Around the world

2 aerobatic jets collide and 1 pilot is killed

MOSCOW — Two Russian air force jets rehearsing aerobatic maneuvers collided Sunday near Moscow, killing one stunt pilot and sending one fighter crashing into nearby vacation homes, a military official said.

The Su-27 fighters were part of the elite Russian Knights flying group preparing to perform at the MAKS-2009 air show, the largest showcase for Russia's aerospace industry.

Air force spokesman Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said all three pilots involved ejected. He said rescuers recovered two in satisfactory condition, but the third was killed.

The Kremlin identified the dead pilot as Col. Igor Tkachenko, 45, commander of the Russian Knights. He had been an aerobatics pilot since 1989, with more than 1,500 hours' experience.

One jet crashed into a row of houses near the airfield, setting three ablaze and scattering debris over a wide area. The RIA-Novosti news agency said one woman was seriously wounded and up to four other people on the ground may have been hurt.

IRAN

25 defendants added to protesters' trial

TEHRAN — Iran expanded a mass trial of opposition supporters on Sunday with the addition of 25 defendants — including a Jewish teenager — in defiance of international condemnation.

The defendants are among more than 100 people charged with plotting a "soft revolution" against the Islamic theocracy during the presidential postelection protests.

The mass trial is part of an attempt to put an end to the protests by those who say Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's June 12 re-election was the result of fraud.

In an apparent attempt to fend off criticism and move ahead with his second term, Ahmadinejad named three women who, if confirmed, would be Iran's first female Cabinet ministers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The trial, now in its third session, has drawn international condemnation from human- rights groups.

FRANCE

Frenchwoman held in Iran is freed on bail

PARIS — The French academic who is part of a mass trial in Iran has been freed from prison on bail and turned over to the French Embassy in good health, French leaders said Sunday, urging that charges against her be dropped.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said "that nothing can justify" the case against Clotilde Reiss, 24, who is accused of fanning a revolt aimed at bringing down Iran's Islamic rulers.

Sarkozy spoke with Reiss as soon as she left Tehran's Evin prison, and he reported that she was in good health and spirits, his office said in a statement.

Reiss was arrested July 1 and jailed after attending a postelection demonstration at the end of a five-month teaching job in the city of Isfahan. Reiss went on trial Aug. 8 alongside more than 100 other people. All were charged with fomenting revolt following the election.

ISRAEL

Peres' 86th birthday tunefully celebrated

TEL AVIV — Israeli President Shimon Peres is celebrating his 86th birthday in style — with a celebrity concert featuring songs adapted from his poetry.

Peres has quietly written poems throughout his more than 60-year political career. Israeli artists put music to his words and performed the songs for Peres in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

Peres was also presented an award from the Israeli Union of Performing Artists. The release of an album including 12 Peres songs follows the concert.