Italian police say they have arrested nearly 100 people in anti-Mafia raids across the southern island of Sicily and in the central region of Tuscany.

Madonna has paid her ex-husband British director Guy Ritchie up to 60 million pounds ($92 million) to settle their divorce after eight years of marriage, her spokeswoman said on Monday.

The third Confucius Institute in Ukraine, co-founded by Anhui University of China and the Kharkiv National University, opened Monday on the latter`s campus, Xinhua reported.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, on December 9, the Verkhovna Rada elected Lytvyn Bloc chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn as the Verkhovna Rada speaker.

Ukrainian News learned this from the weather center.

The presidential press service announced this in a statement.

The agreement was signed by the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc faction's leader Ivan Kyrylenko, the OU-PSD faction's deputy leader Borys Tarasiuk, and the Lytvyn Bloc faction's leader Ihor Sharov.

Yuschenko expressed his concern over the inflation rate of 1.5% in November over November 2007 and 22-25% of annual inflation.

Shemchuk emphasized that there are several more deputy heads of the faction, one of whom will act as the faction leader.

A total of 381 of required 226 deputies backed the endorsement of the bill.

Ukrainian News learned this from a statement by Serhii Krasulia, the press secretary for the Bohdan Corporation.

PopeBenedict XVI invited the President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko tovisit Vatican, according to the press-service of the head of the state.The President was informed about by Metropolitan MechislavMokshytskyi. During their meeting they discussed relation of theUkrainian state and religious organizations

Prime Minister ofUkraine Yulia Tymoshenkohopes that new Coalition will pass the 2009 Budget and the Government's ActionProgram aimed at overcoming the crisis events before New Year. "Such goal is set to theGovernment and new Coalition by the end of the

President Victor Yushchenko gave an interview to BBC World News.During the interview President was answering questions about ways forUkraine to overcome economic crisis, situation in the UkrainianParliament, etc.When speaking about parliamentary coalition forming process VictorYushchenko emphasized that as the Head

OurUkraine-People's Self-Defense faction has only 36 out of37 necessary votes in support of the coalition formation with BYuT and Lytvyn's bloc.The repeat meeting of the faction on this issue started this morning at 9 a.m. Positions of 18 OU-PSD members

The Verkhovna Rada will start its plenary session meeting on Tuesday with considering the agenda of its third session and appointment of its permanent representative at the Constitutional Court.

The State Statistics Committee made this statement.

Ukrainian News learned this from the weather center.

Tymoshenko called on the parliament to boost the consideration of the draft state budget for 2009, which was submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers in autumn, taking in account current economic realities.

According to her, Lvivoblenerho demands a 100% advance payment for electricity.