Culture

Smize! Maldives gets first beauty pageant

Event organizer Shaheem Ibrahim said the beauty pageant would reflect local customs and be a Maldivian-style event.

Atoll healthcare a government priority, says minister

Minister Abdulla Nazim said healthcare spending had increased 130 percent since President Abdulla Yameen came to power.

Girls brought home from Indian orphanage

The girls were discovered in the orphanage after the man’s Indian wife fled with their three children in 2013 and blocked any contact with the father.

Malé faces bottled water shortage

Malé is facing a drinking water shortage after production companies halted deliveries to shops and businesses.

Drivers threaten strike over daytime delivery ban

Nocturnal working hours since the new transport rules came into force Sunday have forced drivers “to move beyond human nature and live in a manner that could risk the loss of good health”.

MP Nihan purchased luxury flat for son

The majority leader said he paid for the Platinum Residence flat with “halal funds” saved from MVR8.5 million earned as income over the past nine years as a lawmaker.

Digital platform introduced to monitor waste collection

The state-owned Waste Management Corporation introduced on Tuesday a digital platform to automate and streamline its waste collection process in the capital’s suburb Vilimalé.

Staple food prices slashed

The State Trading Organisation has reduced the prices of staple foodstuff to rates before a hike caused by a subsidy cut in 2016.

Maldives Autism Association earn pledges of corporate assistance

Dhiraagu pledged to build a playground outside Maldives Autism Association’s building while the newly-opened Gloria Jean’s Coffee franchise signed a MoU with the group at the opening ceremony of its restaurant Monday night.

NGO boss questioned over ‘anti-Islamic’ tweet

Shahindha Ismail is accused of disrupting religious unity for saying that Allah allowed for other religions, which came in response to vows in a speech by President Abdulla Yameen to ensure that Islam remains the only religion permitted in the Maldives.

Addu accident victim passes away

A 78-year-old man injured in a dangerous road accident in Addu City died Sunday night while undergoing treatment at the Hithadhoo Regional Hospital.

Closing hours extended for food outlets and petrol sheds

Cafés and restaurants can remain open until 1 am and petrol stations until midnight after new rules banned the transport of goods in the congested capital before sunset.

Bridge inches closer to completion

“The first two pillars out of CMFB’s main pillars (pier 22 and pier 23) to be connected with the superstructure were connected last night,” Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muiz tweeted.

Malé makeover modelled on Tokyo

Plans to redevelop Malé City by vacating five slum-like neighbourhoods are based on the model of Tokyo, Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muizz said Friday night.

‘Record low’ turnout for national team match

Although a thin turnout is normal at league games, the National Stadium in Malé is usually packed for national team matches.

Veteran port workers challenge abrupt dismissal

The Maldives Ports Limited claimed the workers were let go after some departments were merged as part of a restructuring effort.

Exiled former lawmaker ordered to repay MVR2m bank loan

Nazim, formerly a close associate of President Abdulla Yameen, was stripped of his Dhiggaru constituency seat in April 2015 after he was sentenced to 25 years in prison on corruption charges.

Categories revealed for 7,000 social housing flats

Housing Minister Muizz also revealed plans to vacate 256 households from the capital under the ambitious social housing project.

MNU asked to create special programme for editors

New government rules say editors need to be Maldivian, aged 25 and above, have a degree in journalism or a related field as well as five years experience at a registered media outlet.

Friends mourn surfer’s death