Top Kenyan, Ugandan runners to compete in World 10K in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Uganda's Olympian Joshua Cheptegei, promising Kenyans Cintia Chepngeno and Gladys Kwamboka Mong’are, the reigning African champion in the 10,000m, are some of the prominent global runners who will grace this year’s TCS World 10K to be held here on April 27.
In the men’s section, Cheptegei, who is returning to the event for the first time since 2014, will be challenged by compatriot Stephen Kissa, a bronze medallist in the 2020 Delhi Half-Marathon.
Kenya’s Vincent Langat, who clocked 26:55 in Valencia earlier this year, may pull a surprise if conditions suit him.
Awet Nftalem Kibrab, who originated in Eritrea and emigrated to Norway in 2022, and Ethiopian Jenbery Sisay, may try their luck in the World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.
In the women’s section, African runners from three different countries will be eager to stretch the favourites Chepngeno and Mong’are.
Eritrea’s Rahel Daniel, who finished fifth in the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ethiopia’s 2023 African junior champion Asmarech Anley and Ugandan Sarah Chelangat will offer a tough challenge to the Kenyan duo.
Chelangat was a finalist in the 10,000m event at the Paris Olympic Games and the World Championships in recent years.
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Fact-Check: Rare solar halo in Saudi Arabia mistaken for 'doomsday' in viral video
Riyadh: A viral video is circulating on social media shows a solar halo over Saudi Arabia, with the person filming claiming it to be a sign of the approaching ‘doomsday’
In the purported video the person filming the clip is seen claiming that this solar display looks like it's the arrival of doomsday, its nearing, everyone offer prayers as doomsday is nearing, he is heard saying in Malayalam.
However the viral claim is fake, as the solar display is a rare solar halo.
However, fact-checking reveals that the claim is false. The phenomenon is actually a rare and natural atmospheric event known as a solar halo.
On Thursday morning, residents of Aseer in Saudi Arabia were treated to a breathtaking celestial display as a rare solar halo formed a perfect, translucent ring around the sun, drawing widespread attention, reported Arab News.
Quoting Dr. Abdullah Al-Musa, a researcher and agricultural calendar specialist in the Asir region, Arab News report stated that this optical phenomenon occurs when ice crystals in high-altitude clouds align at a 22-degree angle, creating a striking ring of light around the sun. The effect, sometimes accompanied by rainbow-like colors due to light dispersion, is a result of sunlight interacting with tiny ice crystals in cirrostratus clouds, as reported by Arab News.
In the meantime, Dubai-based English daily Khaleej Times reported a similar phenomenon in the UAE, where on Saturday afternoon, a luminous 22-degree halo encircled the sun.
Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Emirates Astronomical Society, speaking to Khaleej Times explained that this optical phenomenon occurs when sunlight refracts through ice crystals in thin, high-altitude clouds like cirrus clouds.
The sun halos reportedly occur when sunlight passes through millions of tiny hexagonal ice crystals found in high cirrostratus clouds. The 22° angle refers to the angular radius of the ring around the sun, not the angle at which the light refracts.
Meanwhile the halo led many questions about its possible link to recent solar storms. However, Khadija Al Hariri, operations manager at the Dubai Astronomy Group, told the Khaleej Times that, "Sun halos are caused by ice crystals in Earth's atmosphere bending sunlight. Solar storms are caused by activity on the sun like solar flares and coronal mass ejections that send charged particles toward Earth, potentially affecting satellites, power grids, and creating auroras."
She further explained, "This phenomenon is rare in the UAE because it's usually too hot and dry for the high-altitude ice crystals needed to form a sun halo. It doesn’t have any direct impact on the sun or space activity, it's purely a local atmospheric observation."
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