Company news.(miscellaneous brief articles)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

* The Hungarian anti-monopoly office has approved Mol's purchase of a 36.2pc stake in Slovakian oil and gas firm Slovnaft. The merger is still subject to Slovakian anti-monopoly clearance, but this should be granted before the end of the year. Mol has agreed to pay $262mn for the share, which will make it one of the leading retailers in central and eastern Europe.

* Sibneft is to create a $50mn fund for the payment of dividends, the Russian firm's board of directors decided on 4 September. A board meeting to approve the payment and decide on the exact size of the dividend is due to take place on 10 October. The payment -- the company's first -- will be based on its …