344 schoolboys return home in northwestern Nigeria

Several hundred schoolboys abducted in northwestern Nigeria have been freed, according to local officials. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( [Your support keeps us going]( Marco Werman and his dog Frankie prepare to co-host The World from home amid the pandemic. Let’s face it: it hasn’t been an easy 2020 for any of us. Somehow, we at The World have kept cranking out a news show about how the entire planet has been challenged and is coping with this historic disease. Know that behind every broadcast and all the reporting and production that go into it is an awareness that you are also doing your best to keep your chins up. Despite all the chaos and uncertainty, this end-of-year fundraising campaign has inspired over 500 listeners from every corner of the globe to support us. The World isn’t going anywhere. We are determined, now more than ever, to push through and keep bringing you the expansive global coverage you rely on. 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Visit [www.theworld.org/give]( to donate. — Marco Werman [Donate now]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Nigeria's president: 'Huge relief to the entire country' [A group of schoolboys are escorted by Nigerian military and officials following their release after they were kidnapped last week, Dec. 18, 2020, in Katsina, Nigeria.]( Credit: Sunday Alamba/AP Several hundred schoolboys abducted in northwestern Nigeria have been freed, according to local officials. The Nigerian military [rescued 344 of the kidnapped children]( Thursday evening, and the boys were received by the Katsina state governor Aminu Bello Masari at the state capital. His spokesman said that Boko Haram was not involved, but that “[bandits](” pretending to be in the Islamist terror group were responsible — a claim that has yet to be verified. [Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari tweeted]( that the return of the boys was “a huge relief to the entire country & international community.” He also asked citizens to let the government do its job, as many Nigerians have become more critical about the country’s worsening security problems. "Our administration is fully aware of the responsibility we have to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians,” Buhari wrote. “[I ask Nigerians to be patient and fair]( to us as we deal with the challenges of security, the economy, and corruption. We will not relent.” The enormous relief of their release comes six days after the boys were taken from their dorms at Kankara Government Science Secondary School. The abduction was agonizingly similar to the [2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok]( in Nigeria’s northeast by the terrorist group Boko Haram. One hundred of those girls remain lost. The newly returned schoolboys were safely packed onto the backs of trucks, many dazed but some smiling widely as they returned home. Nigerian officials said the students would be outfitted with new clothing before [meeting with Buhari]( later on Friday. What The World is following Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley held an [unannounced meeting with Taliban officials]( in Doha, Qatar, this week to discuss military aspects of the [US-Taliban agreement signed in February](. Milley then flew to Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, to speak in person with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani about how both sides could reduce violence. While no breakthrough occurred, the talks represent a remarkable milestone in the evolution of a 19-year conflict — America’s top general sitting down face-to-face with Taliban representatives. And, outgoing US Vice President Mike Pence [received a COVID-19 vaccine on live television]( Friday morning in an effort by the federal government to boost confidence in the inoculation process. The Pfizer-BioNTech shot was also given to his wife, Karen Pence, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams. Pence referred to the jab as a “medical miracle.” Meanwhile, an FDA panel [endorsed US company Moderna’s vaccine](, which uses the same messenger RNA technology — paving the way for emergency use authorization. Also on Friday, the COVAX alliance said it had [doubled its supply to nearly 2 billion doses]( intended for low- and middle-income countries around the globe. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Arab uprisings: What role did social media really play?]( [A leader of Egypt's anti-government protesters, Egyptian Wael Ghonim, center, 30, a Google Inc. marketing manager who was a key organizer of the online campaign that sparked the first protest on Jan. 25, celebrates after being released from detention in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt.]( Credit: Tara Todras-Whitehill/AP The revolts a decade ago were among the first major protests in the age of omnipresent mobile phones, with [social-network revolutions powered by Twitter and Facebook](. [Fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi's protest inspired the Arab uprisings. A decade later, his sister still mourns.]( [Tunisian protesters demonstrate beneath a poster of Mohamed Bouazizi near the prime minister's office in Tunis, Tunisia, Jan. 28, 2011.]( Credit: Salah Habibi/AP “One day, I hope all Tunisians live in dignity. That’s what my brother wished for,” [said Leila Bouazizi](, sister of the Tunisian fruit seller who set himself on fire on Dec. 17, 2010. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot UNESCO has just [added couscous]( to its list of items constituting the world's intangible cultural heritage. Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania jointly submitted the staple grain entry, which is found on dishes across the Maghreb region of North Africa and beyond. How delicious does that sound as inspiration for your Friday night dinner? [A screen grab of a tweet from Audrey Azoulay]( Credit: Screen grab courtesy of Twitter --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [In Cairo’s Tahrir Square]( - [Sudan: The Arab uprisings’ ‘second wave’]( - [10 years after the Arab uprisings, Egyptian human rights activists dare not speak]( - [Postcard from Yemen]( - [The funny side of the Arab uprisings: How cartoons and jokes served as a catalyst for protesters]( - [A poem penned during Libya’s 2011 uprising continues to inspire hope]( - [Lessons from mass migration post-Arab uprisings]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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