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:
US and Iran launch new attacks as they wrestle for control of Strait
The US military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones as Tehran sought to thwart a new US naval effort to open shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Blast at fireworks factory in China's Hunan kills 26, Xi calls for probe
A blast at a fireworks factory in China has killed at least 26 people and injured 61, flattening buildings and sending towering clouds of smoke into the sky, and prompting President Xi Jinping to order a thorough investigation, state media reported on Tuesday.
Russian attack kills 5 at Ukraine's Naftogaz gas production facilities, officials say
A Russian overnight missile and drone attack on Ukrainian gas production facilities killed five people, including two rescue workers, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, as Kyiv and Moscow exchanged rival ceasefire proposals.
Seven cases of deadly hantavirus confirmed or suspected on stranded cruise ship
Two cases of the deadly hantavirus have been confirmed, and five more are suspected among people who were on a luxury cruise ship now held in the Atlantic near Cape Verde, the World Health Organisation said in its most detailed update on the outbreak.
Putin, Zelenskyy proclaim rival ceasefires around Russia's commemorations
President Vladimir Putin has declared on Monday a two-day ceasefire in the conflict with Ukraine on May 8-9 to mark Russia’s World War Two victory, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy countered with his own proposed pause in fighting starting earlier, on the night of May 5‑6.
Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain have expressed their strong condemnation of the Iranian attacks during separate calls with UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, has called Iran the "source of danger and threat to regional security and stability" a day after the country faced multiple attacks.
The UAE will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the unification of its armed forces on Wednesday, reflecting five decades of achievements in defending sovereignty and safeguarding national gains.
