noura almoteari

The year 2020 did not crawl on the Yemenis, but rather rushed, carrying a final solution to the long-running conflicts. The last five years, under the Houthi rebels ’coup and control of Sana'a, And the four years before it (2011-2015), in which the sinister Arab Spring strife raged, so the Brotherhood took advantage of it and wreaked havoc in it, as well as the failed years of unity between the Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in the year 1990.

The Riyadh Agreement represented on November 5, 2019, under the auspices of Saudi Arabia and the support of the Emirates, between the Yemeni legitimacy and the Southern Transitional Council, in the presence of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and the President of the Southern Transitional Council, Commander Aidros Al-Zubaidi, The last glimmer of hope that may end several files, chief among them the conflict between the two halves of Yemen, North and South, and uniting ranks to stop the Iranian-backed Houthi rebellion.

Observers are excluding the return of peace to Yemen, because the control of Yemeni figures, including the leaders and allies of the rampant Reform Party among the Yemeni government over the state, will make the implementation of the Riyadh agreement almost impossible. Since the failure of the unit that produced absurd policies in Yemen since the nineties of the last century It created social, economic, and political chaos, as it was a direct cause of divisions between the various Yemeni components.

This was evident by the conspiracy of Yemeni reform with the Houthi coup d'état in 2015, and Houthi turned against legitimacy and established a state within a state, as happened in Lebanon and Iraq, even though Houthi's greatest wish, during the reign of Ali Abdullah Saleh, was to obtain a ministerial or parliamentary chair, which encouraged Iran to divide the tribes and pass its sectarian project and infiltration into central Yemen and landed in Sanaa, due to the plotters, traitors, and agents.

The political map of Yemen before and after the Riyadh agreement is entirely different, the international community used to look at it before the Riyadh agreement and not understand, seeing a conflict between Yemeni legitimacy and the Houthi coup and seeing the resolve of the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia to support legitimacy. Still, it could not see the whole truth on the ground.

When the Operation Decisive Storm began, the southerners began to support this bold storm to cut Iran's hand in Yemen and protect the borders of Saudi Arabia. They succeeded remarkably in liberating most of the southern governorates from the grip of the terrorist Houthi, which raised the suspicion of the Yemeni Reform Party, and some legitimate leaders, who have close ties with Houthi So, rapid action began, supported by Turkey, Iran, and Qatar, to dismantle the Arab alliance and to challenge the United Arab Emirates by all means.

Therefore, the internal attack was no longer heading north to end the coup, but rather south, under the pretext of "sacred unity" and that the southerners seek to disengage, so the Brotherhood allied with all the forces of darkness aimed their guns to the South, which contributed to misleading the international and Arab community and contributed to creating new incomprehensible chaos and disturbing the compass the war.

But that did not last long. When the Islah Party delivered the Houthi revolutionary militias all the liberated sites with weapons and military equipment, it revealed to everyone the Brotherhood machine that works with Iranian and Turkish funding creating the chaos and deliberately prolonging the war.

On that, the researchers returned to the recent files in Yemen, the archives of the past five years (2014-2019) that contributed to the transformation of the Houthi terrorist group into an independent political and military component, which has Iranian and Qatari support, that moves towards the fronts, threatens the security of Saudi Arabia, occupies the capital, Sanaa, seizes ports and government institutions, sows mines, rapes women, recruits children, then sits at the global negotiating table, as happened in Stockholm under the auspices of the United Nations, negotiating the blood of Yemen's children and their stability and security!

It can be said that the Riyadh Agreement has redrawn and clarified the Yemeni map politically and geographically, so the Southern Transition Council that was established two years ago emerged as a representative of all the sects of the South, and Yemeni legitimacy emerged, but also dissidents from the legitimacy emerged individually and groups, whether reform leaders or some ministers, such as Ahmed Al-Maisari, Minister of Interior, Saleh al-Jabwani, Minister of Transport, and some of the names that appeared in the Brussels Forum, which claimed to represent the South but in reality they represent the fifth column that works with legitimacy and Houthi, Iran, Turkey, and Qatar at the same time and with a goal that everyone knows, which is breaking up the unity of the South and disturbing Riyadh Agreement, hoping to fail it.

Of course, the delay in implementing some of the provisions of the Riyadh Agreement during the past two months, whether for logistical reasons from the coalition's viewpoint related to the repositioning of the security and military forces, or other purposes related to the recent Yemeni reform attempts to use the army to strike in the southern forces, and with the aim of challenging the intentions of the Transitional Council And to show the southerners violate the Riyadh agreement, has made despair leak to the Yemenis, especially the southerners, so they thought that the Riyadh agreement would fail, but that does not make any sense because the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia not only decided to make the agreement a success but decided to make the comprehensive peace project succeed in Yemen is peace or war. The year 2020 will see the achievement of this great goal with beautiful patience

by: noura almoteari

French workers vote to halt output at Lavera refinery: Union Bethlehem welcomes pilgrims for Christmas celebrations

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.