Allam platform included in IBM’s watsonx

Allam platform included in IBM’s watsonx
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority announced Wednesday that Allam, the AI generative platform serving Saudi Arabia and Arabic speakers around the world, was included in IBM’s watsonx data platform at the IBM Think 2024 conference. (SPA)
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Updated 07 June 2024
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Allam platform included in IBM’s watsonx

Allam platform included in IBM’s watsonx
  • Watsonx is IBM’s commercial generative AI and scientific data platform based on the cloud
  • The director of the National Information Center at the SDAIA commended the watsonx platform’s exceptional technical capabilities

RIYADH: The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority announced Wednesday that Allam, the AI generative platform serving Saudi Arabia and Arabic speakers around the world, was included in IBM’s watsonx data platform at the IBM Think 2024 conference in its pilot phase as one of the best generative models in Arabic in the world.
Watsonx is IBM’s commercial generative AI and scientific data platform based on the cloud.
In a speech at the annual conference, the director of the National Information Center at the SDAIA, Essam Al-Waqeet, commended the watsonx platform’s exceptional technical capabilities in enabling large language models and simplifying machine learning, as well as enhancing AI governance, compliance and hybrid cloud deployment flexibility, and praised the inclusion of Allam for global use, which significantly strengthens SDAIA’s position as a leader in the field of AI.
“It is acknowledged that large linguistic models trained on high-quality data are the basis for the successful implementation of generative AI, and Allam has been trained on more than 500 billion linguistic units in Arabic. We will seek to expand the addition of high-quality data and work to improve the accuracy of its models,” Al-Waqeet said.
He also reaffirmed the SDAIA’s commitment to make Allam the best generative AI model in the Arabic language in the world.
Al-Waqeet also invited the participants at the IBM Think 2024 to join the third Global Artificial Intelligence Summit, to be organized by the SDAIA in Riyadh from Sept. 10-12 later this year.


KSrelief launches date distribution project in Sudan

KSrelief launches date distribution project in Sudan
Updated 20 sec ago
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KSrelief launches date distribution project in Sudan

KSrelief launches date distribution project in Sudan

Riyadh: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has launched a date distribution project in Port Sudan, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The event was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Sudan Ali bin Hassan Jafar, Sudanese Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Abu Bakr Omar Al-Bushra, and Acting Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Ahmed Mohamed Othman.

The project will distribute 441 tonnes of dates to the neediest families across Kassala, Gedaref, Red Sea, River Nile, Blue Nile, White Nile, Sennar, and Gezira states, benefiting 441,250 individuals.

Jafar reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to providing food aid and praised the collaboration between the Sudanese government and KSrelief in ensuring the aid reaches those in need.

Al-Bushra expressed gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s support during challenging times.

Othman emphasized KSrelief’s vital role in addressing food security challenges during the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, KSrelief distributed 1,100 food baskets and 1,100 health kits in Tal Abyad, in the Raqqa governorate of Syria, benefiting 6,600 individuals as part of the earthquake relief project.


Saudi Arabia hosts international conference to mark three decades of conjoined twins program

Saudi Arabia hosts international conference to mark three decades of conjoined twins program
Updated 7 min 35 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia hosts international conference to mark three decades of conjoined twins program

Saudi Arabia hosts international conference to mark three decades of conjoined twins program
  • Families of separated twins will also attend the event
  • An exhibition will also be organized to showcase the program’s achievements

Riyadh: Saudi aid agency KSrelief will host an international conference in Riyadh on Nov. 24-25 marking three decades of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Separation Program.

It will bring together the Saudi ministries of health, national guard, defense, foreign affairs, education and media, and representatives from international humanitarian and health organizations, institutions, specialists and researchers from various countries.

Families of separated twins will also attend the event.

The conference will witness humanitarian and scientific sessions where experts will discuss advances in conjoined twin separation and related humanitarian efforts.

An exhibition will also be organized to showcase the program’s achievements as well as the Kingdom’s leadership in humanitarian and medical fields, especially excellence through the conjoined twins program.

“This comes in order to achieve the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 aimed at developing the health and humanitarian sector in the Kingdom and raising its quality and efficiency,” said KSrelief in a statement to Arab News.

On the sidelines of the conference, a number of agreements will be signed with international and UN organizations concerned with children around the world as part of the humanitarian efforts of Saudi Arabia to care for the most vulnerable groups, namely children, as well as reviewing the Kingdom’s distinguished experience in this field, as it has the most experience in twins separation in the world.

The conference at the culmination will issue important recommendations that will enrich medical and humanitarian libraries and be a reference for specialists and those interested in the field of separating conjoined twins and the humanitarian field.

The pioneering initiative makes the Kingdom a world leader in one of the most complex surgical procedures in modern medicine. Since its launch in 1990, the conjoined twins program has treated about 139 cases from countries around the world. Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who heads the medical team, has conducted 61 operations on conjoined twins born to poor families from 26 countries.

Conjoined twins Khadijah and Hawaa were airlifted from Burkina Faso to Riyadh in July this year by the Defense Ministry’s medevac, following the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and underwent the operation.

In June, the Saudi team led by Al-Rabeeah, separated Filipino conjoined twins Akiza and Aisha in at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital, which plays a crucial role in the program.

Equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities and advanced technology, the hospital is staffed by a highly skilled team specializing in complex pediatric care. Operations carried out under the program are fully sponsored by the Saudi government.


KSrelief provides shelter, winter clothing in Lebanon, Somalia

KSrelief provides shelter, winter clothing in Lebanon, Somalia
Updated 19 November 2024
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KSrelief provides shelter, winter clothing in Lebanon, Somalia

KSrelief provides shelter, winter clothing in Lebanon, Somalia

RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has distributed shelter and winter clothing to displaced people in Lebanon and Somalia, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

Orphans and those with special needs in Lebanon’s Akkar Governorate received vouchers to purchase winter clothes from approved stores.

The beneficiaries also included Syrian refugees and vulnerable members of the host community.

In Somalia, 920 shelter kits, 80 tents and 1,000 clothing kits benefited 6,000 displaced people in several camps in the Banaadir region as part of a project aiming to provide 7,600 shelter and clothing kits and 215 tents in the area.

Both initiatives are part of the ongoing humanitarian assistance provided by KSrelief to countries and people in need around the world.


Saudi foreign minister meets with US Secretary of State at Brazil G20

Saudi foreign minister meets with US Secretary of State at Brazil G20
Updated 19 November 2024
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Saudi foreign minister meets with US Secretary of State at Brazil G20

Saudi foreign minister meets with US Secretary of State at Brazil G20

RIO DE JANEIRO: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations, developments in the Middle East, and the efforts being made in these regards.
The meeting was attended by the Director-General of the Office of the Foreign Minister Abdulrahman Aldawood.


Saudi Arabia FM calls for peace, addresses global challenges at G20 Summit opening

Saudi Arabia FM calls for peace, addresses global challenges at G20 Summit opening
Updated 19 November 2024
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Saudi Arabia FM calls for peace, addresses global challenges at G20 Summit opening

Saudi Arabia FM calls for peace, addresses global challenges at G20 Summit opening
  • Prince Faisal bin Farhan leads Kingdom’s delegation on behalf of crown prince 

RIO DE JANEIRO: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan led the Kingdom’s delegation at the first session of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which opened on Monday.

Prince Faisal, who is leading the delegation on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, spoke at the summit’s opening session which was called “Social Inclusion and Combating Hunger and Poverty.”

Prince Faisal highlighted pressing global challenges, noting that increasing tensions, military conflicts, and humanitarian crises were significant obstacles to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, adding: “Development and prosperity cannot be achieved on the ruins of death and destruction.”

Moving on to the ongoing crises in the Middle East, Prince Faisal pointed to Israeli military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, describing them as sources of severe human suffering and catalysts which were pushing the region toward broader conflict.

He said: “The ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon has caused unprecedented levels of human suffering; is pushing the region to the brink of a wider war … and is undermining the credibility of international law and institutions.”

Prince Faisal reiterated Saudi Arabia’s commitment to peace, stating the Kingdom’s unwavering stance on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza; unrestricted access to humanitarian assistance; the release of hostages; and a serious commitment to lasting peace based on the two-state solution according to the 1967 borders, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The minister also addressed the situation in Sudan, expressing concern over the severe human toll due to the conflict, and obstacles preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to affected communities.

In addition to political challenges, Prince Faisal commended Brazil’s initiative in launching the International Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, which aligns with Saudi Arabia’s development and humanitarian objectives. He announced the Kingdom’s participation in the alliance, which resonates with its long-standing global efforts.

He said: “The Kingdom is pleased to be part of this alliance that is in line with its development goals and its global role in this regard, which is expressed by the programs of the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (and) the Saudi Fund for Development, in addition to its global contributions to the programs of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to support developing countries.”

The Kingdom’s delegation included Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Deputy Minister of Finance (Saudi Sherpa for the G20) Abdul Mohsen bin Saad Al-Khalaf, and Ambassador to Brazil Faisal bin Ibrahim Ghulam.

The G20 Summit in Brazil serves as a platform for the world’s leading economies to address global challenges and promote collective solutions aimed at fostering sustainable development and social equity.

On the sidelines of the summit, Prince Faisal met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. During their meeting they discussed US-Saudi relations, as well as regional developments and the efforts made in this regard.