Rossiya manager killed

Police in Moscow say the managing director of the giant 'Rossiya' hotel near Red Square has been shot dead in an apparent contract killing.

The body of the hotel director, Yevgeny Tsimbalistov, was found outside his home.

The police say he had been shot twice.

The director of another big hotel complex the Sovincentr was shot dead together with his bodyguard and driver last November.

The previous director of the 'Rossiya' was killed with an axe several years ago.

Correspondents say there are frequent killings of businessmen and bankers in Moscow as rivals settle accounts or criminals attempt to expand their sphere of control.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service