Extraordinary bonds are forming on seemingly ordinary Saturdays as students and newcomers from Syria, Turkey, and Iraq spend the days conversing in Arabic and English at the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations Cultural Exchange Support Initiative (NMC-CESI) at U of T. The NMC-CESI acts as a resource for Syrian refugees and other newcomers from Arabic-speaking countries to improve their English

Top US economist Larry Summers recently tweeted this in relation to America’s focus on its so-called special relationship with the UK. And he’s right. The economic impact on the US – or any other country – that closes off its trade barriers with countries that are different to it would be enormous. Language matters on a large-scale national level and at the level of smaller businesses. 

Do Chinese people like to laugh?  Well stand-up comedy in general is a new idea to Chinese culture and expat English language comedy in China is an even bigger novelty given that the Beijing circuit is still in its infancy at around four years old. Currently the scene has two English language stand-up clubs, which hold a combination of three weekly open mics at various bars throughout the city. 

State-run broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) officially launched its first English-language channel TRT World late Tuesday. [...] Speaking at the gala, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wished success to the channel and said: "I believe TRT World will be Turkey's window to the world".

Some 13,000 Jewish youth are expected to come to Israel this coming year to participate in Masa, the organization announced on Thursday. The program provides Jewish youth the opportunity to participate in over 250 immersive Israel programs ranging in length from six months to a year, which include internships, study abroad programs, and volunteer opportunities. 

As a competitive contender to be one of the world’s top tourist destinations in the coming years, Morocco has redeveloped its brand to specifically target the wider, English-speaking audience and further showcase the cultural diversity and historical vibrancy of its country. In cooperation with Spring, a strategic communications design agency based in the UK, the Moroccan National Tourist Office (MNTO) launched the Much Morocco campaign targeted at the English- speaking market.