In January, the average wage decreased by 8.9% compared to December 2004 to 640.86 hryvnias per month. This was reported by the State Statistics Committee. \n \nThe highest level of wages was registered in Kyiv, where the average wage was 1,024.76 hryvnias, having decreased by 15.8% compared to December.

A third of the departments of the Volyn Regional State Administration will be cut. This was stated by its head, Volodymyr Bondar. However, officials who will be left without positions are asked not to worry.

Expenditures of the consolidated budget of Ukraine for January 2005 amounted to 5394.9 million UAH, and revenues – 6917 million UAH. This was reported to "proUA" by the press service of the Ministry of Finance. \n \nThe total amount of expenditures of the consolidated budget of Ukraine for January 2005 is 2034.

SBU officers at 16:12 on Tuesday, March 1, at the international airport "Boryspil" detained a person who was transporting a container with radioactive substance ("Uranium-238", mass - 582 grams) in a Volkswagen car. This is stated in a report by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Matches of the 16th round of the Ukrainian football championship took place without unexpected results. In seven of the eight matches, the hosts won, and the only team that took three points away was Donetsk "Shakhtar," which defeated "Illichivets.

* Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko introduced the new head of the UMVS of Ukraine in the Volyn region, Mykhailo Lebed. Previously, the colonel held the position of head of the criminal police of the UMVS of Ukraine in the Kherson region.

As of today, according to Lutsk Mayor Anton Kryvytskyi, for the first time in the entire heating season the city has no gas limits. As previously reported, last week Ukrainian gas suppliers warned the city authorities about a possible pressure drop in the gas pipelines.

Last week, Lutsk authorities announced that there was an urgent need in the regional center to raise tariffs for housing maintenance in order to bring them in line with costs and wages. The increase in payment was planned for the beginning of April.

We, representatives of seven public organizations, members of the Coordination Council of Youth Public Organizations of Volyn "Coalition of Truth," created on February 22, 2005, declare our readiness to work toward the development of the Volyn region.

Today, two new books were presented in the regional center of Volyn. At the youth library, those present at the presentation were shown a collection of poems by Vasyl Martyniuk, a postgraduate student of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn State University, titled "My Beaten and Dried-Up Heart.