Here’s a remarkable fact. If you catch a London Underground train at the station which serves the British parliament, Westminster, and travel east, then at every stop as you move towards the outskirts of the city the health outcomes in local neighbourhoods worsen. The further you travel from the centre of Britain’s political power, the poorer they get.
The person explaining this to me is Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London. In his role he is chief executive of the most populous city in Europe – about nine million people – and sometimes described as Europe’s most powerful Muslim political leader.
He is driven to try to improve the health of the city in which he was born and which he now represents. Mr Khan is also running for a third term as mayor, and now one of his most contentious policies brings together his political ambitions and his personal story.
In his forties Mr Khan developed late-onset asthma. He attributes this to breathing polluted London air. Back in 2019 he introduced Ulez – the Ultra Low Emission Zone – to keep the most polluting vehicles out of central London.
If you have a polluting car and drive in the Ulez area you pay £12.50 a day. That zone was extended on August 29 to all London boroughs. The mayor’s office says this means “bringing clean air to 5 million more people. Nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day won't be affected.” But not everyone is happy about this, most notably the one in 10 drivers who will have to pay a daily penalty or buy a new car.
Once imposed, the grumbling will slowly fade away and the controversial will become commonplace
Sadiq Khan,
London mayor
At a recent by-election in one of the affected outer suburbs the Conservative Party won the seat after a vigorous anti-Khan, anti-Ulez expansion campaign. Even if the idea of cleaning up London’s air is obviously sound, being forced to pay every day to use a polluting family car or face the expense of changing to a newer vehicle is never going to be universally popular. But when I spoke with him, mayor Khan was bullish. He sees Ulez as the latest in the endless historical challenges of making cities better places in which to live and work.
Short-term unpopularity, Mr Khan argues, is a price worth paying for long-term better health. He pointed out to me that every major historical change to improve the environment always encounters fierce opposition. Then the change happens and there is no going back. The wisdom of making the change seems obvious.
“If you and I were speaking in London in the middle of the 19th century,” he told me, “we’d both be complaining about the stink (from the polluted river Thames) and the fact that there are thousands of people dying from cholera. In the middle of the 19th century, this amazing engineer called Joseph Bazalgette backed up the brave politicians and decided to build sewers. A huge inconvenience, really unpopular. And those sewers saved lives. That was the Great Stink.”
Mr Khan went on to say: “In the middle of the 20th century, if we were in London in the 1950s, we would be talking about the Great Smog. We literally couldn’t walk more than 10 metres without bumping into something. Thousands of deaths, of course. Politicians passed the Clean Air Act and removed power stations from the centre of our cities to outside.”
He then adds to the list the more recent cigarette smoking ban in public places. From 2007 offices, restaurants, cinemas and public transport in Britain became smoke-free and – once more – opposition at the time faded. Nowadays, the idea of returning to smoke-filled workplaces and public places seems ludicrous. The same, he insists, will be true of the Ulez extension. Once imposed, the grumbling will slowly fade away, he believes, and the controversial will become commonplace.
I suspect Mr Khan is right, even if during the short-term adjustment period the complaints will make headlines. The simple truth is that, for me at least, driving a car in London is never pleasant. Parking is hugely expensive. Traffic congestion means getting anywhere is slow and painful. And at a time when so many politicians talk big and achieve little, London’s reinvigorated bus services and the new Elizabeth Line show what can be achieved by investing in public transport rather than roads for private cars.
Moreover, part of Mr Khan’s inspiration for extending Ulez is the death of a nine-year-old girl. Ella Roberta Adoo-Kissi-Debrah died from what the pathologist at her inquest called “one of the worst cases of asthma ever recorded in the UK”. In December 2020 the coroner concluded that because she lived near one of London’s busiest roads, “air pollution” should be listed as a cause of death – the first person in British history to have such a verdict recorded. The Great Stink and the Great Smog are now consigned to history. Avoiding future deaths from air pollution will be worth the temporary inconvenience necessary to make Europe’s greatest city cleaner and safer.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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Company%20profile
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Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%203%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Einer%20Rubio%20(COL)%20Movistar%20Team%20-%204h51%E2%80%9924%E2%80%9D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%20-%2014%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20-%2015%22%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20classifications%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders)%20-%207%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pello%20Bilbao%20(ESP)%20Bahrain%20Victorious%20-%2011%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
more from Janine di Giovanni
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
RECORD%20BREAKER
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Company%20Profile
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'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Results
2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)
3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar
5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
