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Syrian army finds mass grave near Damascus: State media

The Syrian army has discovered a mass grave containing around 70 bodies in a former rebel bastion near Damascus, the state news agency reported Monday.
SANA said the victims found in the Eastern Ghouta region were “civilians and security personnel who were executed by terrorist groups.”
The densely populated semi-urban area just east of Damascus was controlled by rebel and terrorist factions for around six years until government forces retook it in 2018 after a long and bloody siege.
The state news agency quoted a senior police officer as saying that the killings were believed to have taken place between 2012 and 2014.
The mass grave, near Eastern Ghouta’s main town of Douma, is in an area formerly controlled by rebel group Jaish al-Islam.
The siege of Eastern Ghouta ended with a devastating regime offensive that saw at least 1,700 civilians killed before a deal was struck that saw fighters and civilians evacuated to northern Syria.
According to the officials quoted by SANA, many of the victims, among them women, had been bound and executed with a gunshot to the head.
AFP was not immediately able to verify the information provided by the state news agency.
Swathes of Eastern Ghouta were completely leveled during the siege and the regime offensive, but some residents have returned despite the lack of reconstruction.
Many mass graves have been found in Syria in recent years, mainly in areas formerly controlled by the Islamic State jihadist group.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 380,000 people have been killed since the start of the war in 2011.
Thousands are still missing and Human Rights Watch last week encouraged the authorities in Syria to investigate their fate.
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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