KIEV, July 31 – The volume of mergers and acquisitions in Ukraine in 2007 reached a record of $15.1 billion and will continue growing, according to Ernst & Young.

KIEV, July 30 – Ukraine's foreign trade deficit in 2008 will hit $3.379 billion, up 13.6% from 2006’s $2.974 billion and an even sharper deterioration from 2005’s $1.292 billion surplus, according to the latest government forecast.

KIEV, July 31 - A meeting of the shareholders of UkrTatNafta, which operates the Kremenchuk oil refinery, Ukraine's largest, failed to go ahead Monday because it lacked a quorum, company CEO Serhiy Hlushko told Interfax.

KIEV, July 31 - Ukraine will add more coal-producing capacity within the next several months to reverse a continued decline in the country’s coal output, Coal Industry Minister Serhiy Tulub said Tuesday.

KIEV, July 31 – Metinvest Holding, Ukraine’s largest mining and steel group, on Tuesday commissioned a new $140 million blast furnace at one of its facilities in Yenakiyevo, part of a $1 billion modernization program.

KIEV, July 31 – AeroSvit, Ukraine’s biggest airline, will acquire a 75% stake in Donbassaero, the country’s No. 3 air carrier, and will invest heavily in developing airport infrastructure in Donetsk, a company official said Tuesday.

KIEV, July 28 ??“ Home Credit Group of the Czech Republic will acquire Agrobank, a small Dnipropetrovsk-based bank in Ukraine, Interfax-Ukraine reported citing the Group.

KIEV, July 31 ??“ Naftogaz Ukrayiny has completely paid off its $200 million debt to natural gas trader UkrGaz-Energo, UkrGaz-Energo board chairman Ihor Voronin said.

MOSCOW, July 31 ??“ Crimea, Ukraine??™s autonomous region, received 'B+' foreign currency long-term issuer credit rating from Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, the rating company reported Monday adding that the outlook was stable.

KIEV, July 31 ??“ The deficit of the national budget of Ukraine grew to UAH 3.1 billion (1.5% of GDP) by July, while by June, the figure was UAH 1.5 billion, the Economy Ministry posted on its official Web site last week.