TOKYO, Japan, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — 1. On February 15th, a video was uploaded online purporting to show that 21 Egyptian Copts were murdered by a terrorist group in Libya which declares its loyalty to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The Government... Read more

VATICAN, Holy See, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Pope Francis offered this morning’s Mass in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the 21 Egyptian Copts murdered yesterday in Libya, whose funerals will be held today. “Let us offer this Mass for our 21 brother Copts,... Read more

DAKAR, Senegal, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Senegal Ministry of Education and Samsung Electronics Africa (http://www.samsung.com/africa_en) today announced the launch of a mobile education solution aimed at creating positive change and providing an advanced and interactive classroom experience for learners. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/samsung.jpg Installed at the Plan... Read more

LOME, Togo, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Lomé, the capital of Togo, will host the first Africa Best Practices Forum on 26 and 27 February 2015 (http://www.africabestpractices.com). Pan-African bank Ecobank, recruitment agency AfricSearch and company Ellipse Communication are working together, with the support of the World Bank... Read more

PARIS, France, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Leading professional African news portal Africa Intelligence (http://www.africaintelligence.fr) today unveils its new graphic identity with revamped logos, attractive colours, improved ergonomics and smoother navigation. This restyling marks the conclusion of an ambitious digital transition programme started nearly two years ago... Read more

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Tuesday said the mass beheading of 20 Egyptian Coptic Christians and apparently another Christian man in Libya was a “vile crime targeting people on the basis of their religion”... Read more

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A steady increase in the number of people internally displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria and fleeing to neighboring countries in the Lake Chad region calls for an expanded humanitarian response, according to a recently concluded IOM assessment... Read more

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM teams in Italy reported Tuesday (17/2) that 933 migrants have arrived on the island of Lampedusa during the past 24 hours, bringing to at least 3,800 the total number of survivors rescued from the Mediterranean since Friday (13/2). In... Read more

NAIROBI, Kenya, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “Agricultural research and development in Mozambique is an important tool for increasing production, and consequently reducing household malnutrition and poverty, particularly in children and women,” says Olivia Narciso Pedro, a lecturer and researcher at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo,... Read more

BERLIN, Germany, February 17, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Minister Steinmeier issued the following statement in Bogotá on 16 February on the murder of 21 Egyptian hostages in Libya: I condemn this cruel crime in the strongest terms. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathy are with those whose loved... Read more