from a museum to revert hagia sophia from a museum toa to revert hagia sophia from a museum to a mosque for cultural heritage resumes, nationalism, inclusive nationalism reasons and also for geopolitical issues. when you say nationalism, this obviously looks like it could be a political move on the part of president erewhon, but what is it specifically that concerns you? on the face of its commits turkey's obligation as signatory two unesco conventions related to the hagia sophia is a world heritage sites. it was designated as such in 1985 and any state that is signatory to the unesco convention cannot make medications to world heritage sites without submitting the proper proposal to unesco, which would need to be reviewed, and turkey has not done that's, and they have already, evenin done that's, and they have already, even in the last two weeks since the announcement was made, made changes to the internal structure, which limits the outstanding universal value of the site. so that's the first major concern. and are you also reading this as a move by turkey away from being a secular st

now, converting hagia sophia into a mosque will take away that pride from the nation. there are millions of secular turks like me who are crying against this, but their voices are not heard because we don't have enough free speech and democracy in turkey, unfortunately, any more. back at hagia sophia, british tourists visiting today were unconcerned by the change. that'sjust part of the history of turkey, and it's up to the turkish government, i think. i'd visit it whether it's a mosque or a museum. it doesn't bother me. and you think it's for the turks to decide? absolutely, absolutely. reclaiming hagia sophia plays well with the turkish leader's base and distracts from the economic damage done by covid—i9. but many in the international community say it belongs to humanity and should have been left unchanged. 0rla guerin, bbc news, istanbul. ghislaine maxwell, the former girlfriend of the convicted sex offenderjeffrey epstein, has strongly denied charges that she helped him sexually exploit girls as young as 14 and even participated in the abuse. her lawyers have re

this is t w news live from berlin and a start of a new era for is tom bowles highest sophia. proved wrong for the 1st time in nearly 90 years the building opens for muslim prayers we have the latest on president aaron was controversial decision to change the status of the world in this monument also coming up security forces say that they have freed a german woman kidnapped by militants in iraq elevate this works as an art curator in baghdad and has been missing since monday production has caused alarm in the capital and china orders the closure of the u.s. consulate in the southwestern city of chengdu the move comes after the u.s. told the chinese to shut down their consulate in houston texas. i'm sorry kelly welcome to the program is someone's highest sophia has opened for muslim friday prayers for the 1st time in more than 80 years thousands of worshippers are gathering outside of the mosque to take part in these prayers it follows a controversial decree from turkish president wretched era to want to turn the former museum back into a mosque no heir to want is scheduled to

a vast crowd to witness a new chapter in hagia sophia's 1500 year history. this grand cathedral turned mosque turned museum once again a place of muslim worship. for older conservative turks, a moment of huge national and religious pride. translation: our 86 years of longing ends today. we have been waiting for the opening of hagia sophia for a long time and thanks to our president and the court decision today we are going to perform friday prayers at hagia sophia. translation: we are witnessing history today, the day hagia sophia returns to its origin. a moment of triumph too for turkey's president, a day to put other concerns of a fragile economy and political challenges and the effects of coronavirus to one side. his supporters compare him to the sultan who captured constantinople in 1163 and claimed this byzantine cathedral for islam. for the president's critics, it is all part of a worrying trend. this is a symbolic act of reversing the turn towards the west and secularism and establishing the fact that turkey defends the right of islam as much as it de

change is coming to hagia sophia — jewel of the byzantine empire. a great monument to christianity conquered by the ottomans, later a museum bearing testimony to layers of history. speaking turkish. but president erdogan, who presents himself as a modern—day conqueror, has announced a new chapter. "anyone who doesn't like it," he says — and plenty abroad don't — "is attacking turkey's sovereignty." under its soaring golden dome, hagia sophia will now become a mosque, as in 0ttoman days. but turkey says christian emblems, like mosaics of the virgin mary, will remain, and everyone will be welcome. making changes here is profoundly symbolic. it was kemal ataturk, founder of modern turkey, who decreed that hagia sophia should be a museum. now president erdogan is taking one more step to dismantle ataturk‘s secular legacy and remold turkey according to his vision. and that's a vision that alarms the turkish nobel laureate 0rhan pamuk, who has gazed lovingly at hagia sophia from his balcony for the past 25 years. turks are proud to be a secular mu

. >> the sophia is istanbul's landmark. it symbolizes the buys in tien, the ottoman empire, and the turkish period --. p -- period. >> he knows everything about the sofia. for 20 years, he has been getting tourists to the heritage site. when he talks about it, he is still amazed every time. but right now, everything is different. first, the museum closed due to the coronavirus. then, the museum will suddenly no longer a museum -- was suddenly no longer a museum. the president turned the hagia sofia back into a mosque. >> as a citizen of this country, it saddens me. i am trying to stay calm. as a mosque, it will still be open for visitors. they can even enter free of charge in the future. but the rules will probably change. reporter: visitors will now only be permitted outside prayer times. mosaics and icons that testify the hagia sofia was the most important church of christianity for centuries will be covered with cartons during worship -- curtains during worship. >> it is great news for the entire muslim world. we have be

doesn't celebrating conversion offer stumbles iconic landmark hagia sophia back into a mosque through a much awaited court decision at dream turkish muslims have been chasing for 85 years i'm very happy i wish hard use of fear remains as a mosque until the judgement day i ask for them i also feel as a mosque is a legacy of 5 children my met you got it back turkey's present project a part on the signed a presidential decree shortly after the country's highest court revoked a 934 cabinet decision that turned to other face in termes see him change i mean. like all our other mosques the doors of high gas sophia will be open to all locals foreigners muslims and non muslims being the common heritage of humankind hagia sophia will continue to embrace everyone in a more sincere unique way with this new status. higher gas off the ice turkey's most popular tourist site attracting nearly $4000000.00 visitors a year and so you know ask a world heritage site and part of the historic areas of to stumble the u.n. wants to make sure no changes are made to the structure we deeply regret this decision

and silly money and mosques they are open to both visitors and worshippers opening our pious sophia to worship doesn't keep local or foreign tourists from visiting the site so a loss from the world's heritage is not in question. is actually a very old structure dating back to the 6th century when the emperor justinian. help construct this very important current it's certain that the church for the record has docked. in the empire and it's actually a very important symbol to the greek orthodox religion. consider what the vatican is the roman catholics so it is the greek orthodox. wedding we're looking at the reactions coming domestic week regarding the decision to revert by sophia back into a mosque we see members of the ruling party very very happy receiving tweets from the turkish president we've seen tweets from the finance minister the president's communications director as well expressing pleasure we've seen the opposition take a very wide stance many positive reactions coming out of the muslim world they are celebrating this decision that. is once again open presuming worship. and

stumbles was famous hagia sophia museum which was originally founded as a cathedral is converted back into a mosque by the turkey's move triggers anger especially from up old. star wars the covert 19 could cause a mouse hunger across the globe and kill 12000 people a day. to. developing in otherwise middle income and if i look at reach the money is flowing to the big companies and it's really not getting down to the people that need of all fines mixed feelings in the e.u. on welcoming u.k. tourists without self isolation as brits get the green light to travel to 59 countries. i think they will be regarded so what would suspicion 1st of all we need to make sure that they do not have the various that they have heard the term essential ok and then then they have the right to enjoy themselves here. very warm welcome you watching our team international with me making arun that turkey is landmark hagia sophia museum which through its long history has also been a cathedral and a mosque has been converted back into a place for muslim press change i mean like all of other mosques the doors of

conversion of the highest sophia in istanbul from a mosque to a museum was unlawful and that decision paves the way for the world heritage thought world heritage sites restoration as a mosque you know esko had cautioned turkey against provoking the higher sophia status as a museum the u.s. and greece had also expressed concerns about any change to the site status sort of call solo is live for us live for us from istanbul so soon i'm just explain for our viewers why this is been so controversial. well this has always been a very popular topic in turkish politics cambaia i have to remind that in 1934 after turkish republic was a style this by a cabinet decision the status of sophia has been altered from from most museums and when. the ultimate. ultimate. ultimate sultan who come kurdistan both from the buys and time back in 1453. he establishments and the moment and places like iowa sophia have been part of that involvement there restoration their expenses were all paid to that and goldman so. now the state college still repealing the 934 cabinet decision means that this building behind

because this is one of tu rkey‘s sophia? because this is one of turkey's biggest tourism attractions, it attracts more than 3 million people every year. this is exactly million people every year. this is exa ctly o ne million people every year. this is exactly one of the points. first of all, i wish to say unesco deeply regrets this decision of the turkish authorities, which was made without prior dialogue, without prior discussion, and recall for the universal value of this splendid world heritage should be preserved. indeed, this decision raises the question of the outstanding value that will have to be discussed by the world heritage committee and we deeply regret that this was taken without any discussion. more regarding that status, because this has been a world heritage site. what happens now from your position as unesco? can it continue to have that designation now that it is a mosque? first of all, we need to establish oi’ first of all, we need to establish or reestablish a dialogue, and recall on the turkish autho

orthodox church i guess sophia means a lot because i guess sophia is the symbol of orthodox church the patriarch told a couple of weeks ago that opening a 5 year sophia as a mosque a gang will be disappointing for millions of christians on the other hand there are some other criticisms from european countries a united states secretary of state he also said that they would they would like to see i guess sophia as a museum as a non-partial. as an you know non-partial status but of course at the end of the day this is seen as a national sovereignty issue turkey's an independent country and it's turkish territory but greek has been the most vocal about its criticism against the decision when you come to turkey at the domestic reactions fully most of the turkish people the majority supported the decision some of them believe that this is sophia is a very important religious place some of them so it is an independence sovereignty issue and a majority of the turkish electorate is conservative and religious and nationalist that's why the majority gave support but of course there are critics es

and istanbul's that world famous i am sophia museum which was originally founded as a cathedral is converted into a mosque however turkey's move triggers anger especially from abroad. broadcasting live from our studios in moscow this is our international i'm sean thomas certainly glad to have you with us all right now aside from the impact on health and leaving millions jobless the chrono virus is also threatening to leave people hungry as well a new report by oxfam warns that covert 19 is triggering a food crisis that could potentially double the number who die from hunger each year matthew truscott is the head of humanitarian policy for oxfam international he says it's even affecting developed countries. what's really worrying in this report is we're seeing new essentials on developing in an otherwise middle income in developed countries some of the countries we do look at in the reports i think that india south africa brazil these countries where there recently developed economies and yet impact that we're seeing from coronavirus is going to have dire consequences on the most vulnerable p

now, converting hagia sophia into a mosque will take away that pride from the nation. there are millions of secular turks like me who are crying against this, but their voices are not heard because we don't have enough free speech and democracy in turkey, unfortunately, any more. back at hagia sophia, british tourists visiting today were unconcerned by the change. that'sjust part of the history of turkey, and it's up to the turkish government, i think. i'd visit it whether it's a mosque or a museum. it doesn't bother me. and you think it's for the turks to decide? absolutely, absolutely. reclaiming hagia sophia plays well with the turkish leader's base and distracts from the economic damage done by covid—19. but many in the international community say it belongs to humanity and should have been left unchanged. 0rla guerin, bbc news, istanbul. one of the online retailer boohoo's largest shareholders is selling its stock in the fashion firm, afer saying the company had failed to address concerns about working conditions at a supplier in leicester. boohoo has announced

but the dome of the haia sophia has withstood all. built in the sixth century as a byzantine church it was the world's largest christian. cathedral a millennium later it was c converted into a mosque doing ththe ottonn empire. in the 1930's, it was turned into a museum under the founder of the modern turkish republic ataturk, a symbol of the new secular state, inclusive of all religions. since then, it has been a meeting point of many faiths, held by none. a place where popes, and presidents, have come to pay their respects. and marvel at the architecture. but religion is a tool for president erdogan who has overseen prayers in the museum, and raraised its status at lococ election r rallies. >> as you know, they converted it from a mosque to a museum a while ago now we hope to be able to call it a mosque again after the election. islamic groups have fought to pray at the hagia sophia, angry greece which is the billing as part of his orthodox christian history. >> unesco has warned turkey it's conversion to a mosque could violate t the

appropriations in the next 6 months talking of use of istanbul and the iconic yes sophia this friday way for the 1st time. 86 years find a prey is being held to the site was re converted into a mosque i guess sophia a unesco world heritage site of course was built as a cathedral during the reign of a byzantine empire just in the 1st scene $537.00 but converted into a mosque after the ottoman conquest of constantin opal which is now forces some will in $1453.00 while now the site is once again a mosque and friday prayers on being held with the turkish president type to one who has been as a bit has been a strong supporter of this move to convert the museum back into a mosque attending alongside hundreds of dignitaries said let's listen in once again as friday prayers are about to begin inside i guess afia. will. the friday prayers are just about to start once again inside high gas sophia a number of countries the united states the european union unesco and various church leaders have expressed concern that the change in status of this site neighboring greece which is a neighbor to tur

nearly 4000000 people visited he had his sophia last year. and young this quarter hopes that he can continue to show this monument to as many tourists as possible because for him regardless of its status it remains the most beautiful landmark he stumbled. correspondent on filed that report she joins us now live from istanbul a what's going on at the highest of fear right now. well the friday prayer hasn't started yet but in the background you can hear recitals from the koran it is very very crowded here today we actually moved to the press area right now but we've been closer to the iowa sophia in the area before and there are thousands also people not only from istanbul but from other parts of turkey as well and most of them actually brought their prayer rocks placed them somewhere and they're now waiting for the prayer to start in old though most of the people all wearing masks today they do not seem to care much about social distancing measures there is a lot of pushing and squeezing over there and that is somewhat concerning if you consid

taxes $4000000.00 plus after nearly 90 years as the museum istanbul's highest sophia opens today for muslim prayers we have the latest on president barrack a long controversial decision to change the status of the world's famous monument. i'm sorry kelly welcome to the program we begin with some breaking news to the spokesperson for the iraqi armed forces has said on twitter about the military has freed german art curator helen may have s. who was kidnapped by militants earlier this week the official said that she was rescued on. the outskirts of baghdad this morning 5 days after she was abducted by gunmen outside of her office in the capital now the german national is a well known figure in baghdad where she runs an arts program for young iraqis she's also known as an outspoken critic of the government it remains unclear who was behind the kidnapping. let's get the latest on this developing story our correspondent thomas farrow is standing by for us thomas do we have confirmation that she has indeed been released. this was also confirmed by an activist who is a friend of the curator

was over inter istanbul at the highest -- at the idea sophia. -- hagia sophia. president erdogan is taking center stage. talk us through his position on this issue. got [ [inaudible] when the opposition won control of istanbul and on kura. erdogan used to be the mayor of istanbul. the istanbul election was re-held in june, and then a smalall islamic party told his voters to vote for the secular opposition, rather than for erdogan's party. thatat was even more of a shock. since e then, twtwo of erdogan' former lieutenants, a former deputy prime minister and former prime minister, have broken away from erdogan and formed their own party. erdogan is under pressure, and today's move in the hagia sophia is an attempt to rally the right-wing votes behind him. >> other than the religious groups, how important is this move to people in turkey? there is a group in turkey for whom islam is very important, and they see this move as a victory for islam over secularism, over christianity, but there is another group, much bigger than turkey, a group of muslims who are more co

the 1st friday prayers in istanbul is iconic highest sophia after 85 years as a museum. former heavyweight boxing champion mike tyson is coming out of retirement for an exhibition bout against another all time great boxer. ok let's begin with the escalating tension between the united states and china beijing has ordered the u.s. to shut down its consulate in the southwestern chinese city of saying do the chinese foreign ministry says it's had to hit back at what it's calling an unjustified act look what you've. china's measure is a legitimate and necessary response to unjust acts of the u.s. it conforms with international law basic norms and international relations and customary diplomatic practices the current situation in bilateral relations is not what china wants to see and the u.s. is responsible for all of this. well on tuesday washington gave beijing 72 hours to leave its consulate in houston texas china's called the move a violation of international law but the u.s. says it's necessary to protect american intellectual property and u.s. secretary of state mike pum

international with me carrying our top story turkey's landmark hagia sophia museum which through its long history has also been a cathedral and a mosque has been converted back into a place for muslim press to enjoy i mean like all of other mosques the doors of the hagia sophia will be open to all locals all foreigners muslims and muslims hagia sophia humanity's common legacy will continue to embrace everyone with its new status in a more sincere and more unique way by finalizing preparations quickly we plan to open hagia sophia for worship on friday july the 24th 2020 with friday. since worshipers have to wait another 2 weeks for the high gears of fear to reopen for pres this friday saw them gathering outside the newly reconverted mosque the president's announcement comes shortly after turkey's high court i know older 934 decision to turn it into a museum local journalist yousif has more. turkey's council's reach the decision to the no 1934 minister's council decision that had turned high stop you must immediately so this decision being i know that my so p.b.s. has now been reverted

we witnessed history today today's what i had just sophia returned to its roots. it was a mosque and it's a mosque again god willing it took continue to serve as a mosque. also on the day germany decides to provide free coronavirus testing to travelers arriving from abroad they have decided that the want to reach not only doe's coming from risk areas but also from elsewhere so he agreed to pay the cost of this thing for travelers. well for 1st time in more than 80 years istanbul's highest affair has opened for muslim friday prayers it follows a controversial decree turkish president. to turn the form of museum back into a mosque president irvine was one of hundreds of invited guests originally a christian cathedral the building has stood at the heart of istanbul for 1500 years. president everyone personally began friday prayers with a recitation from the koran this is the 1st time muslim friday prayers have been held in the highest sophia for 86 years. just 2 weeks ago turkey's highest administrative court canceled the building status as a museum and then ordered

well since bush did have to wait another 2 weeks for the hagia sophia to reopen full presence friday saw them gathering outside the converted mosque the president comes shortly after to. a 934 decision to turn it into a museum like all journalist use of. turkey's councils they reached the decision to a no 1934 minister's council decision that turned high so pure muslim museum so this decision being an old. now be reverted back to a mosque now what will change with the idea so yeah go be looking forward well the main thing that's going to change is. sophia will be open for islamic worship now there are many very important christian icons in mosaic so pressed goes inside islamic laws that worship did not take place in the presence of icons but turkish government is planning on using light mapping technology to provide an artificial barrier blocking these icons from the view of worshippers during prayer hours so the mosque will still be open for tourism but also during prayer hours for worshippers that want to come here is what many turkish officials see the decision to turn. back into

istanbul ‘s hagia sophia was originally built in asa sophia was originally built in as a church in the year 537. 900 years later it was converted to a mosque, becoming the heart of the muslim 0ttoman empire. centuries later, in 1934, it became a museum as jackie transitioned to become more secular. the move to turn hagia sophia back into a mosque has sparked a wave of criticism. church leaders say using the site exclusively for muslim worship risks deepening religious divisions. in the vatican this month, the pope was clear about his unhappiness. translation: my thoughts go to istanbul. i think of santa sophia and i am very pained. christian mosaics and imagery will be covered during prayers and they will be visible at other times, for visitors. one thing that will not change, that will not be concealed, the famous resident pat gilley and herfriends. famous resident pat gilley and her friends. they get to stay. ——pet gilly. alanna petroff, bbc news. the 24th ofjuly should have been the opening day of the 2020 olympics in tokyo but with the spread of the coronavirus, it was decided

wedding we're looking at the reactions coming domestic we regarding the decision to revert by sophia back into a mosque we see members of the ruling party very very happy we see tweets from the turkish president we've seen tweets from the finance minister the president's communications director as well expressing pleasure we've seen the opposition take a very wide stance many positive reactions coming out of the muslim world they are celebrating this decision that. is once again open prison or ship. and former great ambassador told us he believes turkey's move will reignite tensions between religions. and spain the long initiative will be allowing since the days nation it was an initiative that was started about 10 or 15 years ago which had as you. know the one next we can it be and. i don't think it has been success what it is a shame that. a profound literal it new should it be taking said a measure we're going to have tensions between. me and. worlds and this is something that. i think within a campaign but the romeros mention his 1st reaction and. the possibility. yes oh yeah bec

opposes ae to convert higher sophia from a museum to a mosque. it says this remarkable building should remain as a much-needed bridge between different faiths. laura: the future of higher sophia there. you are watching bbc world news america. delta,, rethinking our food, --r still to comethinking our food. how the pandemic has created new markets. ♪ laura: thousds of restaurants due to the covid pandemic as the lockdown puts owners into the red. as the warning fm groups that track britain's restaurant, industriny say they will struggle to reopen. our asia editor now reports for reporter: you would hav struggled to get a table here on the weekend despite there being over0 curry restaurants on this one street. when the lockdown was put in place, they were not ready to move, so the doors had been shut and many say they will struggle to reopen. >> for t last three months, it is like a ghost town. you see a majority of the restaurants will not bother opening at all. which is versad. we are famous forever curry entity some curry housesa gone, it iick

stumbles world famous hagia sophia museum which was originally founder especially from abroad. warns a day to you at the center of our developing in the otherwise middle income and of other countries and the money is flowing to the big companies and it's really not getting down to the people but peter. paul finds mixed feelings in the e.u. one welcome in the u.k. tourists without self isolation as brits get the green light to travel to 59 countries i think they will be regarded somewhat with suspicion 1st and then then they have the right to enjoy themselves here. is. a very warm welcome you watching r.t. international with me carrying also his landmark hagia sophia museum which through its long history has also been a cathedral and a mosque has been converted back into a place for muslim press. change i mean like a lot of other mosques the doors of the hagia sophia will be open to all locals all foreigners muslims and muslims hagia sophia humanity's common legacy will continue to embrace everyone with its new status and a more sincere. sense worshippers have to wait another 2

in a more sincere and more unique way by finalizing preparations quickly we plan to open hagia sophia for worship on friday july the 24th 2020 with friday prayers. since worship is to have to wait another 2 weeks for the hagia sophia to reopen for prayers this friday and see them gathering outside the. mosque the president's announcement comes shortly after to his high court an old and i 934 decision to turn it into a museum local journalist at a still. turkey's council's reach the decision to a no 1934 minister's council decision that turn i stop you must museum so this decision being an old. now be reverted back to a mosque now what will change with the idea so yeah looking forward well the main thing that's going to change is that sophia will be open for islamic worship now there are many very important christian i. pressed goes inside islamic laws that worship did not take place in the presence of icons but turkish government is planning on using light mapping technology to provide an artificial barrier blocking these icons from the view of worshippers during prayer hours so the m

and internationally, sophia is a sign of modern turkish muslim secularism. now, to convert it back into a mosque, into a regular mosque is to say to the rest of the world, "unfortunately, we are not secular any more. unfortunately, we don't want to be friendly with the west any more. that secular any more." there are millions of secular turks like me who are trying against this, but their voices are not heard because we don't have enough free speech and democracy in turkey, unfortunately, any more. —— crying against this. let's stay with the story a little longer. soner cagaptay is director of the turkish research programme at the washington institute for near east policy and an author several books on erdogan's turkey. thank you very much for making time to talk to us today. earlier, president erdogan sent a tweet with his signature, backing this decision and said he hoped that it would be beneficial. how political a move is this for him? it is a significant political move. in fact, i would say the crowning moment of president erdogan's revolution. abou

and is that those iconic caius sophia is turned into a mosque the president everyone says full fights are still welcome international critics describe the mood as a provocation. also on the program venice tests out its much delayed flood defense system thus critics say the engineering model 90 doomed should play. a more welcome to the program clashes have broken out in the serbian capital belgrade on the 4th successive nights of protest demonstrators have attempted to storm the parliament and police force them back this week has seen the worst violence in the southern european country in 2 decades anger has been mounting over what the process has called stage repression the government has banned gatherings of more than 10 people. let's cross over to journalist ferry who is on the streets of the serbian capital belgrade bring us up to date what's the situation. the clashes have ended just some 10 minutes ago when luis arrested sometimes until fifo level they were running in the streets they spread up in 2 groups. the protestants have been for our city the stairs of the parliament tryin

he said i a sophia belonged not just to turkey, but to humanity. >> the conversion of i/o sophia will disappoint millions of christians around the world. more so, at a timehe have suffered mankind, due to the pandemic of the coronavirus, is in need of unity aat common orien. reporter: this is a towering monument to faith, but critics say what is happenie is about more than religion. they say president erdogan is using the issue to bolster his support and they say it makes a great distraction from the beverage -- from the damage done to the turkish economy from covid-19. distractions don't come much bigger than this. the u.s. opposes any move to ghconvert sophia from a museum to a mosque. it says this remarkable building should remain as a much-need bridge between different faiths. laura: the futureia of higher sohere. you are watching bbc world news america. delta,, rethinking our- food, - still to come, rethinking our food. how the pandemic has created new markets. ♪ laura: thousands of restaurants in the u.k. could close forever due to the covid pandemic as the lockdown puts owner

we all say hagia sophia but in turkey it's called sophia? >> it's a turkeyfied name. >> it seems quite symbolic. >> it is. this was a dream for turkey's conservatives and islamists for decades because they perceived the decision to convert hagia sophia into a museum as a secular attack on their religious tradition. secularism had some excesses, indeed, but turning hagia sophia into museum probably wasn't an excess because the building is not just a mosque. as you said, it served five centuries as a mosque but built by vis shans, served as a cathedral for five centuries. in its status as a museum, when you entered you would see both of those heritages. you would see islamic, name of god, prophet muhammad and christ and mary. part of that christian heritage will largely be concealed behind curtains. muslims will enenjoy the building. i'm not offended with that as a muslim myself but i think it's unfair to christians. people like me, a small minority in turkey, have argued for years that if you're going to open hagia sophia, we should open it f

the hagia sophia has a meaning in historical consciousness, that is why when you support the hagia sophia, you address 62% of the turkish electorate and say, i am defending your cause. poll this month showed 40% of turks saw this as a way for erdogan to avoid discussion of turkey's troubled economy. former allies agree. but for both domestic and foreign tourists, they are enjoying seeing the new treasure free of charge. dareen: let's bring in a research fellow at the foreign policy center here in london. thanks for your time with us on the "al jazeera newshour." where do you stand on the side of the debate? is this about erdogan having his eye on the postage was he at home, or is this about erdogan sending out a regional message to the muslim world and possibly beyond? guest: i think it is both. a clear message to turkish people in the world. dareen: what is that clear message? -- fromsh authorities the koran. after the prayer, he visited the grave of mohammed ii, who conquered istanbul. symbolic actions. the event also took place on the -- of the northern treaty. about allmessage was tur

any potential change at hagia sophia is deeply symbolic. the decision to change it from a mosque into a museum was made by the founder of modern turkey, who had a secular vision for the state and we have seen president erdogan in recent years it step—by—step and move by move overturning and cancelling much of that secular legacy and reshaping turkey according to his own vision, which is a religious one. i should say we had a chance to speak to turkey's most famous and acclaimed writer and nobel prizewinner and he was horrified by this decision and said that millions of secular turks like him would be crying over this move, but he said their voices would not be heard because according to him, there is no free speech and no democracy in turkey. dame vera lynn, who died last month at the age of 103, has been honoured with a fly—past over her home village in sussex. hundreds of people gathered in ditchling to pay their respects before her funeral. duncan kennedy is in ditchling. the final journey for dame vera lynn. it was a village that

nearly 4000000 people visited he had a sophia last year. and young is quote hopes that he can continue to show this monument to his many tourists as possible because for him regardless of its status it remains the most beautiful landmark he stumbled. was i just say the sounds made by human beings are vibrating across the earth reduced by half the jury in the global lockdown caused by the corona virus pandemic researchers say they tracked a range of changes in what they described as a quote wave of quietening between march and may of this year it's the middle of nowhere. yet even here in the german forest there's human noise few places on earth don't have planes flying overhead or the hum of traffic in the distance but during covered lockdowns across the world noise pollution has quietened we so all over the world this wave of changes in the in sales make noise but also in the quite thing that you can hear with your ears this is just fantastic in terms of like the science and the link we service works what we feel and what we need to do as h

the stumbles world famous hagia sophia museum which was originally founded as a cathedral is converted back into a loft however turkey's move triggers the anger especially from abroad. oxfam warns that covert 19 could cause mass hunger across the globe and kill 12000 people a day or. 2 in the u.s. . developing in the otherwise middle income of the fellow country men money is flowing to the big companies and it's really not getting down to the people that lead to the poll finds mixed feelings in the e.u. on welcoming u.k. tourists without self isolation as brits get the green light to travel to $59.00 countries voicing that it will be regarded so what with suspicion 1st of all we need to make sure that they do not have the virus that they have heard the term essential ok and then then they have the right to enjoy themselves. very well welcome you watching r.t. international with me. now search is landmark houghi is the fear museum which through its long history has also been a cathedral and a mosque has been converted back into a place for muslim press. to joe i mean like all of of the