in what you expect to come through that might keep things one way or another? i'm not sure they will keep things one way or another. we are waiting to see what happens in cardiff, which is still counting at the moment. there's been some relatively bad news for labour in wales already. we don't have anything at the moment about scotland, where there is a very different story, which isjust scotland, where there is a very different story, which is just how well are the snp doing? will they retain the 56 or 59 westminster seats they had last time? we will be looking for clues about that, it's a different political scenario to what we have tonight with the results in england and wales. thank you very much. time now for the travel show. this week, celebrating gha na's 60th birthday. i'm drinking to the country's independence. sparring with the locals. boxing is massive, they love it here. and meeting some of its cutest residents. i am amazed how much banana a little monkey like that can eat. busy, bustly, noisy and lots of fun. i could be in any of the big, lively west african capitals, but i've come to one country that is celebrating a very special anniversary. news reel: the name gold coast passes, long live ghana. 60 years ago in 1957, the british gold coast broke away from centuries of colonial rule. it became the republic of ghana. it was a peaceful transition, and ghana's independence, the first to be declared in sub—saharan africa, inspired other states to do the same thing. today, it's seen as a largely peaceful entry point into this part of the continent. the civil strife and terrorism that affects some of its neighbours aren't currently a problem. and by the way, ebola never crossed the ghanaian border. so where to start? well, this might be a good place, as it plays a crucial role in the country's colonial past. this is jamestown, and it's the first place that the british came to when they arrived here on the gold coast. and while relics of that time still dominate the skyline, jamestown‘s managed to carve itself a little sporting niche. for some reason, these few streets have churned out champion boxers like nowhere else. ghana's produced seven world champions, and most of these trained in the gyms here. hello. how are you? nice to meet you. you must be samuel. on sunday evenings the streets become packed. makeshift rings are set up and people come to watch challenge fights. what is it about jamestown, why do you create such good boxers and why has it become popular? we have the boxers, the musicians and the dancers. at the ages of nine years, they have to learn the boxing like this. this is great, but they look very young to me, you know, to be fighting. sometimes you see their parents, their parents hasn't been to the school, so they also want their little one like this to become a boxer, a fisherman, a footballer. sometimes when they have them, and they see they are not having the mind to learn, they have to push them box like this. many families here see sporting glory as a quick route out of poverty, and that's a powerful motivator. that was really good. that was a tough fight. a tough fight. how much does the anniversary of independence, the 60th year mean to you guys here? injamestown, we really like each other. people on the streets, happy. each and every one has to enjoy themselves because it is very happy for them to see their 60 years, so each and every one has to celebrate. this is osu. it's accra's commercial district, and if ever you were looking for a taste that symbolises ghana's independence spirit, you will find it in here. come on, follow me. republic opened in 2013. it's a celebration of the independence movement and specialises in a drink that has a unique connection to 1957. this drink is called cocoroco, which means the almighty, the powerful, the great omnipotent. it utilises cane spirit, which is, in our local slang, we call akpeteshi. when the british were the colonial authorities here in ghana, prior to independence, akpeteshi was outlawed, it was deemed as unfit to drink, unwholesome, unhealthy. do you mind if i try some of the akpeteshi on its own? on its own, yes. to ghanaian independence. yes, to our independence. let's do it. cheers. ooh! i can feel the heaviness of that and it's spicy. it is spicy. so do you feel this is like a symbol of ghanaian independence? yes, i believe akpeteshi being decriminalised by ghana's first president, president kwame nkrumah. he actually passed legislation to make the distillation and consumption of akpeteshi legal. and so that gave ghanaians the liberty to indulge in their own, to consume their own, what is effectively theirs. look carefully round accra and you will see signs of this anniversary year every where. not least in the art world, which has used 1957 as a source of inspiration and reflection. this is a really powerful piece of work. it stands at the mausoleum of ghana's independence leader kwame nkrumah, and argues that ghana is still not properly free of slavery, and colonialisation. itjust exists in a different form these days. but the thing that really hits me is you can't stop looking at all their faces. they've all got individual expressions of pain, and it is quite sobering, actually. ghana was right at the centre of the slave trade until it was abolished in the early 19th century. it's most powerful remnants lie a few hours east of here, in the old colonial capital cape coast, which is where i'm going next, in that most african of transport options. so this is a bit interesting, travelling in this tro tro with the locals. they haven't got any regulated stops, theyjust stop randomly anywhere. so we've stopped. now we're waiting for people. who did your hairfor you? i did my hair in the uk. in london. in the uk. do you like my hair? yes, the way they do it is very, very nice. you like it? it was quite painful. it was tight. and so to cape coast. a sunny and beautiful spot now, with palm trees and long sandy beaches. a far cry from the traffic and chaos of accra. and at its heart lies this imposing castle. this place looks beautiful on the outside, but inside it's got a dark history. it's estimated that in total, around 11 million people were taken from africa, bound for the americas. all along this coastline were forts, where men, women and children would be held in miserable conditions, before their dangerous journey. this was the largest of those forts. these days, it's a museum. so this was a male dungeon. yes, the men were separated from the women. this dungeon was designed for 1,000 people. they stayed here for about three months on average. occasionally they were let out to be fed, and also to crack stones with cannon balls. a few years ago, during restoration works, archaeologists took up and examined some of the materials on the floor. so they left a small portion of it here, to probably tell the rest of the story. so this is made up of faeces, blood, decomposed bodies, clothes, food, vomit, sweat, urine and many materials that were left here. so this is, this is the product of human despair. yes. and toil. pain, suffering, cruelty. and if they survived their stay in the dungeons here, then it was through the door of no return, ready for loading on to the ships. between the harbour and the ship, one of them might have decided not to go, so he would justjump into the ocean, pulling the rest with him. wow — because they were all chained together. they were all chained together and they were all drowned here. either they wanted to escape orjust to commit suicide. and this is after being held captive in the dungeons? after being held captive in the dungeons for what, two, three months. so it was basically nonstop hell. nonstop hell. this is a special year for ghana. yes. it's your 60th anniversary of independence. things have moved on, thankfully. yes, for over 400 years we have struggled in slavery. we have struggled in colonialism, we have come out as a nation stronger than before, and so we see it as an experience that is worth sharing with others. so people can get courage in whatever they are doing, whatever level they are, they can rise up through the ashes, use the ashes as fertilisers to grow. become prosperous. words of hope from a man whose job brings him face to face with unimaginable horror on a daily basis. if he can be optimistic, there's inspiration for us all. the travel show, your essential guide where ever you're heading. welcome to the slice of the show that tackles your questions about travel. i'm here at st pancras station in london, where the uk's rail connection to continental europe begins. first, an update on the new rail link in florida. brightline, as the express train service is known, is on schedule to connect down town miami with fort lauderdale and west palm beach from the summer, with a high speed extension to orlando international airport following next year, cutting the journey between the two cities to just three hours, compared with the driving time on a good day of four hours. next, henry is travelling to the city of cadiz in south—west spain, but he's flying into the british possession of gibraltar, and wants to know how to travel onward. "can we take a rental car across the border, or is it better to cross into spain on foot and hire a car or take a bus?" henry, it's a delightfuljourney from gibraltar to cadiz, which i have made many times and it's very straightforward. from the airport, simply head straight to the spanish frontier. it's a two minute walk — just simply aim away from the rock. you will find yourself in the town of la linea, and five minutes from the border there is a bus station. if there's no imminent departure direct to cadiz, hop on any bus to the city of algeciras, where you will find a lot more choice. iceland is the impending destination this summer for angela, and for thousands of other travellers attracted by the proliferation of air links to reykjavik. angela wonders... "where is the best place to change money?" in iceland, but only a little at a time. the icelandic krona is a minority currency, and the spread — that's the difference between buying and selling rates — is wide, meaning a poor deal for travellers. so sign up for a card with no fees for overseas use, if you don't already have one, and obtain a small amount of icelandic currency when you arrive, but rely on plastic for most of your spending. finally, lynne says she likes to plan well in advance, partly to give her time to save up for her trip, but also something to look forward to, and she asks... a caribbean island, south africa or india would meet those criteria, but prices are already very high. i've just checked flights from london to barbados in the caribbean, and travelling between christmas and new year for a week, the fare is already over £1,500 - that's $,1800. so, if you want something a little closer to home, i strongly recommend egypt for guaranteed winter sun at a budget price. for example, at the resort of hurghada, you can stay for a week, all—inclusive, for around £800 — less than $1,000 — and that includes your flight from the uk, plus a new year's eve gala dinner. whether you're looking for sun or snow, i'm here to help. just e—mail us and i will do my very best to find you an answer. from me, simon calder, the global guru, bye for now and see you next time. i'm travelling through ghana on a mission to have a good nose around the country, that this year celebrates its 60th anniversary of independence. this definitely isn't the easiest of places to get round. the rainforest is not accessible and there aren't many hotels or places to stay, but what it lacks in amenities it makes up for in outstanding beauty. it'sjust, it's so beautiful out here and there's so many things to do. about four hours drive north of the second city of kumasi lie a set of caves that i'm told show off gha na's wildlife at its most unsettling. this wasn't easy at all. yes. this is one of the hardest treks i've done. where are we? we are in buoyem bat cave. and where is the bat cave? one entrance is down there. inside, we will see a bat. they are fruit bats. how many bats are in there? they are almost seven, eight, nine thousand. thousands of them. yes. that's incredible. in fact, some estimates put the total number of bats inside the buoyem caves at between 15 and 20,000. they have been shut to tourists for a few years because of fears surrounding ebola. now these concerns are gone and the caves are open again, if you have got the stomach for them. but if you're keener on the kind of wildlife that makes you smile, rather than shriek, you want to head to the twin villages of boabeng and fiema. the people here have forged a unique relationship with their closest neighbours. so this is your village? yes. that is my village. amelia, who has lived around here for her whole life, takes me on a little stroll. come on, you monkeys! so these are the friendly ones. the mona. hello. look. wow, look at that. that's so cute. you said they're not shy! look, amelia. wow! that's so nice. i am amazed that how much banana a little monkey like that can eat! that monkey must have eaten at least ten bananas. they can eat more than ten. you can see the black—and—white ones up there. they will just watch us, but they won't come to us? no, they won't come to you because they are not friendly like the mona monkey, the mona monkey who willjust come to you, but the black—and—white, they won't come, because they depend or leaves and insects, so they won't come to you. they don't need us? no, they don't need us. harming either species is strictly forbidden under local law, which means these villages have become a sanctuary. in fact, the monkeys here are loved so much, that once they die, they are given a proper burial. here the monkeys belong to the gods, so the villagers have to stay with the monkeys peacefully here. if we harm or punish them, you have the same punishment from the gods, so you have to stay with them peacefully, and that is why the monkeys, they are unique from other parts of ghana. but this is special. this is special. more, more special. that's it for now, join us next week, when... rajan heads forjerusalem, to visit the place said to have been christ's burial chamber, newly re—opened after extensive restoration. this is, for christianity, the most important place in the world. quite an incredible experience to be here. but in the meantime, you can keep up with us on social media, or visit our website, but for now, from me, ade adepitan, and all the travel show team here in ghana, outside the bat cave, it's goodbye. hello there. the weather charts for friday very, very similar to what we have seen all week long. high pressure dominant to the northern half of the uk although it's drifting a bit more towards iceland. and we're seeing low pressure develop a bit more towards the bay of biscay. in between, easterly winds, maybe gusty winds once again but the clearest of skies northern half of the uk. after a frosty start for one or two, scotland even in northern ireland, northern england, another lovely sunny day. morning mist and low cloud, particularly around some of the coast, will thin and break to allow sunnier spells. there could be a bit more sunshine then in recent mornings, across parts of north wales, north midlands and into northern portions of east anglia. further south, grey skies once again to start the day. maybe the odd spot of rain. most will be dry, feeling cool in that breeze, even though we start the day with the highest of the temperatures. elsewhere, under the sunshine, the temperatures will pick up the most. there will be a bit more sunshine across southern area, breaking through the cloud at times, through friday but cloud will return towards east anglia and the south—east later, meaning a greyer end to the day but at least we should see one or two more glimpses of sunshine than we have done of late. there is uncertainty how far north that weather front gets into saturday, so if the forecast is crucial, keep coming back and checking but it does look like it will be cornwall, isles of scilly, the channel islands most prone to rain, maybe a few showers across devon. also cloudy for northern england, north midlands, north wales and northern ireland. morning rain and drizzle turning dry and a bit brighter through the day. scotland still sitting pretty with the sunshine. warmest in the west. a bit more in the way of brightness towards east anglia and the south—east, so feeling a little less chilly than recent days even though it is still rather breezy. whether that weather front gets really towards us or not, the low pressure responsible does clear off into central europe as the go into sunday, opening the door to north—easterly winds. that will make it feel rather cooler on northern and eastern coasts on sunday, with a bit of cloud at times, maybe the odd shower but the vast majority will be dry. southern areas feeling a bit warmer and the best of the sunshine to parts of south and the west. into next week, low pressure will remain dominant towards the south—west of the country. high pressure to the north and that will mean easterly winds will remain with us. they will fluctuate between south—easterly ones which may bring something milder but also those chillier north—easterly ones too. most staying dry. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: smiles and applause after congress takes the first step towards scrapping obamaca re in favour of trumpca re. this is, make no mistake, this is a repeal and a replace of obamacare, make no mistake about it. make no mistake. after 70 years in the public eye prince philip, husband of queen elizabeth, is retiring. now it gets personal. france's presidential frontrunner, macron, files a lawsuit, after rival, le pen, repeats claims he has a secret bank account. also in the programme: one of rome's most important landmarks gets a multi—million dollar makeover.