China's defense and foreign ministries have issued separate statements following word a pair of American bombers crossed into this country's new Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Defense ministry says the Chinese military monitored the two B52's during the entire process, including identifying the type of aircraft "in a timely manner".

The spokesperson also added "China is capable of exercising effective control over this airspace".

A Pentagon spokesperson has also confirmed the reports, saying the two bombers flying from Guam were carrying out a planned training exercise.

Meantime, foreign ministry spokesperson Qin Gang has moved to emphasize the zone does not target any specific country.

That comment comes amid reports saying Japan is considering expanding its own defense zone in the region.

 

Chinese premier calls for closer China-Romania exchanges

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has been holding a series of meetings with central and eastern European leaders as part of his time in Romania.

Li Keqiang has sat down separately with the leaders of Montenegro, Macedonia, Slovenia and Albania as part of his time in Bucharest.

The Chinese and Romanian delegations have signed a total of 13 agreements in areas such as transportation, conventional and renewable energy and agriculture.

Li Keqiang is set to make a stop in Uzbekistan today after concluding his first trip to eastern and central Europe since taking office.

 

Italian Senate decides to expel Berlusconi from parliament

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been stripped of his seat in the Italian parliament.

The Italian Senate has voted to remove him from its political ranks following his conviction earlier this year for tax fraud.

Prime Minister Enrico Letta's supporters have voted to strip Berlusconi of his political power.

The 77-year old's supporters in the Parliament voted against the motion.

Speaking at a rally just before the vote, Berlusconi has told his supporters he continues to believe he is the victim of a left-leaning judiciary.

 

Iran, Turkey call for boost of ties

Iran's President has met with Turkey's foreign minister in an attempt to try to tighten ties between his country and Turkey.

Hassan Rouhani has told Ahmet Davutoglu the recent agreement among Iran and the P5+1 can pave the way for closer economic and political ties between Iran and Turkey.

Davutoglu is in Tehran for a regional economic cooperation meeting.

Despite the economic sanctions imposed on Iran over the past number of years, Turkey has maintained a working economic and political relationship with the Islamic Republic.

However, the two sides have been split over the conflict in Syria, as Iran has been a staunch supporter of the Bashar al-Assad administration.

The Turkish government, once an ally of Assad as well, has distanced itself from his administration since the outset of the civil conflict, and has since championed for his removal from power.

 

Protesters torch regional office of Tunisian ruling party

Political tensions in Tunisia have boiled over into violence in a region in the south of the country.

A group of angry protesters have torched a regional office of the ruling Ennahdha Party in Tunisia's southern governate of Gafsa.

There have been no reports of injuries.

The incident comes amid a general strike against the government being staged and led by Tunisia's main labor union.

 

ICTY president says tribunal doing its job

The head of the International Criminal Tribune for the former Yugoslavia is praising the work the body has done over the last 20-years.

The President of the ITCY says the tribunal has managed to establish a number of key precidents connected to international justice during its tenure.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was established in late November of 1993.

It has been tasked with determining criminal responsibility for those involved in the bloody conflicts in the balkans in the early 1990's following the breakup of the former Yugolsavia.

A number of key leaders have been tried and convicted of crimes against humanity during the ethnic conflicts which left thousands dead.

 

Cylinder blast wounds 37 in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Dozens of people have been hurt in an explosion at a wedding party in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

At least 37 people are injured, after a gas cylinder blew up in a village about 250-kilometers south of the regional capital, Srinagar.

A number of those hurt are believed to be in critical condition.

Authorities say they believe the explosion was accidental and has nothing to do with the continued unrest in the Kashmir region.

 

Dubai wins right to host World Expo 2020

Dubai is set to become the first Middle Eastern city to host the World Expo.

Dubai has been awarded the rights to host the Expo in 2020.

The UAE emirate has been chosen ahead of Russia's Yekaterinburg, the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo and Turkey's Izmir.

The Dubai Expo 2020 will be held from October 20th, 2020 to April 10th, 2021.

Authorities are anticipating around 25-million people will visit the Expo. 

Dubai is home to around 2.2 million people, 90 percent of whom are foreigners. 

The emirate is a regional hub for trade, tourism, banking and civil aviation in the Middle East.