KIEV, Jan. 11 – Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine has upheld the retaining of tax benefits for Livela (Poltava region), in particular, duty fee imports of fuel to Ukraine.

KIEV, Jan. 11 – Kiev's economic court has put off by four months starting December 15, 2010, the repayment by the State Property Fund of a UAH 400 million bid deposit to Nortima Ltd., which participated in an autumn 2010 tender for the acquisition of OJSC Odesa port-side chemical plant, a large chemical producer in Odesa region.

KIEV, Jan. 11 – The National Bank of Ukraine has toughened the conditions for attracting subordinated loans in foreign currency by banks, cutting the maximum acceptable deviation of the interest rate from Libor for the loans.

KIEV, Jan. 11 – Ukraine’s largest fuel filling station chains have issued a statement disputing government price-setting accusations, blaming the growth of world oil prices and the rise of fuel excise duty for the increase in retail fuel prices currently seen in the country, adding that such rises will continue in future.

KIEV, Jan. 11 – Ukrtatnafta, which exploits the Kremenchuk oil refinery (Poltava region), in late December launched production of gasoline with no more than 0.015% sulfur content, which is in line with the Euro-3 standard.

The company said on Monday that the sale of the new product was started in 2010.

KIEV, Jan. 11 - Ukraine's steel industry reduced finished roll output 15% in 2009 to 26.888 million tons, the Industrial Policy Ministry told Interfax.

Crude steel production plummeted 20% to 29.757 million tons and pig iron fell 17% to 25.675 million tons.

KIEV, Jan. 11 – The cabinet has excluded five companies from a list of companies which are of a strategic importance for the economy and security of the state, Economy Minister Bohdan Danylyshyn told the press.

KIEV, Jan. 11 – The owner of Swiss trading company Carbofer, which is the former co-owner of Russia's Evrazholding, jointly with a group of financial investors including Russia's Vnesheconombank, has bought a controlling stake in Donetsk-based Industrial Union of Donbas Corporation.

KIEV, Jan. 8 - The pace of the consumer price rise in Ukraine accelerated to 2.1% in December 2008, compared to 1.5% in November and 1.7% in October, Valeriy Lytvytsky, the National Bank of Ukraine's chief advisor, told Interfax, citing the State Statistics Committee.

KIEV, Jan. 11 - Metinvest, a steel and mining conglomerate owned by Rinat Akhmetov, the wealthiest Ukrainian, plans to acquire additional rolling assets overseas to manufacture products with higher added value and to access new markets.