Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ Back on Display

Visitors looks at the Johannes Vermeer's painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, 27 October 2022. (AFP)
Visitors looks at the Johannes Vermeer's painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, 27 October 2022. (AFP)
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Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ Back on Display

Visitors looks at the Johannes Vermeer's painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, 27 October 2022. (AFP)
Visitors looks at the Johannes Vermeer's painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, 27 October 2022. (AFP)

Johannes Vermeer's “Girl with a Pearl Earring” went back on display at the Netherlands' Mauritshuis museum Friday, a day after climate activists targeted the 17th-century masterpiece.

“We are incredibly grateful that ‘The Girl’ remained undamaged and is back in her familiar place so quickly,” the museum's director, Martine Gosselink, said in a statement.

A video posted Thursday on Twitter showed a man pouring a red substance from a can over another protester who appeared to attempt to glue his head to the glass-protected painting. The second man stuck his hand to the panel holding the painting.

The painting was removed from the wall and thoroughly checked in the museum’s conservation studio. It went back on wall Friday afternoon.

Police arrested three people for “public violence against property.” Their identities were not released, in line with Dutch privacy rules.

Earlier this month, climate protesters threw mashed potatoes at a Claude Monet painting in a German museum. Other protesters threw soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” at London's National Gallery. In both cases, the paintings were undamaged.



Saudi Team Wins 6 Awards at 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad in UK

Saudi Team Wins 6 Awards at 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad in UK
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Saudi Team Wins 6 Awards at 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad in UK

Saudi Team Wins 6 Awards at 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad in UK

Under the auspices of the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity "Mawhiba" and the Ministry of Education, the Saudi mathematics team won six awards at the 65th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2024 held in the UK from July 15 to 21.

The event featured 603 talented students from 104 countries, with the Saudi team securing 1 silver medal, 4 bronze medals, and 1 certificate of appreciation.

Hadi Al-Aithan from the Al-Ahsa education department won the silver medal, while Youssef Bakheet (Yanbu education department), Mohammed Rabie (Madinah education department), Muath Al-Qahtani (Al-Sharqiyah education department), and Ahmed Al-Shehri (Riyadh education department) received bronze medals.

Mohammad Al-Ghamdi from the Al-Sharqiyah education department was honored with a certificate of appreciation.

Secretary-General of Mawhiba Amal Al-Hazzaa extended her congratulations to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, for this remarkable national achievement.

She also congratulated the students, their families, schools, teachers, and education departments for their outstanding accomplishment and wished them continued success.

Al-Hazzaa described this triumph in such a prestigious competition as a moment of immense pride for the entire nation.

Furthermore, she underlined her gratitude to Minister of Education Youssef Al-Benyan for his unwavering support of Mawhiba and the exceptionally talented students in public education.

She commended the minister's dedication in providing necessary resources and opportunities, which have contributed to the fruitful partnership between the ministry and Mawhiba.

Furthermore, she highlighted Al-Benyan’s efforts to empower Saudi talents and propel them to greater heights of achievement through this collaboration.

Saudi Arabia's participation in the IMO 2024 is part of the Mawhiba International Olympiad program, which operates under a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education. The program is one of 20 different initiatives offered annually by Mawhiba and the ministry, providing advanced curricula and enriching programs.

The initiatives offer a multi-phase journey for gifted students, exploring, boosting, and empowering their ambitions, in collaboration with local and international partners.

Students enrolled in the Mawhiba International Olympiad program undergo rigorous training, over 1,000 hours a year, in cooperation with the ministry. The training, focused on their chosen scientific track, is delivered under the guidance of local trainers and international Olympiad experts.

With this latest achievement, Saudi Arabia's tally of IMO awards has risen to 77, including 12 silver medals, 46 bronze medals, and 19 certificates of appreciation.