KIEV, July 18 – World Bank experts believe Ukraine needs to adapt its legislation to the international standards and requirements on preventing corruption and supporting competition in order to achieve full integration into the World Trade Organization and to join the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement.

KIEV, July 19 - Japan's Toshiba Company plans by late 2007 to occupy 15% of the Ukrainian laptop market, representatives of the European branch of the Japanese concern - Toshiba Europe Gmbh - said at a press conference on Wednesday.

KIEV, July 19 - Ukrainian agriculture analysts have cut their grain harvest forecast for this year from 30-33 million tons to 28-31 million tons, representatives of analytic companies have told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, July 19 – Ukraine’s GDP energy intensity in January through June was 0.75 kilograms of conventional fuel per UAH 1, which is 1.3% less than in the first half of 2006, according to the informational and analytic department of the National Agency of Ukraine for Efficient Use of Energy Resources.

KIEV, July 19 – Ukrgaz-Energo, a joint venture of national JSC Naftogaz Ukrayiny and Switzerland's RosUkrEnergo AG, has fulfilled a resolution of the Antimonopoly Committee of June 21 and transferred a UAH 300,000 fine to the national budget.

KIEV, July 19 - The State Property Fund on Wednesday announced a tender to sell a 25%+1 share stake in Oranta national insurance company at the initial price of UAH 80 million, according to an official report in the Vidomosti Pryvatyzatsiyi newspaper.

KIEV, July 19 - Ukraine's uranium exports will be suspended for the next two to three years as the country seeks to create strategic reserves of the metal, Andriy Derkach, the general director of UkrAtomProm, said.

KIEV, July 19 - Antonov Corp, Ukraine??™s aircraft maker, and Thales Aerospace signed a memorandum that calls for cooperation in the installation of Thames airborne avionics equipment on Ukrainian aircraft, Antonov reported.

KIEV, July 19 - Ukraine??™s grain exports will hit 13 million metric tons in the 2006-2007 marketing season compared with expected grain output at 40 million tons in the period, an official said Wednesday.

KIEV, July 19 - A.S. Watson Group, the world??™s largest health and beauty retailer, said it had acquired a 65% in Ukraine??™s No. 1 health and beauty retail chain DC, marking the company??™s further expansion in Eastern Europe.