Passenger Jet Crash Near Market Kills 39

A passenger plane has crashed into a residential area in Tehran, killing 39 people and injuring nine.

State media in Iran had previously reported all 48 people on board the Sepahan Air flight, including seven children, had died.

The aircraft went down near Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport after its engine went out shortly after take-off.

It was bound for the eastern city of Tabas when it crashed near a market at around 9.18am local time (5.48am EST) in the capital on Sunday, narrowing avoiding further fatalities.

Crowds gather at the crash scene

Crowds in the Azadi neighbourhood gathered round the remains of the airline after it hit a wall and trees, close to a market.

Its tail fin, bearing Sepahan's dolphin logo, was torn from the fuselage and landed in the middle of a street.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards cordoned off the wreckage and debris scattered across the road.

Security forces cordon off the remains of the jet's tail fin

One witness said: "The scene was terrible... we were lucky because there was a market 500 metres away and a lot of people were there."

Another added: "I was on my motorbike and I heard something behind me. I turned round and it was a plane, so I got on to the ground because it was so close."

The country's state-run news agency IRNA said: "Initial reports indicate that the 48 people aboard the plane have been killed, including seven children."

The aircraft crashed into a residential area in the capital Tehran

The twin-engien Iran-140 aircraft is a 52-seat passenger plane usually used for domestic flights and is built in the country with Ukrainian technology.

There have been several plane crashes in Iran which have been blamed on its ageing aircraft and poor maintenance.

The last major disaster was in January 2011, when an Iran Boeing 727 crashed during an emergency landing in a snowstorm in the northwest of the country, killing around 77 people.

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Ukraine Rebels 'Willing To Accept Ceasefire'

A rebel leader in Donetsk says the Ukrainian city is surrounded by government troops and pro-Russian forces are willing to accept a ceasefire.

Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the so-called prime minister of the separatists in the region, said the fighters were calling for the move to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

In a statement, he said: "We are ready for a ceasefire to prevent the proliferation of a humanitarian disaster in Donbass.

"In the event of a storm of the city the number of victims will increase by magnitude.

One person was killed and 18 injured in shelling in Donetsk on Saturday

"We have no humanitarian corridors. There is no supply of medicines... food supplies are nearing their end."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also called for an "urgent humanitarian mission" in eastern Ukraine and said US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed "such work is being carried out with Kiev authorities", Reuters news agency reported.

It comes as Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama agreed any humanitarian mission by Russia into Ukraine would be "unjustified and illegal" during a telephone call on Saturday.

Russia, which the Ukrainian government and the West has claimed is supporting the rebels, has repeatedly called for a humanitarian mission into the east of Ukraine.

But the Moscow government has been accused of using it as a pretext for moving troops into the country.

The claim by Mr Zakharchenko could increase international pressure to allow a Russian mission to take place.

A Downing Street statement said: "On Ukraine, both expressed grave concern about reports that Russian military vehicles have crossed the border into Ukraine and that Russian armed forces are exercising for a 'humanitarian intervention'.

"The Prime Minister and President are absolutely clear that such a so-called humanitarian mission would be unjustified and illegal."

Both leaders have also said tougher sanctions should be imposed on Russia if it sends troops into Ukraine.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, head of Nato, called this week for Russia to pull its troops back from the Ukrainian border. He added that Moscow had amassed around 20,000 troops on the border.

Russia has denied allegations it attempted to send a convoy, including troops and military hardware, towards the border with eastern Ukraine under the guise of a humanitarian mission.

Valeriy Chalyi, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, claimed Ukraine had blocked the move on Saturday.

At least one person was killed and 18 wounded after artillery fire hit apartment blocks in Donetsk during clashes.

Some 300,000 people have fled the city to escape the conflict.

The Ukrainian government has not responded to the rebel statement.

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US Racing Driver Killed In Track Rage Row Video

A driver has died after being struck by a Nascar star's car during a row on a race track in New York.

Video shows Kevin Ward Jr's car hitting a wall after colliding with three-time Nascar champion Tony Stewart's vehicle at Canandaigua Motorsports Park on Saturday night.

The 20-year-old, wearing a black firesuit on the dimly-lit track, got out to confront Stewart during the sprint-car race.

Emergency services were quickly on the scene

Ward Jr was hit by Stewart's car, sending him 50ft through the air.

Paramedics tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital later that night.

Police said they are not investigating the incident as a criminal matter.

Tony Stewart was questioned by police and released

Stewart, 42, was "'fully co-operative" while being questioned and later released, they said.

Officials immediately stopped the race and posted a message on social media encouraging fans to "pray for the entire racing community of fans, drivers, and families."

"People that witnessed it were horrified," said Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero.

"They were extremely shocked."

Stewart initially released a statement saying he would still race on Sunday following Ward Jr's death.

But he has now changed his mind, saying he "feels strongly" he should not take part.

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Supersonic 'Flying Saucer' Video Released By Nasa

Footage of a supersonic "flying saucer" has been released by Nasa, as the agency attempts to find a process for landing heavier spacecraft on Mars.

The video of the spinning saucer, launched from Hawaii, shows it being shot 120,000ft into orbit by a giant balloon.

A giant balloon launches the craft into space

Officially called a Low Density Supersonic Decelerator, the spacecraft is part of a system designed to slow down landings in space.

The device borrows the rapid inflation technique of the Hawaiian puffer fish to slow the landing - reducing its velocity from four times the speed of sound to two and a half times the speed of sound.

The parachute is ripped to pieces

The footage, shot on June 28, shows a giant parachute being shot out once the slower speed is reached and then being ripped to pieces as the spacecraft punches a hole in the atmosphere.

Landing exploratory vehicles on Mars presents greater problems than landing spacecraft on Earth because the planet's atmosphere is much thinner.

The flying saucer is important for the future of Mars exploration

Giant parachutes, several times the size of those used for Earth landings, and a deceleration device are needed to put the brakes on so that rovers can be landed on the Red Planet safely and in one piece.

Nasa is working on the system because future missions to Mars will need heavier landers than the current one-ton Curiosity Rover.

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Guinea Closes Borders To Stop Ebola Outbreak

Guinea has closed its borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia in an attempt to stop the spread of ebola in West Africa.

The outbreak - the most serious since the disease first emerged in Africa 40 years ago - has so far killed nearly 1,000 people in the three countries this year.

"We have provisionally closed the frontier between Guinea and Sierra Leone because of all the news that we have received from there recently," Health Minister Rémy Lamah told a news conference.

She said the border has also been closed with Liberia.

The World Health Organisation has declared an international health emergency and said the virus may continue spreading for months.

On Friday, Nigeria became the third African nation, after Sierra Leone and Liberia, to declare a national emergency as hospitals struggled to cope with increasing cases.

"The outbreak is moving faster than we can control it," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told reporters at a news briefing in Geneva.

She said all countries with ebola should declare a national emergency, but said a ban on international travel is not needed.

Some 1,779 people have been infected and 961 people have died in the outbreak, according to the latest WHO figures.

Most of the cases are in the remote area where Guinea borders Sierra Leone and Liberia.

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Supermoon Lights Up Sky In Stunning Space Pics

Dramatic images of the "supermoon" from space have been released - as stargazers in the UK prepare to enjoy the lunar spectacle.

The 'supermoon' pictured from the ISS. Pic: Oleg Artemyev / Roscosmos

The second of three giant full moons in a row will be visible over the country tonight, but Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev posted pictures he took from the International Space Station.

A series of images he published on his Twitter account show the moon slowly disappearing behind the Earth, in what Artemyev called a "moonset".

Slowly it becomes obscured behind the Earth. Pic: Oleg Artemyev / Roscosmos

The moon will shine 30% brighter than normal tonight and will appear 14% bigger as it reaches the point in its orbit closest to Earth.

The phenomenon is known as "perigee" and this is the second of three-in-a-row – the first was on July 12 and the third will be on September 9.

The moon eventually vanishes from sight. Pic: Oleg Artemyev / Roscosmos

But Sunday's moon will be the brightest of all three.

It is not unusual for supermoons to follow in such close proximity and a perigee moon is not rare – occurring around every 13 months.

However, often it is difficult for the average person to tell the difference between a supermoon and a normal full moon because of cloud cover.

Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory said: "Generally speaking, full Moons occur near perigee every 13 months and 18 days, so it's not all that unusual.

The moon above Olvera in Spain in July The perigee moon rises above Washington DC the same month

"In fact, just last year there were three perigee Moons in a row, but only one was widely reported."

While the arrival of the supermoon is a cause of excitement for most, it has serious drawbacks for skywatchers looking out for this year's Perseid meteor shower.

The lunar glare from the giant moon means the annual event, where it is common for stargazers to see more than 100 meteors an hour, will be more difficult to view.

Skygazers watch last month's supermoon in New York The Perseids meteor show captured over Spain last year

Dr Bill Cooke from the Nasa's Meteoroid Environment Office said: "Lunar glare wipes out the black-velvety backdrop required to see faint meteors, and sharply reduces counts."

However, Tony Markham, director of the Society for Popular Astronomy's meteor section, encouraged people not to lose hope.

He said: "The Perseids are rich in bright meteors and so many Perseids will still be seen despite the moonlit sky background."

The best time to see the meteors is between Saturday and Wednesday but activity is due to peak on Tuesday.

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Anger On Streets After Black Teen Killed By Cop

The fatal shooting of a black teenager by a US police officer has sparked angry protests in his Missouri neighbourhood.

Michael Brown, 18, was killed outside an apartment building in Ferguson, a suburb of St Louis.

Hundreds of residents gathered at the scene and a temporary memorial was set up.

The crowd confronted officers, with some shouting obscenities and threats including "kill the police", but there were no reports of injuries.

Later, there was also a rally outside the headquarters of the police department, where people chanted "we want answers" and "no justice.

Police said Brown was shot after an incident last Tuesday involving two people and an officer.

The victim's mother Desiree Harris

One person allegedly pushed the policeman back into his patrol car and assaulted him.

St Louis County police chief Jon Belmar said there was a struggle over the officers' weapon and one shot was fired in the car.

He added the officer then got out of his vehicle, shot at "a subject" and the man suffered more than a couple gunshots, but "not many more than that."

Brown's mother Leslie McSpadden said of her son: "He don't bother nobody. My son just turned 18 and graduated from high school and he don't bother nobody."

The teenager's grandmother Desiree Harris, who had been expecting him to visit her later that day, saw him running near her home when she passed him in her car.

Mourners gather in the suburb of Ferguson

Minutes later, she found his body on the street after hearing a commotion outside the apartment complex.

She said: "He was running this way. When I got up there, my grandson was lying on the pavement. I asked the police what happened. They didn't tell me nothing."

Esther Haywood, president of the St Louis NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People), appealed for calm.

"Violence only creates more problems and I hope that the community will settle down tonight and tomorrow," she said.

Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson told the St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper that the officer involved has been placed on paid administrative leave.

"We are hoping for calm and for people to give us a chance to conduct a thorough investigation," Mr Jackson said.

St Louis County Police Department is investigating the shooting at the request of the local department.

John Gaskin, a member of the St Louis County NAACP civil rights group, said the FBI should become involved "to protect the integrity of the investigation".

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'Abandoned' Down's Baby Parents Break Silence

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

The biological father accused of abandoning a baby because he was born with Down's syndrome has said he would have terminated the surrogate pregnancy had he known sooner about the boy's condition.

A surrogate mother in Thailand gave birth to twins for David and Wendy Farnell.

The girl, Pipah, was healthy and came back to Western Australia with the couple but the boy, named Gammy, was born with the disability and remains in the surrogate's care.

Speaking on Channel 9's 60 Minutes programme, Mr Farnell said: "No parent wants a son with a disability.

"It was late into the pregnancy that we learned the boy had Down's. They sent us the reports but they didn't do the checks early enough."

Pattaramon Chanbua, baby Gammy's Thai surrogate mother

He denies asking the surrogate mother at any time to have an abortion.

Accused of ditching the boy, the couple have found themselves at the centre of an international scandal.

"It has been very distressing and we miss our little boy," said Mr Farnell.

"I come home from work some days and Wendy has dressed our little girl all in blue. She wants to still remember our little boy."

They say that rather than abandoning Gammy the Thai surrogate, 21-year-old Pattaramon Chanbua, refused to let him go.

Ms Chanbua says the boy's biological parents rejected him

"She said if we tried to take our little boy she's going to get the police and she's going to come and take our little girl," said Mr Farnell.

His wife added the whole episode made them both "very, very stressed".

For more than a week Ms Chanbua has repeatedly painted the Farnells as heartless.

To complicate matters further, Mr Farnell has 22 convictions for sexually abusing girls, one as young as five years old.

"There is no reason to be concerned. I'm not going to harm my little girl," he told the interviewer when pressed on whether his daughter would be safe in his care.

Asked if the couple understood why many think they are the most hated couple in Australia, he replied: "I can understand that. For one, thinking that we have abandoned our little boy, it's a terrible thing.

Gammy's twin sister lives with their biological parents in Australia

"And then to have me as a sex offender. Everybody hates sex offenders ... that's why I've tried so hard and want to be a good father to my children so people can see that I'm a good person now because I did this bad thing a long time ago."

Worldwide attention generated by the story has led to almost £150,000 being raised to help pay for Gammy's medical costs.

It has also highlighted the disturbing nature of Thailand's surrogacy industry.

Thailand is preparing to fast-track legislation to outlaw commercial surrogacy, banning agencies acting as brokers, or accepting financial or other benefits.

Advertising for women to act as surrogates for commercial purposes would also be illegal.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has called on the Thai government to allow a transitional period before the ban, to enable Australians to receive children still being carried by surrogates.

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Israel Agrees Three-Day Ceasefire Plan In Gaza

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed an Egyptian proposal for a new three-day ceasefire in Gaza.

It comes after an 11-year-old Palestinian boy was apparently shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

Mohammed Khalil al Anati was killed in Al Fawwar refugee camp, southwest of the city of Hebron, a medical official told AFP news service.

The Israeli military said it was investigating reports the youngster was shot by one of its soldiers.

Earlier, it looked like peace talks in Cairo would collapse after a Palestinian delegation threatened to walk out of discussions unless the Israelis returned to the table without conditions.

Smoke rises from the coastal side of the Gaza Strip after an Israeli strike

However, both Hamas and Israeli officials later said they had agreed the plan, paving the way for new talks.

Israel - whose delegation left Cairo after a 72-hour truce ended in violence on Friday - has said it will not take part in talks while Hamas rocket attacks continue.

"Israel will not negotiate under fire," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after his weekly cabinet meeting.

A man sits amid the ruins of his home in Gaza

"At no stage did we declare (Israel's military offensive) was over. The operation will continue until its objective - the restoration of quiet over a protracted period - is achieved."

The Palestinians blamed their decision to resume fire on Israel's refusal to end the blockade of Gaza and open a seaport.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama expressed "serious concern" about renewed hostilities in Gaza during a phone call on Saturday.

The leaders called on Israel to exercise "restraint".

A boy surrounded by rumble in a bombed out Gaza street

The Israelis launched more than 30 air attacks in Gaza on Saturday, killing nine Palestinians, while militants continued to fire rockets into Israel.

A month after Israel launched its military campaign, nearly 1,900 Palestinians have been killed - mostly civilians.

Israel has lost 64 soldiers in combat, while three civilians have died from rocket fire into the country.

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Iraqi Militants Execute 500: Some Buried Alive

Iraq militants have executed at least 500 Yazidi people, dumping their victims in mass graves across the north of the country, an official has said.

There is "striking evidence" that Islamic State fighters, formerly known as ISIS, have buried some of their victims, including women and children, alive as they continue their bloody advance across Iraq, according to the human rights minister.

The militants have driven as many as 150,000 Yazidis from their homes into the Sinjar mountains, where they are cut off from food and water and struggling to survive. Hundreds are already reported to have died.

Yazidis flee as the jihadists carve a bloody trail through northern Iraq

The jihadists have also kidnapped 300 women as slaves.

Human rights minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said: "We have striking evidence obtained from Yazidis fleeing Sinjar and some who escaped death, and also crime scene images that show indisputably that the gangs of the Islamic States have executed at least 500 Yazidis after seizing Sinjar.

"Some of the victims, including women and children, were buried alive in scattered mass graves in and around Sinjar."

Thousands are hiding in the Sinjar mountains but face starvation

Officials earlier said at least 20,000 of those trapped in the mountains had managed to escape into Syria and been escorted by Kurdish fighters back into Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani has appealed to the international community for weapons to help them  fight the extremists.

Humanitarian aid drops from the back of an RAF plane

On Sunday, officials said Kurdish troops have retaken Makhmur and Gwer, the first cities in northern Iraq since US airstrikes targeted militant artillery and equipment.

An RAF plane made the first British aid drop across northern Iraq on Sunday morning, delivering reusable filtration containers, tents and solar lights which can also recharge mobile phones.

It comes after the US launched a fresh round of strikes in an attempt to stop the jihadists' advance across the country, following a warning from Barack Obama that he was ready for a protracted campaign.

Aid parcels are loaded on to the plane

The militants have been sweeping through northern Iraq, beheading and crucifying captives who refuse to be converted to Islam.

During a press conference on Saturday, Mr Obama accepted there would be no quick fix for the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country and vowed to continue strikes for weeks or months if necessary.

Kurdish fighters try to protect the Yazidis

The President, who has ruled out sending in ground troops, and David Cameron discussed the commitment to providing humanitarian relief during a telephone conversation on Saturday.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also announced on Saturday that there would be "a continuing drumbeat of airdrop operations" around the Sinjar mountains.

The Government has pledged an emergency £8m aid package to help refugees in Iraq.

The strikes mark the first American offensive in Iraq since Washington pulled out its forces in 2011 after nearly a decade of brutal war.

The EU has said the violence in the north of Iraq could constitute "crimes against humanity".

Foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement: "We are appalled by the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation with hundreds of thousands of civilians, mainly from minorities, fleeing the areas of conflict as a result of persecution and violation of basic human rights."

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