KYIV, Aug 9 – Japan's Rating and Investment Information (R&I) has upgraded Ukraine's foreign currency issuer rating to "B" from "CCC+," the agency said in a press release on Friday.

MOSCOW, Aug. 9 - The Nord Stream gas pipeline across the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, which has capacity to ship 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year, halted operations on 7:00 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday for a scheduled maintenance shutdown until August 17, German pipeline operator Nord Stream AG reported.

KIEV, Aug. 10 – Ukrzaliznytsia soon intends to sign a contract to carry out construction works on over 300-km railway tracks with Ministry of Roads and Urban Development of Iran, said Chairman Wojciech Balczun.

KIEV, Aug. 11 – Production at Severodonetsk Azot (Luhansk region) could be resumed no earlier than next year, Yuriy Harbuz, head of Luhansk Regional Military and Civil Administration, said in an interview with Holos Ukrayiny newspaper.

KIEV, Aug. 11 – Ukrainian metal companies anticipate that in September steel smelting and rolled steel output would decrease compared to August by 4.8% and 5.6%, amounting to 2 million tons and 1.7 million tons, respectively.

KIEV, Aug. 11 - The debt of insolvent banks on refinancing credits issued by the National Bank of Ukraine decreased by UAH 18.5 billion or 36.5%, to UAH 32.25 billion, in H1, the NBU reported.

KIEV, Aug. 11 – General annual meetings of shareholders in public joint-stock company Zaporizhia Ferroalloy Plant and joint-stock company Ordzhonikidze Mining scheduled for August 9 and August 10 failed to take place.

KIEV, Aug. 10 - Fitch Ratings says that it would expect Ukraine to have completed the restructuring before a $500 million eurobond maturity payable on September 23 and the second review of the International Monetary Fund's, also in September.

KIEV, Aug. 10 - Ukrainian banks retain conservative forecasts for the third quarter of 2015 with respect to changes in the volume and quality of loan portfolios, while improving their expectations of growth in deposits, according to a survey conducted by the National Bank of Ukraine.

MOSCOW, Aug. 11 – Both lines of the Nord Stream offshore gas pipeline were halted on 7 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday in order to carry out technical maintenance work, which will continue until 7 a.m. on August 20.