Smell of Portugal's forest fires reaches Madrid 300 kilometres away
August 17, 2022, 9:03 am

Smell of Portugal's forest fires reaches Madrid 300 kilometres away

Wildfires-Spain-Facebook

On Tuesday (August 16), the smell of burning from Portugal's massive forest fires reached Madrid, Spanish emergency services reported, as both countries battle the blaze, Euronews reported.

T the Madrid region's emergency services wrote on Twitter, after receiving 380 calls: "We have received many calls on Madrid-112 from citizens worried about the smell of burning and smoke: it is a fire in Portugal.”

A satellite image released by the rescue services shows a column of smoke spreading over 300 kilometres, the distance between Portugal and the Spanish capital.

Both countries, hit by drought and heatwave, are battling large forest fires.

The Serra da Estrela blaze, already the biggest of this summer in Portugal, has burned some 15,000 hectares, according to the latest provisional figures from the Portuguese authorities.

On Tuesday (August 16), the smell of burning from Portugal's massive forest fires reached Madrid.

The fire, which broke out on August 6 in the vicinity of Covilha in central Portugal, destroyed unique forest areas in the UNESCO-recognised park in the heart of the Serra da Estrela mountain range, which rises to around 2,000 metres.

While the civil protection service has been criticised for its operational management, Portuguese Interior Minister José Luis Carneiro pledged on Monday to launch an evaluation of the "structural causes" and the "method of fighting" the fires "once the Serra da Estrela fire is extinguished".

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In the southeastern Spanish province of Alicante, 10,000 hectares have already burned and the fire, which spread after lightning struck the Vall d'Ebo on Saturday evening, has still not been brought under control. More than 15,000 people have had to be evacuated, according to the authorities.

In the region of Aragon in Spain's north-east, where more than 6,000 hectares have burned, firefighters seem to have succeeded in fixing the fire.

In Spain, forest fires in 2022 were three times more devastating than in the whole of 2021, when 84,827 hectares went up in smoke.

Over 4,000 hectares of land destroyed in wildfires in northwestern Spain

Portugal, which is experiencing an exceptional drought this year, had its hottest July in almost a century.

Since the beginning of the year, some 81,000 hectares have gone up in smoke, the largest area since the deadly fires of 2017 that killed around 100 people, according to the latest figures from the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests.

Source: euronews

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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.