Paris fashion week usually celebrates youth, artifice and maximum effort in the department of physical appearance. But this week there has been a big old French fuss about the joy of being natural and authentic.

Pamela Anderson has rocked up at shows “makeup-free at 56”. Andie MacDowell, 65, and Dame Helen Mirren, 78, “sported natural grey hair” (ie, they turned up while possessing hair) on the runway for L’Oréal. Making a lot of effort is, of course, still in fashion. All these looks probably involve complications of one kind or another: an endless carousel of painfully “carefree” outfits or a hairstyle that – at the very least – needs several hours of styling. (Important side note: if you’re still coveting grey hair like Meryl Streep’s in The Devil Wears Prada, that was actually a wig.)

No judgment meant here, though: Paris fashion week should be about fabulousness. And, as the old saying goes, these women would be fabulous in a bin bag. But despite the usual smoke and mirrors, and the mass of products, money and primping that have gone into these looks, real change is afoot. There is a distinct move towards what is called “pro-ageing”, in which the ageing process is celebrated.

The word “pro-ageing” has been used by beauty brands such as Studio 10, Tropic Skincare, Clarins and Look Fabulous Forever for a while, promoting the idea that looking your age is aspirational. Now women who would not have been permitted within the Périphérique during Paris fashion week 20 years ago are championed.

There has always been something tedious about the “debate” around what women are “allowed” to look like; what is applauded, what is encouraged. After all, there is a huge difference between the women Elizabeth Hurley once called “civilians” (non-celebrities) and those whose professional currency depends on their appearance and relevance.

Joan Rivers, an enemy of ageing, let alone pro-ageing, knew this. She underwent a series of medical procedures that were not only designed to make her look younger but also made her the subject of the headlines and gossip that were necessary to maintain a career in showbusiness.

Anderson’s move may be guileless and just how she likes to leave the house nowadays. We don’t know. But it achieves the same effect as Rivers’ surgeries: commentary, pictures, a touch of the viral. All the same, as Jamie Lee Curtis wrote of Anderson, something unusual is happening: “This woman showed up and claimed her seat at the table with nothing on her face. I am so impressed and floored by this act of courage and rebellion.”

Is it really that rebellious? Yes, if your face is your fortune and you depend on the judgment of others. And yes, there is something depressing too about the fact that 70 years after Simone de Beauvoir wrote The Second Sex, we still consider it to be “courageous” if a woman appears in public under the same conditions under which a man of any age appears in public (ie, washed and wearing some clothes).

But this “courageous act” has been in evidence on social media channels for a while now, with “ordinary” people and celebrities posting about growing out their grey hair, being makeup-free and loving their wrinkly neck. One of the biggest influences of recent years in the fashion world is Iris Apfel, who recently announced her 102nd birthday on Instagram to her 2.9 million followers. The good news? Still fabulous. The bad news? She wears 56bn accessories every day (mostly bangles). You can age. But the message is clear: you had better still bloody well make an effort.

The Guardian, UK

Kalu Kalu, one of the lawyers to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, says the legal battle in the United States has revealed sufficient discoveries to upturn the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal at the Supreme Court.

Kalu, during the press briefing held by Atiku on Thursdays in Abuja, said the legal team discovered five major discrepancies in the academic records of President Bola Tinubu during the deposition of the Registrar of Chicago State University (CSU), Caleb Westberg.

The lawyer said the Atiku’s team was able to establish that Tinubu committed forgery, has dual citizenship, and presented an NYSC certificate that has a different name from the one he submitted to INEC.

“One, on the certificate issued or released by Chicago State University to the lawyers of Abubakar— Tinubu forged the certificate he presented to INEC.

“Two, that the qualifying certificate from Southwest College to Chicago State University bears a female, therefore, the document does not belong to Tinubu.

“The Chicago State University admission form has a claim that Tinubu attended Government College, Lagos, and graduated in 1970, when indeed that school was established in 1974.

“The same document has it that the owner of that document is a black American, and (in) the document Tinubu submitted to INEC, he denied having dual citizenship, which means it does not belong to him.

“Then, the same document, under deposition, says the “A” in Bola A. Tinubu is Ahmed, but the NYSC certificate Tinubu submitted to INEC says the “A” is Adekunle,” he said.

Atiku had requested the documents from CSU to back his allegation of certificate forgery against Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February poll.

The allegation of forgery was one of those dismissed by the Presidential Election Petition Court in the suit Atiku filed to challenge the election of Tinubu who was sworn in as president in May.

CSU Registrar, Westberg, made a deposition at the court, giving further details on the documents that were released to Atiku’s legal team earlier.

PT

All Progressives Congress (APC) says the press conference held by Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last elections, was filled with “pitiful regurgitation of lies”.

Abubakar on Thursday said Nigeria’s reputation is at stake with the controversy surrounding the Chicago State University’s certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement by Felix Morka, national publicity secretary of APC, the ruling party said Atiku’s quest for the academic record of Tinubu has shown his deep animosity that Tinubu was responsible for his serial electoral loss since 2007.

“The All Progressives Congress (APC) is unfazed by the press conference addressed by former Vice President and Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar earlier today,” the statement reads. 

“The press conference lacked purpose and delivered nothing except the pitiful regurgitation of lies, mindless distortions and deliberate falsehood on his infantile obsession with the academic record of Tinubu.

“For several weeks now, Nigerians and the world have watched with incredulity Abubakar’s display of utter desperation in his failed bid to become the President of Nigeria.

“Abubakar holds the unenviable title of Nigeria’s most prolific election loser and longest-running presidential candidate in history, and we see his recent US fishing expedition as the last kick of a roundly rejected presidential aspirant.“

The APC spokesperson said Atiku’s inquiry into Tinubu’s academic record has taken a negative toll on the image of Nigeria. 

The Cable

Nigerian naira has weakened by 40 percent since the mid June 2023 devaluation, making it one of the worst-performing currencies in Sub-Saharan Africa, the World Bank, has said.

The World Bank said this in its report titled, “Africa’s Pulse: An analysis of issues shaping Africa’s economic future (October 2023 | Volume 28).”

“So far this year, the Nigerian naira and the Angolan kwanza are among the worst performing currencies in the region: these currencies have posted a year-to-date depreciation of nearly 40 per cent.”

“The weakening of the naira was triggered by the central bank’s decision to remove trading restrictions on the official market. For the kwanza, it was the decision of the central bank to stop defending the currency as a result of low oil prices and greater debt payments”, the report read in part.

Other currencies with significant losses so far in 2023 in Africa included South Sudan (33 per cent), Burundi (27 per cent), Democratic Republic of Congo (18 per cent), Kenya (16 per cent), Zambia (12 per cent), Ghana (12 per cent), and Rwanda (11 per cent), according to the report.

It noted that parallel exchange market rates are also compounding inflationary problems for some countries in the African region.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in June 2023, directed Deposit Money Banks to remove the rate cap on the naira at the official Investors and Exporters’ window of the foreign exchange market.

The apex bank directed the banks to allow the free float of the naira against the dollar and other global currencies.

Since then, the naira had fallen from N473.83/$ to around N800/$ officially.

According to the World Bank, the widening difference between the parallel and official exchange rates of the naira had been the case from March 2020 until June 2023, adding that the parallel rate premium increased to 80 per cent in November 2022, and then to about 60 per cent in June 2023, as the Central Bank’s interventions to restrict foreign exchange demand and keep the exchange rate artificially low were met with declining FX supply from oil revenues.

The bank also noted that the unification and liberalisation of the exchange rates in June 2023 allowed the NAFEX rate to converge to the parallel one, closing the gap.

“However, resistance toward the increasing pressure on the Nigerian naira coupled with limited supply of FX at the official window has led to the reemergence of the parallel market premium”, it added.

Daily Trust

Debt Management Office (DMO) has opened an offer for a 10-year N150 billion forward ijarah (lease) Sukuk instrument at a rental rate of 15.75 percent per annum, payable half-yearly.

Patience Oniha, DMO director-general, announced the offer during an event titled “2023 Sukuk Issuance – Investors Meeting” held on Thursday in Abuja.

The Sukuk is a strategic initiative that supports infrastructure development, promotes financial inclusion and deepens the domestic securities market.

Since the establishment of the initiative in September 2017, Nigeria has issued five sovereign Sukuk — 2017 (N100 billion); 2018 (N100 billion); 2020 (N162.557 billion); 2021 (N250 billion) and 2022 (N100 billion.)

Oniha said the instrument was issued by the FG Roads Sukuk Companies 1 Plc on behalf of the government.

She said the proceeds from the offer would be used for infrastructural development across the six geopolitical zones.

The offer opened on October 3 and closes on October 11 with the settlement date being October 13.

She also directed interested investors to contact the issuing houses, including Greenwich Merchant Bank Limited, Vetiva Capital Management Limited, Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited, and Buraq Capital Limited for the offer.

The director-general added that the Sukuk instrument would be listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited and FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited.

Speaking with reporters after the event, Oniha said since the inception of Sukuk in 2017, about 4,000 kilometres of road have either been rehabilitated or constructed.

“From 2017 till this date, with N742 billion, we have been able to either construct or rehabilitate 4,000 kilometres of road and about three to four bridges,” Oniha said.

“So, there is already evidence to show what Sukuk is doing and for this current Sukuk, it is no different. It is going to impact roads and bridges as well.

“So, it is all about infrastructural financing and infrastructural development.”

The DMO boss said Nigeria’s debt stock as of June 2023, was N87 trillion.

“As of June 2023, Nigeria’s debt stock, which includes external and domestic for the federal and state governments as well as the FCT was N87 trillion,” she added.

The Cable

Russian President Vladimir Putin said pieces of grenade were found in the bodies of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and other mercenary leaders who died in a plane crash, as he hinted that the man who led an armed revolt against the Kremlin’s military leadership had been a drug user.

“In the bodies of those who died in the air crash fragments of hand grenades were found,” Putin said Thursday at the annual meeting of the Valdai Club in the Black Sea city of Sochi, citing what he said were investigators’ findings. There was no evidence of an external impact on the aircraft, he added.

“Unfortunately, they didn’t test for alcohol or narcotics in the blood of those who died,” Putin said. He went on to say that, in his view, investigators should have conducted such tests because security services “found not only $10 million in cash, but 5 kilograms of cocaine” after searching the Wagner Group’s offices in St. Petersburg.

Prigozhin led a failed revolt in June aimed at ousting Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov after accusing them of repeated failures in Russia’s war in Ukraine and of seeking to “destroy” Wagner. His forces came to within 200 kilometers (124 miles) of Moscow before Prigozhin called off the rebellion that Putin said brought Russia to the brink of “civil war.”

The US has said the plane crash that took place exactly two months later may have been an assassination approved by Putin himself, after the uprising that posed the greatest threat to his quarter-century rule. The Kremlin dismissed that suggestion as an “absolute lie.”

Early US assessments indicated the jet may have been destroyed by a bomb, American officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

All 10 passengers and crew listed as having been onboard the Embraer SA Legacy 600 private jet, including some of Prigozhin’s top lieutenants, died when it crashed en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg on Aug. 23.

Bloomberg

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine has lost 90,000 men since June – Putin

The Ukrainian military has lost more than 90,000 troops since its counteroffensive against Russian forces began in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday. 

“Since June 4 alone, Ukrainian units have already lost over 90,000 people,” Putin told a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, noting that this number includes both deaths and incapacitations. 

Ukraine has also lost 557 tanks and almost 1,900 armored vehicles in the same timeframe, Putin added.

The counteroffensive began on June 4 with a series of Ukrainian advances along the frontline between Kherson and Donetsk. The operation quickly ran into trouble, however, as Ukrainian units advanced headlong through minefields to meet multiple layers of Russian trenches, tank traps, and gun emplacements. With no air support to cover the repeated Ukrainian assaults, Kiev’s troops were exposed to attacks by Russian artillery, helicopters, and drones.

After adjusting their tactics several times, Ukrainian units managed to capture a handful of villages near Zaporozhye in August, although losses remained high. Western-supplied tanks were destroyed from afar by Russian drones and missiles, and Ukraine lost 17,000 men in September alone, according to figures from the Russian Defense Ministry.

Western officials have publicly acknowledged that the counteroffensive did not proceed as they would have hoped, and media reports suggest that the operation is viewed as a failure in the US and Europe. Even though heavy autumn rains will soon make progress on the battlefield extremely difficult, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has vowed to keep the offensive going into the winter.

The Ukrainian military does not publish its own casualty figures, although some estimates have leaked out. Back in December, the European Commission published and swiftly deleted a video and its associated transcript in which Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Ukrainian military had suffered 100,000 fatalities in the first nine months of the conflict.

“We understand where and what we need to do,” Putin said on Thursday. “We are calmly moving towards achieving our goals, and I am confident that we will achieve them.”

Putin emphasized that Russia’s goal in Ukraine was not to expand the territory of the Russian Federation, but to build a “new world order” in which NATO or other military blocs were no longer able to impose their will on civilizations that resist. Putin also highlighted Kiev’s repression of Russian-speakers in the Donbass region as a key factor behind his decision to launch the military operation in Ukraine last year.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine reports success in the east, intense fighting further north

Ukrainian troops made headway in the eastern theatre of their counteroffensive to oust Russian occupying forces but are under pressure further north, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday.

Russian forces backed by Su-35 attack aircraft had started attacking along the front line in the direction of Makiivka in the Luhansk region, a spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern group of forces said.

"The most difficult area is the Lyman-Kupiansk sector," the spokesperson, Ilia Yevlash, told Ukrainian television, referring to two towns recaptured by Ukrainian troops late last year but still subject to Russian assaults.

"The intensity of assaults there has increased ... The enemy has chosen a new point - Makiivka - and is directing all its main efforts into this direction. Of course, we are also repulsing enemy attacks and inflicting damage on forces and equipment."

Fighting has flared up periodically near Lyman and Kupiansk and Ukraine says Russia has redeployed more than 110,000 troops to the area.

A Russian missile struck a store and an adjacent cafe on Thursday in the village of Hroza, west of Kupiansk, killing 51 people as residents attended a service for a fallen Ukrainian soldier.

Also in the east, Ukrainian forces are battling to regain ground near the devastated city of Bakhmut, seized by Russian forces in May after months of fighting.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, in its evening report, said Kyiv's forces had "achieved success" south of Andriivka - a village south of Bakhmut captured by Ukrainian troops last month in Donetsk region.

The report said Russian forces had unsuccessfully tried to regain lost positions in an area further south.

Russian accounts of the fighting said Moscow's forces had repelled two Ukrainian attacks west of the Russian-held city of Donetsk.

Reuters was unable to independently verify reports of battlefield activity from either side.

In the southern theatre, Kyiv's forces are pushing toward the Sea of Azov in an attempt to split Russian-occupied territory in two.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces were pressing on with their southward advance in the Zaporizhzhia region and had repelled a Russian attack near the village of Robotyne.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has acknowledged that the counteroffensive is proceeding more slowly than the military would like, but has dismissed Western criticism that Kyiv's strategy.

RT/Reuters

In a country of 133 million multidimensional poor, with youth unemployment at 53.40 percent, it would be a pity if anyone looking for an opportunity to earn a living missed the chance to hear the Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma recently. 

In a campaign speech for his second term, Uzodimma promised, as my father would have said, what Napoleon in all his extraordinary conquests and ambition could not even have dreamed of. 

In my humble view, it’s Japa 2.0, a giant leap forward for the youth delivered in a moment of creative genius, the last of which was seen when the Supreme Court’s ruling on his election petition sprung His Excellency from number four position on the Imo ballot list of contestants in 2019, all the way to the Government House.

I must dispense with any further rigmarole and get to the point, while the governor’s generous offer lasts. The governor told a crowd of excited, cheering youths who came to visit him at the Government House on September 26, that he had finally come up with a plan to put at least 4,000 of them out of unemployment, as part of his “Skill Up Imo” programme. He said he had spoken with representatives of some Canadian and European firms in Nigeria. The companies would not only train these youths, but also send them to different choice destinations in North America and Europe to work. 

As if that was not enough, he then added that his government was prepared to pay the flight tickets of all 4,000 eligible persons once their employment has been processed, with the possibility, I might add, that a few lucky ones may even fly first class!

Upon hearing this bonanza, the crowd roared and roared in raptures of ecstasy. Of course, the governor didn’t have to say this too-good-to-believe offer was tied to the potential beneficiaries voting for him at the November 11 governorship election in the state. Quid pro quo was implied.

Campaign in lullaby

Mario Cuomo’s dictum that politicians campaign in poetry doesn’t really do justice to politicians of the Nigerian variety. They do much better – they campaign in lullaby. 

In 1999, for example, a fellow called Ahmed Yerima campaigned for governorship, promising to make Zamfara the believer’s paradise. He vowed to end corruption and enthrone justice and prosperity through political sharia. The seed of his green-eyed fanaticism has bred a deadly variety of bandits that haunt that state today. 

Another fellow, Saminu Turaki, promised that if he was elected governor, Jigawa would become Africa’s Silicon Valley, with a tablet for every voter. It turned out, however, that the only time there was Internet service in the state for most of his tenure was immediately after he received billions of naira in monthly allocation from Abuja. Once the money entered the state’s treasury all lines to the Government House were unreachable until the next allocation.

There’s even a more recent example of campaign by lullabies, the sort that is now ensuing from Imo State. A gentleman governor called Ben Ayade promised among a litany of things during his campaign that he would build a 260km superhighway from Calabar to Katsina-Ala in Benue State. He also promised a deep-sea port in Bakassi and a cargo airport in Obudu.

Voters bought his snake oil and repurchased it by giving him a second term. After eight years, they woke up to the harsh reality of the empty musical notes of Ayade’s broken promises.

Uzodimma-nistan 

Perhaps Uzodimma would be different? What is the price of a vote, anyway, compared with the prospects of a new life, so bright and beautiful that the vistas only compare with a terrestrial realm which, permit my limited imagination, I can only describe as Uzodimma-nistanat this time? 

As I watched the excitement and anticipation in the mostly young crowd, I felt sorry for Uzodimma’s opponents who have so far been thoroughly unimaginative. All they have been doing when they’re not pressing for the Charter of Equity that they say should disqualify the governor from re-contesting, is to talk about some plan to make Imo safe and secure again, and how to end graft and corruption in government. 

After listening to Uzodimma’s extraordinary redemption plan for Imo youths, his opponents should humble themselves and take remedial classes from this man who has been a consummate snake oil salesman long before Imo River. 

The governor’s announcement on September 26 may appear ordinary to the undiscerning, but a friend of mine and obviously a closet Uzodimma admirer expanded the grand dimensions of the governor’s Japa 2.0 programme, totally hidden from my simple heart. 

When I criticised the scheme as a cheap and foolish campaign gimmick, my friend admonished me promptly. How could I compare Uzodimma with Yerima or Turaki or Ayade? Couldn’t I see the governor’s ingenuity, he asked? 

New industry 

First, he said, all the talk about insecurity and corruption would vanish once the 4,000 ambassadors started working and remitting foreign exchange back home. And second, how could I not also see that the announcement by the governor, an accomplished salesman, had unleashed a cottage industry of sorts in the state already? 

According to my friend, as soon as the governor promised to provide jobs for 4,000 youths in Canada and Europe and also to pay their airfares, some smart folks in and around government would take the matter to greater imaginative heights.

In the next few days or weeks, for example, expect some people who might start hawking forms for Cohort One of either the Canadian or European editions of “Skill Up Imo.” If these retailers of snake oil charge only N5,000 per form, for example, they would have made N20m, if only 4,000 bought forms – a very conservative estimate in a state with an estimated population of 5.2 million, mostly youths! 

Imagine what that means for both the personal and government internally generated revenue. Between the sale of forms to the multiple rounds of screening, tests and final selection, my friend said, surely the good times would be back again. 

Think of the hundreds, if not thousands, of young people who instead of risking their lives in the desert of North Africa and the perilous Mediterranean Sea to get to Europe now have the opportunity of not only being trained by some of the best companies in the world but also being employed by them. And all of this on Uzodimma’s ticket, just for the price of a vote to return His Excellency to office! 

Reverse migration never looked so potentially profitable and America and Europe should have no difficulty seeing the win-win in this grand scheme. I therefore urge all busybodies trying to fact-check the governor to think about the implication of their action on this laudable and patriotic project and to desist forthwith.

My regret 

My only regret perhaps is that non-indigenes registered to vote in Imo may not benefit from this programme, although it is likely that given the wild excitement that greeted the announcement and the likely political harvest, the governor may extend this scheme to non-indigenous voters as well, as long as they vote for him and retain a certified true copy of their ballot paper.

There’s a saying in my neck of the woods that if a fashion designer is offering to make you a special wear you must first look at what he is wearing. Surely, anyone like His Excellency, who registered a company in 2012 with a share capital of N5m and won a dredging contract of N26 billion five years later which was diligently not executed, should be trusted to send only 4,000 Imo voters to the moon and back, without much difficulty.

As they say in the South East, “Ya kpo tu ba!”

** Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP

Shades? SPF50 suncream? Wide-brimmed hat? For decades, it has been drilled into us that if the sun is out, we’d better slip on protective clothing, slop on suncream and slap on a hat to stay safe. There’s little doubt that too much sun exposure – and particularly sunburn – increases our risk of developing skin cancer. It also prematurely ages the skin. But scientists are increasingly questioning the mantra that sunlight is an evil to be avoided at all costs, and investigating the brighter side of sun exposure.

It’s not just about vitamin D. Though important for strong bones and teeth this sun-induced vitamin is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the physiological processes that are influenced by sunlight falling on the skin. Sunseekers may even have a longer lifespan. So, can we capitalise on the benefits of sunshine, without risking skin cancer?

As daytime creatures living on a sunny planet, we shouldn’t be surprised that our bodies may have evolved ways of turning the sun’s energy to our advantage. The skin is our largest organ and it is packed with sun-responsive chemicals and machinery, the most obvious being melanin – the pigment that gives skin its colour.

People with darker skin start out with more melanin, but its production is also triggered by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight. Melanin absorbs some of these UV rays, helping to protect skin cells from DNA damage – although this protection is limited, and even dark skin tones can get sunburn and other forms of sun damage such as hyperpigmentation and skin ageing.

One way in which sunlight switches on melanin production is through the release of a substance called beta-endorphin, which also plays a role in stress relief and pain management. This could be one reason why many people find sitting in the sun so relaxing.

Of course, sunbathing is a double-edged sword. The first clues that sunlight might be associated with an increased risk of skin cancer came in the late 1920s, when a British researcher called George Findlay observed that mice that were regularly irradiated with UV light developed tumours on their skin. Numerous studies have since shown that UV light triggers DNA mutations in skin cells which, left unchecked, could lead to skin cancer.

Puzzlingly though, despite facing an increased risk of skin cancer, people who are exposed to lots of sun appear to have longer life expectancies, on average, than sun avoiders.

This counterintuitive connection first came to light in 2014, when a Swedish researcher called Pelle Lindqvist published the results of a large study that followed the health of around 30,000 women over 20 years. It found that, on average, women who spent more time in the sun lived for one to two years longer than those who avoided the sun, even after taking into account factors such as wealth, education and exercise. This increased life expectancy appeared to stem from lower rates of cardiovascular disease and other non-cancer-related illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disease and chronic lung disease.

Other studies have since identified a similar pattern, including among pale-skinned Britons. In July, Richard Weller at the University of Edinburgh and his colleagues published a preprint analysis which drew on data from 376,729 people with white ancestry who were enrolled in the UK Biobank Study – an enormous online database of medical and lifestyle records – whose health was followed for an average of 13 years.

It found that those with more active sun-seeking behaviour were 14% less likely to die from any cause during the study period compared to sun avoiders, and their risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 19% lower.

Overall, more active sunseekers had around 50 extra days of survival, on average, while participants living in southern parts of the UK lived an 16 extra days, compared to those living 300 km farther north – even after adjusting for factors such as socioeconomic status.

You might think that 50 days’ extra lifespan isn’t much, but at a population level, that’s huge

“You might think that 50 days’ extra lifespan isn’t much, but at a population level, that’s huge,” Weller says. “Basically, after correcting for all the confounders, in Britain – just like in Sweden – the more sunlight people have, the longer they live.”

Curiously, active sunseekers’ risk of dying from cancer, including skin cancers, was also 14% lower. Weller says a similar pattern has been seen in other studies too. “We know that when melanoma is diagnosed, people with higher measured vitamin D levels have a better prognosis,” he says.

Vitamin D is manufactured in our bodies when the UVB rays in sunlight react with a chemical in the skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol. Bone and muscle cells use it to regulate levels of calcium and phosphorus, which are needed to keep them strong and healthy, while immune cells also use it to help fend off harmful microbes and promote wound repair. Vitamin D receptors are also found on other body tissues including the heart and brain, and in recent years the list of illnesses associated with vitamin D deficiency has grown to include cardiovascular disease, infections and cancer.

Surprisingly though, large long-term trials assessing the impact of taking daily vitamin D supplements to prevent these conditions have produced mixed results, prompting some researchers to question whether they may have been looking at this from the wrong perspective. “Your vitamin D level is a biomarker that you have been in the sun, but it is not necessarily the active agent involved in human disease pathogenesis,” says Prof Prue Hart at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Australia.

Hart is one of those investigating whether the sun’s UV rays are affecting our health in additional ways. Besides triggering DNA damage in our skin cells, another reason why excessive sun exposure may increase the risk of skin cancer is because because it dampens the activity of immune cells that would usually detect damaged cells and destroy them.

Yet some immune dampening may be beneficial, helping to temper overactive immune responses. Possibly, our immune systems even have evolved with this mildly immune-suppressive input from sunlight wired in. Now that we spend the majority of our lives indoors, this system may have fallen out of balance, increasing the risk of autoimmune disease.

Take multiple sclerosis, which is caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves. Numerous epidemiological studies have associated higher lifetime exposures to sunlight with a lower risk of developing the condition.

Hart is now investigating whether exposing people with the earliest form of MS to UVB rays could halt or delay its progression. A pilot study in 20 individuals suggested that a year after undergoing such phototherapy, seven out of 10 people had developed MS, compared to all 10 of those who did not receive the treatment. Further experiments also revealed significant differences in their blood immune cell profiles – particularly their antibody-producing B cells.

Other mechanisms may also be at play. Like many dermatologists, Weller started his career believing sunlight was inherently damaging. But about 15 years ago, he discovered large stockpiles of nitric oxide – a potent dilator of blood vessels – in human skin. Further research revealed that these stockpiles were activated by UVA rays, and that exposing individuals to a dose of UVA equivalent to spending about 20 minutes outdoors at noon during British summer time, resulted in a temporary, but significant drop in blood pressure.

Meanwhile, recent research by Prof Carmit Levy, at Tel Aviv University in Israel, found that sun exposure prompted the release of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin in men’s skin. Here, the trigger appeared to be DNA damage. Besides regulating appetite, ghrelin also helps to reduce inflammation and blood pressure, so this could be another mechanism through which sun exposure exposure influences cardiovascular disease risk.

As evidence mounts for these potentially beneficial effects of sunlight, so do calls for a rethink of public health advice on how best to stay safe in the sun. In 2020, Weller, Hart, Lindqvist and 12 other researchers published a review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, alerting doctors and policymakers to the “significant public health problem of insufficient sun exposure”.

While they don’t dispute that UV exposure is a major cause of skin cancer, they believe the “Slip, Slap, Slop” approach to sun avoidance – originally advocated by Cancer Council Australia, but now broadly adopted in other countries – may be damaging the health of people living in high-latitude countries such as the UK.

“The ‘Slip, Slap, Slop’ guidance is appropriate for the descendents of white-skinned north Europeans living in high-UV environments such as Australia, where they have a lot of skin cancer. But it is not appropriate for white-skinned Brits here in Scotland, and it is absolutely inappropriate for dark-skinned Brits, who have made the reverse migration from Africa or India,” says Weller.

So, what to do? What almost everyone agrees on is that the amount of sun exposure needed to stay healthy is far lower than the amount that causes sunburn.

The problem with advocating even limited sun exposure is that many people find it difficult to moderate

The problem with advocating even limited sun exposure is that many people find it difficult to moderate, and it is almost impossible to recommend specific amounts of “safe” sun exposure because everyone’s skin is different, says Michelle Baker, CEO of the Melanoma Fund, a charity which raises awareness of sun protection in sport and outdoor recreation. The sun’s intensity also varies hour to hour, day to day, and latitude to latitude.

One approach is to check the UV index, which tells us how strong the sun’s UV rays are and when we’re most at risk of burning. If it is 3 or above, you need to think about protecting your skin – particularly if you have light skin or lots of moles or freckles, or a personal or family history of skin cancer.

Dr Walayat Hussain of the British Association of Dermatologists said: ‘[We] recommend that people avoid sunburn and heavy tanning, as these increase your chance of skin cancer. You don’t have to avoid the sun all year, but a few steps when out in the sunshine – whether this be in the UK or abroad on holiday – will help protect you. These steps include: protecting your skin with clothing, spending time in the shade when the UV index is high – typically between 11am and 3pm in the UK – and using sunscreen.” Baker stresses that using sunscreen will not make you vitamin D-deficient: “No matter how much you use or how high the SPF, some of the sun’s UV rays will reach your skin,” she says.

Weller also agrees that sunscreen is a sensible precaution. “Sunscreen is important because of the way we live our lives now, which is we get short, intense periods of sunlight on holiday, which is very unnatural,” he says. “Sunscreen definitely prevents skin ageing, and it prevents burning. It should be used for that – because that’s what matters.”

Even so, it may be time to move on from the idea that sun exposure is inherently bad. We still don’t know precisely what the optimal amount is – and it almost certainly varies from person to person – but what is becoming clear is that the effects of sun exposure are far greater than skin deep.

Linda Geddes is the author of Chasing the Sun: The New Science of Sunlight and How it Shapes Our Bodies and Minds

The Guardian, UK

A widening gap between the official and parallel market exchange rates of the Naira indicates the government’s lack of capacity to stabilize the currency and the likelihood it may depreciate further, according to Fitch Ratings Inc.

The naira was quoted at 1002 per dollar at the parallel market on Wednesday, according to Umar Salisu, a foreign-exchange operator who compiles the data in Lagos, the nation’s commercial hub. But it was 26% stronger at 745.19 naira/dollar in the official window, according to FMDQ, a Lagos-based platform where the currency is traded.

The naira has weakened sharply in street trading in the last two weeks as the central bank abstained from increasing supply of the greenback at the official window, where the currency rate has been very volatile. Naira non-deliverable contracts for three months time traded at a record 821.38 per dollar on Wednesday.

Newly appointed Nigerian central bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso, who lawmakers confirmed to the position last week, is yet to signal his policy preference.

The gap between the official and parallel market rates “highlights the challenges in sustaining exchange-rate liberalisation and raises the possibility of a further devaluation,” Fitch Ratings said in emailed statement.

Africa’s most populous nation allowed its currency to weaken 40% against the dollar in June as part of reforms aimed at attracting foreign investment to help revive the struggling economy.

The devaluation and currency reforms briefly merged the official and parallel market rates before the spread started widening again in August, pressured by inadequate official dollar supply, according to Fitch Ratings.

Bloomberg