Recent Poor Internet Service Leaves Syrians Disgruntled

Many Syrians complained in recent days of a drop in internet speed. (Getty Images)
Many Syrians complained in recent days of a drop in internet speed. (Getty Images)
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Recent Poor Internet Service Leaves Syrians Disgruntled

Many Syrians complained in recent days of a drop in internet speed. (Getty Images)
Many Syrians complained in recent days of a drop in internet speed. (Getty Images)

A sharp decline in internet speed in Syria has caused much resentment in regime-held areas, especially since the majority of Syrians rely on the internet to communicate with their children and families in asylum countries.

The internet speed had fallen by more than 90 percent.

A resident from the capital said he noticed the deterioration of the internet four days ago, during his call with his refugee son in Europe, after the call was interrupted more than 10 times.

He first thought that the problem was in the router, but a technician told him that the country is affected by slow speeds.

"We are used to slow internet, but this time it is slower than ever. The problem is that all the router signals are high and do not indicate any interruption or slowness."

Hawa Al Sham Weather Station cited sources in the Regime’s Ministry of Communication saying: "The low quality of the internet is due to the disruption of one of the international submarine cables between Cyprus and Marseille."

Other media sources said however the submarine cable coming from Egypt had been damaged and led to poor internet in Syria, adding that efforts to fix the malfunction were hampered by a storm.

Other sources suggested that the internet speed was weakened due to repairs of cables in different parts of the country, which coincided with a storm.

The decline in the internet quality took place simultaneously with a low-pressure area, accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds that began on Thursday night, and lasted for two days. The weather improved on Saturday.



70 South African White Rhinos Relocated to Rwanda

 White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
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70 South African White Rhinos Relocated to Rwanda

 White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)

Rwanda said on Tuesday that 70 white rhinos had been successfully relocated to the Great Lakes nation after a two-day journey of some 3,000 kilometers (over 1,800 miles) from South Africa.

It was the largest ever relocation of rhinos, which can weigh up to two tons, Rwandan officials said.

Once abundant across sub-Saharan Africa, rhino numbers have dramatically fallen due to hunting by European colonizers and large-scale poaching.

The animals were transported in two loads of 35 -- first aboard a Boeing 747, then by road -- from South Africa's Munywana Conservancy to Akagera National Park in Rwanda, or about 3,000 kilometers as the crow flies, according to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

A "dedicated veterinary team will closely monitor their health and behavior for several weeks to ensure proper adaptation to their new environment and management of any stress associated with the move", it said in a statement.

The move was part of African Parks' Rhino Rewild Initiative, supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and aims to support population growth and secure a new breeding stronghold in Rwanda.

According to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), rhino poaching in Africa rose by four percent from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 rhinos poached in 2023.

The southern white rhino, one of two subspecies, is now listed as "near threatened", with roughly 17,000 individuals remaining, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The northern white rhino has all but vanished, with only two females left alive.