PRESIDENCY \u2013 The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis told a press conference on Thursday that the Supreme Defence Council, due to convene on May 27, would discuss the public healthcare issue. The head of state explained this decision was made following the most recent public scandal, involving diluted disinfectants, which revealed the extent of the damages caused by the carelessness and corruption in the public healthcare system. Iohannis also mentioned that healthcare was included in the National Defence Strategy. In another development, the President announced on Thursday having signed into law a legislative package on public procurement, which was recently endorsed by Parliament. Iohannis also said he would send back to the Government the Ph.D. bill, because he intended to put an end to the scourge of plagiarism, and the text endorsed by Parliament fails to define a proper legislative framework to encourage excellence.<\/p>\n
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DIPLOMACY \u2013 While on an official visit to London, the Romanian Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc, had a meeting on Thursday with the British Secretary for Defence, Michael Fallon. The talks focused on strengthening the bilateral military cooperation as well as cooperation in preparing the agenda for the forthcoming NATO Summit due in July. The two officials emphasised the critical role of the strategic partnership between the UK and Romania in the current security context. The Romanian Defence Minister also highlighted the strategic important of the Black Sea, as an integral part of Euro-Atlantic security, and the need for a stronger NATO presence along the eastern flank of the Alliance.<\/p>\n
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CULTURE \u2013 The Government of Romania and the Culture Ministry Thursday officially launched the support campaign for the national subscription for purchasing Constantin Brancusis famous work \u201cWisdom of the Earth. The campaign will run until September 30. The work, currently in a private collection, costs 11 million euros, of which the Government announced it would pay 5 million euros, with the balance to be raised through this public campaign. The \u201cWisdom of the Earth, dating back to 1907, alongside works like \u201cThe Kiss and \u201cPrayer, is representative of Brancusis most creative years.<\/p>\n
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PLANE CRASH \u2013 A terror attack is a more likely explanation than technical failure in the case of the airliner that went missing on Thursday in the Mediterranean, says the Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister, Sherif Fatih. Previously the President of France had confirmed that the EgyptAir plane had crashed into the sea. The aircraft, which was flying from Paris to Cairo, carried 66 passengers and crew, mostly Egyptians and French people. A spokesperson for the Greek Army announced that pieces of debris were spotted in the search area around 370 km from the Greek island of Crete. Originally the presumed crash area was off the Karpathos Island, east of Crete. According to the Greek authorities, the aircraft lost contact with the radar little after leaving the Greek airspace and entering Egypts.<\/p>\n
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TENNIS \u2013 Two more Romanians, Sorana C\u00eerstea (99 WTA) and Andreea Mitu (114 WTA) have reached the main draw of the Roland Garros tournament, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, totalling 32 million dollars in prize money. C\u00eerstea defeated Jana Cepelova (Slovakia, 134 WTA) and Mitu outplayed Chinas Jia – Jing Lu (208 WTA). Marius Copil, 190th ranked in ATP rankings, will play Roberto Carballes Baena (115 ATP), while Adrian Ungur, 204th ranked in
\nATP standings, defeated Frances Tiafoe of the United States, 188 ATP. Simona Halep, Irina Begu, Monica Niculescu and Alexandra Dulgheru have already secured qualification to the main draw.<\/p>\n
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