MAIDUGURI: Nigerian teachers went on strike and staged rallies nationwide yesterday in protest against the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls by the Islamist Boko Haram sect and the killing of nearly as many teachers during its insurgency. Boko Haram gunmen stormed a school outside the remote northeastern town of Chibok on April 14, carting some 270 girls away in trucks. More than 50 have since escaped but at least 200 remain in captivity, as do scores of other girls kidnapped previously. National Union of Teachers (NUT) President Micheal Alogba Olukoya told reporters that Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is sinful,” had killed 173 teachers over five years. In Maiduguri, capital of the northeastern state of Borno where the insurgency is most intense, around 40 teachers marched down a street past rows of cicada trees to the office of Governor Kashim Shettima chanting “bring back our girls” and holding placards saying “vulnerable schools should be fenced”.
Fake medicines worth $31.4m seized
LONDON: Law enforcement agents have arrested 237 people worldwide in a 10-day crackdown on fake drugs, resulting in the seizure of counterfeit and unlicensed medicines worth $31.4m, Britain’s healthcare watchdog said. The haul of 8.4 million doses of medicines included potentially harmful slimming pills, controlled drugs such as diazepam, anabolic steroids and anti-impotence pills. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which was responsible for seizing products, said that the Interpol-coordinated operation was conducted between May 11 and 21. The crackdown also targeted 10,603 websites, leading them to be closed down or suspended through having their domain name or payment facilities removed. India was the source of 72 percent of the illicit medicines seized in Britain, while China accounted for 11 percent, the MHRA added.
Floodwaters recede in the Balkans
BELGRADE: Floodwaters crept lower in the Balkans yesterday after the region’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory, revealing widespread devastation as governments sought outside aid and warned of major damage to their economies. Fifty-one people were confirmed to have died, but the toll could still rise. There is also a risk of epidemics from rotting livestock carcasses. In Serbia more than 30,000 people were evacuated, with some 1,750 buildings destroyed and 2,250 flooded. In Bosnia 100,000 had to flee, while in Croatia authorities said 38,000 people have been affected, with some 2,000 houses and 199 farms destroyed.
Debris found in search for missing UK sailors
LONDON: The crew of a charter boat taking part in a search for four British sailors missing in the Atlantic Ocean has found some floating debris in the area where their yacht went missing six days ago, the captain said yesterday. Patrick Michel, skipper of the Masili, said his crew had spotted a wooden plank that could be part of the cabin and some white foam or plastic in the northern part of the search area. He said the debris appeared new as it was free of barnacles but the owner of the missing yacht, the Cheeki Rafiki, would need to confirm that the debris was from the boat. Agencies
