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:
Fire breaks out at Kuwaiti refinery after drone attacks
The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has announced that the Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery, operated by Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), came under drone attacks early on Friday, with a fire breaking out at several units as a result.
US strike against alleged drug smugglers in eastern Pacific kills two
US forces launched a strike against a boat allegedly involved in drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific, the US military said on Friday, killing two people.
UK says vaccine protects against strain in deadly meningitis outbreak
Britain's health authorities said on Friday that early laboratory analysis had showed the vaccine being offered to students should protect against the strain of meningitis behind an outbreak in southeast England that has killed two people.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle weakens after lashing Australia's northeast with winds, rain
Severe tropical cyclone Narelle was losing strength on Friday after bringing destructive winds, heavy rain and power outages to Australia's northeast coast that prompted authorities to warn people to stay indoors.
More than 50 injured in fire at car parts factory in South Korea
A fire at a car parts factory in the South Korean city of Daejeon has injured 55 people, 24 of them seriously, the fire agency said on Friday.
