Three Arabian airlines and a Turkish one will start operating flights to and from Romania in 2011, according to Romanian publication Capital. Qatar Airways has announced it will run four flights from Doha to Bucharest and return every week next year. Ticket prices will stay around EUR 539 and the flight will take around four hours and a half.

A series of Magyar movie screenings will take place at the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, in the Horia Bernea studio, from November 14 until November 21. Entry will be free of charge and most of the movies will be subtitled in Romanian- see below complete schedule to see which one will have English subtitles.

Tire producer Pirelli, which will invest EUR 1.9 million by 2015 worldwide, will direct some of the investments in increasing tire production capacities to the new plants in Romania, Mexico and China, the company has recently announced. On the industrial segment, investments will be focused on the steelcord factory in Romania, as well as on the company's subsidiaries in China, Egypt and Russia.

Romanian state-owned drug producer Antibiotice Iasi posted a net profit of RON 21 million (EUR 4.9 million) in the first nine months of the year, up 33.9 percent on the same period of last year.

Do-it-Yourself retailer Praktiker has expended the Ploiesti store by 2,000 sqm with an investment of EUR 2.2 million, the company has announced. The store, which was opened in 2003, is now spreading over 8,270 sqm.

Florian Aldea (in picture) is the new general manager of Carpatcement Holding, replacing Mihai Rohan, who has been working with Carpatcement for the last ten years. Rohan will remain president of the Administration Board with Carpatcement Holding for the next two years, starting January 2011.

A concert featuring music from the 17th century will take place at the Anglican Church in Bucharest (Alexandru Xenopol 2A)on November 18, from 19,00 hours. Soprano Judit Andrejszki from Budapest will perform along with Caius Hera, who studied classical guitar at the Timisoara Music Faculty.

Mercadia, the retail company controlled by Romanian billionaire Dinu Patriciu (in picture), will invest EUR 100 million in the Mic.ro network of stores, turning 2,000 of them into mobile stores. The company will buy cars and turns them into mobile stores. The company already signed for 1,000 Fiat Ducato cars with importer Autoitalia.

*National Bank officials about the possibility to exit crisis: the budget adjustment is just the start of reforms – in Ziarul Financiar
*Patriciu wants to invest EUR 100 million in putting Mic.ro on wheels – in Ziarul Financiar
*Astra profit grows four times in nine months to EUR 4.3 million – in Ziarul Financiar
*Ardaf won EUR 2.6 million but its business dropped 23 percent – in Ziarul Financiar
*BCR Life Insurance sees business up 37 percent – in Ziarul Financiar

The use of renewable energy sources, the increase in energy efficiency and a clean and safe energy infrastructure are all challenges that once accomplished might boost Romanian productivity and thus competitiveness. Romania-insider.com looks at the structural funds for economic competitiveness and at the companies that got them.

Calendar of events for the period November 15-18; business events, workshops, press conferences, exhibitions

The Romanian gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 0.7 percent in the third quarter of this year from the second and it dropped by 2.3 percent from January to September, according to the National Institute of Statistics. The Romanian GDP in the third quarter shrank by 2.5 percent in gross series compared to July-Sept. of 2009 and by 2.3 percent by seasonally adjusted series.