Russian investigators on Tuesday dropped their investigation into the 2009 death in jail of a whistleblowing attorney whose case led to a crisis in relations between Russia and the United States. The investigators said in a statement they had no evidence that Sergei Magnitsky died from custodians' beatings at the age of 37 as his family and former US-born employer Bill Browder claim. "Based on the preliminary investigation's results, a decision was taken to end the criminal case due to a lack of evidence of a crime," the Investigative Committee said.

Iran on Sunday repeated its offer to help the United States in finding an ex-FBI agent who went missing while on a trip to the Islamic republic to probe cigarette counterfeiting in the region. On Friday the United States, arch-foe of Iran, asked again for Tehran's help in finding Robert Levinson who disappeared six years ago from the Gulf island of Kish. "We have said many times that we do not have any information in this regard," Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by the ISNA and IRNA news agencies.

The White House said Friday it was looking forward to Iran helping to locate retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, who went missing six years ago while on a trip to the Islamic Republic. The anniversary of Levinson's disappearance falls on Saturday, and White House spokesman Jay Carney said Washington still placed a high priority on finding Levinson and bringing him home. "The Iranian government previously offered assistance in locating Mr Levinson, and we look forward to receiving this assistance, even as we disagree on other key issues," Carney said.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has defended a controversial training camp ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour, saying the tourists have a "huge advantage" in the three-Test series. Deans on Thursday made no apologies for putting a 25-man squad into an extended three-week camp and making them off limits to their Super Rugby franchises in the build-up to the June 22 first Test in Brisbane.