KIEV, Nov. 19 – Parliament has increased oil, gas and gas condensate extraction royalties by 40%.

The requirement is stipulated in Article 258 of section 10 of the Tax Code approved at second reading.

The lawmakers decided to consider a larger increase in the royalties after additional discussion.

KIEV, Nov. 19 - Ukraine’s largest steel and mining group, Metinvest, will more than double its annual output of steel up to 16 million metric tons in 2011, a senior official at the group said Friday.

KIEV, Nov. 19 - Ukraine plans to increase state subsidies to the coal mining industry next year and is currently in talks with China over borrowing $2.2 billion for that reason, Volodymyr Fichov, a deputy energy and fuel minister, said.

KIEV, Nov. 21 - Ukraine’s largest oil refinery UkrTatNafta switched to refining crude delivered by oil tankers as Russian oil company Tatneft had continued its supply boycott, a source at the refinery said Wednesday.

UkrTatNafta was operating in emergency mode since October 22 when Tatneft, its minority shareholder and the key supplier of crude, had suddenly suspended the supplies due to a shareholder dispute.

KIEV, Nov. 21 - The Ukrainian government increased 10.3% natural gas price forecast in the 2008 budget draft as it anticipates higher gas prices following the on-going talks with Russia, Finance Minister Mykola Azarov said Wednesday.

KIEV, Nov 21 - UkrInterEnergo, Ukraine’s state power exporter, and Hungary's Energy Capital ZRt. signed an amicable agreement to settle a dispute that will open way to power exports to Hungary.

KIEV, Nov. 21 – Euroton started building a $50 million brick plant in Kramatorsk, the Donetsk region, capable of making 90 million bricks annually, the company's press service reported.

KIEV, Nov. 21 - Shell Exploration & Production Ukraine Investments BV reached a preliminary agreement to buy a 51% stake in Regal Petroleum Limited, which owns oil and gas assets in Ukraine, for $50 million.

KIEV, Nov. 20 - The price for imported gas could be raised for Ukraine, National Security and Defense Council's Deputy Secretary Serhiy Pyrozhkov said.

KIEV, Nov. 21 ??“ Four new hotels will open by the end of this year in Kiev, Kiev's chief department for municipal economy told Interfax-Ukraine.