The Indonesian province of East Kalimantan has a history of disasters, including severe storms, floods, landslides and fires. [...] Since 2015, Australian volunteers have been working with BPBD East Kalimantan to strengthen their community-based disaster risk reduction program.

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.

A batch of 21 undergraduates from an Australian university participated in a unique 21-day corporate internship programme with top companies based in Mumbai, an official said here on Wednesday. [...] The corporate internship programme was implemented under the ‘Colombo Plan’, first proposed in 1949 by Indian diplomat K.M. Panikkar, through which developing countries could avail academic and training opportunities abroad.

Minister for Defence and National Security Ratu Inoke Kubuabola yesterday met with the Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. [...] “Fiji will pursue the establishment of the Regional Peacekeeping and HADR Centre and we hope development partners will join our efforts and look at a specific component of the model to support.”

China’s island-building in the South China Sea may be the focus of the world’s attention in the region, but what’s happening beneath the waves deserves as much scrutiny and international action. It’s action where Australia could play a significant role. [...] Australia’s engagement with China on fishery matters should include an exchange of technical knowledge, skills and best practices to support better fisheries management.

For Kiribati, adapting to climate change might mean relocating entirely. Pacific islanders’ identities are very much tied to their ancestral land, the physical islands on which they live. Migration may mean a national and cultural loss, especially when most traditions are preserved orally. [...] Anote Tong, former president of Kiribati, advocates for “migrating with dignity.” This policy was designed to give citizens the tools to relocate legally, finding work in other nations like Australia and New Zealand.

Exhibition games, live streaming in Mandarin and by next year a ‘Chinese-influenced’ team all on the agenda for Aussie’s NBL. [...] It’s all part of a master plan that NBL chief executive Jeremy Loeliger hopes will see the Aussie game take off among China’s army of basketball fans. [...] Loeliger believes there’s huge opportunities for China and Australia to work together; he even aims to have a ‘Chinese’ team in the NBL by next year.