers putting the finishing touches to elaborate wooden caskets. Death is a public matter here.

Obituary posters cover walls and doorways announcing that somebody has “gone on to glory”, or received a “home call”.

Scattered throughout Jamestown is a vast network of chop bars, Ghana’s shorthand for informal pubs. Some operate from front rooms, others from crumbling warehouses or improvised roadside shelters. Outside, men nurse bottles of Club beer while concentrating fiercely on games of chequers. Spectators gather behind them offering a stream of advice and the occasional taunt.

Collins hopes bringing visitors here doesn’t just bring economic benefit but also encourages them to seek out more authentic experiences with local residents. He explains this outside a boxing gym called House of Pain, which I hope represents the limit of the participatory element.

After our evening in Jamestown, we’re ready to see another side of the city the following morning.

“Anyone who wants to understand Ghana – I tell them to ride a tro-tro,” says my next guide, Ibrahim.

These minibuses are the circulatory system of the capital, named after the original threepence fare charged during the colonial era. We squeeze aboard alongside women balancing baskets of coconuts on their laps, and giggling schoolchildren in immaculate uniforms.

Most tro-tros are adorned with names and decor reflecting their owners’ interests, which makes for a colourful rush-hour scene. “The Blood of Jesus” and “Inshallah” jostle for space at a junction, until “Pikachu” and “Minnie Mouse” steal ahead of them.

Directly in front of us, we see the slogan “God Is Good”, somewhat undermined by a prominent middle-finger decal. During rush hour, roadside sellers balancing vegetables, drinks and household goods on their heads often move faster than the traffic itself.

Getting off the tro-tro and crossing the street is an equal adventure. The road resembles a torrent of vehicles, weaving into whatever space they can find. Ibrahim explains the trick is to step into the road and just walk steadily in one direction, trusting the traffic will manoeuvre around you. “It’s the closest you’ll get to being Moses,” he laughs.

As the journey progresses, Ibrahim points out murals that have become increasingly common across the city. One transforms a wall into a collage of fishermen, traders and musicians. Another declares “Justice for Africa” with a series of raised fists. The artwork grounds modern Accra in its history while tackling corruption, inequality and the irritations of urban life.

We disembark at Osu Castle which embodies much of Ghana’s complex history. Built as a trading fort and later used in the transatlantic slave trade, it eventually became the seat of government after independence.

The contrast is stark: above former slave dungeons sit the state rooms that later hosted visiting heads of state, including Queen Elizabeth II on a visit in 1961. She brought her own bed.

Read more: Why it’s worth flying to South Africa for winter sun

The influence of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first post-independence president and leader of the fight to free the country from colonial rule, remains visible throughout Accra, nowhere more so than at the memorial park that bears his name. Beneath a 30-foot bronze statue, Ibrahim recalls his most famous maxim: “Forward ever, backward never.”

“Many visitors come looking for the history of slavery,” he says. “But it’s not the only story – we also want people to understand the history of our independence.”

As Ghana approaches its 70th anniversary of independence in 2027, the first sub-Saharan African country to reach this milestone, it’s a distinction that feels increasingly significant.

Back in Jamestown with Collins, we have one final stop on our tour. He leads us into what appears to be somebody’s front room, where cases of beer fight family photos and the TV for wall space. Our drink is akpeteshie, a potent spirit distilled from palm sap. Collins explains that in Ga tradition newborn children are presented to the rising sun before a day of celebration begins with those gathered taking a shot of this stuff.

I’m about to say this sounds familiar but he already knows my response. “Yes, it’s like The Lion King,” Collins grins. “But Disney missed the akpeteshie – it’s not a celebration without it.”

Before glasses are raised, a small amount is poured onto the stone floor as an offering to ever-watchful ancestors.

“Keshi!” Cheers!

Everyone empties their glass in one movement. The sweetness lasts only a moment before the inevitable burn arrives, which is all too visible on my face.

As laughter ripples around the room, it’s increasingly clear why micro-tours are proving so popular. Visitors increasingly want memorable experiences and, in Accra, such stories aren’t hidden. They’re ever-present across front rooms, tro-tros and the occasional car wash. You simply need somebody willing to share the secret.

Read more: No crowds and comfort throughout – experiencing Africa’s wildest coast

Where to stay

Bays Lodge is located close to the beach and a great budget option, with friendly and attentive staff and breakfast included. Transfers and tours around Accra can be arranged on request. Rooms cost from £25 per night.

Olma Hotel & Suites is extremely popular with couples and offers a pool, lush garden courtyard and thoughtfully decorated rooms. Rooms cost from £65 per night.

The Diamond In City provides large studio apartments, and has a great on-site restaurant serving local dishes, as well as a pool and supermarket. It’s close to the airport with transfers offered. Rooms cost from £95 per night.

How to get there

British Airways flies direct to Accra daily from London Heathrow, with flights starting at £650 one way and lasting around six hours 40 minutes.

How To Do It

UK visitors require a visa to enter Ghana, starting at £60 for a single-entry visa. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is also required.

To get around Jamestown, Jamestown Walking Tours offers different excursions to discover the city, including the Saturday afternoon pub crawl. Tro-Tro tours and Here is Ghana both offer customised city tours of Accra and beyond.

Tro-tros no longer cost threepence but are still by far the cheapest way to get around Accra, with fares between five and 10 cedi (30-60p). Confirm your destination before boarding and pass cash forwards to the driver’s mate. You can read more tro-tro etiquette tips here. For the less adventurous, Uber also operates in Accra, including to and from Jamestown.

Accra – and especially Jamestown – remain largely cash-based. Stock up on cedi early from FX vendors or ATMs. An eSim from Holafly is a sensible way to keep phone roaming costs down.

Children in London whose lungs were damaged by air pollution have seen a significant improvement in lung function since the city’s ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) came into effect, a new study has found. 

The study monitored 3,400 schoolchildren before and after the introduction of the Ulez, which charges motorists of more polluting cars to drive in the capital.  

Researchers found that, pre-Ulez, children in the capital had significantly smaller lungs compared to children living in nearby Luton. However, five years after the Ulez, their lungs were comparable in both size and function with the those of Luton’s children.

The study, led by Queen Mary University of London, noted that the proportion of children with impaired lung function fell from 14% to 9% in London following the introduction of the Ulez, compared with a fall from 9% to 7% in Luton. 

“We already knew that the Ulez reduced air pollution but now we know that children’s lung health has improved at the same time, which is a really important finding,” said lead author Dr Helen Wood, research fellow at the university. 

However, she warned that air pollution in both London and Luton, plus other UK cities, remains above guideline levels. “There is still work to be done,” she said. 

Image: Angel Santana Garcia