Imam killed in Chechnya

The authorities in Chechnya say the imam of a mosque near the capital, Grozny, has been murdered.

They say the clergyman was shot by unidentifed gunmen outside his home in the Urus Martan district about 25km from Grozny.

Correspondents say several other Muslim clergymen have been attacked by separatist gunmen since the Russian-backed administratation was formed in Chechnya last year.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service