UN blacklists Boko Haram

The United Nations imposed sanctions on Boko Haram Thursday, blacklisting it as an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organization as protesters stepped up demands on Nigeria to release 200 kidnapped schoolgirls.
The terror designation, immediately welcomed by the United States, subjects Boko Haram to an arms embargo and asset freeze, though it remains unclear what practical impact it will have.
The group, which demands the creation of an Islamic state in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria, has recently escalated its campaign of attacks that have left thousands dead since 2009.
US Ambassador Samantha Power hailed the sanctions as "an important step" to support Nigeria in defeating "Boko Haram and hold its murderous leadership accountable for atrocities."
In the Nigerian capital Abuja, about 200 protesters called on President Goodluck Jonathan to do more to recover more than 200 girls kidnapped from a school by Boko Haram on April 14.
The mass abduction has triggered worldwide outrage.
The United States announced Wednesday that 80 military personnel had been deployed to Chad to help find the 223 missing girls.
The deployment marks a significant boost to an existing US military effort, which includes the use of unarmed surveillance drones, as well as manned aircraft over Nigeria.