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Australia's farmers count cost after bushfires wipe out livestock

In the wake of ferocious bushfires that tore through Kangaroo Island, local farmer Rick Morris has endured the grueling task of burying 400 sheep killed when most of his sprawling property went up in flames.
"It puts it in perspective to say that we're one of the lucky ones," he said.
Australia is reeling from bushfires that since September have claimed 28 lives, including two on Kangaroo Island, and razed 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of land -- an area larger than South Korea or Portugal.
Vast swathes of the burned land were used for grazing cattle and sheep, and officials believe the livestock toll exceeds 100,000 across Australia -- including at least 43,000 on Kangaroo Island alone, where farmers like Morris endured three blazes in just 10 days.
"We faced the full wrath of Mother Nature," he told AFP at his 930-hectare (2,300-acre) farm.
"The fire (swept) from the south side to the north side of the island and took no prisoners between... I'm amazed there were not more people killed."
Faced with the scale of the disaster, Australia's army has deployed 3,000 soldiers to assist in bushfire-affected areas.
Here, the defense force flew in firefighters from the mainland and dropped bales of hay from helicopters to farmers isolated by fires in the island's western reaches.
Brigadier Damian Cantwell, the joint bushfire task force commander for South Australia state, said he foresaw a "long road ahead" for Kangaroo Island.
"I've seen a level of destruction which is still surprising me now," he told AFP.
"There's a lot of farmers that are in distress, a lot of community members are struggling, some families have lost everything, and they're struggling to find out where they can move forward from here," he said.
"There's no end date assigned to this mission, and there must be no sense of anyone... thinking about when this is going to end."
Kangaroo Island's agriculture industry is worth Aus$150 million (US$100 million), and farming is the island's biggest employer.
Local agronomist Daniel Pledge said farmers would need to buy extra feed for their livestock, pasture seed to restore burned paddocks and animals would be likely to conceive at lower rates due to stress-causing lasting impacts from the fires.
"It's a snowball effect that we can't measure and we're very concerned for our local economy, to be honest," he told AFP.
"And these effects could flow on for up to five years, for certain individuals. And that is a long time."
The country's farmers had already been battered by a prolonged drought that has crippled water supplies in rural areas across the vast and arid continent's southeast.
National Farmers' Federation president Fiona Simpson said they were increasingly under pressure across the country.
"Whether it's the drought or the recent bushfires, dry conditions are pushing many of our farming communities to the brink," she said.
"It's a situation that grows graver each day, and shows no signs of abating."
In response, the government has promised immediate support payments of Aus$75,000 to aid in farmers' recovery, which will be drawn from an Aus$2.0 billion bushfire relief package.
Morris, who is also the chairman of Kangaroo Island's agriculture industry body, said the financial support would be welcomed on the island.
For now, though, he is keeping his remaining 4,500-strong flock close until the bushfire threat passes.
"We're hand-feeding them for all their nutrient needs, and that'll be the case until April (or) May when it rains, hopefully," he said.
The mental and financial toll on farmers is likely to claim some of the island's agriculture businesses, but many are already starting to look to the future. Morris, for one, is optimistic.
"When this fire settles down, we'll be able to regroup... and move forward as a whole community," he said.
"We've been burnt -- we're not broken."
source: AFP
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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