Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, who reached a natural gas price deal yesterday with the Russian Premier Putin, believes that governors who withhold payments for gas are undermining Ukraine’s independence.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday he was certain that the dispute over the transit of Russian gas via Ukraine would be resolved "in the near future."

Russia's president opened an international gas summit in Moscow on Saturday by calling on participants to agree on a permanent mechanism to ensure the transit of Russian gas to Europe.

The European Union is giving Russia and the Ukraine until Monday to settle their gas dispute, saying it will reassess relations with the two countries if the dispute is not resolved.

A summit to discuss the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine that have led to gas shortages for Europe will be held in Moscow on Saturday, the Russian president's press secretary said on Thursday.

The European Commission said on Friday a deal on monitoring gas transit via Ukraine has been reached.

Sinopec, one of China's two leading onshore oil and gas producers and the nation's largest oil refiner, has decided to increase its natural gas output goal in southwest China's Sichuan Province to three billion cubic meters for this year, company sources confirmed on Sunday.

Loews Corporation to Acquire Permian, Michigan and Alabama Natural Gas Exploration and Production Operations from Dominion for $4 Billion.

Dana Gas, the Middle East's first private sector regional natural gas company, said it would expand its gas operations and investments in Egypt's growing natural gas industry.