Rebuilding Syria Through Technology: A Diaspora’s Promise

In a nation scarred by war, a new kind of gathering is offering hope. Syrians from across the diaspora returned to Damascus for the Information and Technology Advancement Forum , determined to chart a technological future for their homeland. These were not politicians or generals, but engineers , scientists , and entrepreneurs who had built careers abroad. They carried with them not just expertise, but a belief that Syria could rise again — through innovation, education, and digital progress. At the forum, discussions ranged from artificial intelligence in healthcare , to renewable energy for communities , to coding lessons for schoolchildren . Every session carried the same conviction: technology is more than wires and screens — it is the lifeline of a new Syria. Beyond ideas, the gathering symbolized something deeper: unity. Syrians, once scattered across continents, stood together again, committed to channeling their skills back home. “Rebuilding Syria will not happen overnight,”...

City of Joburg kicks out illegal occupants, vows to clamp down on invasions

City of Joburg kicks out illegal occupants, vows to clamp down on invasions

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City of Joburg kicks out illegal occupants, vows to clamp down on invasions
Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) patrol the streets of the Johannesburg CBD, 1 April 2020, during a nationwide lockdown. South Africa's lockdown imposes strict curfews and shutdowns in an attempt to halt the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Picture: Michel Bega

It alleged that criminal syndicates are using the national lockdown to take over unoccupied buildings and to invade open spaces and land.

The City of Johannesburg has vowed to clamp down on the illegal invasion of land and hijacking of buildings, after 23 illegal occupants were evicted from a city-owned property.
The eviction at the property in Van Beeck Street, New Doornfontein followed an “increase in the number of incidents of lawlessness” in some suburbs of the city, the City said in a statement.
It alleged that criminal syndicates are using the national lockdown to take over unoccupied buildings and to invade open spaces and land.
“Citizens are urged to heed the warning and refrain from unlawful activities within the City. The City has directed the Johannesburg Metro Police Department and Group Forensics and Investigative Services to act swiftly to protect the assets of the City and private citizens for the greater interests of all citizens including the poor and homeless,” Mayor Geoff Makhubo said in the statement.
Increased security personnel will be deployed to guard city-owned properties and to prevent any further incidents, according to the statement.
“We are concerned that people are using this lockdown period to take advantage of the law by illegally occupying City buildings.
“The City is committed to ensuring that those affected by the evictions be accommodated during this period at identified centres that the City has identified to accommodate the homeless, as per the national lockdown regulations on eviction,” said Makhubo.
The City, with the assistance of the provincial social development department has accommodated the homeless in various recreation centres across the metro.
“Therefore, we will not tolerate unlawful invasions under the false pretence or narrative that people are homeless. An investigation to track down these criminal syndicates is currently underway,” said Makhubo.
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