Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with his Bulgarian counterpart Rosen Plevneliev here in Beijing.

The two sides are pledging to deepen their relationship.

Xi Jinping and Plevneliev have also overseen the signing of several cooperation agreements.

Among the deals are projects connected to maritime transport and the establishment of cultural centers. 

Plevneliev is in China onr a four-day state visit.

 

China warns Japan against provocative actions on issues related to the Diaoyu Islands

The Chinese government has issued a new statement, warning Japan will face a resolute response from the Chinese side if it continues provocative action connected to the Diaoyu Islands.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying says the historical facts about Japan's theft of the Diaoyu Islands are crystal clear. 

The new comments come amid media reports the Japanese government is to define the Diaoyu Islands as its inherent territory in textbooks for students.

Japan's Defense Minister is also on-record saying its Self-Defense Forces will cooeprate with the Coast Guard in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands, as Chinese naval vessels continue patrolling the area.

 

Iranian, Syrian foreign ministers to visit Moscow this week

The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria are due to travel to Moscow this week to meet with their Russian counterpart.

Mohammad Zarif and Walid al-Moallem are meeting with Sergei Lavrov to discuss Iran's potential involvement in next week's Geneva II conference on Syria.

The meeting in Moscow comes following a meeting among Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry and special representative Lakhdar Brahimi in Paris this weekend.

The Russian government has been pressing to have Iran involved in the forthcoming peace talks in Geneva.

However, others involved, including the US side, have been opposed to Iran's involvement.

The Iranian government has long been a champion of the Bashar al-Assad administration in Syria.

 

UN chief in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi leaders

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been meeting with Iraqi leaders amid the al-Qaeda-linked insurgency taking place in Fallujah.

The UN chief says he's urged the Iraqi leaders to deal with the root of the problem in Anbar province.

Anbar has been a focal point of the continuing problems in Iraq, as a significant percentage of the local population is from the Sunni minority.

Many Sunni's have felt disenfranchised by the Shiite-led administration in Baghdad.

The unrest has allowed groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levent to gain power.

That power grab culminated in the group taking over the city of Fallujah, which it still maintains control of.

 

Former Israeli PM Sharon laid to rest in family ranch

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been laid to rest in his ranch in southern Israel.

This is the last stage of a funeral procession which began in Jerusalem on Monday morning.

That public ceremony was attended by a number of international dignitaries.

The final ceremony has seen his sons and Sharon's close friends wish the 85-year old goodbye.

Sharon died on Saturday after his kidney's gave out after lying in a coma for 8-years following a stroke.

 

Austrian dead in car blast identified as politician: report

It's being reported a man killed in a vehicle explosion in Austria over the weekend was a local politician.

The 45-year-old was a Social Democratic Party councilor in Upper Austria.

The politican and another person were killed after a hand grenade went off in the vehicle they were in.

Authorities have not elaborated on the circumstances behind the explosion.

 

Italy's industrial production sees first annualized rise in 2 years

Italy's industrial production has seen its first annualized increase of 1.4-percent in November, ending a 26-month run of year-on-year delines.

At the same time, the yield on Italy's three-year bond hit a record low of 1.5-percent on Monday, the lowest since the country adopted the euro in 1999. 

Italy's gross domestic product stopped contracting in the third quarter, ending eight consecutive quarters of negative growth. 

Analysts are suggesting foreign demand is going to continue to be driving force behind Italy's recovery this year.

 

New 10 euro note unveiled for the first time

The European Central Bank has unveiled a new 10-euro note.

The note is set to go into circulation in September.

Yves Mersch, an ECB executive board member, says the new bill has additional security features to help prevent counterfeiting.

He says the new note will be easy to check, both manually and visually.

In addition to the portrait of Europa in the hologram and the watermark, the notes include an emerald number, which changes colour from emerald green to deep blue.

Some 334 million people in 18 countries now use the euro.

 

Shangri-la fire caused by electricial fault

Local authorities in Yunnan say the fire which destroyed large portions of the ancient town in Shangri-la was caused by an electrical fault.

343 houses were destroyed and over 26-hundred people have been relocated after the blaze broke out in the Dukezong Ancient Town on Saturday.

Local authorities say that based on parliamentary investigation, the careless use of electricity by an inn manger led to an electrical fault which then set a curtain on fire. 

The fire soon spread across the mountain town, where most of the buildings are wooden structures. 

Apart from the homes and other infrastructure being destroyed, the fire also damaged several cultural relics and other Tibetan art in the popular tourist destination.