Endangered lions to be protected under US law

MIAMI• • African lions are at risk of extinction and will be protected under US law as an endangered species, the authorities declared on Monday. Certain types of the iconic big cats of west Africa and India are now considered endangered because they are in "dramatic decline", the US Fish and Wildlife Service said.

The decision, which follows the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe by an American dentist earlier this year, will pave the way for stricter regulations on the import and export of lion carcasses.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Boko Haram keeping kids out of school: UN

LAGOS• • The Boko Haram insurgency has kept more than one million children out of school, the United Nations children's agency reported yesterday, highlighting fears that a lack of education will fuel further radicalism in and around Nigeria. Over 2,000 schools are closed across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, while hundreds of others have been attacked, looted, or set on fire by Boko Haram in its quest to create an Islamic state, said Unicef.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE