Culture

Three injured in speedboat fire

A speedboat en route from the island of Maafushi in Kaafu atoll caught fire this afternoon just outside Malé’s eastern harbour, injuring two crewmembers and a tour guide.

Man in marriage scam ordered to pay German woman €26,411

The lawsuit, thought to be the second case of its kind in the Maldives, was filed against Hassan Ali of Addu City, with Marion Arndt claiming she had transferred the money on a marriage proposal.

President sells his private home

President Abdulla Yameen has swapped his private residence for a larger plot of land located near the construction site for the China-Maldives friendship bridge.

Second death reported in dengue outbreak

A seven-month old infant died from dengue fever on Wednesday – the second death from the mosquito-borne disease this year.

Government warns of health risks from unregulated Hijama therapy

The ministry of health has warned of health risks from unregulated Hijama therapy, urging practitioners of the complementary therapy to register with the government.

Human remains found on southern island

Human remains were found on an uninhabited island in the southern Laamu atoll in late April, according to the police.

Shop, staff quarters destroyed in fire at Maafushi prison

A shop and staff barracks burnt down late last night at the high-security prison on the island of Maafushi in Kaafu atoll.

Islanders thwart police attempt to remove child from father

Islanders of Himadhoo gathered in numbers Sunday evening to prevent police officers from removing a two-year-old boy from his father, who is defying a family court order to transfer the child to his mother’s care.

Victims of Coastline fire provided MVR2.6m for rebuilding

“The government decided to provide [compensation for] 40 percent of the damages…In addition to this, MVR1 million (US$64,800) from Coastline will be distributed proportionately,” Defence Minister Adam Shareef Umar said at a press conference Wednesday at the coastguard building.

Majlis approves use of pension fund to buy homes

The People’s Majlis voted unanimously Tuesday to amend the Pension Act to allow members of the Maldives Retirement Pension Scheme to collateralise their savings to make down-payments under state-run home ownership or social housing programmes.

More than 70 displaced by hardware store fire

Massive fire breaks out in Malé

The fire broke out around 4:20pm at the two-storey Coastline store – located on the densely populated capital’s main thoroughfare Majeedhee Magu – and quickly spread to several next door buildings. It was brought under control by the military’s fire and rescue service nearly four hours later.

Malé households do not separate waste, survey shows

A majority of household waste in Malé is collected by expatriate workers, each of whom dispose waste for an average of ten households every day, according to a survey by the state-owned Waste Management Corporation.

Bangladeshi man stranded at sea in attempt to flee employer

A fishing boat found a Bangladeshi migrant worker stranded at sea in an alleged to flee from his employers at a resort under construction on a northern island.

Government makes U-turn on affordable housing pledge

Some 300 families who were awarded flats by former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration are being asked to pay MVR2million (US$129,701) for a flat, with the housing ministry announcing that it will prioritise families who can make the payment within five years.

Court halts publication of Haveeru newspaper

The civil court has issued an order halting the publication of local daily Haveeru pending the outcome of a dispute over the ownership of the Maldives’ oldest newspaper. However, Haveeru Online version will continue to publish as the injunction only applies to the newspaper.

Three Maldivians en route to Syria extradited

Three Maldivian men have been arrested in Turkey while attempting to illegally cross over into Syria and join extremist militant groups in the war-torn country.

Sinamalé fire prompts building safety concerns

Two Maldivians arrested in Sri Lanka over sex-tape blackmail

The suspected racketeers were arrested yesterday from a hotel in Dehiwala, Colombo with two laptops containing nude video clips of more than 100 people, including five politicians. The alleged racketeers reportedly amassed more than MVR6 million from the blackmailing scam during the past two years.

Malé City runs out of burial space

The Maldives’ congested capital Malé has run out of burial space. The government has now announced plans to bury the dead at a new cemetery on an artificial island nearby.