World Briefs

Nigerian abducted children reunite with their parents

papiri: Several parents welcomed the return on late Tuesday night of their children, who were abducted last month when gunmen stormed their school. “It has not been easy for me... But today, in fact, I have a little bit of joy, especially because there is still one abducted. But I am now happy with this one that I have gotten,” Luka Illaya, one of the parents in the hall, told The Associated Press. One of his sons was released, while another remains with the abductors. His son, who hugged him tightly, is one of the 100 students released over the weekend after they were abducted from a Nigerian Catholic school on November 21. The Papiri school abductions, where more than 300 students and staff were taken, were the latest in a string of mass abductions that have rocked Nigeria in the past decade. Days earlier, 25 students were also abducted in nearby Kebbi state.

Sri Lanka Ditwah devastation cost assessment to take 6 months: MIN

colombo: Sri Lanka’s Deputy Finance Minister on Wednesday said it could take six months to complete the estimate required to recover and reconstruct the damage the island nation has faced post-Cyclone Ditwah.However, a rough estimate could be presented after December 15.The work is being handled by the ‘Rebuild Sri Lanka Fund’ constituted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the immediate aftermath of the devastation.