Entertainment
Nigeria deploys forces after over 200 students are abducted: Here’s everything to know
More than 200 students alongside staff members were kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in central Nigeria, marking the third major abduction in the country this week and prompting a massive security response.
The assault on St. Mary’s Secondary School in Niger state’s Agawara local government area occurred between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday, November 21.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed that there were a total 217 victims including 215 students and 12 teachers.
A security guard was also shot during the invasion. While some students managed to escape.
The incident took place after the abduction of 25 girls from a Muslim boarding school in Kebbi state on Monday, November 17, and a separate attack on church in Kwara state on Tuesday, November 18, where dozens were kidnapped.
To address the ongoing security crisis, the President Bola Tinubu has cancelled all foreign trips to control the escalating violence.
The state government officials revealed that the school was given multiple intelligence warnings related to potential attacks but it was reopened.
Government Secretary, Abubakar Usman stated, “Regrettably, St. Mary’s school pretended to resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government.”
Responding to the situation, the officials have ordered the closure of 47 federal boarding schools and deployed tactical police and military units to search nearby forests for victims.
Until now, no group has claimed responsibility for the latest incident, though criminal gangs locally known as “bandits” frequently target schools for ransom payments.
The mass kidnapping showcases the increase in such incidents since March 2024 and has intensified scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation, especially following recent comments by US President Donald Trump about potential military intervention in the country.
Entertainment
When We Were Young Festival announces 2026 hiatus: ‘See you in 2027’
When We Were Young Festival is hitting pause this year.
Organizers of the Las Vegas-based emo and pop-punk fest announced via Instagram on February 27 that the event will take 2026 off — but emphasised the break is only temporary.
“To our When We Were Young Family,” the statement began. “The songs, the memories, the moments – none of it exists without you. After an unforgettable run in Las Vegas, we’ve decided to take 2026 off to give this festival the care it deserves and to make sure what comes next feels just as special as what came before.”
While no specific reason was given for the hiatus, fans were reassured the festival isn’t going anywhere. “When We Were Young Festival will return to Las Vegas in October 2027… This isn’t goodbye – it’s just a pause. We’ll see you in 2027.”
Since launching in 2022, the Live Nation-produced event has become a nostalgic pilgrimage for millennial music lovers, taking over the Las Vegas Festival Grounds each October. Past headliners have included Green Day, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance and the Killers.
The 2025 edition featured Blink-182 and a reunited Panic! at the Disco, marking a rare return following the band’s 2023 split. In 2024, My Chemical Romance delivered a full performance of The Black Parade, alongside a stacked lineup of scene favourites.
Entertainment
NAACP Image Award host Deon Cole issues Tourette warning after BAFTAs
Deon Cole hosted the NAACP Image Award at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Saturday, February 28, and opened his monologue with a joke about the racial slur mishap at the BAFTAs recently.
The 54-year-old comedian and actor jokingly prayed to God, saying, “Lord, before we go, if there are any white men out here in the audience with Tourette’s, I advise you to tell them they better read the room tonight, Lord. It might not go the way they thinketh. Whatever medicine they’re on, they better double up on it, Lord.
Cole referred to the controversy about Tourette’s activist John Davidson shouting a racial slur while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presented an award on stage.
The Average Joe star also joked about Nicki Minaj and her recent political alliance with the MAGA movement, saying, “Lord, we want you to bless our sister Nicki Minaj. She’s been going through a lot lately and hasn’t been herself, Lord,” joking that her cosmetic injections have been “affecting her brain.”
NAACP Awards stand for National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People and celebrate the arts across different mediums including films, theatre, music, and literature, created every year.
Entertainment
Maggie Gyllenhaal details emotional reunion with brother Jake Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jake Gyllenhaal are one of the most famous Hollywood siblings, yet fans are still surprised to learn they’re related.
In a new interview with The New York Times published February 28, the Oscar-nominated actress opened up about reuniting with her younger brother on-screen for her upcoming second directorial project, The Bride — marking their first time sharing the screen in over two decades.
“I remember asking him and tearing up alone in this hotel room I was in, because it meant so much to me. It meant so much for me to interact with him,” Maggie, 48, recalled, noting that for years, she had been focused on carving her own path “separate” from her famous family.
“We’ve never been estranged,” Maggie said of the Marvel star, “but we’ve never been as close as we are now. We’re finally, maybe in the last five years, more and more and more, even each day, really interacting…”
Both siblings began acting as children in the early ’90s with supporting roles in their dad’s films, and the last time they worked together was on the 2001 thriller Donnie Darko. Jake, now 45, quickly landed leading roles in films like October Sky — something Maggie now admits evoked feelings of “envy” towards her brother.
Hence, reaching out to him after all these years felt “honest” and “vulnerable.” The Dark Knight actress told NYT, “I waited until I was absolutely sure that asking him to do this part was the right thing to do.”
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