Portuguese singer Misia, who is considered one of the best voices of fado music and a worthy descendant of Amalia Rodriguez, will perform on November 29 at the National Opera in Bucharest. The event is organized by the Embassy of Portugal in Romania and the Plai Festival.

The recently – released top 500 Universities in the World didn't include any Romanian university, but local universities could improve their ranking in the future, says James Moulder, a retired business school academic from Melbourne, Australia. He believes that an establishment of mentoring and coaching relationships with foreign universities of higher rank can be a solution.

More than six centuries ago, when the Ilfov watcher was overlooking the Giurgiu road from the survey tower close to Dambovita, the scenery must have been lean. A couple of huts, maybe some water mills and a couple more chattels that made a so called village. The Vlasiei forests were surrounding the area, going deep and dark far beyond the distance.

Romania stands high chances in Friday's International Monetary Fund (IMF) analysis of the fifth evaluation mission report on country meeting its obligations assumed in the Stand-By Agreement with the Fund, so the Supplementary Letter of Intent will be positive, Romania's representative to the Fund Mihai Tanasescu told Agerpres.

*Central Bank blows up economic revival prognosis, doubts growth next year – in Ziarul Financiar
*Foreigners have bought 1.5 percent of local forests– in Ziarul Financiar
*OMV Petrom invests EUR 25 million to find new deposits – in Ziarul Financiar
*Leroy Merlin and Carrefour open the first units in Chitila Colloseum – in Ziarul Financiar
*EC has paid the third loan tranche, EUR 1.2 billion. FinMin goes to US for new loan – in Gandul

Calendar of events in Bucharest during the period September 24-26

Bikers are again invited to the start line at an event which will take place in Cluj, near Gilau Lake, on September 26. It will be the 4th edition of the “Maros Bike Marathon”.

Emil Cioran was a Romanian philosopher and essayist who became famous for his finely crafted essays and aphorisms dealing with alienation, boredom, futility and the decay of civilization. His works helped him become one of the greatest nihilistic philosophers of the 20th century.

By Alexandra Fodor

International hotel chain Hilton Worlwide has signed a contract with a local company to open the first Doubletree by Hilton hotel in Bucharest next year. VIS 7 Import Export SRL company will renovate the Bucharest City Unirii Square hotel in Bucharest and turn it into Doublee, which should open in the second half of next year. The Bucharest City hotel, opened in 2006, has 88 rooms.

An Indian painting exhibition titled“Between fact and Fiction,” signed by Adity Chakravarti, wife of the Indian Ambassador to Romania will be varnished Monday, at 18.30 hours at Muzeul Taranului Roman in Bucharest. The paintings can be found in Acvariu Hall until October 9.

Nicola Piovani, the winner of an Oscar prize for the soundtrack of “La Vita e Bella”, will play in Bucharest on October 9 at Sala Radio starting 20,00 hours. The concert will take place within the closing festivity of the 6th edition of the “International Movie Festival RO – IFF” which is scheduled to close on 10th of October 2010. The film festival will take place at the Cinema Scala and Eforie and will last 10 days, being organized by Artis Foundation in association with PROM’ART CREATIVE.

Romania’s largest mobile operator, Orange, will launch Apple’s iPhone 4 in Romania on Friday, September 24. The telephone which will be available both online and in selected stores, the operator said Thursday. The iPhone 4 is enabled with video calling with FaceTime and comes with a high-resolution display, HD video recording, a 5-megapixel camera, Apple A4 processor and more, Orange Romania said in a press release.