"Are all my elves ready? OK, off we go!" A group of Santa and his elves head out into Karuizawa, Japan, to share God’s love.

Leung Wai, from Hong Kong, is burned to pray for Japan after dressing as Santa Claus and being warmly greeted by passers-by last December.

The ANC is fully and entirely responsible for the crisis of electricity in South Africa for the past 17 years, and electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa knows it, says Sikonathi Mantshantsha.

Our freedom, and fortunes as a nation, lie with the likes of the independent and professional men and women as those at the head of the SA Reserve Bank, and very much unlike those at the NPA.

In the latest Auditor-General report, what stands out is persistent underperformance and the level of desperation in local governments. Reliance on consultants who don't solve the underlying problem is no longer sustainable, says Khaya Sithole.

Guest blogger Aimée Eubanks Davis says, "We need to address the resource and social-capital network disparities that often exist between elite private and flagship public institutions and their large public counterparts.

Education groups filed a brief expressing concern that excluding undocumented immigrants would affect census numbers used in several federal education funding programs.

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s recent remarks on his willingness to work with segregationists resurrected his long-ago efforts to oppose school busing. Will it hurt his campaign?

Ensuring and tracking your financial progress, no matter what path your life takes, is easier than navigating careers or relationships. But good habits have to be set up early, says Laura du Preez.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded a $96,099 grant to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Dunham Children’s Learning Center to help reduce fees for eligible students whose children are enrolled at the early childhood education facility in 2024-25.

A 1948 Tucker repaired by students at Pennsylvania College of Technology earned honors at the recent Antique Automobile Club of America’s Eastern Division National Fall Meet in Hershey. The vehicle won the First Junior Award, meaning it was ranked the best among all cars judged for the first time in its class: limited production and prototype vehicles through 1998.

A federal grant that enhanced services for veteran students at Pennsylvania College of Technology recently ended, but its benefits will endure.

David Radice, associate professor of physics and of astronomy and astrophysics, has been selected to receive a Sustainment Award from NASA to advance an open-source code called AthenaK for computational astrophysicists. The grant will provide nearly $920,000 over three years.

Using a new method to turn stripped-down plant cells into other types of cells, Penn State biologists explored how structural banding patterns increase the stability of cell walls. They also explored how their assembly goes astray in mutant plant cells, which could inform methods to break down plant cells for biofuels.

One of the most traditionally time-consuming, labor-intensive processes of apple production is blossom thinning, which involves manually pruning flowers so that remaining blooms can reclaim the plant’s resources to grow better fruit. More recently, the process has shifted to broad chemical spraying, which can have harmful environmental impacts. To assist producers and mitigate environmental harm, the USDA has awarded a three-year, $601,125 grant to a team of Penn State researchers for the development of a robotic precision spraying system.

Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant nutrition, retired this fall after an innovative and impactful 33-year career in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, focused on conducting research to alleviate world hunger and enhance crop production by subsistence farmers in developing countries.

Penn State’s Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation has awarded its inaugural seed grants. These grants are designed to support interdisciplinary research projects that foster collaboration led by Penn State researchers, aiming to make a significant impact on the future of the built environment and real estate practice. 

Many teachers scrapped their lesson plans on Monday and gave their students space to talk about Kobe Bryant.

The Berks LaunchBox recently announced seven recipients of the second round of the “IMAGINE Your Business” grants.

OMers teaching Roma street kids how to read and write reward them for their hard work with a day at the zoo.

TACO, a creative arts ministry working alongside local church planters, sees a new church emerge in Albania.

A Penn State faculty project team has received a two-year Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant totaling $104,771 to create and host a National Forum for Privacy Literacy Standards and Competencies. The forum will be held March 10-11, 2025, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center and online.

A $6.5 million state grant has positioned Penn State Behrend to begin construction of the Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness, an industry-facing research facility and the centerpiece of the college's Project RESOLVE.

Barnes and Noble College — a Barnes and Noble Education company that operates the Penn State Bookstore — has continued its longtime partnership with the University and the Penn State Corporate Engagement Center to award a 2024-25 round of grants supporting a range of programs and initiatives across the commonwealth.

A grant from Barnes & Noble College will fund Penn State Beaver Thrives, an initiative designed to help the campus and local community become more inclusive. The resources and programming of Penn State Beaver Thrives will focus on mental health and neurodiversity. The first program will be a dyslexia simulation program.

While contestant Will admitted that his nerves got the best of him when trying to solve the puzzle, we still think his attempt deserves a round of applause.

An international team of researchers led by Ida Djenontin, assistant professor of geography at Penn State, was recently awarded a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems program to investigate the socioecological outcomes of restoration in degraded woodlands ecosystems.

Penn State Brandywine’s Student Spotlight series highlights the remarkable work being done by students in leadership, academics, service, athletics and more.

The Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State University Libraries has announced that the application period for 2025-26 research grants is now open. Awards are available to support travel and research expenses while utilizing the Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State’s University Park campus. The application deadline is Dec. 10.

Voice assistants (VAs) like Alexa and Siri continue to gain popularity in households and on personal devices. According to digital trends research company Emarketer, the number of VA users will surpass 150 million in 2025. Despite the ubiquity, companies haven’t been able to work around users’ strong negative reactions to advertising on these applications. A research team, including scholars from Penn State, may have a solution.

The News Lab at Penn State has earned a grant to complete two election-related projects as part of a nationwide effort supported by the American Press Institute and the Knight Election Hub.

Like in the Parable of the Sower, many people play an important role in Andrea’s life as she as she comes to faith in Christ.

During a bible study, women start to understand God's love for their children.

An OM team in the Arabian Peninsula focuses first on building community and discovers extraordinary results.

Vukile Property Fund plans to build more solar farms to power its malls and reduce its reliance on Eskom's power by another 5% by the end of March 2023.

Residential rental growth has reached its best levels since the pandemic started, a new report shows.

A Penn State College of Education faculty member is part of a multidisciplinary team across several universities that has been awarded a $3.5 million Transformative Research Grant from the Spencer Foundation to conduct a large-scale, five-year study on community-driven initiatives to teach Asian American studies in K-12 classrooms.

ICTSI said it will use all legal channels to make sure that a Maersk subsidiary, "is not successful in holding the Durban port, and indeed the South African economy hostage to their interests".

It took less than a week for one of Citigroup's recommended Trump trades to sink under water.

An overview of the biggest business developments in SA and beyond.

Nulaid owner Quantum Foods has been ordered to reinstate a nonexecutive director it removed after requesting to see the legal advice it relied on in refusing a shareholders' meeting request for board changes.

OM worker Lynn, along with teammates, ministers to immigrant women in France.

OM France marks OM’s 60th anniversary, inviting International Director, Lawrence Tong, to grace this special occasion.

Students in cities around the country are organizing petition drives that are generating thousands of signatures to demand that their schools offer anti-racist curricula and instruction.

The Penn State Center for Human Evolution and Diversity is currently accepting proposals for grants to support projects occurring during the 2024-25 academic year.

The new U.S. Department of Education guidance creates a federal process for individuals and organizations to file complaints under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

A short-term creative outreach team helps long-term workers connect with several young men in a least-reached area.

The Department of Education has denied 99 percent of applications for public service loan forgiveness under a temporary expanded program funded by Congress, a report finds.

Penn State Sustainability is wrapping up its semester of programming with both a Sustainability Showcase Series and an Intersections Film Series centered on Indigenous food and foodways. Chef Tawnya Brant — a Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) woman, Indigenous food sovereignty leader, restaurant owner, and recent "Top Chef Canada contestant" —will join SustainPSU for a series of events.

The Penn State community is invited to participate in the annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive, a tradition aimed at supporting local families in need and the on-campus Lion’s Pantry.