Dutch PM 'ashamed' of asylum crisis as hundreds left sleeping outside
August 27, 2022, 9:13 am

Dutch PM 'ashamed' of asylum crisis as hundreds left sleeping outside

Asylum seekers at Belarus border/Facebook page

The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday (August 26) said he was "ashamed" that hundreds of asylum-seekers have been forced to sleep in the sweltering heat outside an overcrowded migrant reception center, according to the Daily Sabah, the Associated Press reported,

It came as his government announced overdue measures Friday to ease the situation by providing more accommodation and temporarily restricting migration while humanitarian charity Medecins sans Frontieres sent in a team to assist with migrants' medical needs.

"It is terrible what is happening in Ter Apel," Prime Minister Mark Rutte said, referring to the center in the northeastern village of Ter Apel.

But, he added, "I think together we have found a way out of this problem."

Among a raft of measures announced by Rutte's four-party ruling coalition were moves to temporarily rein in family reunions of migrants who have been granted refugee status, provide more housing for people whose asylum requests are honored and process and repatriate people quicker from countries that are considered safe.

Dutch PM 'ashamed' of asylum crisis as hundreds left sleeping outside (File photo: Pixabay)

Part of the current crisis is that people who have been granted refugee status remain stuck in asylum-seeker centers because they have no place to move to amid a nationwide housing crisis.

The Netherlands also will temporarily stop accepting, for this year and in 2023, migrants who were supposed to be sent to the Netherlands as part of a European Union deal with Turkey in 2016 amid an EU-wide migration crisis, said the minister in charge of migration and asylum, Eric van der Burg.

UK gets record 63,000 asylum applications in June 2022, accepts over 15,000

Authorities moved 150 migrants Thursday night from the overcrowded Ter Apel asylum-seekers center to two sports halls in the central city of Apeldoorn, alleviating the suffering of people who have been camped in the open air. The city said it had provided short-term accommodation to ease the crisis and that the asylum-seekers would move after four days to another location.

Van der Burg said the Dutch military would help set up a location to house some people now sleeping outside in Ter Apel.

Hundreds of migrants have been sleeping outdoors in squalid conditions just outside Ter Apel because the asylum center there is too full to house them. The situation is so grim that Doctors Without Borders sent a team there Thursday, the first time the agency has launched a mission in the Netherlands.

Iraqi Kurd asylum seeker narrowly escapes Rwanda deportation from UK

Rutte conceded that, despite the new measures, some people seeking asylum would remain sleeping outside the Ter Apel complex over the weekend.

A 3-month-old baby died at the Ter Apel center this week and authorities are investigating the cause of death. On Thursday two men were taken to the hospital, one for a heart attack and another for diabetes that had gone untreated for weeks.

"These are 700 people sleeping rough: No showers, very bad facilities, no health care," Doctors Without Borders' Dutch director, Judith Sargentini, told The Associated Press (AP) about the situation at Ter Apel.

While many Dutch towns and cities have offered places for Ukrainians who fled the war in their country, this welcome was not shown toward asylum-seekers from other countries. Most people arriving in Ter Apel are Syrians fleeing their nation’s grinding civil war.

Source: dailysabah

Russia to build two nuclear reactors in Hungary Boris Johnson slams Russia's 'cultural vandalism' in Ukraine

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.