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Meghan: MP behind letter of solidarity calls for action on press bullying

Exclusive: Holly Lynch calls for end to hounding of women in public life after letter praised by Harry
The hounding of the Duchess of Sussex shows that MPs must take further action against press bullying, the MP who organised a letter of solidarity for Meghan has said after Prince Harry suggested the act had given the couple more support than their own families had.
Holly Lynch coordinated the cross-party letter from 72 female MPs to Meghan in 2019. On Tuesday, the Labour MP for Halifax said the warning that MPs would not continue to accept an onslaught of negative coverage with “colonial undertones” had clearly not been heeded by the media.
Lynch said she had shared Harry’s fears of “history repeating itself” about the treatment of his mother, Princess Diana.
“Those were some of my concerns when we took the decision to put that letter together,” Lynch told the Guardian. “A lot of media outlets have not heeded those calls for a change, which is why we might start needing to think about a case to government about how we stop hounding women in public life and put them in a position where they feel suicidal.”
A number of MPs are understood to have made preliminary enquiries to see if a House of Commons debate could be held in response to the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. The debate could tackle racism in the media and the mental health strains of persistent press coverage.
In the interview, Harry told Winfrey that he had felt more solidarity from those MPs than from members of his own family. “I guess one of the most telling parts, and the saddest parts, was over 70 … female members of parliament, both Conservative and Labour, came out and called out the colonial undertones of articles and headlines written about Meghan,” he said. “Yet no one from my family ever said anything over those three years. And that hurts.”

The original letter highlighted that many MPs believed Meghan had been subject to racist treatment by the press. “We are calling out what can only be described as outdated, colonial undertones to some of these stories,” it said.
Lynch has previously said Meghan phoned her after receiving the letter and the two discussed the loneliness women can feel in the public spotlight. The letter was sent in the wake of an emotional interview that Meghan gave to ITV when she described the pressure of media scrutiny.
Lynch said: “The letter clearly did not make the significant difference to the conduct of some members of the British press that we had hoped that it would,” she said. “So it is a timely reminder to us to use our voices as women legislators to say – what next?”
She said there needed to be the beginnings of a conversation about further press regulation if there was not a culture change in how sections of the media were operating. “We are legislators – we should be able to work together to find solutions. We have a responsibility to intervene,” she said.
Lynch said parliamentarians were more able to respond to concerns about the conduct of the media, which she could “very clearly evidence”, rather than about the royal family, where the allegations of racism had been made about private conversations involving unnamed individuals.
She said there would now be a discussion among the MPs who signed the letter about what further collective action could be taken in parliament. “We are going to come together to explore what the next steps might be in order to call on the government to take further action to ensure those people with a voice on print and broadcast media are using that influence responsibly,” she said.
The letter was signed by the now children’s minister, Vicky Ford, and the business minister, Gillian Keegan, as well as the former Tory minister Tracey Crouch and MP Lucy Allan.
It was mostly signed by Labour MPs, including now shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, shadow home office minister, Jess Phillips, and shadow business minister, Lucy Powell, and the former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott.
Dodds said on Tuesday she was proud to have signed it and stood by its criticism of how the media had treated Meghan. “That letter was about the treatment of people like Meghan Markle and it has been very concerning very often to see how women have been treated by sections of the media,” she said. “Racism and mental health are issues that must be taken seriously but this is much bigger than the royal family.”
Phillips said she “fell off the sofa” when Harry mentioned the letter but said “it meant something to them, which showed the value of doing this and of speaking out about abuse against all women in public life, particularly women of colour”.
Powell also said she was “surprised but pleased” when Harry mentioned the letter – and that it showed acts of solidarity were worthwhile. “It shows that people need to speak up and call things out when they are wrong, and not stand by. It matters when we do.”
The Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who also signed the letter, said she had been “deeply concerned” about Meghan’s statements on her mental health. “I hope that this will be a turning point in the way we think about mental health in the media; there is always a person – a mother, a daughter, a friend – at the receiving end of the commentary.”
source: Jessica Elgot
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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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