Romania's Finance Ministry will launch the first bond issue of its planned EUR 7 billion medium term notes (MTNs) program at the end of 2010 or early 2011, according to the government’s letter of intent that will be sent to the International Monetary Fund.

HR Specialists has received approval for two EU-funded projects worth a total of EUR 3 million which aim at creating facilities to help disabled people find jobs in Romania, Romania-Insider.com has learned. The first such project started in June and the second one in November and both should be active until 2013. For the first project, HR Specialists partners association Reninco, while for the second it partners NGO Apel.

Despite the crisis, Romanians started to travel by plane more often while travelers from other countries in the EU reduced the frequency of their flights. Still, Romanian travelers are below the EU level when it comes to the frequency of their flights. In Romania, in 2009, the number of flights per inhabitant was approximately 15 percent higher than in 2007, according to AT Kearney.

Romanian export-oriented manufacturing industries will continue to grow in 2011, further supporting economic recovery, whereas sectors such as retail and constructions will be negatively impacted by low consumer confidence, according to consultancy firm Roland Berger.

Film lovers can try a new type of movie watching experience in Bucharest too - the silent cinema. Screenings are organized on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at The Ark (196A Calea Rahovei). You can watch 'Casablanca' on Sunday, November 21, from 21,00 hours.

Romanian world champion pugilist Lucian Bute will promote Romania's tourism brand, according to the Romanian Tourism Minister. The minister plans to organize one of Lucian Bute's matches next year in Bucharest, to attract more international attention for Romania.

Romanian painter Nicolae Tonitza's painting 'Golgota' is up for sale and will be auctioned on November 18 by Artmark within the 12+1 Impressionist Masterpieces from Private Collection auction, which will take place at the Ghika Palace (5 Doamna Ghica St.), from 20,00 hours.

Rolang School will launch the second edition of the manual “Limba romana pentru straini. Learn Romanian. Apprenez le Roumain” by Mona Moldoveanu Pologea on Saturday, November 20, at 13.00 hours, at the Gaudeamus International Fair, booth number 27.

The Redescopera Sinaia Association organizes a new week-end trip to Sinaia between November 19 and 21. Attendants will learn how to dance tango on Saturday, followed by a festive dinner. On Sunday, a two-hour walking tour of the Sinaia city will follow. Creative workshops will be organized for children.

Romanian company Televoice has launched Evobook, a Romanian e-reader which will sell for EUR 150 from December this year. The electronic reader, which runs on an e-ink technology, will include 120 books in Romanian and around 20 in English and French at first and will allow readers to keep up to 4,000 books on its 2GB internal memory.

The most valuable 100 Romanian companies have a total market value of EUR 56 billion, almost the same as in 2009, according to a recent ranking drawn up by Romanian daily Ziarul Financiar. In 2007, the market value of the best-traded companies stood at EUR 100 billion, but in 2010 the value halved, as indicated by data with the National Companies Registry Office.

*State debt jumps to EUR 5 billion in an year, while banks' debt down by EUR 1 billion – in Ziarul Financiar
*Alro makes the profit planned for the entire year in the third quarter – in Ziarul Financiar
*More expensive drugs ups profits for Antibiotice and Zentiva – in Ziarul Financiar
*Orange offers access to news websites for EUR 2 a month – in Ziarul Financiar