PARIS TO BAN CARS OLDER THAN 19 YEARS

All vehicles in Paris registered before 1997 will be banned beginning from the 1^st of July 2016. This is in response to a newly promulgated law which seeks to reduce pollution and traffic problems to barest minimum.

            Plans of the ban was initially announced last year but was only recently approved, it is set to take effect from the 1^st of next month (July) and get stricter over time. Violators of the law will be penalized with a fine of up to 35 Euros or more as the fine would increase as time goes on. It is estimated that about 10% of the entire vehicles in Paris, France would be affected and it was stated that by 2020, the ban will be extended to cars registered before 2010. The Paris Mayor came up with several other measures to help reduce pollution drastically in Paris.  

 

THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION BLAMES BOKO HARAM FOR TOMATO SCARCITY IN NIGERIA

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed in a recent interview on Channels television ascribed the current high cost and scarcity of tomatoes to Boko Haram.

 The fruit has been relatively scarce in recent times and those who have it sell at exorbitant prices thus transferring the major financial burden to us, the final consumers. It should recalled that not too long ago, the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe attributed the scarcity and high cost of tomatoes to "tuta absoluta" better known as tomato ebola and he said 6 states had been affected. it appears now that tuta absoluta is not the only factor responsible for the shortfall in the supply of tomatoes in Nigeria.

 

 The Minister of information further stated that many farmers have been forced to flee from the North as a result of the insecurity in some parts of the region; he also stated that about two seasons of harvest have been lost to the insurgency.

            According to the Minister, ‘’most of the people you see riding motorcycles in Lagos are people who would have been in the farm to produce consumable items’’. It is the prayer of concerned Nigerians that things get better soon.

OFFICIAL EXCHANGE RATES IN NIGERIA TODAY

Exchange Rates Today (2nd of June)

 

Currency   Unit             Buy                        Sell

USD            1          199.42NGN           199.11NGN

EURO         1          223.44NGN           223.09NGN

GBP            1          287.93NGN           287.44NGN

 

 

Source:  FX EXCHANGE RATE

THE USA REVEALS ITS MAJOR FEAR AS EURO 2016 APPROACHES

The USA issued a warning to both American and Non-American citizens ahead of the Euro 2016 competition. It was stated that they should beware of possible dangers because an event of that magnitude would most likely be a target for terrorist attacks as a result of the influx of people coming from all parts of the world to witness it.

The competition is set to kick off on the 10^th of June, 2016 in Paris, France and is scheduled to last for a month and according to the State Department, ‘Euro Cup stadiums, fan zones and unaffiliated entertainment venues broadcasting the tournaments in France and across Europe represent potential targets for terrorists’. Similar warnings came from the President of the host country, Francois Hollande, and in response to these warnings, the French police have been carrying out drills around the venue in preparation for the upcoming event.

 

 

JUNE 2 IN HISTORY

Historical events that took place on the 2nd of June

1896: Marconi Guglielmo applied to patent the radio and his request was accepted the following year

1935: Baseball legend Babe Ruth made his retirement plans as a player public

1936: Gen. Anastasio Somoza took over as dictator in Nicaragua

1953: Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation took place in Westminster Abbey, London

1964: Rolling stones 1^st U.S. concert took place in Massachusetts

1977: New Jersey permitted gambling in Atlantic City

1979: NASA launched space vehicle S-198

1979: Pope John Paul became the 1^st pope to visit a communist country, Poland

1983: Air Canada DC-9’s toilet caught fire and 23 people died

1994:  Chinook helicopter crashed in North Scotland leaving 29 people dead

2012:  Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life imprisonment along with his former interior minister Habib Al-Adly

2013: The Prime Minister of Czech republic, Petr Necas declared a state of emergency in the country

2015: The President of the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), Sepp Joseph Blatter resigned few days after his re-election into office for the fifth term.

 

 

 

 

 

NOTABLE BIRTHDAYS ON THE 2ND OF JUNE

June 2 Birthdays


Name: Wentworth Miller

Date of Birth: 2nd of June 1972

Place of Birth: Chipping Norton, England

Age: 44

Profession: Actor

 

Name: Sergio Aguero

 

Date of Birth: 2nd of June 1988

Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Age: 28

Profession: Soccer Player

 

Name: AJ Styles

 

Date of Birth: 2nd of June 1977

Place of Birth: North Carolina, USA

Age: 39

Profession: Wrestler

 

Name: Justin Long

 

Date of Birth: 2nd of June 1978

Place of Birth: Fairfield, Connecticut (USA)

Age: 38

Profession: Actor

 

Name: Patrick Ovie

 

Date of Birth: 2nd of June 1978

Place of Birth: Lagos State, Nigeria
 
Age: 38

Profession: Soccer Player

 

Name: Zachary Quinto

 

Date of Birth: 2nd of June 1977

Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA)

Age: 39

Profession: Actor

THE REPUBLIC OF GUINEA BECOMES EBOLA FREE

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement today declaring the Republic of Guinea Ebola free. The epidemic which started in Guinea around December 2013 was stated to have been eradicated as six weeks have passed since the last victim with the virus tested negative for the second time.

            Despite the announcement, the World Health Organization recommended a 90-day surveillance to observe and be sure no other Ebola case arises and if any should arise, it would be easy to identify and control it before it can spread .The recommendation was given due to the fact that a declaration like this was made some time in 2015 in which Guinea was also declared Ebola free, but it turned out to be false as fresh Ebola cases sprang up.

Abou Bekr Gaye, the republic of Guinea’s WHO representative emphasized on the need to be vigilant in order to detect and stop any new Ebola case that may occur.

 

THE RECORD HOLDING GOTTHARD BASE TUNNEL OPENS TODAY IN SWITZERLAND

 

 

The world’s longest and deepest rail tunnel, Gotthard Base tunnel opened today, the 1^st of June, 2016 in Switzerland. The Rail tunnel runs through the Alps in Switzerland and it is the very first flat low-level route through that region.

            The tunnel construction project was accepted in a 1992 referendum in Switzerland and the construction of the Rail Tunnel lasted for about two decades. The Gotthard Base tunnel which measures a route length of 57 km approximately will provide a link between northern and southern Europe and it is also expected that the tunnel will revolutionise the European freight transport system.

 

 

            Even though the Gotthard Base Rail Tunnel opened today, the 1^st of June, 2016, commercial operations are not expected to commence until December,2016.

OFFICIAL EXCHANGE RATES IN NIGERIA TODAY

                                                                          Exchange Rates Today(1st of June)

 

 

 

Currency   Unit             Buy                          Sell

USD            1          199.16NGN            198.98NGN

EURO         1          221.609NGN          221.384NGN

GBP            1          288.638NGN           288.335NGN

 

 

Source:  FX EXCHANGE RATE

NAIRA BECOMES A FLOATING CURRENCY

 

 

In a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 29^th of May, 2016 which was Nigeria’s democracy day, he affirmed the CBN’s stance as regards the transition from the current fixed rate policy regime to the floating exchange rate regime.

 

 

It should be noted that the floating exchange rate regime is a country's exchange rate regime where the country’s currency is set by the foreign-exchange market through supply and demand for that particular currency relative to other currencies. Thus, floating exchange rates change freely and are determined by trading in the forex market.

 

The President gave reasons for this decision stating the CBN’s inability to meet foreign exchange demand at the fixed rate of N199 per dollar as the major cause. The CBN will no longer have a fixed rate for the naira, as the market will now determine the exchange rate at any point in time. The President also talked about his support for the simultaneous use of both Monetary and Fiscal policies by the monetary authorities to help build a strong economy.