BBC News with Sue Montgomery
The United States officials say two American B-52 bombers have flown through a newly announced Chinese air defence zone in the east China sea without informing the Chinese authorities. On Saturday, Beijing said it was requiring aircraft to report their flight plans before entering the zone. Jonny Dymond reports from Washington.
The self-declared east China Sea Air Defence Identification zone includes the skies over islands whose sovereignty is disputed by China and Japan, it was declared by China over the weekend and immediately condemned as destabilising by the US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel. China said it would take defensive emergency measures against any aircraft that failed to file flight plans before entering the airspace. The two American bombers did not identify themselves or file such plans and the Pentagon says they were neither observed no contacted by the Chinese authorities.
The United Nations Deputy Secretary General has sounded an alarm about the chaotic situation in the Central African Republic admitting that it was late response. Jan Eliasson said that the UN has received many reports of massacres, rapes, summary executions and recruitment of child soldiers since rebels took power in March. Civilians were starving, he said, calling for swift international response. He welcomed the French announcement that it would send more troops.
The French already have 400 personnel on the ground and are planning to send, I think, something that would be a contigent of 1,200 and I understand from my French colleagues that they are acting very soon, very soon.
Pope Francis has outlined a mission statement for his papacy arguing that the power of the Roman Catholic Church is too concentrated in the Vatican. From Rome David Willey.
Pope Francis says he prefers the church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. Excessive centralization, rather than proving helpful, complicates the Church's life and her missionary outreach, he says. The document suggests major changes are on the way, with Francis noting that the Church has to get over an attitude that says: We have always done it this way.
The man who organized the last football World Cup in South Africa says Brazil faces huge challenges to get ready for the next's tournament. Danny Jordaan who's also in FIFA's World Cup organizing committee told the BBC that Brazil may need to ask those building the stadiums to work around the clock, as South Africa did when it was running behind schedule. Six of the 12 venues including the stadium in Sao Paolo where the opening game will be played are not yet ready.
World News from the BBC
Portugal's parliament has given final approval to a national budget that includes unprecedented cuts in public sector pay and further savings of almost four billion Euros. Government employees will have five hours added to the working week and up to 12% cut of their salaries.
Israeli security forces say they've killed three Palestinians in the West Bank south of the city of Hebron. The Israelis said the three men were militant members of an al-Qaeda-linked network. A security official said the men planned attacks in the coming days against Israeli targets and the Palestinian authority.
The Cuban government says it has been forced to close most of its consular services in the United States because it has been unable to find a bank to take its business. Havana's diplomatic mission in Washington said in a statement that M&T bank had informed that in July that it will no longer provide banking services to foreign missions. The Cuban missions said that it had been impossible to find a replacement despite efforts with US state department and several banks. It blamed long-standing economic sanctions.
The French Sport Minister Valerie Fourneyron has called her colleagues around the Europe to help stage football matches to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the once played by first World War soldiers between the trenches. The games happened during a festival break in the violence. As Paul Henley reports.
Next December, it will be 100 years since allied and German troops called a Christmas truce amid slaughter in the trenches of Belgium and northern France to play football peacefully together. It was a move disapproved of by the officers who saw it as fraternizing with the enemy and it wasn't repeated. The French Minister Valerie Fourneyron is picking up on a suggestion from the European Football's governing body UEFA to commemorate the matches, she says she wants to add a political dimension to what she calls a great movement of friendship.Paul Henley is reporting.