PEACE PLAN Bucharest has taken note of the US peace plan for the Middle East
\nand is analyzing it, Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu says in a
\nmessage posted on a social network. Aurescu says that Romania supports the plan
\nbased on the two-state solution and will try to participate in the dialogue
\ninside the EU and to promote diplomatic efforts with all the partners involved.
\nOn Tuesday, the US president Donald Trump released the long-awaited Middle East
\npeace plan, which proposes a realistic two-state solution but was rejected by
\nthe Palestinians. The plan promises to keep Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided
\ncapital, an independent Palestinian state, and the recognition of Israeli
\nsovereignty over West Bank settlements. Under the plan some territories will be
\nceded to the Palestinians who will have a capital in eastern Jerusalem. The
\ndocument also comprises security guarantees for Israel and economic stimulus
\npackages for the Palestinians. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab
\nEmirates have hailed the US peace plan, which has been criticized by Jordan and
\nTurkey. The EU has reiterated its firm commitment to a negotiated and viable
\ntwo-state solution. <\/p>\n
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VIRUS The general director of the World Health Organisation on Thursday
\nsummoned a fresh meeting of the committee on the new Chinese coronavirus to
\ndecide whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency situation at
\ninternational level. Air
\ncompanies across the world have decided to suspend or decrease the number of
\nflights to continental China, following the spread of the coronavirus that has
\nkilled 132 people so far. The total number of confirmed infections has reached
\n6,000. More and more countries have evacuated or are planning to evacuate their
\ncitizens from the province of Wuhan, where the virus emerged. A Romanian
\nnational has also asked to be evacuated from the affected area. Although
\nexperts say the virus is not that lethal as SARS, its rapid spread and unknown
\ncharacteristics has triggered a lot of concern.
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VOTE The Liberal government in Bucharest on Wednesday assumed
\nresponsibility in Parliament for amending the law on returning to the two-round
\nvoting system in the election of mayors. The National Liberal Party says the
\nmove is meant to increase the candidates’ representation and according to the
\ncountry’s Liberal Prime Minister, Ludovic Orban, the present system limits the
\ncitizens’ right to replace a mayor they aren’t satisfied with. The opposition Social-Democrats
\nsay the election laws cannot be amended less than a year before the election, and
\nhave announced their intention to table a censure motion. Since its coming to
\noffice last November the new cabinet has repeatedly assumed responsibility for several
\nlaws and amendments including the budget draft this year. <\/p>\n
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TENNIS Romanian tennis player Simona Halep on Wednesday
\ngot through to the semifinals of the Australian Open, the year’s first Grand
\nSlam tournament. In the quarterfinals, it only took Halep 55 minutes to thrash
\nWTA 31st-placed tennis player, Estonian Annet Kontaveit, 6-1, 6-1.
\nSimona Halep’s run in the Melbourne tournament so far has been a win-all one. Halep’s
\nqualification for the semifinals brought her a cheque worth 1,040,000 AUD and
\n780 WTA points. It is the second time when Halep has made headway into the
\nAustralian Open’s semifinals. We recall that Simona first reached the finals in
\n2018, when she was defeated by Danish challenger Caroline Wozniacki. Also in
\n2018, Halep won the Roland Garros, also winning the Wimbledon tournament in
\n2019. The Romanian will be next playing Spanish challenger Garbine Muguruza. <\/p>\n
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(translated by bill)<\/p>\n
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