KIEV, May 6 - The National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation has raised tariffs for thermal energy and central heating services by 75-90% starting July 1.

KIEV, MAY 10 – Banks are ready to boost lending to small and medium-sized enterprises, bankers polled by Interfax-Ukraine said.

"I think that now the share of SME in portfolios is small, maybe 20%, but the share will grow. The potential is huge… There is prospect for development in this segment, and banks go there where there is a prospect for development, while the large corporate business would face stagnation," FUIB Board Chairman Serhiy Chernenko said.

KIEV, May 10 – Legislative amendments on investor protection passed by Parliament last year took effect on May 1.

Lawyers said that the most important provisions of the law on amending some Ukrainian laws regarding protection of investors' rights is the introduction of the derivative suit as a new way to protect investors' rights.

KIEV, May 7 – Ukraine has transferred over $628 million to Russia's OAO Gazprom to pay for April Russian natural gas imports, Naftogaz Ukrayiny announced.

KIEV, May 10 - Ukraine is likely to award tenders to two Western energy companies for potentially large shale gas fields as Kiev tries to reduce its dependence on gas imports from Russia, Reuters reported Thursday, citing a government source.

WASHINGTON, May 6 – The first Ukrainian telecommunications satellite, the Lybid, is scheduled for launch in the middle of 2013, according to Daniel Friedmann, president of Canada's MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA).

KIEV, May 6 – Schengen visa denials for Ukrainians decreased from 5% in 2009 to 4% in 2010, the Foreign Ministry reported, referring to European Commission data.

KIEV, May 6 – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development may lend up to $110 million in total to Lviv fuel distributor Galnaftogaz Concern under the Galnaftogaz Equity Phase II and Galnaftogaz Corporate Loan Phase II projects under a two-year development program estimated at $210 million.

KIEV, May 10 - Natural gas transit through Ukraine to countries in the CIS and Europe 2011 rose by 12% or 4.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) in January-April to 40.264 bcm, Ukrtransgaz, a subsidiary of Naftogaz, reported.

Gas transit to Western Europe was up 12.5% or 4.315 bcm, to 38.933 bcm, but to the CIS it was down by 1.2% or 15.59 million cubic meters, to 1.331 bcm.

KIEV, May 10 - Aditya Mittal, ArcelorMittal's CFO, as part of his visit to ArcelorMittal's companies in Kryvy Rih, Temirtau (Kazakhstan) and Kuzbass (Russia) has pointed to the importance of continuation of the upgrade of the largest steel mill in Ukraine – ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) and increasing iron ore extraction.