KIEV, May 22 – UkrTransNafta, Ukraine’s oil shipper, on Thursday signed a contract with Mero CR, the Czech Republic’s state oil company, to arrange an important test-run shipment of crude to a Czech oil refinery in Kralupy.

KIEV, May 22 ??“ The reduction of key interest rates by the National Bank of Ukraine is aimed at encouraging more loans to businesses that would spur economic growth, a senior NBU official said.

KIEV, May 22 ??“ Karavan Ltd., a major Ukrainian retailer, saw its net profit fall by 3.3 times in 2006, to UAH 1.688 million.

KIEV, May 22 - The Kiev Economic Court ruled on May 21 to prevent the Ukrainian State Property Fund from selling a 1% stake in Ukrtelecom on stock exchanges, a court official told Interfax on Tuesday.

KIEV, May 22 ??“ Ukraine??™s inflation will be at 6.8% in 2008, while the economy is expected to expand 7.2% on the year in 2008, Economy Minister Anatoliy Kinakh said Tuesday.

KIEV, May 19 ??“ The number of foreign-owned banks in Ukraine rose to 11 from 9 at the beginning of the year due to deals completed by Raiffeisen, BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole, the National Bank of Ukraine reported.

KIEV, May 22 ??“ Ukraine??™s Economy Ministry recently distributed unused 2005 quotas for metal supplies to the European Union between a number of Ukrainian steel companies, Deputy Economy Minister Volodymyr Hranovsky said.

KIEV, May 22 ??“ UkrAvto Corp, the owner of Ukraine??™s largest automotive company ZAZ, was ready to spend $300 million to buy engine manufacturing equipment at now defunct Daewoo Motor plant in India, an official said.

MOSCOW, May 19 ??“ Representatives of the Metalloinvest Company, which manages mining and metallurgical assets of businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Vasiliy Anisimov, have submitted to the Ukrainian government a plan for the creation of the Eurasian Mining and Metallurgical Company, Metalloinvest's executive director Dmitry Tarasov told Interfax on Wednesday.

KIEV, May 19 ??“ The primary importers of Ukrainian scrap ferrous metal in Q1 were Turkey, with 48.6% of exports volume (54.9% in Q1 2004), Moldova with 32.1% (22.7%) and Egypt with 8.9% (18.2%).