Author: News Room

FIFA has banned fans from bringing refillable water bottles into World Cup venues in a last-minute policy change that will force thirsty supporters to pay for bottled water, The Athletic reported on Wednesday. As recently as last month, FIFA’s official stadium code of conduct included a clause which read: “For the avoidance of doubt, empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles, up to (1 litre in) capacity, may be brought into the Stadium.” However, The Athletic reported on Wednesday that those guidelines had now been tweaked to explicitly ban refillable bottles. “For the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be…

No fewer than eight shops were razed out of 11 at No 2, Mobolorunduro, Balaro Street, Oju-Odo Academy in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Wednesday. The Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reform and state Chairman of Fire Services Agency, Moroof Akinwande, announced this in a statement released in Ibadan, on Wednesday. Akinwande said, “Oyo State Fire Services Agency dosed shops on Fire at No 2, Mobolorunduro, Balaro Street, Oju-Odo Academy, Ibadan. At exactly 02:33 hrs on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 through telephone call and Mr Idris to shop on fire at the above address.…

The Peoples Redemption Party, on Thursday, called on President Bola Tinubu to resign from office, accusing him of failing in his constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and property of Nigerians amid worsening insecurity across the country. The call comes amid growing concerns over insecurity, particularly following the recent abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State. The attack, which occurred on May 15, saw armed men invade three schools in Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting scores of pupils and teachers and leaving families traumatised. The incident has triggered nationwide outrage and…

The Development Bank of Nigeria has disbursed more than N1tn to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises through participating financial institutions since it commenced operations in 2017. The bank disclosed this in a review of its operations up to December 2025, highlighting achievements in lending, capacity building, job creation and credit guarantees. Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, the Managing Director, DBN, Dr Tony Okpanachi, said the bank has onboarded 84 participating financial institutions comprising deposit money banks, microfinance banks, merchant banks and other financial institutions, while disbursing over N1tn to businesses nationwide. In a presentation, he explained that the bank facilitated…

Nigerian legend John Obi Mikel wasted no time rubbing salt into Arsenal’s wounds after their Champions League final defeat to PSG on penalties last Saturday, backing Chelsea’s pointed social media dig at their London rivals and delivering a blunt verdict of his own — and he has the medals to back it up. Chelsea’s official Instagram account posted a picture of the Champions League trophy at Stamford Bridge the day after Arsenal’s loss, captioning it, “Come and visit London’s home of trophies.” The post was aimed squarely at Arsenal, who remain without a European title despite reaching two Champions League…

Arthur Hayes’ investment firm Maelstrom said Worldcoin could surge to as high as $5 per token over the next few months, with WLD acting as a crypto proxy for the AI boom.“The AI mega IPOs are coming — and it appears the market has overlooked one of the cleanest proxies,” said Maelstrom researcher Lukas Ruppert on Wednesday. The AI boom has been in full swing in the US. OpenAI confidentially filed its IPO prospectus with the SEC on May 22, targeting a public debut in September 2026, with the firm aiming to raise $60 billion with a potential valuation of up…

Love Island USA is all about coupling up — so which Islanders are currently together and which have already called it quits in the villa? Peacock’s popular dating show returned in June 2026 with contestants Aniya Harvey, Beatriz Hatz, Bryce Alakai Dettloff, KC Chandler, Mackenzie “Kenzie” Annis, Melanie Moreno, Sincere Rhea, Sean Reifel, Trinity Tatum and Zach Georgiou. While the Islanders paired off during Day 1, it didn’t take long for those bonds to shift. There was also the arrival of bombshells Gabriel Vasconcelos and Kayda Bosse, who tempted several Islanders to Paradise Cove. Viewers continue to tune in to…

Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting residents from counterfeit, expired, substandard and unsafe products, saying efforts are being intensified to rid markets and distribution outlets of harmful goods. A statement by the Lagos state government said the General Manager of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA, Mr. Afolabi Solebo, made this known during a press briefing held in Ikeja as part of activities marking the 2026 World Anti-Counterfeiting Day and World Food Safety Day. Solebo said consumer protection remains a key priority of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, stressing that residents deserve access to safe, genuine and…

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Kenneth Okonkwo, says any vote for the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is a vote for president Bola Tinubu. Okonkwo made this statement in an interview with Symfoni. According to him: “It’s either you are working for Tinubu directly or indirectly because when you divide the votes of some of the coalition or the opposition, you are still making Tinubu to win. “Nobody forced Peter Obi to enter the ADC. He entered on his own, and one week to the end of the closure of time, he left and…

Troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation MESA have arrested a suspected terrorist informant believed to be linked to a notorious bandit leader during a security operation in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State. Security sources disclosed to Zagazola Makama that the suspect was apprehended at about 11:59 p.m. on June 1 during a joint operation involving troops of the 12 Brigade and local vigilantes. According to the sources, the troops were pursuing suspected terrorists along a known route within the Adankolo Forest when they intercepted the suspect in the Odo Ape Forest area. “Troops were pursuing fleeing terrorists…