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.



Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
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Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greek firefighters said Friday that a forest blaze that had forced evacuations around Athens was under control, but warned that scorching temperatures were keeping fire risk at a highly elevated level around the capital and on northern Aegean islands.

Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in the summer fueled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.

The fire around Athens broke on Thursday afternoon near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages popular with local and foreign tourists, AFP reported.

Though it was under control on Friday, a volatile combination of high temperatures and strong winds meant that a high risk of other fires breaking out remained, especially in the Attica region around the Greek capital and some islands in the north Aegean Sea, authorities said.

A spokesman for the fire service told AFP that over 100 firefighters with 37 vehicles and a helicopter were on standby near Palaia Fokaia and Thymari.

Fields, olive groves and some houses were ravaged by the blaze.

The blaze came on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios -- Greece's fifth-largest island -- which had destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of land in four days.

Weather agencies forecast a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), including in the capital Athens.