KIEV, July 26 - Agricultural output in Ukraine increased by 7.4% in H1 compared to the corresponding period last year, the State Statistical Service said.

KIEV, July 27 - The Cabinet of Ministers has proposed that companies implementing investment projects in priority economic sectors be exempted from obligatory profit tax until 2018.

KIEV, July 27 – There are no prerequisites for growth in public demand for foreign currency, but in autumn turbulence on the foreign currency market usually grows, said Olena Scherbakova, the director general of the monetary and credit policy department at the National Bank of Ukraine.

KIEV, July 27 – Measures taken against the Oranta insurance company in recent weeks could be described as hostile takeover or raiding attempts, company chairman Ihor Puhachev said.

According to Puhachev, from Thursday, July 19, to Monday, July 23, Oranta's clients were sent spam messages from someone called OrantaInfo that they must immediately come to the nearest office of the company to receive payments.

KIEV, July 28 - Foreign ownership of Ukrainian banks will continue to rise throughout the rest of the year as the program to recapitalize the banking system is carried out, the National Bank of Ukraine said in a letter.

KIEV, July 28 - Midland Resources Holding Limited (Guernsey, Britain), which belongs to Eduard Shyfrin and Alex Schneider, and owners of the Industrialbank Group in May sold Zaporizhstal Group, the key asset of which is Zaporizhstal steel works, through Russia's Troika Dialog investment company.

KIEV, July 28 – Kiev Pechersky Court has ordered the arrest of Tetiana Hrytsun, former first deputy head of the state treasury.

The court satisfied a relevant submission by the prosecutor's office last week, the Ukrainska Pravda online publication's Web site reported on Monday.

KIEV, July 29 – The Fuel and Energy Ministry has ordered National JSC Naftogaz Ukrayiny to draw up a feasibility study for a project for the reconstruction of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod gas pipeline by July 2011.

KIEV, July 29 - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services upgraded Ukraine's sovereign credit ratings Thursday after the International Monetary Fund had approved $15.1 billion lending package to the country.

KIEV, July 29 – The hryvnia will continue weakening under the pressure of payments of foreign loans, payments for imported gas and the devaluation expectations of the public, but the National Bank of Ukraine could impact the pace of the fall in the exchange rate, according to bankers polled by Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.