Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has announced millions in aid for a besieged Philippine city. [...] The assistance is in addition to the A$920,000 emergency food and other supplies assistance that the Australian Foreign Minister had announced last June 20, 2017.

China and the US have conducted joint humanitarian and disaster relief exercises at the US Bellows barracks in Hawaii. On Sunday, troops from the two countries practised providing emergency aid to a third country hit by a devastating typhoon.

The project is part of the new MEITS (Multilingualism - Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies) project based at the University of Cambridge, and funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. [...] Professor Ayres-Bennett said the MEITS project aims to instill a greater understanding of the health and social benefits of learning a language, particularly to help resolve conflict in troubled areas of the world. She added that languages can have a role in building peace and cohesion.