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Hungary closes Serbia border point as migrants gather

Hungarian police temporarily closed a Serbian border crossing Thursday after a large migrant group showed up there and demanded to be let in.
The attempt came a week after 60-70 people tried to get into Hungary at another Serbian border crossing under cover of night, prompting security staff to fire warning shots in the air.
Hungarian police report a sharp rise in attempts to cross the country’s southern borders since December.
“The Tompa road border-crossing has been temporarily closed... as undisturbed crossing cannot be guaranteed due to a large group of migrants near the Serbian side,” said a statement on the police website Thursday.
A Serbian border police officer confirmed to AFP that “about a hundred migrants” were on a strip of land between Serbia and Hungary, demanding that Hungarian authorities allow them in.
He added they were peaceful, and declining to give details on how they had reached the border area.
“We are peacefully protesting. We want to be allowed to continue our journey toward western Europe,” one man told the HVG.hu news site.
Some of those in the group said they were from Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen and that they would stay in the area between the two borders until they were let through.
Placards held by some migrants read “We are just refugees, not criminals” and “Let us cross.”
Later on Thursday Serbian public broadcaster RTS showed images of migrants, including women and children, sitting or lying in sleeping bags. RTS reported that there were a few hundred migrants.
Serbia’s Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin was on his way to the border, the RTS reported, giving no further details.
An advisor to nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last week that more than 3,400 attempts were made last month alone to cross the country’s southern borders, compared with several hundred a month last year.
source: AFP
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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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