Maldives News
Swine flu incidence growing in Maldives
With 27 cases so far this year, the incidence of swine flu is increasing in the Maldives but the situation does not warrant emergency measures such as issuing travel alerts or closing down schools, health officials said.
13 Mar 2017, 09:00
Police confiscate phones of social media activists
The police have confiscated the phones of Thayyib Shaheem and Shammoon ‘Lucas’ Jaleel , accusing the popular opposition social media activists of “spreading misinformation and sowing discord in society”.
13 Mar 2017, 09:00
Victim blaming and misogyny in Maldives
The reaction on social media platforms to a gang rape in Hulhumalé earlier this month exposed misogynistic views and blaming-the-victim attitudes among Maldivians.
13 Mar 2017, 09:00
Raajje TV sets up ‘defamation fund’ after hefty fines
The hefty fines were the first punitive action taken under the controversial 2016 defamation law. Failure to pay the fines within 30 days could result in the closure of the station and a jail term of up to six months for the former Raajje TV journalist.
12 Mar 2017, 09:00
Police orders removal of national flag from Gayoom’s office
The police have ordered the removal of the national flag from former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s office in Malé, citing new regulations that require the home ministry’s permission to hoist the national flag on private premises.
12 Mar 2017, 09:00
Adeeb’s lawyer slams report of escape attempt
Jailed former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb’s lawyer has slammed a report in Vnews alleging that his client was transferred to a police custodial centre Wednesday after an attempt to escape from the high-security Maafushi prison.
12 Mar 2017, 09:00
Development or environment: A dilemma for Maldivians
Aside from the irreversible damage to fragile reefs from reclamation and dredging, the Maldives stands to lose the unique Islandness (ޖަޒީރާވަންތަކަން) of an ancient ocean civilisation, writes environmental scientist Ibrahim Mohamed.
12 Mar 2017, 09:00
No intention of buying land in Maldives, asserts Saudi embassy
The Saudi Arabian government has no intention of investing in a mega project or buying an island or atoll in the Maldives, the Saudi embassy has asserted, dismissing the “widely circulated baseless and unfounded allegations”.
11 Mar 2017, 09:00
Hilton ordered to pay US$16m to MP Siyam’s Sun Travels
The judgment comes in spite of a Singaporean arbitration tribunal awarding US$26 million in damages to Hilton for Sun Travel’s abrupt termination of the Irufushi management agreement in May 2013.
11 Mar 2017, 09:00
Maldives celebrates International Women’s Day
As the government marked the day with special activities at offices and the handing out of annual awards for women, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party pledged financial support to 44 female candidates contesting in the upcoming local council elections.
09 Mar 2017, 09:00
Gayoom forced to leave without military bodyguards
The former president’s military bodyguards were prevented from accompanying him on a private visit to India, delaying his flight by an hour after the security personnel were forced to remove their luggage.
09 Mar 2017, 09:00
Government denies ‘selling off’ atoll to Saudi Arabia
The categorical denial comes after Climate Home reported former President Mohamed Nasheed and foreign policy experts raising the prospect of Saudi Arabia seeking a strategic anchor in the Maldives to secure an oil route to China.
08 Mar 2017, 09:00
Opposition announces protest against Faafu deal as police crackdown intensifies
After warning that “legal action” will be taken against “demeaning” activities during upcoming official visits, the police have raided the MDP’s meeting hall twice, painted over graffiti on Shaviyani Bileyfahi, and warned against putting up banners against the Faafu deal at the MDP’s campaign launch rally on Haa Alif Dhidhoo.
08 Mar 2017, 09:00
No-confidence motion filed to remove Speaker Maseeh
Opposition lawmakers have submitted a no-confidence motion to remove Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, posing the first credible challenge to President Abdulla Yameen’s previously unassailable majority in parliament.
08 Mar 2017, 09:00
Reaching beyond the glass ceiling
On International Women’s Day, UN resident coordinator Shoko Noda offers a personal insight into issues of gender equality she has faced over the course of her personal and professional life.
08 Mar 2017, 09:00
Foreign journalists invited by government held up at airport
Three foreign journalists who arrived last Tuesday on an invitation from the government were threatened with deportation for seeking to enter the country without undergoing a mandatory vetting process.
07 Mar 2017, 09:00
Hefty fines imposed on Raajje TV in first anti-defamation punitive action
The broadcasting regulator has slapped an MVR200,000 (US$13,000) fine on the opposition-aligned Raajje TV and an MVR50,000 (US$3,200) fine on a journalist in the first punitive action taken under the controversial 2016 defamation law.
07 Mar 2017, 09:00
Malaysian company awarded US$57.5m project to build five airports
Developing an airport on the northern island of Kulhudhufushi is a campaign pledge of President Abdulla Yameen. But environmentalists have previously warned that it would destroy the island’s environmentally sensitive wetland area.
07 Mar 2017, 09:00
Saudi Airlines to double flights to Maldives
Saudi Arabia is also funding a grand mosque in Malé that can accommodate 6,000 worshippers. Last week, the housing ministry awarded the US$24 million project to Turkish company Alke-Turmaks.
06 Mar 2017, 09:00
Fear and frothing in Faafu
In a first-hand account of his ordeal, Hassan Mohamed recounts how he was treated like a suspect at the Nilandhoo police station after he was threatened with violence by the brother-in-law of a ruling party lawmaker.
06 Mar 2017, 09:00
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