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First of Iranian Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
    Mecca: Tarek al-Thaqfi
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First of Iranian Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)

Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Benten revealed on Sunday that the first Iranian pilgrims had started arriving in the Kingdom to perform the annual Hajj rites.

He stressed that the ministry has completed preparations of all Hajj services for the pilgrims, including Iranians, who started arriving in Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian pilgrims landed in Medina.

Preparations to receive pilgrims from Qatar are also complete, said Benten.

The minister had inspected the contract signed between the south Asia company and the pilgrims affairs office, as well as the contract signed between the company and the Qatar pilgrims affairs bureau.

In addition, he toured the civil institutions for non-Arab pilgrims from African countries and South Asia in order to present the operation plans for the 2017 Hajj season.

The presentation included several of the programs, goals, and execution, assessment and supervision mechanisms.

He also presented the food, transportation, awareness and accommodation services and efforts to improve them in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

At the end of his tour, Benten stressed the importance of providing quality services that reflect the hospitality of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques towards the pilgrims.

He highlighted the importance of Hajj organizers exerting efforts and bolstering cooperation to offer the best services and ensure the success of this year’s pilgrimage.

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AI Can Identify Women at Risk of Breast Cancer Years in Advance, Study Finds

Visitors walk past a sculpture of a pink ribbon installed to promote the "Pink Ribbon" breast cancer awareness campaign in this illustration, October 5, 2011. (Reuters)
Visitors walk past a sculpture of a pink ribbon installed to promote the "Pink Ribbon" breast cancer awareness campaign in this illustration, October 5, 2011. (Reuters)
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AI Can Identify Women at Risk of Breast Cancer Years in Advance, Study Finds

Visitors walk past a sculpture of a pink ribbon installed to promote the "Pink Ribbon" breast cancer awareness campaign in this illustration, October 5, 2011. (Reuters)
Visitors walk past a sculpture of a pink ribbon installed to promote the "Pink Ribbon" breast cancer awareness campaign in this illustration, October 5, 2011. (Reuters)

Artificial intelligence is able to identify women who have an elevated risk of developing breast cancer several years before it is diagnosed, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said on Tuesday.

Five researchers from FHI, the University of California and the University of Washington were given access to a commercially available AI program to retroactively analyze the mammographies of 116,495 women who took part in a Norwegian detection program between 2004 and 2018.

In total, 1,607 of the women developed breast cancer.

The algorithm was able to predict which women ran a higher risk of developing breast cancer, and even identify which breast was at risk, four to six years before a diagnosis.

"We noted that the breast which developed cancer had an AI score about twice as high as the other breast," said Solveig Hofvind, who heads the detection program and the AI project.

"The study shows that the AI algorithms already available on the market can be used to develop more personalized detection programs," she said.

AI could be used for early detection of breast cancer, to reduce costs and better target at-risk populations, FHI said.

According to the World Health Organization, 670,000 women died of breast cancer in 2022, the most common form of cancer among women in most countries.

The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network, which edits a collection of prestigious medical journals.

The Norwegian detection program also launched a project last year involving 140,000 women to determine whether AI could be as efficient as, or even better than, radiologists to diagnose cancer cases.