National news briefs

Fire at military base in Russia kills 5

MOSCOW (AP) — Five soldiers died Sunday in a fire at a military base in Russia and a state news agency said the blaze may have destroyed sensitive security documents.

The RIA-Novosti agency said the fire at the base in Tambov, about 300 miles south of Moscow, damaged a large section of a building of the GRU, the military's foreign intelligence unit.

It quoted an unnamed source in the Russian special services as saying that the fire-damaged section included an area where very important documents are kept. The damage was initially assessed as "very serious," the agency quoted the source as saying.

EU not ready to halt Zimbabwe sanctions

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — The European Union said Sunday it will not remove sanctions targeting longtime President Robert Mugabe and his loyalists or resume development aid until more is done to implement a year-old power-sharing agreement and restore human rights.

Winding up the first visit by a high-level EU delegation since 2002, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Karel de Gucht said sharp differences remained between Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader, over their coalition agreement signed Sept. 15, 2008.

"They do not have the same reading of the same document," he told reporters at the end of a two-day visit.

Gas prices in U.S. dip 5 cents in 3 weeks

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. is down about a nickel from three weeks ago to $2.59 a gallon.

That's according to the national Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday.

Analyst Trilby Lundberg says the average price for a gallon of mid-grade was $2.72. Premium was at $2.84.

St. Louis had the lowest price, $2.26 a gallon for regular. Anchorage was the highest at $3.27.

Russia opens line of credit for Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Russia has opened a $2.2 billion line of credit for Venezuela to purchase weapons including armored vehicles and surface-to-air missiles, President Hugo Chavez said Sunday.

Venezuela is buying more arms because it feels threatened by Colombia's decision to give U.S. troops greater access to its military bases, Chavez said.