618 Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries of the Tang Dynasty’s rule over China
1812 War of 1812 begins as US declares war against Britain
1815 Battle of Waterloo; Napoleon and France defeated by British forces under Wellington and Prussian troops under Blucher
1928 American aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the 1st woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, landing at Burry Port, Wales
1940 Winston Churchill’s “this was their finest hour” speech urging perseverance during Battle of Britain delivered to British House of Commons
HISTORICAL EVENTS TODAY
TODAY IN FILM & TV
1969 “The Wild Bunch”, directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden and Ernest Borgnine, is released
TODAY IN MUSIC
1991 “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” single released by Bryan Adams (Billboard Song of the Year, 1991)
TODAY IN SPORT
1995 All Black Jonah Lomu scores the try of the Rugby World Cup, running over Mike Catt in New Zealand’s 45-29 defeat of England
MORE FACTS
1583 Richard Martin of London takes out first life insurance policy, on William Gibbons; premium was £383
1959 Governor of Louisiana Earl K. Long is committed to a state mental hospital; he responds by having the hospital’s director fired and replaced with a crony who proceeds to proclaim him perfectly sane
FAMOUS WEDDINGS
1839 Dutch prince Willem Alexander (later William III) weds cousin Princess Sophia
1858 Norwegian modernist playwright “The Doll’s House” Henrik Ibsen (30) marries Suzannah Thoresen (21) in Oslo
1953 Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. (24) marries fellow activist and singer Coretta Scott (26)
Japan’s Government Says She Is Not Liable For Damages Demanded By People Whose Lives Were Devastated By The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.
A Massive Tsunami Set Off By A 9.0 Magnitude Earthquake Off Japan’s Northeastern Coast On March 11, 2011 Struck The Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant Of Tokyo Electric Power, Causing The Worst Nuclear Disaster Since Chernobyl And Forcing Hundreds Of Thousands From Their Homes.
Plaintiffs Demanded Damages From Both Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings TEPCO And The Country In Several Class-Action Lawsuits, And In March The Supreme Court Upheld An Order For TEPCO To Pay Damages Of 1.4 Billion Yen To About 3,700 People.
About 470,000 People Were Forced To Evacuate In The First Days After The Disaster, And Tens Of Thousands Remain Unable To Return Even Now.
China Has Launched Its Third And Most Advanced Aircraft Carrier From Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard, With New Combat Systems That Experts Say Are Fast Catching Up With The United States.
Named “Fujian,” The Ship Is China’s First Domestically Designed And Built Catapult Aircraft Carrier.
Its Electromagnetic Catapult-Assisted Launch System Is A Major Upgrade From The Less Advanced Ski Jump-Style System Used On Its Two Predecessors.
The New System, Similar To The Ones Used By Us Aircraft Carriers, Will Allow China To Launch A Wider Variety Of Aircraft From The Fujian Faster And With More Ammunition.
As The Mercury Edges Towards The 40-Degree Mark In France, With Record Temperatures For The Month Of June Expected To Be Broken, Parisians Try To Cool Off In The Shade Of The Trees On The Banks Of The Seine, In The Centre Of The Capital.
Temperatures Across Spain And France Have Been Well Above Average For Several Days And The Heat Is Expected To Peak This Weekend.
In Paris, Forecasts Show Saturday Could Become The Hottest June Day Yet.
The Expected High Would Break The French Capital’s Previous June Heat Record, Set In 1947.
A Military Appeal Court In Tunisia Has Sentenced A Prominent Political Opponent Of President Kais Saied To One Year In Prison And Banned Him From Practising Law For Five Years.
A Lawyer For Seifeddine Makhlouf Said His Client Had Been Charged With Insulting A Judge, And That The Verdict Was A Real Farce.
He Said President Saied Had Created A Judiciary That He Could Control And Use Against Opponents.
Makhlouf Heads The Conservative Karama Party, Which Is Allied To The Islamist Ennadha Party.
President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Mr Jean-Claude Brou, has disclosed that the community has resumed convergence to launch of the ECOWAS single currency “ECO” in 2027.
Brou made this known while delivering reports of the ECOWAS Commission before the ECOWAS Parliament during the ongoing 2022 First Ordinary Session of the Parliament in Abuja.
Brou said that the process of launching the single currency was stalled following the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic from 2020.
He said that the convergence criteria had to be thorough so that the currency once implemented will serve the citizens effectively.
“We had to suspend that in 2022, 2021. We are looking at 2022 to 2026 to be able to create conditions that will enable us to stabilise the economies.
“And so, 2027 we go back to the currency. The process of the performance criteria is always prioritised if we want to be in a very favorable condition to introduce the single currency.
“Because you can introduce the currency but what is required is that it should be of quality.
“In other words, it should serve the needs of the population and also should inspire confidence and trust in in the population.
“So that is the main objective, to ensure that the convergence criteria is been followed,” Brou said.
Member of the ECOWAS Parliament and Nigerian lawmaker representing Andoni-Opobi/Nkoro Federal Constituency of Rivers Awaji Abiante, said that the delay in the launch of the currency is to avoid any form of crisis.
Speaking to journalists on the sideline of the session, Abiante said that the single currency is work in progress and there is hope that sometimes it will work.
“Every good thing comes with its challenges so getting the economies of the 15 member states to agree on that transaction and how it can be moved forward.
“If it is hurried, definitely it could run into crisis so it is good to have every aspect of it discussed, agreement reached, such that it will be implementable,” Abiante said.
On the sustainability and benefits of the currency, Abiante said that until it is implemented, one cannot say how viable it would be.
“Whatever anybody says, it is just going to be mere projections, it is only when it is implemented that you will see the benefits.
“But simply put, it will ease transactions, it will open up the economies, it will make it freeer for people to engage in both commercial and industrial activities,” he said.
It will be recall that in June 2019, the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of States and Government committed to having a single currency and adopted the name “ECO” during its Extraordinary Session in Abuja.
Japan And The U.S. Showcase Military Co-Operation During A Combat Display Featuring Weapons And Assault Vehicles As Part Of The Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium 2022, Attended By Service Members From 18 Countries.
The Upcoming Meeting Of The 30 North Atlantic Treaty Organization Allies, Four Months Into Russia’s War In Ukraine.
Sweden And Finland, Which Have Applied To Join Nato, Are Sending Delegations To The Summit, And South Korea’s New President Yoon Suk Yeol Will Be The First Leader From His Country To Attend.
Japan, A Key U.S. Ally But Not A Nato Member, Has Delivered Defensive Supplies To Ukraine And Imposed Tough Sanctions On Russia In Tandem With The Other Group Of Seven Countries.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Offered To Launch A Military Training Program For Ukrainian Forces On Friday As He Met President Volodymyr Zelensky In Kyiv On His Second Trip To The Ukrainian Capital Since Russia’s Invasion.
Johnson, Who Survived A No Confidence Vote Earlier This Month, Was Greeted By Zelensky As A “Great Friend” And Posted A Picture Of Himself With The Ukrainian President, With The Words.
The Unannounced Trip Was Johnson’s Latest Show Of Support For Zelensky Since Russia Invaded Ukraine In February.
23 African States Bordering The Atlantic Ocean Converged In Rabat, Morocco To Brainstorm On Ways To Move The Region Forward.
The Event Was An Opportunity To Develop A Common African Vision On A Vital Space, To Promote An African Atlantic Identity And Defend With One Voice The Strategic Interests Of The Continent.
The Work Of This Ministerial Meeting focused On Three Themes, Namely, “Political Dialogue, Security And Safety”, “Blue Economy And Connectivity” And “Environment And Energy”.
A major urban renewal project that will restore the aesthetic landscape of Falomo, the commercial suburb of Ikoyi in Lagos State, has been flagged off by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) sealed a joint redevelopment partnership with Afriland Properties Plc, a private developer, to turn former Falomo Shopping Complex to a premium sky-high real estate that will enhance the socio-economic outlook of the neighbourhood.
Falomo Towers, being developed on 11,950 square metres of land, will offer a blend of green amenities that will promote quality living.
Afriland Properties Plc is a subsidiary of Heir Holdings, owned by the foremost entrepreneur and banker, Mr. Tony Elumelu.
Sanwo-Olu, at the sod turning ceremony held at the project site, said the construction flag-off ended a decade-long discussion with the developer to revive the project and build iconic towers that would turn around the fallow land for the benefit of the public.
The Governor said the project was another milestone achieved by his administration to renew urban amenities, stressing that the strategic implementation of the Lagos Masterplan had been dependent on the Government’s ability to forge workable partnership between the public and private sectors.
He said: “This is a phenomenal project that will bring back the lost ambience of Ikoyi. When this partnership was initiated 10 years ago, I was the Managing Director of LSDPC. It is interesting to note that we’ve all gone through arbitration but we didn’t throw a wrong punch. We agreed this project must not be thrown away. Today we are making a transaction that is bigger and better than what was initially proposed 10 years ago.
“This testifies to the uniqueness of public and private sectors in ensuring things can be made a lot better when we sit and agree. This is a clear example of what Public Private Partnership (PPP) model is out to achieve when partnerships and collaborations are pursued and implemented with seriousness. When we put our minds of possibilities to ideas, great things happen. This aptly describes the story of today’s flag-off of construction of Falomo Towers.”
Sanwo-Olu described Afriland Properties as a tested, trusted and reliable developer, saying the Corporation had found the right partner for the redevelopment project.
The Governor reiterated that the State Government would remain committed to ensuring the investors get full value for their investments, while promising to continue to pursue business environment reforms, including automation of land and property records to scale up transparency and efficiency that catalyse sustainable investments.
Elemelu said the partnership was another testimony to the Lagos State Government’s belief in the private sector as a key development driver in the State, praising the Lagos political leadership for setting the pace of private sector inclusion in governance.
For surmounting obstacles that delayed the take-off of the partnership, Elumelu said Lagos remained the most hospitable environment to investors seeking profitable return on their investments.
He said: “I commend Gov. Sanwo-Olu and the political leaders of the State for believing in the private sector. What we are witnessing today attests to their beliefs in the private sector as driver of development in the State
“For private sector to do well, the political leadership must create the right environment. Lagos has set the pace in this direction. This partnership is a celebration of dialogue and this makes Lagos remain the most hospitable environment for investors.”
LSDPC Chief Executive Officer, Hon. Ayodeji Joseph, said the project site evoked memories of a glorious past for Island dwell in the 1970s, noting that the Corporation took an informed decision to turn around the site by building residential apartments to provide additional accommodation to the growing middle class, business professionals and the swelling rank of young citizens.
He said: “Over forty years down the line, the Corporation in its decision to renew some of its facilities has deemed it fit to redevelop the site of the shopping complex, taking into consideration the realities of today’s needs as well as the environmental impact implications.
“To achieve this purpose, we decided to mobilise finance from the private sector. This decision will free resources that could otherwise be tied down to this project, for other pressing needs. In addition, it will allow the project to benefit from the competitive efficiencies for which the private sector is better known.”
Chief Executive Officer of Afriland Properties, Mrs. Uzo Oshogwe, noted that the redevelopment project was a revival of a landmark, saying: “With the project, we tend to give Ikoyi back its aesthetic landmark
She said the iconic project would enhance and beautify Ikoyi skyline, adding that the partnership would be creating economic opportunities and social wealth that would transform the State and the country.
The project development is expected to be completed in 30 months.
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