It’s another edition of NRTC WEEKLY Roundup —in this week’s instalment, we spotlight five major stories making waves across the globe.
In today’s fast-paced world, headlines evolve by the hour, making it easy to miss important developments that shape international politics, business, sports, and entertainment.
Our WEEKLY roundup highlights key global moments across the major beats covered by NRTC— your one-stop hub for reliable and engaging content on entertainment, sports, politics, metro, and major news stories.
Scroll down and catch up on some of the most global developments this week.
US, Iran moved closer to historic 60-day truce deal
NRTC WEEKLY learnt that leaks from diplomatic backchannels revealed that United States and Iranian negotiators had drafted a landmark 60-day memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at easing regional tensions.
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The preliminary agreement emerged amid volatile exchanges and trade-related confrontations between both nations in recent weeks.
However, the proposed truce remained fragile as the draft had yet to receive formal approval from U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, both of whom retained final veto powers.
Although diplomats urged caution over the exact details of the agreement, international observers described the MoU as one of the most diplomatic breakthroughs between Washington and Tehran in recent years, despite ongoing skirmishes that threatened to derail the process before its official signing.
Poland received €6.6bn EU defence payout under the SAFE initiative
The European Union released a €6.6 billion pre-financing payment to Poland, marking the first deployment of the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence financing instrument, NRTC WEEKLY gathered.
READ MORE: NRTC WEEKLY: Top 5 stories from around the world you may have missed
The payment represented the first 15 per cent tranche of a wider €43.7 billion allocation designed to strengthen European military supply chains.
Funded through EU borrowing on financial markets, the SAFE loan utilised the bloc’s high-grade credit rating to provide long-term, low-interest funding.
EU officials disclosed that Warsaw would immediately channel the funds into priority defence investments, modernisation of domestic military infrastructure, and improved troop interoperability along NATO’s eastern flank.
Budapest prepared for Arsenal, PSG Champions League final clash
NRTC WEEKLY gathered that football fans flooded the streets of Hungary ahead of the highly anticipated 2025/26 UEFA Champions League final at the Puskás Aréna.
UEFA also introduced a historic scheduling adjustment by moving its flagship final kick-off time forward to 18:00 CEST.
The final featured a highly anticipated tactical battle between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal secured qualification after defeating Atlético Madrid 1-0 in the semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium.
PSG, meanwhile, advanced after battling Bayern Munich to a chaotic 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena, progressing with a narrow 6-5 aggregate victory.
Football analysts predicted a tightly contested and strategic encounter under the Budapest sky.
‘Star Wars’ and, ‘Backrooms’ battled for box office dominance
The global box office recorded a strong late-May surge, pushing domestic theatrical revenue beyond $1.1 billion for the month, NRTC WEEKLY learnt.
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Disney/Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian & Grogu” led the momentum after generating $163 million globally.
Industry analysts noted that although the film tracked closely with the performance of “Solo: A Star Wars Story”, it maintained strong momentum through positive word-of-mouth among millennial audiences.
However, indie studio A24 emerged as the surprise story of the weekend after its internet-inspired found-footage horror film, Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons, generated an impressive $10.4 million from Thursday previews alone.
Industry trackers projected the film to earn between $45 million and $55 million during its opening weekend, setting up a major box office contest against the Star Wars franchise.
WHO issued warning over rising synthetic nicotine use
NRTC WEEKLY gathered that ahead of World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued an urgent public health warning over the rapid spread of laboratory-produced synthetic nicotine and related chemical products across major cities worldwide.
READ MORE: NRTC WEEKLY: Top 5 stories from around the world you may have missed
Health officials revealed that production costs for synthetic nicotine had dropped significantly over the past five years, reaching levels comparable to natural tobacco extraction.
Manufacturers reportedly exploited the loophole by marketing such products as “tobacco-free” or “clean”.
Authorities also recorded a rise in youth consumption driven by flavoured nicotine salts and cooling additives designed to mask harsh chemical effects.
Yhe WHO consequently urged municipal and state governments to overhaul existing tobacco control regulations to include lab-engineered synthetic compounds before their use became fully normalised among young adults.
That’s where we draw the curtain on this week’s edition of NRTC WEEKLY.
Join us again next week as we bring you more trending stories from Nigeria and around the world.
