Russia has agreed to release nearly 100 whales which have been held for months in cramped pens by firms hoping to sell them in China.
A petition signed by nearly 1.5 million people helped to raise awareness of the plight of the whales, which will now be freed with the help of international scientists.
Lucy Taylor reports from Moscow:
Rescuers searching for 140 people from Indonesia passenger ship, official says
Indonesian rescuers were searching on Sunday for 140 people from a passenger ship that was earlier reported missing in the Java Sea after 103 others were evacuated, one of whom died, a search and rescue agency official said.
Saudi Arabia shuts key oil pipeline after drone attack
Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline on Friday after it was hit in a drone attack, disrupting a key route used to bypass shipping problems in the Strait of Hormuz.
BRICS members agree joint declaration at New Delhi summit
BRICS members agreed on a joint declaration on Saturday, expected to condemn unilateral aggression by any country without naming individual states, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Death toll in Philippine ferry fire rises to 76 as rescuers recover more remains
Philippine rescuers recovered 41 more charred remains from a ferry fire, authorities said on Saturday, raising the death toll to 76 and leaving 13 people unaccounted for, as forensic teams faced the daunting task of identifying the victims.
Russian attacks kill six, injure dozens in Ukraine, Moscow says it hits ships, plants
Russian air strikes in several Ukrainian regions on Saturday killed six people, injured dozens and damaged residential buildings and infrastructure across the country, officials said.
