An unmanned NASA spacecraft will see what Pluto's surface really looks like for the first time today, beaming images back to Earth as it speeds by the dwarf planet after a near decade-long journey.
	New Horizons is about the size of a baby grand piano and has been described as the fastest spaceship ever built. It is currently moving at a speed of 49,570 kilometers per hour.
	NASA is gearing to receive the information from the far-flung space explorer that will reveal specifics of Pluto previously only subject to speculation.
	The closest approach is set for 7:49 AM (1719 IST). NASA television coverage begins at 7:30 AM.
	"Spacecraft is 47,000 miles from Pluto & taking a stereo mosaic at 1 mile per pixel (resolution)," NASA's New Horizons team tweeted this morning.
	But it will be hours before scientists hear back from the spacecraft - the first to visit an unexplored planet since the NASA Voyager missions launched in the 1970s - because New Horizons will be busy snapping pictures ...

NASA readies for first Pluto close-up

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President Hassan Rouhani told Iranians in a live televised address that "all our objectives" have been met by a nuclear deal agreed today with world powers.
	In doing so he said "God has accepted the nation's prayers", and the accord would lift "inhumane and tyrannical sanctions" that have caused years of economic distress to people and businesses.
	Rouhani spoke minutes after US President Barack Obama's comments on the agreement struck in Vienna were broadcast live on Iranian state television.
	But Obama's speech was cut off when Rouhani, who has staked his presidency on resolving the nuclear standoff with the West, took to the podium to address the nation.
	"If this deal is implemented correctly... We can gradually eliminate distrust," he said, alluding to Iran's long-strained relations with leading Western states.
	"This is a mutual deal, a reciprocal deal," he added, noting that "all our objectives" had been met under the final deal as sanctions would be lifted and a civilian ...

Iran president says nuclear deal meets 'all objectives'

World Cup winner James Faulkner will miss Australia's limited overs matches against England and Ireland after Cricket Australia (CA) banned the all-rounder for drink-driving.
     The 25-year-old faces a court hearing in Manchester next week after being charged with drink-driving by Greater Manchester Police while playing for English county side Lancashire.
     CA said Faulkner had been punished for "conduct that is unbecoming of a representative and that is or could be harmful to the interests of cricket".
     His suspension covers the matches against Ireland on August 27, and England on August 31, September 3 and September 5.
     A CA statement confirmed: "Given he will be unavailable for a significant component of that series, Faulkner will not be considered for the Australian T20 or one-day international squads when announced in mid-August.
     "Faulkner may be considered as a replacement for an injured player following his suspension if required."
     The player will have to 

Faulkner banned over drink-driving charge

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad congratulated key ally Iran on reaching a nuclear deal with world powers today, calling the agreement a "great victory".
	In a message to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Assad said he was "happy that the Islamic Republic of Iran has achieved a great victory by reaching an agreement", state news agency SANA reported.
	"In the name of the Syrian people, I congratulate you and the people of Iran on this historic achievement," he added in another message addressed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
	Assad congratulated Tehran on the deal, which he said would be a "major turning point in the history of Iran, the region and the world."
	He added that it provided "clear recognition on the part of world powers of the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme, while preserving the national rights of your people and confirming the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
	Syria's foreign ministry also welcomed the agreement, which it said .

Syria's Assad praises Iran deal as 'great victory'

French President Francois Hollande today rejected claims that Greece had been humiliated by a tough new bailout deal, adding that Paris would make proposals to reinforce Europe's economic governance.
	"I cannot accept that people be humiliated... Humiliation would have been to drive it (Greece) out of the eurozone," he said in a televised interview on France's national day.
	Hollande added that France would make proposals to strengthen Europe's economic governance following the drawn-out crisis that had many fearing Greece would be forced out of the eurozone.
	He said that already Europe had created a banking union, devised to protect taxpayers from forking out public funds in case banks go bankrupt, and "budgetary discipline" had increased.
	But he added that European countries had to go further and France and Germany would draw up proposals for better economic governance.
	The outline deal thrashed out between the 19 eurozone nations calls for Greece to push through a range of ...

France's Hollande says Greece not humiliated by bailout deal

Boko Haram gunmen killed dozens of people in four villages in northeast Nigeria, slitting some residents' throats and opening fire on others, one resident and the police said today.
	"Boko Haram gunmen came into our villages at night, killing 43 people," said Sheriff Kulo, from Kilwa village near Monguno, who escaped to the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.
	There was no corroboration of his death toll but the state police commissioner confirmed the raids, which happened late last Friday.
	Details have only just emerged because of poor to non-existent phone networks in the remote area.
	Boko Haram has mounted almost daily raids, bombings and suicide attacks in northeast Nigeria since May 29, when Muhammadu Buhari became president vowing to crush the six-year Islamist uprising.
	Yesterday, he sacked his entire military high command, who were appointed by his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan, in the latest sign he is making a fresh start in the counter-insurgency.
	Kulo said the gunmen ...

Dozens killed in Boko Haram raids on NE Nigeria villages

Iran has accepted allowing the UN atomic watchdog tightly controlled "managed access" to military bases as part of the historic nuclear accord with major powers, an Iranian official said.
	Allowing visits to military bases to probe any suspicious nuclear activity was a key demand for major powers, but Tehran was deeply uneasy because of fears the inspections were a front for spying on military secrets.
	"Our military sites are not open to visitors since every country has the right to protect its secrets... However Iran will apply the Addition Protocol (to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) and on this basis allow managed access," the official said.

Iran accepts managed access to military sites:Iranian official

Major powers clinched a historic deal today aimed at ensuring Iran does not obtain the nuclear bomb, opening up Tehran's stricken economy and potentially ending decades of bad blood with the West.
	Reached on day 18 of marathon talks in Vienna, the accord is aimed at resolving a 13-year standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions after repeated diplomatic failures and threats of military action.
	It was hailed by Iran and the European Union as a new chapter of hope for the world but branded a "historic mistake" by the Islamic republic's arch-foe Israel.
	"I think this is a sign of hope for the entire world and we all know this is very much needed in this time," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said at the start of a final meeting which formally approved the accord.
	"We are certain that today the world has breathed a huge sigh of relief," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement.
	Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the accord with the United States, ...

Iran, major powers agree historic nuclear deal

Russian's Football Union (RFU) today dismissed Fabio Capello as national team head coach, ending the Italian's three years in charge after a string of disappointing results.
     "The Russian Football Union and the head coach of the national team, Fabio Capello, have mutually agreed to terminate his employment contract," the union said in a statement.
     "The RFU sincerely thanks Capello for his work as the country's national team head coach and wishes him success in his future professional activity."
     Capello -- who is reported to be the highest-paid coach in international football -- took over the Russian team in 2012 and took them to the 2014 World Cup before being given a lucrative new contract to stay in the job through to the end of the 2018 World Cup, which Russia will host.
     The former England boss is expected to come to Moscow tomorrow to formally end his contract with the RFU.
     A source told Russian news wire R-Sport that the 69-year-old coach will receive ...

Russia sack Capello as national team coach

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said a nuclear deal sealed with world powers today will open "new horizons" now that "this unnecessary crisis" has been resolved.
	In a message on his Twitter account, Rouhani said the successful talks had shown "constructive engagement works."
	There can now be "a focus on shared challenges", he added, alluding to Sunni Muslim extremists of the Islamic State group, who from their base in Iraq and Syria are launching attacks on both Shiite and Western targets worldwide.

Iran president says nuclear deal opens 'new horizons'

A strategic bomber with seven people on board crashed in far eastern Russia today but its crew apparently managed to parachute out and a search for them was underway, the defence ministry said.
	"The crew abandoned the jet," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement, adding that the Tu-95 bomber was not carrying a combat payload at the time of the crash.
	Crew members, who were taking part in a training flight outside the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, apparently managed to parachute out, the defence ministry said, citing the crew of a second plane training in the area.
	A search was underway for survivors.
	"The jet crashed in a desolate area, there is no damage on the ground," the defence ministry said in its statement carried by Russian news agencies.
	Over the past weeks, the Russian military has reported a string of accidents that has raised questions about the safety of the country's military aircraft.
	In June, the army reported an accident involving a similar TU-95 jet 

Strategic bomber crashes in Russia, crew parachutes out

Pro-government fighters in south Yemen seized Aden's airport today as they launched a new offensive against Iran-backed rebels supported by Saudi-led warplanes and ships, military sources said.
	The fighters from the Popular Resistance also pushed back the Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies from areas within the war-torn port city, the sources said.
	Warships off the coast of Aden took part in the battle which a presidential official said was part of a new military campaign to regain control of all of the city.
	Exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi is "personally supervising the operation" dubbed "Operation Golden Arrow for the Liberation of Aden," said his office director Mohammed Marem from Aden.
	Soldiers of the 39th Armoured Brigade had captured Aden's airport on March 25 after switching allegiance to the Huthi rebels.
	The Huthi rebels and their allies have since gone on to seize the presidential palace and other parts of Aden, the second largest city in Yemen and its main ..

Pro-govt forces retake Yemeni airport in new assault

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a nuclear deal concluded between major powers and Iran today was "a historic mistake for the world."
	"In every area where it was supposed to prevent Iran attaining nuclear arms capability, there were huge compromises," his office quoted him as saying at the start of a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders.
	Netanyahu has long opposed any deal with Iran, and Israel has signalled it could take military action if need be to stop the Islamic republic from obtaining a nuclear weapons capability.
	He has taken his campaign to the US Congress and the UN General Assembly but ultimately failed to block the deal.
	"You can't prevent an agreement when those negotiating it are prepared to make more and more concessions to those shouting 'Death to the United States' even as the talks are in progress," Netanyahu said today.
	"Iran will get hundreds of billions of dollars with which it will be able to fuel its terror machine," he said, ...

Netanyahu: Iran deal historic mistake

A 16-year-old girl from the US state of Washington was in hospital today after surviving a small plane crash and spending days in the wilderness, a local newspaper reported.
	Autumn Veatch was on the plane with her step-grandparents Saturday traveling to Montana when it crashed in the state's northern stretch of the Cascade Mountain range, The Seattle Times reported.
	Reported missing and feared dead, Veatch tried to pull her step-grandparents from the crashed plane and then followed a river to a road before making her way to a nearby store, the paper said.
	After hiking through the rugged mountains Veatch hadn't had anything to eat or drink for days, a first responder told the newspaper.
	She was hospitalized yesterday in the Washington town of Brewster, where her father visited her later in the day, but has no serious injuries.
	Crews are still searching for the plane, the paper reported, and authorities have not confirmed the fate of the step-grandparents or said what may have ...

US teen found days after surviving small plane crash: report

Major powers and Iran struck a historic deal today aimed at ensuring Tehran does not acquire a nuclear bomb, in return for relief from crippling sanctions, diplomats said.
	Iran's arch-foe Israel quickly lashed out at the agreement, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as "a historic mistake for the world".
	The breakthrough came on the 18th day of marathon talks in Vienna between Tehran and the so-called P5+1 -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
	"The agreement is concluded," a diplomat close to the discussions told AFP in the Austrian capital, where a final ministerial meeting between Iran and the world powers was under way to adopt the deal.
	An Iranian negotiator also said the long-running haggling had reached a "successful conclusion".
	The head of the UN atomic watchdog said he had signed a "roadmap" with Iran for probing suspected efforts to develop nuclear weapons, a key part of an overall accord.
	International Atomic Energy Agency ...

Iran, major powers strike nuclear deal

Three top Mexican prison officials were fired over the escape of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, amid suspicions guards helped him flee.
	Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said Guzman "must have counted on the complicity of prison personnel... which if confirmed would constitute an act of treason."
	Guzman disappeared from his cell late Saturday, even though he was wearing a monitoring bracelet and surveillance cameras were trained on the room for 24 hours per day, Osorio Chong said.
	"Independently from the results of the investigation and to facilitate its correct development, I have fired" the Altiplano high-security prison's director as well as the head of the country's penitentiary system and its general coordinator, the minister said.

Top prison officials sacked over Mexico drug lord escape

North Korea, whose notorious prison camps have been condemned by global rights groups, announced today an amnesty for convicted criminals to coincide with the 70th anniversary of independence from Japanese colonial rule.
	The pardons will take effect on August 1, the North's official KCNA news agency said, without specifying the number of criminals to be covered by the amnesty order.
	Pardons will be extended to those "convicted of crimes against the country and its people", the news agency said, without elaborating.
	Estimates of North Korea's prison population vary, but rights groups put it at around 200,000 men, women and children -- mostly held for political and not criminal reasons.
	A comprehensive report published last year by a UN commission concluded that conditions in normal North Korean prisons were often every bit as harsh as those in the political gulag.
	Many inmates are imprisoned without trial or any kind of due process, the report said, adding that beatings and sexual 

North Korea announces criminal amnesty

Reigning Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth defeated Tom Gillis on the second playoff hole to capture the John Deere Classic, the final US PGA tuneup for next week's British Open.
     Coming off his second John Deere title in three years will give Spieth an extra spring in his step as the world number two tries to continue his run at history at St. Andrews, where Spieth could become the first man since 1953 to win the first three golf majors of the year.
     The 21-year-old American parred the second playoff hole while Gillis missed the fairway with his tee shot and then found the water on his second shot at the TPC Deere Run.
     "It feels great," said Spieth, who also won in a playoff in 2013. "The memories we have here and to go back in a playoff and we were reliving some of the conversations.
     "Not the best start, but I am certainly OK with the outcome."
     Spieth closed with a three-under par 68 to equal Gillis at 20-under-par 264. Gillis, who was three groups ...

Spieth builds Open momentum with PGA playoff win

Oil prices tumbled further in Asia today on signs of an imminent deal between Iran and Western powers that would allow Iranian crude to flow back into the already saturated global market.
	A strong US currency has also made the dollar-priced commodity more expensive, denting demand, analysts said.
	US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for August delivery fell 75 cents to USD 51.45 and Brent crude for August eased 60 cents to USD 57.25 in afternoon Asian trade.
	"It seems that a deal is already in the final stages of being signed," said Daniel Ang, an investment analyst with Phillip Futures in Singapore, referring to long-running talks between Iran and major Western powers in Vienna.
	"This is probably the biggest issue for the week for the oil market," he told AFP.
	The intense negotiations in the Austrian capital ran into the early hours today as signs emerged that an agreement is close.
	Foreign ministers of the six powers were to hold what is expected to be the final meeting this ..

Oil falls further in Asia with Iran deal close

The first vaccine against Ebola that patients can inhale instead of inject has shown promise in tests on monkeys and should move into human trials soon, researchers have said.
	The study presented yesterday in Journal of Clinical Investigation was led by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the US National Institutes of Health.
	If found to work in people, scientists said the vaccine could be useful in crisis situations or remote areas where it is difficult to find trained medical personnel to administer vaccines.
	A weakened version of the virus, called parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV3), was engineered to contain an Ebola virus glycoprotein in order to stimulate an immune response against Ebola.
	HPIV3 is a common cause of respiratory tract infections in young children.
	Researchers gave the vaccine to rhesus macaques by placing a nebulizer mask over their faces, delivering the vaccine into their noses and mouths.
	Next, when the vaccinated animals .

Needle-free Ebola vaccine shows promise in animal tests

Mexican security forces scrambled today to save face and recapture drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman as authorities investigated whether guards helped him escape prison through a tunnel under his cell.
	For the second time in 14 years the head of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel managed to flee a maximum-security prison, dealing an embarrassing setback to President Enrique Pena Nieto.
	Troops and police were deployed to hunt down Guzman after he vanished late Saturday from the Altiplano prison 90 kilometres (55 miles) west of Mexico City, after just 17 months behind bars.
	Prosecutors questioned 30 prison employees of various rank, including the warden, who spent the night at the anti-organised crime unit of the attorney general's office.
	The guards in charge of the capo's cell and those who monitored the surveillance cameras that look into the room were among those interrogated, said an official in the attorney general's office.
	"They are making statements, with the assistance 

AFP

AFP

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