IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Nigeria

21 abducted Chibok schoolgirls freed

Twenty-one of Nigeria's Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram more than two years ago have been freed in a swap for detained leaders of the Islamic extremist group, the government and military said on Thursday. Some 197 girls remain captive, though it is not known how many of them may have died. The freed girls are the first to be released as a result of government action. Their release was negotiated between the government and Boko Haram in talks brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government.