A concert in Italy by a top Russian conductor with close ties to Vladimir Putin has been cancelled after a widespread outcry.
Valery Gergiev, who has repeatedly expressed support for the Russian president, had been scheduled to lead a local orchestra at a music festival on 27 July at Reggia di Caserta, a former Bourbon palace close to Naples. But the management of the Unesco world heritage site said in a brief statement on Monday that his performance had been cancelled.