Main news of August 29

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours.

RUSSIA

* Five police officers were killed in a clash with Chechen militants in the home village of Chechnya's president, investigators said.

* The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry successfully coped with the wildfires that ravaged large swathes of European Russia this summer, Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

* Russia should have as many as a million volunteer firefighters and needs a law to make sure they are well-equipped, the emergency situations minister said.

* The trial of a Colorado couple accused of abusing three sisters adopted from Russia shows why a Russian-U.S. treaty on adoptions should be signed soon, Russia's children's ombudsman said.

* Four Russian traffic police officers were detained in Moscow after a man who had been reported kidnapped by his wife was discovered in the trunk of their car.

BUSINESS

* Gasoline prices in Russia are too high, but the government is trying to bring the cost of fuel down, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.

* Airline flights within Russia cost too much because there is little competition on routes so the country's antitrust authorities should take action, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.

* The last seam connecting the Russian East Siberia - Pacific Ocean oil pipeline with its Chinese section may be welded in September, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said.

WORLD

* More than 10,000 fled the Indonesian island of Sumatra along of Mount Sinabung volcano erupted for the first time for 400 years.

* Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Wechachiwa and the cabinet of ministers have the right to take the final decision in the extradition case against alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the Bangkok-based Thai-language Daily News paper reported.

ENVIRONMENT

* Russia and China signed an agreement for setting up trans-border wildlife reserve to save endangered populations of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards.

SPORTS

* Zenit St. Petersburg continued their domination of the Russian Premier League, cruising to a 3-0 victory over Lokomotiv in Moscow.