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:
Netanyahu orders deeper Israeli incursion into Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had ordered troops to move further into Lebanon in the battle against Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire announced more than six weeks ago.
Blast in Myanmar village reportedly kills 55 and injures dozens more
At least 55 people were reportedly killed in a blast in Myanmar's Kaung Tat village, which a rebel army said was caused by the accidental explosion of material stored for use in mining.
US military says it turned away blockade runner trying to reach Iranian port
The US military has announced that it fired a missile into the engine room of a vessel trying to get through the US blockade of Iran on Friday.
Two hundred hurt in post-game violence as Paris hails second Champions League triumph
More than 200 people were injured and one person died in Paris following Paris Saint-Germain's second consecutive Champions League win, the interior ministry said on Sunday, reviving France's heated debate about street violence.
Illegal mine collapses in China, killing five just days after Shanxi disaster
A mine shaft collapse during an illegal mining operation in China's southwestern Yunnan province killed five people and injured one, state media reported, days after the country's deadliest mining accident since 2009 left at least 82 dead.
