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Boris’s finest hour?

In these extraordinary times the British prime minister Boris Johnson now convenes a daily press conference in 10 Downing Street in order to keep the public up-to-date with the latest emergency measures for tackling the Corona virus pandemic. Boris’s finest hour
Flanked by scientific and medical advisers, the Conservative leader has announced a series of unprecedented and far-reaching steps - ranging from spending hundreds of billions of pounds of government money to prevent firms from sacking their employees to ordering the closure of pubs, restaurants, cafes, gyms and leisure centers across the UK.
“I must level with you,” Johnson said on March 12. “Many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time.” And on March 20, the day the news became unimaginably worse – when schools were finally ordered closed - he declared: “We must act like any wartime government and do whatever it takes to support our economy.”
It is striking to hear the language he is using. But there is a clue: five years ago Johnson published a book about his – and countless other people’s - second world war hero, Winston Churchill, who oversaw the determination and sacrifices it took to defeat Nazi Germany from 1940-1945. So will this period be – as it was for Churchill 80 years ago – Boris’s “finest hour?”
Commentators have been having a field day poking fun at Johnson’s tone and delivery. Of course it is hard to remember now in the shadow of this infinitely greater crisis, but the prime minister is personally blamed by critics for having supported the Brexit referendum of June 2016 and led the country out of the European Union on January 31st.
His simple and catchy slogan - “Get Brexit done!” – is widely recognized as having secured the Conservatives the healthy majority they won in last December’s general election, along with the disarray and incompetence of the Labour opposition. Many people – even those who voted to remain in the EU - were simply fed up with the prolonged impasse and wanted to move on. Boris’s finest hour
But Boris’s backing for Brexit remains deeply toxic: one of the most memorable elements of that bitterly divisive period was a false promise, emblazoned on the side of buses, that the revered National Health Service (NHS) would benefit from the millions of pounds saved by Britain leaving the EU.
So it was a clever if obvious line for Guardian columnist Marina Hyde to write that “when Johnson says we’ll turn the tide in 12 weeks, it’s just another line for the side of a bus.” Others have referenced a familiar historical saying – dating back to the outbreak of the first world war in August 1914 – that “it’ll all be over by Christmas.”
Covid-19 presents an unprecedented peacetime challenge, nationally as well as globally. It is simultaneously a grave health emergency and a catastrophic economic one. Johnson’s government has been widely lambasted for failing to understand its dimensions and above all being slow to adopt the stringent measures adopted by other European countries.
Even now the UK has not anchored government decisions in emergency legislation allowing it to punish people who ignore official advice about social distancing. The fear is that Britain – and especially London – may be heading for the death levels so far suffered only by Italy, which has now outstripped China as suffering the deadliest losses inflicted by Corona.
Even colleagues and allies have questioned Johnson’s decisions. Jeremy Hunt, a former health secretary, described the prime minister’s approach as “surprising and concerning” and worried in a BBC interview that the government had not moved more decisively and quickly. Another critic, a former public health director, branded the government’s response "cowardly" and accused the prime minister of "channeling Churchill."
It is clear that a major element of concern is about the growing burden on the NHS, which had already been weakened by years of austerity measures in force since the financial crash of 2008. Doctors and nurses are complaining anxiously about the lack of emergency protective equipment and ventilators as they are forced to deal with the pandemic. Boris’s finest hour
Prospects for the immediate future look grim: new legislation includes giving local and national authorities the power to force others to supply information about their capacity to deal with “transportation, storage or disposal of dead bodies.”
In line with its “wartime” narrative the government has pledged repeatedly to do “whatever it takes” to handle the escalating crisis and “turn the tide.” But Johnson will continue to be closely scrutinized to ensure that he is taking it sufficiently seriously – and not simply blathering about the distant past and conjuring up nostalgia by invoking the “Blitz spirit.”
“It was our good fortune that Churchill found his greatness at his country’s moment of supreme peril,” wrote the historian Geoffrey Wheatcroft. “It is our misfortune that the country is now in the hands of the incoherent, haunted, haggard figure, so obviously and utterly out of his depth, that we see daily: at a tragic time, history repeated as unfunny farce.”
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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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