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Romanian Leu Further Gains Vs Euro, Mirrors Emerging Mkts

The Romanian leu further strengthened against the euro on Tuesday, mirroring emerging markets, amid high traded volumes, dealers said.

Microsoft Sues Romanian Co. Over Unauthorized Software Reproduction

U.S. software giant Microsoft has sued Romanian call center and outsourcing operator XL World Iasi for illegal usage of 640 software programs and requested damages of EUR180,226, local police said Tuesday.

Romanian Passenger Rail Co CFR Calatori Plans 7% Ticket Price Hike As Of Aug 1

Romania’s state-owned passenger rail company CFR Calatori asked the Transport and the Finance Ministries to approve a 7% price increase for train tickets as of Aug 1, citing high inflation

Romania’s Rompetrol Hikes Pump Prices By Up To RON0.06/Liter

Romania’s second-largest oil company Rompetrol Group NV hiked Tuesday its pump prices by up to 0.06 lei (EUR1=RON 3.5934) per liter and RON0.04 per liter, for gas and diesel oil, respectively, the company said in a statement.

Romania Competition Council Approves Good Practices Guide

The officials of Romania’s Competition Council said the Guide of Good Practices signed by retailers and producers early June is in perfect agreement with competition rules, but warned the enforcement of its stipulations must not trigger "excessive transparency."

Romania’s 5-Mo Consolidated Budget Switches To Deficit

Romania’s consolidated budget switched to a deficit of 0.39% of gross domestic product after the first five months of the year, compared with a surplus of 0.2% of GDP in January-April period, the Economy and Finance Ministry said Tuesday.

Romanian Anticorruption Prosecutors Hear Former PM In Corruption File

Romanian anticorruption prosecutors Tuesday heard former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase in the file in which he is probed in connection with the funding of his election campaign in 2004, when he ran for president.

Bus With Children On Board Caught Fire In C Romania

A bus transporting 24 children and teachers from Hungary on a trip to Romania caught fire Tuesday morning near Miercurea Ciuc, central Romania, but none of the passengers were injured.

Romania’s Trade Registry Office Launches Online Info Service

Romania’s Trade Registry Office (ONRC) has launched a service on its website allowing online access to information on a file or application pending resolution at the Trade Registry Office, affiliated to the Bucharest Court, the institution said Tuesday.

Romanian Boxing Champion Bute To Defend Title Against Librado Andrade In Oct, In Montreal

Romanian boxer Lucian Bute will defend his world boxing super-middleweight champion title against Mexico’s Librado Andrade, in Montreal, Canada, on Oct 24, the Canadian press reported.

Romania Amends Norms On Health Insurance Contributions

People with disabilities and computer programmers will no longer pay their contribution to the social health insurance budget in ratio to the minimum wage, but depending on their incomes, according to a draft order of the president of the National Health Insurance House (CNAS), up for public debate.

Bucharest Consumers To Buy Agro-Food Products At Mobile Markets

Bucharest agro-food traders will be able to sell their products directly to consumers in mobile agro-food markets, Mayor Sorin Oprescu said Monday, following a meeting with Romanian Agriculture Minister Dacian Ciolos and the president of the Agrostar Federation trade union, Nicolae Stefan.

Romanian Elections Auth OK First 10 Uninominal Constituencies

The Romanian elections authorities on Monday approved liberals’ and social democrats’ proposals regarding 10 uninominal colleges, or constituencies, nationwide.

Romanian PM Invites Unions To Talks

Romanian prime minister Calin Tariceanu invited the leaders of the main unions to talks on topics found in the attention of the unions and the Government, the Executive announced.

Romania, Germany Electronics Prices Were Similar In ‘07 – Eurostat

Prices applied in Romania for electronics reached, last year, 95% of the EU average, a level similar to the one registered in Germany and higher than in several central and eastern European states such as Poland, the Czech Republic or Bulgaria, according to EU statistics office Eurostat.

Romanian Child Molester Brought To Justice

Adrian Fasola, the uncle of the 11 year old girl who recently had an abortion in London, was caught Monday, as police had issued an all points bulletin in his name, under charges of statutory rape.

Romanian Auto Cos To Hike Post-Sale Service Tariffs To Maintain Profits – Official

Romanian automotive companies will turn to post-sale services to maintain their profits and operating margins, to deal with a market that is near a standstill, the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association, or APIA, said Monday.

Romania’s BCR Changes Customer Operations Working Hours As Of Jul 14

Romania’s largest lender Banca Comerciala Romana, or BCR, changes its working hours for customer operations starting Monday, Jul 14, and will open at 9 am, to close at 6.30 pm at the latest, the bank said Monday.

Romanian Fin Min Rejects Minimum Wage Hike

Romanian minister of economy and finance Varujan Vosganian said Monday he rejects unions' demands for the increase of the minimum wage to 540 lei (EUR1=RON 3.6066), on failing to meet the inflation target and labor productivity criteria.

Romania’s May Net Salary Dn 2.7% M-M To RON1.248

Romania's net average salary was down 2.7% to 1.248lei (EUR1-RON 3.6139) in real terms in May 2008, compared with April 2008, the National Institute for Statistics said Monday.

Romanian Democrat Liberals Reject Alliance, Collaboration With Social Democrats, Liberals

Romania’ democrat liberal head Emil Boc Sunday said his party rejects any future alliance with leftist social democrats, as well as any collaboration with the liberals as long as they are led by people like Calin Popescu Tariceanu.

Romanian Official In Food Industry Urges VAT Cut For Food Products

Sorin Minea, head of the employers’ federation in the food industry Romalimenta, urged the government to adopt the measure regarding a cut in the value added tax food products, stressing this is the only way to keep food prices unchanged.

Leak In LPG-Loaded Tank Isolated, No Danger Of Explosion

Firefighters rushed Sunday morning to the railway station in Zam locality, in Romanian western county of Hunedoara, and prevented a powerful blast after liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) leaked from a tank car carrying 75,000 liters of LPG.

One Killed, One Seriously Injured In Jet Ski Collision On Black Sea Coast

One person died and another was seriously injured Saturday morning, around 10:30 local time, in a collision between two jet skis in Costinesti seaside resort on the Romanian Black Sea coast.

Romania’s Main Opp Party Eyes 200 Seats In Future Parliament

Mircea Geoana, head of Romania’s leftist opposition Social-Democratic Party (PSD), estimated his party would win 40% of Parliament seats in the future legislative elections.

EXCLUSIVE: Court Obliges Betting Houses To Pay 20% Of Cash-Ins To Football Fed

The Bucharest Court Thursday ruled that betting houses in the Wettpunkt International network – which includes the Victoria Casino- must pay 20% of the money they collect for sporting bets to the Romanian Football Federation (FRF), as stipulated in Sports Law 69/2000.

British Doctors Successfully Terminated Romanian 11 Y-O Pregnancy

British doctors within the Royal London Hospital successfully terminated Friday afternoon the 22-week pregnancy of the Romanian 11 year-old girl, medical sources said.

Romania May Reschedule CFR Debts To Pwr Suppliers For Repayment In 1 Yr- Sources

Romanian Ministries of Economy and Transports, plan, jointly with state and private power suppliers, to reschedule the 1 billion lei (EUR1=RON3.6139) debts of Romania’s state-owned railway company Caile Ferate Romane, or CFR, to energy suppliers, for payment in one year, sources said Friday.

Romanian Energy Watchdog OKs 5 More Cos As Pwr Traders

Romanian Energy Watchdog ANRE authorized five more companies as electricity traders on the Romanian market, namely Delta Energy, Amgaz Furnizare, JAS Budapest ZRT, Energy Incorporatet, and Slovenia’s Holding Slovenske Elecktrarne.

Spanish Police Arrest Ten Romanians On Suspicion Of Credit Card Forgery

Thirteen people, including Romanian nationals, were arrested in Tarragona, northern Spain, on suspicion of selling in Romania various products purchased with forged cards, Spanish daily ABC cited police sources as saying.

Two Die In Romanian Minibus Crash NW Hungary

Two minibus passengers were killed Friday after their vehicle, registered in Romania, crashed into a car on Hungary’s motorway M1 near Gyor city, northwestern Hungary, MTI reported.

Arbitration Court Lifts Penalties Against Steaua – Club Owner

The Arbitration Court of Romania’s Football Federation (FRF) on Thursday lifted the sanctions against FC Steaua Bucharest and annulled the 7-point penalty against the club, club owner Gigi Becali said.

Romania’s Petrom Hikes Gas, Diesel Oil Pump Prices By RON0.07, RON0.06 Per Liter

Romania’s largest oil company Petrom SA (SNP.RO) hiked Thursday gasoline and diesel oil pump prices by 0.07 lei (EUR1=RON 3.6365), and RON0.06 per liter, respectively, the company said in a statement.

Romania’s BCR Bk, Enel Romania Sign Pact On ATMs Bills Payment

Romania’s largest lender Banca Comerciala Romana, or BCR, and Enel Romania, the local unit of Italian utility Enel SpA (EN), signed an agreement based on which the company’s clients in the western and southeastern counties of Banat and Dobrogea, respectively, could pay their bills at BCR’s ATMs.

Romania Ranks 3rd In EU By May Retail Trading Growth

Romania ranks third in the European Union by retail trading growth, with a 6.8% increase during May 2007- May 2008, according to a report published on Thursday by the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Eurostat.

Utility Aircraft Crashes Near Bucharest, Pilots Unharmed

A utility aircraft crashed Thursday morning nearby Stefanesti commune, close to Romania’s capital city Bucharest, and caught fire immediately after impact. The two pilots were unharmed.

Romania Allocates RON160M To Help Low-Income Families Pay Gas Bills

The Romanian government will allocate 160 million lei (EUR1-RON3.6404) to help people with low incomes pay their gas bills, in a move meant to counter the effects of the recent price hikes of natural gas, Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu said Wednesday.

UPC Romania, Three Subsidiaries To Merge By Absorption

Telecom operator UPC Romania and three of the companies it controls, namely Electron M. Bit Telecom, Sebmar and Cablevision of Romania (CVR), will merge on October 1 in a move to simplify managing proceedings and cut administration costs.

Romanian Parliament Extends Court Of Accounts Mandates Until Sep 30

The vote rendered by the Romanian Parliament extending the mandate of the current Court of Accounts leadership was valid and the mandate was extended until September 30, according to a decision issued by the Standing Offices of the two Chambers of Parliament.

Romanian Climbers To Reach For Khan Tengri’s 7,010-Meter Cap

A team of 15 Romanian climbers is set to depart on July 19 for a one-month expedition to Tian Shan mountains on the Kyrgyzstan—Kazakhstan border to conquest the 7,010 m peak of Khan Tengri.