Top News Stories –

Large Hadron Collider discovers new particle – the pentaquark –
A new kind of particle, called the pentaquark, was discovered by scientists at the Large Hadron Collider yesterday [July 13, 2015]. Physicists had theorised the existence of the pentaquark since the 1960s, but had never been able to prove it until its detection by the world’s most powerful particle smasher at Cern. The discovery of the pentaquark comes after the LHC was used in 2012 to prove the existence of another particle, the Higgs Boson, which confers mass. Large Hadron Collider spokesman Guy Wilkinson said the pentaquark represented a way to combine quarks – the sub-atomic particles that make up protons and neutrons. [Daily Telegraph]
The CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider

Deal Reached on Iran Nuclear Program –
Iran and a group of six nations led by the United States reached a historic accord on Tuesday to significantly limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for more than a decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions. The deal culminates 20 months of negotiations on an agreement that President Obama had long sought as the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency. Whether it portends a new relationship between the United States and Iran — after decades of coups, hostage-taking, terrorism and sanctions — remains a bigger question. Mr. Obama, in an early morning appearance at the White House that was broadcast live in Iran, began what promised to be an arduous effort to sell the deal to Congress and the American public, saying the agreement is “not built on trust — it is built on verification.” [NY Times]

New Horizons: Spacecraft survives Pluto encounter –
A signal received from the New Horizons spacecraft shows that it survived its historic encounter with Pluto. Data in its first call home since Tuesday’s flyby suggest the spacecraft experienced no upsets as it hurtled past the icy world at 14km/s (31,000mph). The signal came through a giant dish in Madrid, Spain – part of a Nasa network of communications antennas. The message took four hours 25 minutes to traverse 4.7 billion km of space. [BBC]
Pluto by the New Horzons spacecraft – from NASA

Raheem Sterling: Manchester City sign Liverpool winger in £49m deal –
Manchester City have signed Liverpool and England forward Raheem Sterling for a fee that could reach £49m. City will pay an initial £44m for the 20-year-old, making him the most expensive English player ever. Sterling had asked to leave Anfield and was the subject of two bids from City in June, both of which were rejected. City boss Manuel Pellegrini described Sterling, who has signed a five-year deal, as “one of the best attacking players in world football”. Sterling, who is only behind Gareth Bale on the list of most expensive British players, will wear the number seven shirt. [BBC] See List of the Day
Raheem Sterling

Video of the Day –

Great white shark beaches and is saved in Cape Cod

List of the Day –

Highest transfer fees for Football (soccer) players (as of 14 July 2015)

Rank	Player	From	To	Fee (M £)	Fee (M €)	Year
1	Gareth Bale	Tottenham Hotspur	Real Madrid	£85.3	€100	2013
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	Manchester United	Real Madrid	£80	€94.4	2009
3	Luis Suárez	Liverpool	Barcelona	£75	€94	2014
4	James Rodríguez	AS Monaco	Real Madrid	£63	€79.5	2014
T-5	Ángel Di María	Real Madrid	Manchester United	£59.7	€75	2014
T-5	Zinedine Zidane	Juventus	Real Madrid	£46	€75	2001
7	Raheem Sterling	Liverpool	Manchester City	£49	€69.5	2015
8 1	Zlatan Ibrahimović	Inter	Barcelona	£59	€69	2009
9	Kaká	Milan	Real Madrid	£56	€65	2009
10	Edinson Cavani	Napoli	Paris Saint-Germain	£55	€64	2013

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Other News Stories –

Disasters and accidents

• At least 27 people are killed in a stampede at the Godavari Maha Pushkaram Hindu festival in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. (NY Times)
• A Russian Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber crashes about 80 km (50 mi) from Khabarovsk in Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District, killing two of the seven crew members. (The Daily Mail)
• A helicopter belonging to the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) with four people on board (two crew members, a patient, and a person accompanying the patient) crashes in the Persian Gulf. (Tasnim)
• Two people are dead and six are missing due to flash flooding in Kentucky. (NBC News), (Fox News)

International relations

• Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
  • The Google Maps website removes the Chinese name for the Scarborough Shoal bitterly disputed by China and the Philippines from its maps service, following an outcry from Filipinos. (The Economic Times)
• Negotiation of a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran
  • A nuclear deal is reached in Vienna between Iran and P5+1. This Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action if signed by the entities involved, will cut off Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon whilst allowing for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, inspections, and the lifting of sanctions.(BBC) (CNN) (NY Times)

Law and crime

• North Korea announces a criminal amnesty in honor of the 70th anniversary of independence from Japanese rule. (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Science and technology

• NASA‘s New Horizons spacecraft completes a historic flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto and its five moons. Measurements, along with many high-quality photos and reams of data, were taken, including conclusive information regarding the diameter of Pluto and its moons.(Gizmodo)(CNN) (official NASA page)
• Scientists at Northumbria University in northeast England develop a computerized statistical model of the Sun‘s solar cycle (a measurement of the number of sunspots and solar flares, in this case between 1976 and 2008, and their intensity and activity). While preliminary, and not yet peer-reviewed, the data predicts irregularities in the cycle: the Northern Hemisphere could experience a slight lowering in temperatures in the 2030s.(CNN) (Washington Post)
• An article published in Science suggests that recent climate change would still cause a 6-meter (20-feet) sea-level rise even if greenhouse gasemissions were reduced today. (Times of Malta), (Science)
• Scientists at CERN‘s Large Hadron Collider announce discovery of the pentaquark. (BBC) (ABC News)

Sport

• A panel appointed by the Supreme Court of India recommends that two Indian Premier League cricket teams, the Chennai Super Kings andRajasthan Royals be suspended for two years due to a corruption scandal. (BBC)
• 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
  • In baseball, the American League defeats the National League 6-3 to win home-field advantage in the 2015 World Series. (Sports Illustrated via Twitter)

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