Russia

Eight soldiers, police killed in Chechnya

Eight Russian soldiers and police died in rebel attacks in a day of violence throughout Chechnya, the region’s Kremlin-backed administration said Sunday.

Russian warplanes bombed suspected rebel positions in one region of the republic, and artillery pounded two other regions, an official in the administration said.

Five of the soldiers were killed in attacks on military positions, one died when a military vehicle hit a mine, another while trying to defuse an explosive device, and a policeman was killed in an attack on a police vehicle, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Chechnya’s rebels launch daily small attacks on Russian forces, who far outnumber the insurgents but have been unable to uproot them in nearly four years of fighting.

California

Nation’s gas prices rise about 4 cents per gallon

Rising crude oil prices raised the average cost of gasoline nationwide by nearly four cents per gallon in the past two weeks, an industry analyst said Sunday.

The Lundberg Survey of nearly 8,000 service stations Friday showed the average price for all grades of gasoline, including taxes, was $1.59 per gallon, up 3.87 cents since the previous survey July 25.

“Higher wholesale gasoline price rises have not yet been entirely passed through to the retail level, and that could increase pressure for another small boost in pump prices,” analyst Trilby Lundberg said.

Lundberg said the decrease in overall gasoline supply might be due to refineries having a “disincentive” to buy crude oil at increased prices.

Friday’s average was about 14 cents more than a year ago.