Russia intensifies its attack on Ukraine, several civilian casualties reported
July 16, 2022, 7:45 pm

Russia intensifies its attack on Ukraine, several civilian casualties reported

Ukraine investigates more than 21,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression allegedly committed by Russia since the start of its invasion in February - Photo. Euromaidan Press

Russia stepped up its onslaught against Ukraine on Saturday (July 16), with civilian casualties reported in several areas of the countr, the Anews reported, citing the Associated Press.

A regional police chief said that at least three civilians were killed and three more were injured in a Russian rocket strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Chuhuiv in the early hours.

Serhiy Bolvinov, the deputy head of Kharkiv's regional police force, said that the rockets were likely fired from Russian territory. Chuhuiv lies some 120 kilometers from the border.

"Four Russian rockets, presumably fired from around (the Russian city of) Belgorod at night, at about 3:30, hit a residential building, a school and administrative buildings," Bolvinov wrote on Facebook, adding that a two-story apartment block was partly destroyed.

Bolvinov added: "The bodies of three people were found under the rubble. Three more were injured. The victims are civilians."

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 4,889 civilian deaths during Russia's military attack on Ukraine as of July 3, 2022. Of them, 335 were children - Photo. Euromaidan Press

In the neighboring Sumy region, one civilian was killed and at least seven more were injured after Russians opened mortar and artillery fire on three towns and villages not far from the Russian border, regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said on Telegram on Saturday morning.

Seven civilians were killed and 14 more received injuries over in the most recent 24 hours in cities in Ukraine's embattled eastern Donetsk region, its governor said Saturday morning.

Nearby, however, Ukrainian troops repelled a Russian overnight assault on a strategic eastern highway, said Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk region.

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Haidai said that Russia had been attempting to capture the main road link between the cities of Lysychansk and Bakhmut "for more than two months."

"They still cannot control several kilometers of this road," Haidai wrote in a Telegram post.

Russia's defense chief told troops to step up operations across Ukrainian territory, according to social media updates from the defense ministry on Saturday.

A Facebook post said Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu gave "instructions to further intensify the actions of units in all operational areas, in order to exclude the possibility of the Kyiv regime to launch massive rocket and artillery strikes on civilian infrastructure and residents of settlements in Donbas and other regions."

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According to the post, Shoigu on Saturday inspected some of the Russian units that have served in Ukraine, handing out awards for bravery.

Russia's military campaign has been focusing on the Donbas, covering Donetsk and Luhansk, but Russian forces also have been pounding other parts of the country in a relentless push to wrest territory from Ukraine and soften the morale of its leaders, civilians and troops as the war nears the five-month mark.

In Ukraine's south, two people were wounded by Russian shelling in the town of Bashtanka, northeast of the Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, according to a Telegram post by regional governor Vitaliy Kim.

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Kim said that Mykolaiv itself also came under renewed Russian fire in the early hours. On Friday morning, he had posted videos of what he said was a Russian missile attack on the city's two largest universities, and denounced Russia as "a terrorist state."

A woman was hospitalized and two more people trapped under the rubble after a Russian rocket strike on the eastern riverside city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region, its governor said on social media. Valentyn Reznichenko said on Telegram that a five-story apartment block, a school and a vocational school building were damaged.

On Friday, cruise missiles fired by Russian strategic bombers struck the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing at least three people and wounding 16.

UN says civilian toll in Ukraine war exceeds 5,000

A day earlier, a Russian missile strike killed at least 23 people — including three children — and wounded more than 200 in Vinnytsia, a city southwest of Kyiv, the capital, far from the front line.

Russia said the Kalibr cruise missiles hit a "military facility" that was hosting a meeting between Ukrainian air foce command and foreign weapons suppliers. Ukrainian authorities have insisted the site had nothing to do with the military.

Ukraine's Interior Ministry said Friday that Russian forces have conducted more than 17,000 strikes on civilian targets during the war, killing thousands of fighters and civilians and driving millions from their homes. The invasion has also rippled through the world economy by hiking prices and crimping exports of key Ukrainian and Russian products such as grain, fuel and fertilizer.

Source: anews

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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.