Vladimir Putin: 'DiCaprio is a real man'

Vladimir Putin has praised Leonardo DiCaprio for flying out to a tiger conservation summit in Russia after the actor's initial plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

The Moscow-bound Delta Air Lines flight, containing more than 200 people including DiCaprio, had to return to New York on Sunday when other pilots reported seeing a flash in one of its engines.

Putin revealed that DiCaprio then boarded a private jet that also encountered difficulties, having to land in Finland for refuelling due to strong winds, according to PA.

The actor - who has pledged to donate $1 million (£628,000) to the World Wildlife Fund to aid them in their fight to save the tiger - eventually managed to arrive in St Petersburg just in time for the summit.

In a benefit concert at Mikhailovsky theatre, Russian Prime Minister Putin said: "Not everyone would be willing to take a plane again after what Mr DiCaprio experienced, but he did. Here in Russia we call such a person a 'real man'.

"If wildlife and tiger conservation is in the hands of people with such character, we are destined to succeed."