Riyadh to Host International Conference on Arabic Language Computing

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Riyadh to Host International Conference on Arabic Language Computing

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language will hold its third international conference in Riyadh from October 6 to 7.

Tackling "Arabic language computing and linguistic data enrichment", the event is expected to draw local, regional, and international institutions involved in the field.

University professors, and 40 researchers from 22 countries will attend to tackle subjects, such as computational linguistics, computer science, and Arabic language.

Through this conference, the academy hopes to contribute to the integration of the work of computer scientists and linguists in computational linguistics, bridge the knowledge gap, present their work and projects, and enrich Arabic datasets to improve and develop AI models.

It also seeks to support Arabic language automated processing and make it accessible, in line with the objectives of the Human Capability Development Program, one of Saudi Vision 2030 programs.

The conference will address topics related to the automated processing of the Arabic language, including machine learning, speech-to-text conversion, automated recognition of images, and topics related to computational linguistics, used in learning and teaching Arabic.



Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
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Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)

Egypt opened a series of galleries to the public on Tuesday in its flagship new museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), located near the pyramids of Giza.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly last week announced a "trial opening" ahead of a formal inauguration. Egyptian officials say a number of world leaders have expressed interest in attending the official opening but have not indicated when this will take place.

Pharaonic statues are showcased at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

The museum's main entrance hall with its stairway of Pharaonic statues and an annex for commercial shopping opened to the public in February 2023.

Ali Abu Al-Shish, a member of the Egyptian Archaeologists Union who attended Tuesday's opening of almost a dozen galleries, said the trial operation of the vast museum was evidence Egypt now had the space to exhibit its antiquities, including those being returned by Western states and museums.

It's an "important message that we can recover our antiquities, which are spread across various countries in the world," he said.

Visiting Russian tourist Kseniia Muse said: "We are so happy to be here, to have visited these beautiful sculptures... It is very modern and at the same time you can touch the ancient."

Pharaonic statues are displayed at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Tourism is an important source of foreign currency revenue for Egypt. The government has been trying to increase tourist numbers after facing a long-running foreign currency shortage that was exacerbated by external shocks.

Until now, Egypt's most famous collections have been housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has been largely unmodernized and unrenovated since opening in 1902.