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US President Donald Trump has presented his long-awaited Middle East peace plan, promising to keep Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital.

He proposed an independent Palestinian state and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over West Bank settlements.

Standing alongside Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Mr Trump said his proposals "could be the last opportunity" for Palestinians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the plans as a "conspiracy".

"I say to Trump and Netanyahu: Jerusalem is not for sale, all our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain. And your deal, the conspiracy, will not pass," he said in a televised address from Ramallah in the West Bank.

The blueprint, which aims to solve one of the world's longest-running conflicts, was drafted under the stewardship of President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Thousands of Palestinians protested in the Gaza Strip earlier on Tuesday, while the Israeli military deployed reinforcements in the occupied West Bank.

The joint announcement came as both Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu faced political challenges at home. Mr Trump is the subject of an impeachment trial in the US Senate while the Israeli PM on Tuesday dropped his bid for immunity on corruption charges. Both men deny any wrongdoing.

David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel, said that the timing of the announcement was not tied to any political development, adding it had been "fully baked" for some time.

Meanwhile, reports said Mr Netanyahu was planning to press ahead with annexing 30% of the occupied West Bank, with a cabinet vote due on Sunday.

More than 400,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements. Those settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

Mr Friedman said Israel did "not have to wait at all" to move ahead with annexation.

What are Trump's key proposals?

"Today, Israel takes a big step towards peace," Mr Trump told officials and reporters at the White House.

"My vision presents a win-win opportunity for both sides, a realistic two-state solution that resolves the risk of Palestinian statehood to Israel's security."

His proposals are:

• The US will recognise Israeli sovereignty over territory that Mr Trump's plan envisages being part of Israel. The plan includes a conceptual map that Mr Trump says illustrates the territorial compromises that Israel is willing to make
• The map will "more than double the Palestinian territory and provide a Palestinian capital in eastern Jerusalem", where Mr Trump says the US would open an embassy. The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) said Mr Trump's plan would give Palestinians control over 15% of what it called "historic Palestine".
• Jerusalem "will remain Israel's undivided capital". Both Israel and the Palestinians hold competing claims to the holy city. The Palestinians insist that East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, be the capital of their future state.
• An opportunity for Palestinians to "achieve an independent state of their very own" - however, he gave few details.
• "No Palestinians or Israelis will be uprooted from their homes" - suggesting that existing Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank will remain.
• Israel will work with the king of Jordan to ensure that the status quo governing the key holy site in Jerusalem known to Jews as the Temple Mount and al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims is preserved. Jordan runs the religious trust that administers the site.
• Territory allocated to Palestinians in Mr Trump's map "will remain open and undeveloped for a period of four years". During that time, Palestinians can study the deal, negotiate with Israel, and "achieve the criteria for statehood".
• Nov 2019: Trump administration says it no longer considers Israeli settlements in occupied territory as inconsistent with international law, putting the US at odds with most of international community
• Dec 2017: Donald Trump announces US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital - Palestinians cut off relations with Trump administration
• April 2014: Last round of direct Israel-Palestinian peace talks collapse amid acrimony
• Sept 2000- Feb 2005: Second Palestinian uprising
• Sept 1993: Israel-Palestinians sign Oslo peace accords, agreeing framework for eventual peace deal; 20 years of on-off peace talks - and violence - follow
• Dec 1987-Sept 1993: First Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation
• June 1967: Middle East war - Israel occupies East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza Strip; years of hostility and bloodshed follow; UN Security Council Resolution 242 calls on Israel to withdraw from "territories occupied in recent conflict" and recognises the right of "every state in the area to live in peace within secure and recognised boundaries"
• May 1948: British Mandate for Palestine terminates; Israeli statehood declared, Arab countries invade, conflict creates 700,000 Palestinian refugees; 800,000 Jews expelled or flee from Arab countries in wake
• Nov 1947: UN recommends partitioning Mandate Palestine into Jewish and Arab states - Jewish leadership in Palestine accept, Arab leadership reject; violence between two sides escalates
• July 1922: League of Nations entrusts Britain as Mandatory power to put terms of Balfour Declaration into effect
• Dec 1917: British forces conquer and occupy Palestine; in years that follow, violence between Jews and Arabs increases
• Nov 1917: Britain (fighting Ottoman Empire in WWI) issues "Balfour Declaration" expressing support for Jewish "national home" in Palestine on condition that the rights of non-Jewish communities there are not prejudiced
• Pre-1917: Turkish Ottoman Empire rules over Jewish and Arab communities in geographical area referred to as Palestine, the Holy Land or (by Jews) the Land of Israel

"Palestinians are in poverty and violence, exploited by those seeking to use them as pawns to advance terrorism and extremism. They deserve a far better life," Mr Trump said.

He also indicated that the West Bank would not be cut in half under the plan.

"We will also work to create a contiguous territory within the future Palestinian state, for when the conditions for statehood are met, including the firm rejection of terrorism," he said.

Israeli officials said Mr Netanyahu would fly to Moscow on Wednesday to discuss the proposals with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A plan that overturns Palestinian aspirations

Until now all of the most difficult aspects of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal - the so-called final status issues - like borders; the future of Israeli settlements in the West Bank; the long-term status of Jerusalem; and the fate of Palestinian refugees, were to be left for face-to-face talks between the Israelis and Palestinians themselves.

Not any longer. The deal proposed by President Trump and enthusiastically endorsed by Prime Minister Netanyahu essentially frames all of these issues in Israel's favour.

The Palestinians were not just absent from this meeting - they have boycotted the Trump administration ever since it unilaterally moved its embassy to Jerusalem. But they have essentially been presented with an ultimatum - accept the Trump parameters or else, and they have been given some four years to come around.

While President Trump is offering the Palestinians a state it would be a much truncated one. No Jewish settlers will be uprooted and Israeli sovereignty will apparently be extended to the settlement blocs and the Jordan Valley. The Palestinians might have a capital in the East Jerusalem suburbs. This "take it or leave it offer" will appal many long-standing students of the region. The question now is not so much what benefit this deal might bring but how much damage it may do by over-turning Palestinian aspirations.

What reaction has there been?

In his address, President Abbas said it was "impossible for any Palestinian, Arab, Muslim or Christian child to accept" a Palestinian state without Jerusalem as its capital.

"We say a thousand times, no, no, no," he said. "We rejected this deal from the start and our stance was correct."

The militant Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, also rejected the deal which it said aimed "to liquidate the Palestinian national project".

The UN said it remained committed to a two-state solution based on the borders in place before the 1967 war, when Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza.

A spokesman for Secretary General António Guterres said the UN wanted a peace deal on the basis of UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements.

Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said the proposals envisaged a form of apartheid.

It said Palestinians would be relegated "to small, enclosed, isolated enclaves, with no control over their lives".

Israel's Peace Now organisation said the plan was "as detached from reality as it is eye-catching".

"The plan's green light for Israel to annex the settlements in exchange for a perforated Palestinian state is unviable and would not bring stability," it said.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged the Palestinians to give the plans "genuine and fair consideration and explore whether they might prove a first step on the road back to negotiations".

What's the background?

The Palestinians broke off contacts with the Trump administration in December 2017, after Mr Trump decided to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy to the city from Tel Aviv.

Since then, the US has ended both bilateral aid for Palestinians and contributions for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

And in November, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US had abandoned its four-decades-old position that Jewish settlements in the West Bank were inconsistent with international law.

The Arab League will convene an urgent meeting on Saturday.

What are the issues at stake?

Of all the conflicts in the Middle East, that between Israel and the Palestinians has been the most intractable. Although the two sides signed a breakthrough peace accord in 1993, more than a quarter of a century on the two sides are arguably as far apart as ever.

Jerusalem: Both Israel and the Palestinians hold competing claims to the city. Israel, which occupied the formerly Jordanian-held eastern part in 1967, regards the whole of Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinians insist on East Jerusalem - home to about 350,000 of their community - as the capital of a hoped-for independent state.

Palestinian statehood: The Palestinians want an independent state of their own, comprising the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Israeli prime ministers have publicly accepted the notion of a Palestinian state alongside Israel but not what form it should take. Benjamin Netanyahu has said any Palestinian state should be demilitarised with the powers to govern itself but not to threaten Israel.

Recognition: Israel insists that any peace deal must include Palestinian recognition of it as the "nation-state of the Jewish people", arguing that without this Palestinians will continue to press their own national claims to the land, causing the conflict to endure. The Palestinians says what Israel calls itself is its own business, but to recognise it as the Jewish state will discriminate against Israel's Arab population of Palestinian origin, who are Muslims, Christians and Druze.

Borders: Both sides have fundamentally different ideas as to where the boundaries of a potential Palestinian state should be. The Palestinians insist on borders based on ceasefire lines which separated Israel and East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza between 1949 and 1967. Israel says those lines are militarily indefensible and were never intended to be permanent. It has not said where borders should be, other than making clear its own eastern border should be along the Jordan River.

Settlements: Since 1967, Israel has built about 140 settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as 121 outposts - settlements built without the government's authorisation. They have become home to some 600,000 Israeli Jews. Settlements are considered illegal by most of the international community, though Israel disputes this. Palestinians say all settlements must be removed for a Palestinian state to be viable. Mr Netanyahu has vowed not only to never to uproot any settlements but to bring them under Israeli sovereignty.

Refugees: The UN says its agencies support about 5.5 million Palestinian refugees in the Middle East (the Palestinian Authority says there are up to 6 million), including the descendants of people who fled or were expelled by Jewish forces from what became Israel in the 1948-49 war. Palestinians insist on their right to return to their former homes, but Israel says they are not entitled to, noting that such a move would overwhelm it demographically and lead to its end as a Jewish state.

100 years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Key moments*

* entries are selective and abridged

A recent outbreak of coronavirus which began in China’s Wuhan City, Hubei Province, in December last year, has spread to 14 countries. Coronavirus was first identified in the 1960’s, but the new strain, known as the novel coronavirus, only appeared in humans last year when people in Wuhan started suffering respiratory infections.

Dr. Erlina Burhan, a pulmonologist of Persahabatan Hospital and Chairperson of Indonesian Pulmonologist Association of the Jakarta branch, in a special interview at Voice of Indonesia’s studio, Tuesday, said although it has already caused more than 100 deaths, the new strain of Coronavirus is not necessarily more deadly than other strains. She said compared to the fatality rate of SARS and of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), the new strain of Coronavirus is currently less deadly.

“Data showed that the fatality rate of SARS is more than 10%. And also, the fatality rate of MERS-CoV (Middle East Syndrome Syndrome Coronavirus) is even higher, more than 30%. And if we look at this current data showed there are more than 4000 affected people but those who eventually died was around 100 something, which is, if we count the rate is no more than 5%, so the fatality rate is lower.”

Dr. Erlina Burhan, who is also a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, added the new type of coronavirus has a different DNA structure, but the symptoms are the same.

“The new type obviously is having the different structure of DNA, but the symptoms that are caused by the same family, it’s just the same. It affected upper and lower respiratory tract with the same symptoms, such as fever, headache, not feeling well, and if the virus already affects the lungs then you start to have coughing and also leads to difficulty in breathing.”

Dr. Erlina Burhan advised there is a lot to learn about the new strain. She further said that the symptoms of the new strain of Coronavirus take the form of upper respiratory tract infection, including sneezing, sore throat, coughing and shortness of breath. She recommended people maintain a fair distance from anyone showing such symptoms. She also said the immune system plays a key role in fighting this virus. She asked people to be aware, keep healthy and eat nutritious food to support the immune system.  (VOI/LAURA GREEN/SAYEE SHREE L.R/AHM)

Scientists in Australia have become the first to recreate the new coronavirus outside of China in what they have called a "significant breakthrough".

The discovery will be shared with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the hope it may help efforts to diagnose and treat the virus.

Scientists in China have also recreated the virus and shared its genome sequence, but not the virus itself.

The outbreak has killed 132 people in China and infected close to 6,000.

There are at least 47 cases confirmed in 16 other countries, including in Thailand, France, the US and Australia. No deaths have been reported outside China.

Researchers at a specialist lab in Melbourne, Australia, said they were able to grow a copy of the virus from an infected patient. The sample was sent to them last Friday.

"We've planned for an incident like this for many, many years and that's really why we were able to get an answer so quickly," said Dr Mike Catton of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.

Hope of 'game changer'

Doctors said the copy could be used as "control material" for testing and "will be a game changer for diagnosis".

That could involve an early-diagnosis test which could detect the virus in people who have not displayed symptoms.

Chinese authorities have said the virus - like a normal flu - is able to spread during its incubation period.

But the WHO has said it remains unclear whether it is contagious before symptoms appear.

"An antibody test will enable us to retrospectively test suspected patients so we can gather a more accurate picture of how widespread the virus is, and consequently, among other things, the true mortality rate," said Dr Catton.

"It will also assist in the assessment of effectiveness of trial vaccines."

According to the WHO, the incubation period can range from two to 10 days.

In recent days, the number of virus cases in China has jumped rapidly, despite authorities scrambling to contain its spread.

Chinese authorities have taken extensive action to effectively lock down Wuhan in Hubei province, where the virus originated, and surrounding cities. (BBC) 

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics will regulate sanctions on personal data abuse in the Personal Data Protection Bill that has just been handed to the House of Representatives. "Our fines go up to 100 billion rupiahs," said Director General of Informatics Application, Semuel Pangerapan, during a press conference in Jakarta, Tuesday.

The Ministry has not yet explained in detail the types of violations that would be subject to a maximum fine of 100 billion rupiahs.

The Director General said that fines are common sanctions within the law, regarding personal data, in any country. However, the implementation and the amount may differ in each country.

"We also have to calculate the economic impact," he said.

Minister of Communication and Information, Johnny G Plate, ensured that criminal and civil penalties contained in the regulation will be granted in accordance with the committed violations and that there is no tendency for law enforcement to lean more towards 98099.

The Personal Data Protection Bill that was handed by the government to the House of Representatives consists of 15 chapters and 72 articles.

The policies in the Bill will also apply to the financial technology sector and the Ministry ensured that they are working with the Financial Services Authority.

The Minister said that there is an urgent need for Indonesia to establish regulations with regard to personal data protection, considering that many life aspects have gone digital.

The Bill has been sent to the House, but there may be additional or fewer chapters and articles in terms of the final decision. It includes, among others, data sovereignty, data security, data ownership, data usage and data traffic between countries.

The government also ensured that the Bill would support innovation and be investment-friendly. (INE/ANTARA)