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UN chief hails ‘landmark’ meeting on Syria constitution

On Wednesday, the two sides sat face-to-face in Geneva for the launch of the constitutional review committee’s work.
“Yesterday’s first meeting of the Constitutional Committee was a landmark, a foundation for progress,” Guterres told a conference on mediation in Istanbul organised by the Turkish government.
“I hope this will be the first step towards a political solution that will end this tragic chapter in the lives of the Syrian people, also to create the opportunity for all Syrians to return to their places of origin, in safety and dignity, to end their status as refugees,” he said.
The United Nations-brokered committee includes 150 delegates - divided equally among President Bashar al-Assad’s government, the opposition and civil society.
However, there is little hope that the process can achieve a breakthrough in reaching a political solution to the conflict which has claimed more than 370,000 lives over the past eight years.
Experts have argued that al-Assad - whose forces have made major gains against the opposition - has little to lose at the talks and will walk away before making any significant compromises.
Guterres also said that he remained “very concerned about the situation in Idlib” - a region of around three million residents of whom half are displaced people from other parts of the country. It is the last major rebel bastion in Syria.
Last week al-Assad said that winning the Idlib front would be key to winning the war and that his troops had completed preparations for an offensive.
Guterres added that he was repeating his “call for maximum restraint, de-escalation and the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure on all fronts in Syria.”
SOURCE : AFP, Istanbul
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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