English

Romanians In Mumbai Are Few, At Safe Distance From Attacks – Foreign Ministry

13:23, 27 Nov. 2008
There are very few Romanians in Mumbai, India, and they are at a safe distance from the scene of terrorist attacks, Cosmin Boiangiu, spokesman for the Romanmain Foreign Affairs Ministry, told MEDIAFAX Thursday.

ING Bank Launched Pilot Program For Mobile Payment Service In Romania

12:50, 27 Nov. 2008
ING Bank and MasterCard launched a mobile phone payment service, ING Mobile Payments, in Romania, Albert Roggemans, executive manager of ING Retail Romania, said Wednesday.

Romanian Miners Resume Activity In Petrila, 2 Weeks After Mine Blasts Killed 13 People

11:39, 27 Nov. 2008
Miners in Petrila, western Romania, resumed normal underground work schedule Thursday morning, two weeks after powerful blasts killed 13 people and injured other 14.

Romanian Forestry Auth To Cut Down Over 100,000 Christmas Tress This Year

11:09, 27 Nov. 2008
Romania’s national forestry authority Romsilva will cut down and sell 104,400 Christmas tress this year, the authority said Thursday.

Romania’s Pwr Plant Turceni Ex-GM Arrested For Abuse Of Office

20:48, 26 Nov. 2008
Former general manager of Romanian state-run thermal power producer Turceni, Dumitru Cristea, was preventively arrested on Wednesday evening for 29 days, for abuse of office, according to a mandate issued by the courthouse in the country’s southern town of Targu Jiu.

Romania’s Forestry Fund Plots May Be Used In Resource Exploitations

19:23, 26 Nov. 2008
Plots of Romania’s national forestry fund may be used for the exploitation of crude oil and natural gas resources and the construction of communication and potable water networks, according to an emergency ordinance approved Tuesday by the Government.

Romania’s Rompetrol To Cut Diesel Oil Pump Prices By RON0.05 Per Liter

19:06, 26 Nov. 2008
Romania’s second-largest oil company Rompetrol Group NV, owned by Kazakhstan's KazMunaiGaz, will cut Thursday its diesel oil pump prices by 0.05 lei (EUR1=RON 3.8131) per liter, the company said in a statement.

Dacia Sandero Achieves 3 Stars In Euro NCAP Crash Tests

19:02, 26 Nov. 2008
Renault’s Romanian make Dacia Sandero was awarded three stars out of five for adult occupant protection at the latest Euro NCAP safety tests, the European organization said Wednesday.

Nearly 130,000 Romanians To Lose Jobs In Spain By End ’08 – Report

18:06, 26 Nov. 2008
Specialists estimate 3 million people will lose their jobs in Spain by the end of the year, of whom 130,000 are Romanians, according to a report on Romanian migration Spanish Agency for Governmental Strategies released Wednesday.

Romanian Insurance Regulator Bans Activities Of Unita Vienna Insurance Group

17:09, 26 Nov. 2008
Romania’s Insurance Surveillance Commission Tuesday decided to temporarily ban the insurance and /or reinsurance activities of Unita Vienna Insurance Group, as the new shareholders of the institution, two companies of the Uniqa Group, did not ask for the approval of the institution.

Court Suspends Penalties Against Romanian Waste Collector Protan

16:19, 26 Nov. 2008
A Bucharest court on Wednesday decided to suspend the penalties against non-hazardous waste collector Protan SA (PRON.RO) levied by environment authorities, pending a final and binding ruling in the case.

Former Foreign Intelligence Colonel Claims Material Damages From Romanian President Basescu

15:48, 26 Nov. 2008
Former foreign intelligence colonel Ionel Dragomir demands material damages of 100,000 lei (EUR1=RON3.8131) within a trial in which he requires President Traian Basescu to state whether he, Dragomir, is the “colonel Dumitrescu” to whom the president referred in statements on crisis of the three Romanians kidnapped in Iraq in 2005.

Romanian Fashion Designers Auction Off Christmas Trees For Charity

15:14, 26 Nov. 2008
Famous Romanian fashion designers, such as Irina Marinescu, Kinga Varga and Carla Szabo, will auction off 18 fir-trees within the 2008 Charity Gala of the eighth edition of the Christmas Tree Festival to be held on December 8.

Romania’s Transport Min Selects Winners Of RON2.3B Infrastructure Bids

15:06, 26 Nov. 2008
Romania’s Transport Ministry announced Wednesday the winners of the bids organized to assign several infrastructure contracts totaling around 2.3 billion lei (EUR1=RON3.8131), VAT excluded.

Romanian Govt Granted Bucharest Mayoralty Ron35m To Pay Heat Subsidies – Mayor

14:37, 26 Nov. 2008
Bucharest general mayor Sorin Oprescu said Wednesday morning that he received a notice from the government saying it gave the mayoralty 35 million lei (EUR1=RON3.8131) to cover heating subsidies.

Bucharest Family Doctors Advise Parents To Go In For Uterine Cancer Vaccine For Girls

14:22, 26 Nov. 2008
Family doctors in Bucharest and Ilfov, southern Romania, recommend parents to allow the vaccination of their daughters against uterine cancer, as in Europe and the United States of America 15 million women have been vaccinated and no side effects were reported.

Romanian Ctrl Bk To Assess Effects Of New Household Lending Rules In Jan

13:24, 26 Nov. 2008
The National Bank of Romania will analyze in January the effects of the new household lending rules and might decide to readapt them to the new market conditions, central bank deputy governor Florin Georgescu said Wednesday.

IMF Cuts Romania’s ’09 Econ Growth Forecast To 3.5%, From 4.8%

13:21, 26 Nov. 2008
The International Monetary Fund forecasts Romania’s economy will grow by 3.5% in 2009, below the 4.8% growth rate seen in October, as the global turmoil affected local banks’ ability to get funds from abroad, which limits investments and consumption, and also due to a severe slowdown in exports.

Hungarians In Romania To Gain Cultural, Territorial Autonomy Over Next 4 Yrs – Official

11:45, 26 Nov. 2008
Hungarian senator Gyorgy Frunda said in a speech late Tuesday, during the electoral campaign in view of the general elections on November 30, that the Hungarian minority party (UDMR) would gain cultural and territorial autonomy over the next four years.

Romania’s AVAS To Sell 70% Stake In Petromin

10:25, 26 Nov. 2008
Romania's Privatization Authority AVAS will put up for sale the majority stake in Romanian maritime transport company CNM Petromin Constanta, at a starting price of 39.35 million lei (EUR1=RON3.7933).

Romanian PM Accused Of Lying, Using Education Money As Electoral Bribe

20:41, 25 Nov. 2008
Romania’s Education Federation, or FEN, on Tuesday accused Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu of lying about insufficient funds to grant salary hikes in education, as the government used at its budget revision a financial surplus from education as “electoral bribe” to fund other sectors.

Romanian Ctrl Bk May Cut Interest Rates When Bks Solve Confidence Issues-PM

19:55, 25 Nov. 2008
The National Bank of Romania, or BNR, might cut the key monetary policy rate the confidence issues between banks are solved, Romanian Prime Minister, Calin Popescu Tariceanu said Tuesday, adding that this decision belongs exclusively to the central bank.

EC Says Needs More Data On SAPARD Program In Romania

19:53, 25 Nov. 2008
The European Commission requested additional data on Romania’s course of actions regarding the EU-funded SAPARD program before making a decision on whether to resume payments to Romanian farmers, EC spokesman for agriculture, Michael Mann said Tuesday.

Nokia Romania Plant Halts Ops Dec 22-Jan 5

19:24, 25 Nov. 2008
Nokia Romania decided to temporary stop production at its Romanian plant between December 22, 2008 and January 5, 2009, for employers to rest "and get ready for the challenges in 2009", the company stated Tuesday in a press statement.

Developer Liebrecht & wooD Defers Romanian Outlet Center Opening By 1 Wk

19:23, 25 Nov. 2008
Belgian real estate developer Liebrecht & wooD postponed by one week the opening of the first outlet center in Romania, Fashion House Outlet Centre, which was initially scheduled to open on November 26, the company stated Tuesday.

Romanian President Says Steel Mill Mechel Won’t Lay Off Employees

18:47, 25 Nov. 2008
Steel mill Mechel Targoviste, southern Romania, will not lay off employees, although the situation at the plant is not really “a fortunate one”, President Traian Basescu said Tuesday.

Romanian Liberals 100 Members Short Over Alleged ‘Groups Of Interests’

17:34, 25 Nov. 2008
The liberals’ county branch in Brasov, central Romania, is missing 100 members as of Tuesday following their en-bloc resignation due to certain “groups of interests that run the local branch.”

Cases Of Domestic Violence Against Women Up 25% This Yr In Romania

15:21, 25 Nov. 2008
Romania sees 25% more cases of women who were victims of domestic violence in the first nine months of the year, compared to the number reported in 2007, Mihaela Mostavi, head of the National Agency for Family Protection, said Tuesday, at the start of a campaign against domestic violence.

Lukoil Romania Cut Gas, Diesel Oil Pump Prices By RON0.09, RON0.06 Per Liter

15:09, 25 Nov. 2008
Lukoil Romania, a unit of Russian oil company Lukoil Holdings, cut Tuesday its gasoline and diesel oil pump prices by 0.09 lei (EUR1=RON3.7933) and RON0.06 per liter, respectively, and kept the liquefied petroleum gas price unchanged, the company said in a statement.

Romanian PM Assures Budget Can Sustain Pension Payments This Year And The Next

14:57, 25 Nov. 2008
Romania’s state pension fund has enough money to ensure pension payments this year and the next, Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu said during the Cabinet meeting Tuesday, after President Traian Basescu said Monday evening on television that the fund is “drained”.

Romanian Govt Approves 4th Budget Revision This Yr – Sources

14:35, 25 Nov. 2008
Romania's Government approved Tuesday this year's fourth state budget revision, government sources told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian President Awards Outgoing U.S. Ambassador With High Romanain Order

14:23, 25 Nov. 2008
Romanian President Traian Basescu on Tuesday decorated outgoing United States Ambassador Nicholas Taubman with the Order of the Star of Romania in a ceremony held at the Cotroceni Palace and thanked him for his “close and honest” observation of Romanian realities.

Romanian Car Mkr Dacia To Decide On Temporary Personnel Cut Early-Dec

14:17, 25 Nov. 2008
Romanian carmaker Dacia will decide early-December whether or not to renew the temporary labor contracts of 600 employees, due to expire on December 31, Dacia's spokesman Silviu Sepciu told MEDIAFAX on Tuesday.

Romania ’08 Wine Sales Seen Up 11% YY, To EUR500M – Assoc

14:11, 25 Nov. 2008
Romanian wine sales are seen up 11% to around EUR500 million in 2008, from EUR450 million a year ago, the general manager of the Vineyard and Wine Employers’ Association PNVV, Ovidiu Gheorghe, said Tuesday at Romania Retail Forum 2008 organized by MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Prosecutor Arrested In Graft File In SW Romania

13:41, 25 Nov. 2008
Romanian prosecutor Viorel Vasile, head of the criminal investigations department with the Caras Severin Court, southwestern Romania, was placed under arrest Tuesday by the Timisoara Court of Appeals magistrates on charges of bribery.

Romanian Protan Urges Court To Suspend Decision Halting Its Ops

13:32, 25 Nov. 2008
The Bucharest court tried Tuesday the appeal filed by Romanian non-hazardous waste collector SC Protan SA against the decision of the Bucharest Regional Agency for Environmental Protection to suspend the company’s license for 30 days.

Romanian Consumers To Buy Cheaper Products, Due To Fincl Crisis – GEA

13:31, 25 Nov. 2008
Romanian consumers will focus on cheaper products and a cut in consumption is also possible, following the recent financial turmoil, Liviu Voinea, the executive manager of the Group of Applied Economics, or GEA, said Tuesday.

Bucharest Cabbies Scrap Fare Hike Plans On Lower Business

12:38, 25 Nov. 2008
Cab drivers in Romania’s capital city Bucharest are having second thoughts about the fare increases they had planned for the end of the year after their business saw 10 to 15% fewer orders in the past two months.

Romania Pres Says Recent Visits To Large Cos Not Related To Any Electoral Campaign

21:17, 24 Nov. 2008
Romanian President Traian Basescu told a press conference Monday that his recent visits to large companies were not part of any electoral campaign whatsoever, stressing he just could not sit back and relax in his office, waiting to hear what journalists and politicians say in the fallout of the economic crisis.

Romanian Pres: Moody’s Evaluation Is Accurate

20:05, 24 Nov. 2008
Romania’s president Traian Basescu said Monday that he sees the Moody's Investors Service forecast that Romania might enter in recession in 2009 as “the most accurate prediction of a rating agency”, underlinining that Moody’s “only warned, and not revised downwards the rating of our country”.