Romanian businessman Sorin Ovidiu Vantu is the third local media owner who has been detained for 24 hours, after Dinu Patriciu, the current owner of Adevarul Holding, and Dan Diaconescu, owner of OTV Tv station.

Romanian media owner Sorin Ovidiu Vantu (in picture) was arrested for 29 days, after being initially set to be detained for only 24 hours on Thursady, being accused in the case of Nicolae Popa, former head of bankrupt FNI's brokerage firm, who has fled the country. The trial where his 29-day arrest was decided was held late at night on Thursday.

The local subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has reshuffled its administration council, which now includes four executive members- Johan Gabriels, the bank's CEO, Magdalena Manea, Robert Hadley and Robert Karreman, the bank's vice-presidents, as well as five non-executive members – Roxana Moldova, Adrian Manaicu, Phil McDuell, Jeroen Kremers and Gianni Piolini.

Romania ranks fifth in Central Europe, with 33 companies among the first 500 in the region, according to a top recently published by Deloitte. The top, carried out by Deloitte in 18 countries every year, is now at its 4th edition and ranks companies by revenues from sales reported for the previous year.

Online retailer eMAG has opened a 300 sqm showroom in Constanta, the biggest in its chain outside Bucharest so far and expects the showroom to bring revenues of EUR 1 million this year and EUR 3.5 million next year, according to Iulian Stanciu, director of eMAG.ro. This is the company's second largest showroom, after the one in Bucharest.

RBS Romania will move its headquarters to a 8,700 sqm space in Lake View office building on Barbu Vacarescu boulevard at the beginning of November. The bank will occupy the ground floor of the building, where it will have a branch, as well as the first three floors of the office building, according to its representatives

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The Swiss franc – Romanian leu exchange rate reached a peak of RON 3.35 per franc on Wednesday, after the Swiss currency has continuously appreciated throughout the year. The Romanian currency depreciated by 18 percent against the Swiss franc compared to January this year.

The Romanian Senate has OKed the new law on consumer credit contracts, which removes the early repayment fee for loans with floating interest rate. The ordinance transposes a a European Directive in Romanian legislation.

Romanian beer sales dropped by 11 percent in the first half of the year, compared to the same interval in 2009, to about eight million hectoliters, accordin

Traditional Japanese drums (Taiko) performer Eitetsu Hayashi will hold a concert in Bucharest on October 20, 19,00 hours, together with the George Enescu orchestra at the Sala Palatului hall in Bucharest. A second show will follow in Sibiu, on October 23. Hayashi will perform compositions of George Enescu, Ciprian Porumbescu, Béla Bartók, Doru Popovici, Tiberiu Olah and Grigoras Dinicu.

'I have noticed that as far as the rise in the VAT is concerned, VAT tax collection in the first month of its implementation was 25 percent higher than in the months before. This could be a positive signal, but we have to wait and see how things evolve.