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Riyadh Hosts International Chemistry Olympiad 2024

Riyadh hosts the 56th edition of the International Chemistry Olympiad 2024 (IChO 2024) from July 21 to 30. (SPA)
Riyadh hosts the 56th edition of the International Chemistry Olympiad 2024 (IChO 2024) from July 21 to 30. (SPA)
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Riyadh Hosts International Chemistry Olympiad 2024

Riyadh hosts the 56th edition of the International Chemistry Olympiad 2024 (IChO 2024) from July 21 to 30. (SPA)
Riyadh hosts the 56th edition of the International Chemistry Olympiad 2024 (IChO 2024) from July 21 to 30. (SPA)

Riyadh hosts the 56th edition of the International Chemistry Olympiad 2024 (IChO 2024) from July 21 to 30, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday.
The event is organized by the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity "Mawhiba”, in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education and King Saud University (KSU), which will host the competition.
The IChO 2024, exclusively sponsored by Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), will feature 333 students from 90 countries, with oversight, evaluation, and judging by 260 chemistry experts.
Students will compete for 10 honorary certificates, 110 bronze medals, 70 silver medals, and 35 gold medals. The final results will be announced on July 28 at 11 PM.
This annual scientific competition is the largest international chemistry contest for general education students.
Since its establishment in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1968, the competition has been held annually over ten days, with a different host country each year.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participated as an observer in 2004 and 2005, then with students in 2006 and 2007. The Kingdom returned to participate as an observer in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and has since participated with students from 2011 up to present.
The Kingdom’s hosting of the IChO 2024 reflects the excellence of Saudi students on the international stage and enhances the Kingdom's status as a leading global destination in various scientific fields.

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Australia Tackles Poor Great Barrier Reef Water Quality

This underwater photo taken on April 5, 2024, shows bleached and dead coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, located 270 kilometers north of the city of Cairns. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
This underwater photo taken on April 5, 2024, shows bleached and dead coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, located 270 kilometers north of the city of Cairns. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
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Australia Tackles Poor Great Barrier Reef Water Quality

This underwater photo taken on April 5, 2024, shows bleached and dead coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, located 270 kilometers north of the city of Cairns. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
This underwater photo taken on April 5, 2024, shows bleached and dead coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, located 270 kilometers north of the city of Cairns. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

Australia on Friday launched a multi-million dollar effort to stop pesticide runoff and other water quality issues on the Great Barrier Reef, the latest effort to save the ailing natural wonder.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek unveiled a US$130 million bid to reduce nutrient and pesticide runoff, improve invasive species management, and support better land management across some of the most vulnerable spots along the reef, Agence France Presse reported.

Often dubbed the world's largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef is a 2,300-kilometer (1,400-mile) long expanse, home to a stunning array of biodiversity that includes more than 600 types of coral and 1,625 fish species.

But repeated mass bleaching events -- when extreme heat saps the coral of nutrients and color -- threaten the reef's fragile ecosystem.

Mass bleaching events along the reef occurred in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022 and now 2024.

Such is the damage to the reef that the UN's cultural organization UNESCO has weighed labelling the world heritage site "at risk,” a move that could put millions of tourist dollars at risk.

Plibersek said the latest funding was vital to stop some of the other problems plaguing the ecosystem and "make sure the beauty and majesty of the Reef can be enjoyed for our kids and grandkids.”

"Sediment run-off is one of the biggest threats to the Great Barrier Reef," she said.

"Poor water quality stops coral from regrowing, kills seagrass, and blocks the sunlight needed for a healthy reef."

This year's bleaching event has left 81 percent of the reef with extreme or high levels of damage -- one of the most severe and widespread on record, the latest government data shows.

It will take scientists a few more months to determine how much of the reef is beyond recovery.

Coral bleaching occurs when water temperatures rise more than one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Australian Marine Conservation Society marine ecologist Lissa Schindler welcomed the government's funding boost but said more needed to be done to address the root cause of climate change.

Historically, investment had been spread thin across the reef rather than a targeted approach, she said.

"Water pollution is one of the biggest threats to the reef outside of climate change," she told AFP.

"The reef needs every bit of help it can get."

But Australia, one of the world's largest gas and coal exporters, has only recently set targets to become carbon neutral.