Hagia Sophia: Former Istanbul museum welcomes Muslim worshippers – BBC News

BBC News

sPublished on Jul 24, 2020

Crowds gathered in Istanbul as the historic Hagia Sophia site opened for Friday prayers for the first time since Turkish authorities ruled it could be converted into a mosque.

“Muslims are excited, everyone wants to be at the opening,” Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said on Thursday.

The 1,500-year-old Unesco World Heritage site became a museum in 1934.

But a Turkish court annulled its status, saying any use other than as a mosque was “not possible legally”.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then announced that the world-famous site would be ready for Friday prayers from 24 July, and he was seen joining worshippers at around midday (09:00 GMT).

Hagia Sophia: Former Istanbul museum welcomes Muslim worshippers – BBC News

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC16niRr50-MSBwiO3YDb3RA

Brazil’s government accused of “crimes against humanity” over coronavirus – BBC News

BBC News

Published on Jul 27, 2020

Brazil is suffering the impact of coronavirus infections more than almost any other country. Health workers there have called on the International Criminal Court to investigate President Bolsanaro’s government.

They accuse it of crimes against humanity over its mishandling of the pandemic, which they say has led to thousands of unnecessary deaths.

Brazil has recorded almost 2.5 million cases of the disease since March and more than 87,000 people are known to have died.

The pressure is beginning to ease in big cities like Sao Paulo, but cases are rising rapidly in smaller towns and cities in Brazil’s vast interior, where health services are often basic.

Huw Edwards presents BBC News at Ten reporting from Katy Watson in Campinas.

How can you reduce risk of getting COVID-19 on an airplane?

CBC News: The National

Published on Jul 27, 2020

An infectious disease specialist and a respirologist answer viewer questions about the coronavirus pandemic including how to reduce the risk of getting COVID-19 on an airplane.

Global Methane Budget: Rapid Atmospheric Methane Rise Mostly From Agriculture and Fossil Fuels

Paul Beckwith

Published on Jul 27, 2020

Recent papers on the Global Methane Budget are vital reading. Atmospheric methane concentration is rapidly rising from 2 main sources; namely agriculture (mostly livestock) and fossil fuels (mostly fracking). Two basic approaches to study methane exist; 1) Bottom Up (BU) – individual gas sources are summed up to get total emissions, and 2) Top Down (TD) – satellite based sensors measure the atmospheric methane in columns of air and sum the individual readings to get a total. Since the start of the industrial revolution in 1750 the cumulative methane forcing is about 25% of the total, which is dominated by CO2

The Doomsday Glaciers in East Antarctica | Earth Under Water

Climate State

Published on Jul 27, 2020

A new study suggests that the East Antarctica Ice Sheet in the Wilkes Basin may have completely disappeared around 400,000 years ago. Currently the Wilkes Basin is only hold back by the Cook, Mertz, and the Ninnis glacier – the Cook Glacier shelf has already collapsed. There is also the Totten Glacier farther to the east, part of the Aurora Basin, also prone to warmer water at the grounding line, though the topography is not favorable for rapid retreat in this case. Nevertheless, observations remain scarce, and the Wilkes Basin ice sheet may be the real elephant in the room. http://climatestate.com/2020/07/27/th…|-earth-under-water/

Seattle mayor calls Trump’s response to protests ‘un-American’

PBS NewsHour

Published on Jul 27, 2020

Protesters and police again clashed in a number of U.S. cities over the weekend, including Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. President Trump has defended sending federal law enforcement to the cities, but many local officials say their presence is only exacerbating the existing unrest. Amna Nawaz reports and talks to the mayor of Seattle, Jenny Durkan, about what she’s seeing in her city.

Small asteroid 2020 OY4 to make a close flyby of Earth – Orbit Animation

VideoFromSpace

Published on Jul 27, 2020

Asteroid 2020 OY4’s closest approach to Earth will be about 25,800 miles (41,521 km) away on July 28, 2020. It’s estimated size is about 3 meter (9.7 feet) in diameter.

Race to Mars

CGTN

Published on Jul 27, 2020

2020 is an optimal year for #Mars missions, given the close distance between Earth and Mars. On July 23, the China National Space Administration launched its Tianwen-1, or “Questions to Heaven,” which carries the country’s very first Mars rover and orbiter. It should arrive in orbit around the Red Planet in February. If the mission is successful, China will join the U.S. and become just the second country to operate a rover on the Red Planet. Last week, the #UAE launched its Hope satellite toward Mars. And the U.S. space agency also aims to dispatch its next-generation rover, Perseverance. Why are humans going to Mars? And what is #China‘s Mars mission all about? Will it signal a space race with the U.S.?

Faran Balanced: Pandemic Profiteers Exposed

RT America

Published on Jul 27, 2020

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US is facing the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression. But even as so many people are suffering, others are reaping the benefits of the global pandemic, according to a new Oxfam America report. In this edition of Faran Balanced, RT America’s Faran Fronczak breaks down who is profiting off of COVID-19