KIEV, Nov. 6 - Ukraine has started imports of natural gas from Europe as the government seeks alternatives to Russian sources of energy, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Tuesday.

Ukraine was importing about 1 million cubic meters/day of gas from RWE of Germany starting from November 1, and has been using existing gas pipelines.

KIEV, Nov. 3 – Zaporizhia Regional Administration Chairman Borys Petrov has proposed the creation of an ad hoc commission to solve problems in the Ukrainian metals and mining sector.

KIEV, Nov. 4 – Management Assets Company (MACO, Donetsk), the president of which is Oleksandr Yanukovych, the eldest son of the president of Ukraine, will increase its charter capital by 5.1 times or by UAH 225 million, to UAH 280 million.

KIEV, Nov. 4 – The European Business Association has expressed alarm over the possible adoption of a law containing a requirement to ban the advertising of prescription-free medicine, which do not harm health, but treat the symptoms of diseases, as this would deprive consumers of information.

KIEV, Nov. 4 – The total size of investment in the development of the titanium sector after its consolidation through the creation of the Titan Ukrayiny public private holding is to exceed $2 billion, Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash said in an interview with Den newspaper.

KIEV, Nov. 5 - Iron ore production by Ukraine's biggest mines slowed in the first 10 months of 2008.

Inhulets Mining told Interfax that it raised concentrate production 4.5% year-on-year in the ten months to 11.999 million tons. Inhulets is Ukraine's biggest iron ore concentrate producer. The Kiev-based Smart Group owns the mine but has transferred 82.46% of the shares to the strategic management of System Capital Management's Metinvest holding.

KIEV, Nov. 5 – The Antimonopoly Committee has recommended that Suntrade, Kernel-Trade Ltd. and Polohivsky cooking oil refinery should reduce wholesale prices of sunflower oil with due regard to a decline in the price of newly harvested sunflower seeds.

KIEV, Nov. 6 -- Moody's Investors Service has put the B1 corporate family rating for the Industrial Union of Donbass, also known as ISD, on review for possible downgrade, Moody’s said in a statement.

KIEV, Nov. 6 – Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the Ba3 corporate family rating and the Aa1.ru national scale rating of Metinvest B.V. to B1 and Aa3.ua, respectively, and the senior unsecured rating of the loan participation notes, issued by Azovstal Capital B.V. to B2, Moody’s said in a statement.

KIRV, Nov. 6 - Deteriorating exports, limited external financing and a credit crunch will lead to a 3% decline in Ukraine's economy next year compared to this year's 6% GDP growth, the International Monetary Fund forecasts.

The IMF said this in a statement about the approval of a $16.4 billion stand-by loan to support of Ukraine's two-year anti-crisis program.