The Mexican Government has suspended tariffs on a range of agricultural and fishery products.

Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal face off in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator II." Review.

The package for Mattel's 'Wicked' dolls has a shocking error.

Disney+'s 2025 slate also includes new seasons of 'Andor' and 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians,' and originals like 'Chad Powers.'

The Mongolia Mining Exhibition is the country’s top mining & oil event with Mongolia Mining Expo 2023 being the 12th year of the Expo. The Expo has been central to successful market entry and expansion strategies for many Australian METS firms. Attracting senior executives, mine superintendents, procurement managers, technical staff and potential partners, Mongolia Mining Expo is seen as the gathering of the Mongolian mining industry.

Australia’s Capricornia Contact Lens has signed a A$4.74 million joint venture with Guangzhou Ruitai Biotech to set up EPICON, an entity that will conduct R&D and manufacture scleral lens and other ophthalmic products.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has received two applications for preliminary permits for a pumped storage project at Lake Elsinore in California.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved plans to add around 25,500 MW of renewable energy resources and 15,000 MW of energy storage and demand response resources by 2032.  The decision also adopted a 35 million metric ton (MMT) electric sector greenhouse gas emission (GHG) planning target. That goal, also to be achieved by 2032, is tighter than an earlier 46 […]

NVIDIA today announced a series of collaborations with SoftBank Corp. designed to accelerate Japan’s sovereign AI initiatives and further its global technology leadership while also unlocking billions of dollars in AI revenue opportunities for telecommunications providers worldwide.

Robotics developers can greatly accelerate their work on AI-enabled robots, including humanoids, using new AI and simulation tools and workflows that NVIDIA revealed this week at the Conference for Robot Learning (CoRL) in Munich, Germany. The lineup includes the general availability of the NVIDIA Isaac Lab robot learning framework; six new humanoid robot learning workflows Read Article

International Graduate Student Conference (IGSC) 2025 International Graduate Student Conference (IGSC) 2025

Does International Human Rights Law Still Matter in Hong Kong? Does International Human Rights Law Still Matter in Hong Kong?

2024 Fall Meeting of the EWC Board of Governors 2024 Fall Meeting of the EWC Board of Governors

2025 EWC/EWCA International Alumni Conference in Singapore 2025 EWC/EWCA International Alumni Conference in Singapore

An obscure three-story shikumen (stone-gate) building, tucked away in Shanghai’s busy Xintiandi commercial hub, has become a site of pilgrimage for tens of thousands of South Koreans every year.

A group of young foreign tourists went on a fantastic journey to Sanya, a popular coastal destination in south China’s Hainan Province. The exhilarated youngsters were fascinated by the picturesque scenery,

THE International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 — which opened in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, last week — offers a comprehensive and on-site “101 handbook” for gardening devotees

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley made history November 5 by becoming the first Kenyan-born immigrant elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. She describes her victory as a testament to resilience, determination and the realization of the American dream. Standing in the State Capitol for the first time on the morning of her orientation, Hiltsley told VOA she was overwhelmed with emotions and eager to start her journey as an elected official. “I am super excited,” Hiltsley said. “Today is orientation day for new legislators, and to be standing in this Capitol as an African immigrant woman is a tremendous honor. I’m just overexcited right now.” She said this milestone did not come easily. Her path to the Minnesota State Capitol was marked by struggles, including a fight against an immigration system that nearly led to her family’s deportation. She credits much of her success to the community support and the intervention of the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, whose advocacy she said ultimately secured her family’s green cards and, later, citizenship. “Getting to this moment honestly is just a testament to the struggles that my family has gone through to be in this country,” she said. There has been a media frenzy surrounding Hiltsley’s victory and it has captured the attention of Kenyan media, with celebrations taking place in her hometown, Nyamemiso village, which is eight hours from Nairobi, Kenya's capital. Despite the attention, Hiltsley said she remains humble.  “I’m that little girl from that little village somewhere in the middle of Kenya, and now I’m in the spotlight of this media frenzy. And so, I’m still trying to really appreciate the magnitude of the moment,” she said. Hiltsley said she has a desire to inspire others, particularly young girls in Kenya and the United States. "It is still surreal,” she said, adding that “if I can make it to this point, I can be a role model to somebody to remind them that it is possible that our wildest dreams are possible. And that would be something that I would look back and say, wow, I’ve made a difference in somebody’s life.” Her legislative priorities Looking ahead, Hiltsley said she is committed to championing issues that matter to her constituents in Minnesota’s Legislative District 38A. Her priorities include community-centered public safety policies, affordable housing options, workers’ rights and support for small businesses — many of which are run by African immigrants. “The resources are out here,” she said, promising to empower her community. “It is my job to go back to my community and tell them, hey, there are resources here. This is how this system works. Let’s work together to mobilize and make sure that we are also taking a piece of the pie,” she said. As the first Kenyan American woman in Minnesota's Legislature, Hiltsley said she recognizes the weight and responsibility of her position. She described it as “an honor that I don’t take lightly.” “I don’t want to be the last,” she, adding that she hopes "this moment right here is a testimony that you can come to this country, work hard, take care of business, know your craft, stick to it, be consistent and get to where you want to.” Her message to those who have yet to succeed in their political campaigns is clear: Perseverance is key. “Be consistent. Keep going. There’s enough space in this Legislature for more people of color, especially immigrants, because that’s the voice that is missing,” Hiltsley said. Changing political scene Hiltsley shared her thoughts on the changing political landscape in Washington, particularly with the coming administration under President-elect Donald Trump. While acknowledging the challenges, she said she will stay focused on serving her constituents in Minnesota, regardless of politics. “We are here to serve the people, and it doesn’t matter if you are Democrat or Republican,” she said. “We are here as legislators to serve the people of Minnesota.” Hiltsley also shared her heartfelt message to fellow Kenyans who have been celebrating her historic achievement. “This is a historical moment, and I’m honored to be a Kenyan American,” she said. “Let’s continue celebrating this victory, but after that, we have work to do.” She said her eyes are set on not just her role in Minnesota, but also finding ways to collaborate with Kenya’s leaders to address issues facing the country, including corruption and a lack of strong leadership. “Kenya has unlimited potential,” she said. “It’s up to our leaders to do right by the people.” Hiltsley will officially take her seat in the Minnesota State House of Representatives and be sworn in on January 7. Representatives are elected to serve two-year terms. This story originated in VOA’s Swahili Service. Salem Solomon contributed to the report from Washington.

Abidjan, Ivory Coast — Burkina Faso's military regime wants to reinstate the death penalty after the West African country abolished it in 2018, a government source told AFP on Saturday.  The latest execution in Burkina Faso was in 1988, according to Amnesty International.  Reintroducing capital punishment to the penal code "is being considered. It's up to the government to discuss it, then make the proposal to the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) for adoption," the source said, adding that the date had not been chosen.  Justice Minister Rodrigue Bayala said Friday — after parliament passed a bill introducing community service — that "the issue of death penalty, which is being discussed, will be implemented in the draft criminal code."  Bayala also said there could be further amendments to the criminal code, "to follow the vision and the guidelines given by the head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traore," who seized power in a September 2022 coup.  The Burkinabe government in July passed a bill that included plans to ban homosexuality.  Amnesty International has reported a surge in the use of the death penalty on the African continent, saying in a statement in October that "recorded executions more than tripled and recorded death sentences increased significantly by 66%."  On the other hand, the rights group noted that "24 countries across sub-Saharan Africa have abolished the death penalty for all crimes while two additional countries have abolished it for ordinary crimes only."   "Kenya and Zimbabwe currently have bills tabled to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, while Gambia ... has commenced a constitutional amendment process that will ... effectively abolish the death penalty," it said. 

Pakistani and Indian Journalists at Media Conference: Why Fight Each Other, When We’re All Fighting the Same Issues? Pakistani and Indian Journalists at Media Conference: Why Fight Each Other, When We’re All Fighting the Same Issues?

Expert: Western Public Health Authorities’ Communication Missteps in Dealing with COVID Led to Public Mistrust Expert: Western Public Health Authorities’ Communication Missteps in Dealing with COVID Led to Public Mistrust

The Spirit of the International Polar Year in Arctic International Cooperation The Spirit of the International Polar Year in Arctic International Cooperation