Yekaterinburg church protests: Putin calls for public vote

Russian President Vladimir Putin has intervened in an ongoing row over a new church in Yekaterinburg.

He said the Russian Orthodox Church "should unite people, not divide them", and called for the plans to build a church in a park to be put to a poll.

His intervention follows four days of protests by thousands of city residents.

The city's deputy mayor said construction would be suspended, while a survey was conducted.