Kaduna Kidnap Victims Escape, China Bans Hidden Car Door Handles, and Other Global News
A group of 80 kidnapped Nigerians escaped their captors in northern Kaduna state, while China implemented a ban on hidden car door handles due to safety concerns. In other news, tensions rose in the Arctic over historical claims to Greenland, a photographer documented the devastation of wildfires in Brazil's Pantanal, and Russian forces reportedly assisted in repelling an attack on Niger's main airport.
In Nigeria, 80 of the 177 people kidnapped last month from three churches in Kurmin Wali, Kaduna state, returned home after escaping their captors, according to the BBC. The escapees hid in neighboring villages for two weeks "due to fear of being captured again," state police spokesman Mansur Hassan told the BBC. Authorities are working to secure the release of the remaining 86 people still being held. The church attack was part of a wave of kidnappings in the region.
Meanwhile, China became the first country to ban hidden car door handles on electric vehicles (EVs), BBC Business reported. The new regulations require cars to have a mechanical release both inside and outside the doors. This decision follows scrutiny of EV safety after several deadly incidents, including two fatal crashes in China involving Xiaomi EVs where power failures were suspected of preventing doors from being opened.
In the Arctic, The Guardian reported that Trump's past threats to acquire Greenland from Denmark have reopened old wounds for Inuit communities. A solidarity march in Nunavut, Canada, demonstrated support for Greenland, with protesters holding signs stating, "We stand with Greenland" and "Greenland is a partner, not a purchase." The demand by the U.S. that it take control of the Arctic island is for many a reminder of troubling imperial past.
The Guardian also featured the work of documentary photographer Lalo de Almeida, whose images capture the destruction caused by wildfires in the Pantanal, the South American wetland. De Almeida's photo essay "Pantanal Ablaze" won first place in the environment stories category at the 2021 World Press Photo contest. His work documents the unprecedented threat facing the region.
In Niger, Al Jazeera reported that Russian soldiers helped repel an attack claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group on the country's main airport in Niamey last week. According to Russia's Foreign Ministry, the attack was repelled through the joint efforts of the Russian Ministry of Defence's African Corps and the Nigerien armed forces.
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