Romania is not facing a flu epidemic and the four cases of infection with the AH1N1 and AH3N2 viruses registered between January 3 and January 9, 2011 have been isolated, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

A new International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission will review Romania's economic performances and reforms between January 25 and February 8, the seventh review mission within the stand-by agreement. The delegation will be led by Jeffrey Franks (in picture) and will be joined by the European Commission and World Bank teams.

The World Bank will discuss on its January 20 Management Council meeting whether to grant Romania a second development policies loan, worth some EUR 300 million.

Romania has pledged to make changes to the Emergency Ordinance 50/2010 in order to receive the sixth tranche of the loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), although local authorities have denied it in the past.

Profits tax computation and declaration for the 2010 tax year

In respect of the profits tax

The Bucharest Court has decided to suspend the creation of Romania's power champion company Electra, based on a request made by Fondul Proprietatea through manager Franklin Templeton. The energy company Electra should have been created based on a decision by the shareholders of Nuclearelectrica, but the court has suspended the decision.

Private healthcare services operator Centrul Medical Unirea (CMU) has taken three loans from Raiffeisen Bank totaling EUR 18.32 million, to expand its network with a hospital and three clinics. Some of the amount will also be used to new equipments and for hiring medical staff.

Telecom company Romtelecom will sack up to 1,400 people this year, part of its previously started cost reduction program. “Our long term concern is to have a viable, strong and active company. These projects involve not only a drop in the number of employees. However, many of the projects we consider include a staff reduction, considering that our aim is to do more with fewer resources,” said Yorgos Ioannidis, general manager of Romtelecom.

Romania's final electricity consumption was up 3.9 percent in the first 11 months of last year on the same period of the previous year, while the country exported less energy, according to the country's National Statistics Institute.

A Cluj Napoca based businessman and five other individuals were sent to court on allegedly manipulation the capital market in Romania. Businessman Gicu Agenor Gansca, Rares Nilas, general manager of BT Securities brokerage firm and four other individuals are investigated by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) Cluj.

The price of gas went up by 30 percent in Romania last year, according to the National Union of Transporters in the country. The price of gas in Romania, without taxes, is higher than in other European countries without own resources and without maritime access. Taxes- excises and VAT- make up for around 45 percent of the price of gas in Romania.

Romanian President Traian Basescu has met the World Bank's Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Philippe Le Houerou (in picture, left), who paid a visit to Bucharest, and discussed ways for the World Bank to support Romania in the current economic context.