Tens of thousands call for Russian PM's dismissal

MOSCOW (AP) — A petition calling on Russia's president to sack Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, whose comments about teachers' pay sparked outrage earlier this week, has attracted more than a hundred thousand signatures.

When asked by a teacher from the impoverished Dagestan region why teachers are paid half as much as police officers, Medvedev retorted that teaching is not a job for those seeking to make a fortune and that teachers could always do odd jobs to supplement their income.

According to change.org, where the online petition appears, the demand that President Vladimir Putin sack Medvedev had attracted more than 160,000 signatures by Friday afternoon.