Russia appoints Chechen administration chief

The Russian government has named the chief Muslim cleric of Chechnya to head the Moscow -appointed provisional Chechen administration.

Akhmed Kadyrov is the first pro-Russian, ethnic Chechen leader for four years in the province.

He fought against Russian forces in the 1994-96 war, but last year took part in talks allowing Russian troops to enter Chechen towns peacefully.

Correspondents say this led to serious disagreements between Mr Kadyrov and the elected Chechen leader, Aslan Maskhadov.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service