language

TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan authorities have deported a group of Somali migrants detained in the capital, the country’s Anti-Illegal Migration Agency said Monday, underscoring an intensified campaign against irregular migration that has swept up foreign nationals across the North African state. In a statement, the agency said the migrants were held at a detention center in eastern Tripoli and removed from the country after court orders and verification of travel documents. Officials said the deportations were carried out in…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump repeatedly called Somali immigrants in the United States “garbage” during a televised Cabinet meeting, sharpening years of incendiary rhetoric on immigration and drawing swift condemnation at home and abroad. In the meeting’s two-minute finale Tuesday, Trump said four times in seven seconds that “Somali immigrants are garbage,” then added five times, “We don’t want ’em in our country.” He continued: “Let ’em go back to where they came from and fix it.” Cabinet members applauded. Vice…

Brazil’s COP30 presidency pushed a compromise climate deal through in the Amazon city of Belém on Saturday that boosts finance for poorer nations but omits any explicit mention of fossil fuels — a glaring absence that exposed deep fractures among negotiating parties. The two-week summit, intended to show nations can still join forces on climate change after the United States declined to send an official delegation, ended after overnight negotiations and an overtime plenary in which several countries formally registered…

Reinstating English in Nigerian Education: A Policy Shift Sparks Debate The Nigerian government has officially scrapped a three-year-old policy that mandated the teaching of indigenous languages in early education, reinstating English as the medium of instruction from pre-primary all the way to university levels. This sudden policy reversal has ignited a spirited discourse among education specialists, parents, and analysts alike. The Original Policy and Its Challenges Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced the…

Marian Hassan, a passionate educator, has dedicated her career to teaching Minnesotans about the Somali language and capturing oral histories from elderly Somali residents. This enthusiastic endeavor is essential to stopping the impending loss of language in the state. With her insightful work, Marian highlights an issue close to her heart—protecting Somalia's rich cultural legacy. Although Somali ranks as the third most spoken language in Minnesota, following English and Spanish, it's fascinating to realize that it wasn't…

In a recent rally, Donald Trump firmly asserted to his followers that he is "not a Nazi." His statement aimed to counter accusations of authoritarianism, notably from a former senior aide who had labeled him a fascist. As the election heads into its tense final week, the rivalry between him and Kamala Harris, the sitting vice president, has escalated, with both sides intensifying their political discourse amidst a historic campaign. Harris, a Democrat, has accused Trump of inciting division across the nation. While she…

FARGO — First-time voters need to catch on to the basics, but picking up scoops on candidates seems daunting when English ain't your native lingo. It's like deciphering a secret code buried in the news or on the web. Tackling these language barriers, the League of Women Voters in Red River Valley joined forces with local champs, rolling out digital voting tools in English, Somali, and Arabic. These resources center on North Dakota's House and Senate hopefuls. "Folks will be stunned by our community's linguistic diversity,"…

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (AX) — In Stearns County, language barriers continue to thwart Somali-speaking residents from exercising their voting rights, despite Minnesota's efforts to promote accessible voting. With no legal stipulations for Somali interpreters at polling stations, many potential voters struggle with English proficiency, hindering their ability to cast votes. Minnesota legislation mandates voting materials in Somali, Spanish, and Hmong to reflect prevalent non-English languages in the state. However, these…

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the sign language used by the deaf, dumb and hard of hearing is currently the subject of intensive work by experts, interpreters and teachers from several provinces in the country. Called to Kinshasa by the Ministry of Disability, they must meet for thirty days to agree on a glossary of signs to be used so that there will be a unified strategy throughout the…