Maldives News

Malé’s badly damaged roads getting a makeover

More than 20kg of hashish oil and heroin, smuggled from India, seized

The police and customs seized some 28.76kg of hashish oil and heroin, some of which were smuggled from India, over the weekend and arrested five men, two women and a minor on drugs smuggling charges

Does the Maldives practice what it preaches globally on human rights?

Jeffrey Salim Waheed takes questions on why the Maldives has sponsored several UN resolutions on freedom of expression and assembly, and judicial independence, despite practising the opposite at home

Government promises to reduce food prices amid protests

The government has promised to reduce the cost of food staples after a backlash from within the ruling party and protests by the opposition over an abrupt hike in food and electricity prices

Police recover MVR6million stolen from Western Union

A group of masked men carrying knives had tied up security guards at the Western Union branch in Malé on Sunday in the biggest burglary reported in recent years

Zika testing begins at government hospital

The government-run tertiary hospital in Malé has started testing fever patients for the Zika virus as part of a surveillance programme to determine if the mosquito-borne disease is spreading in the Maldives.

Adeeb shown Al Jazeera’s corruption exposé in jail

According to Adeeb’s lawyer, the ACC investigators asked “general questions” about secretly filmed confessions by three of Adeeb’s associates featured in the Stealing Paradise documentary about delivering stolen cash to the president.

President faces cross-party backlash over hike in food prices

Yameen said he had no choice but to hike food prices following a backlash from within his own party. The opposition has meanwhile accused him of mismanaging the economy

Maldives calls for ‘environment conducive to holding SAARC summit’

The Maldives has urged member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to create an environment conducive for holding the regional body’s 19th summit after it was postponed amid rising India-Pakistan tensions.

Police seize turtle shells, red corals

Catching or killing of sea turtle species, as well as the importation and sale of turtles and turtle products, have been banned in the Maldives since 1995. The removal and sale of corals were also prohibited by the 1995 fisheries law.

Has the Maldives United Opposition failed to ‘restore democracy’?

As rumours of Yameen’s imminent ouster fizzle out and detainees languish in jail, Omkar Khandekar asks if the opposition coalition has failed in its bid to remove the embattled president and “restore democracy.”

State fisheries and trading companies merged

President Abdulla Yameen has decided to bring the debt-ridden and loss-making state-owned Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company under the umbrella of the behemoth State Trading Organisation.

Two tourists test positive for Zika after visiting Maldives

“The cases were linked to travels to Maldivian in February and June this year. Therefore, [the World Health Organisation] has classified Maldives as category 2, indicating possible endemic transmission in the country,” the Health Protection Agency said.

Indian university to counter terrorism in the Maldives

The agreement with the Punjab- based Lovely International Trust aims to “build individuals who can counter terrorism” and improve the skills of defence ministry officials, the defence minister said.

Government hikes food and electricity prices

Shops across the Maldives reported running out of food staples on Friday as customers rushed to buy rice, flour and sugar following an abrupt announcement by the government that it plans to cut food subsidies starting on Saturday

Government hopes to begin direct talks with opposition by mid October

The government is open to discussing the release of opposition leaders and has agreed to an opposition demand for mediation by the United Nations, the fisheries minister said.

Government resigned to missing target of 1.5m tourist arrivals

Tourism Minister Zameer blamed the opposition’s alleged scaremongering about religious extremism in the Maldives for lower than anticipated arrivals growth. Bad press in international media about Maldivian jihadis in Syria was more damaging that an Al Jazeera corruption expose aired earlier this month, he said.

Witnesses testify in trial of Raajje TV journalists

The criminal court heard both prosecution and defence witnesses Tuesday night in the trial of opposition-aligned Raajje TV journalists Mohamed Wisam and Leevan Ali Naseer on charges of obstructing police officers.

Commonwealth envoy warned of ‘severe democracy deficit’ in Maldives

“The long-term detention of political leaders has eroded the government and the judiciary’s legitimacy. The inability of political leaders to participate in political life could prevent a credible presidential election in 2018,” reads Dr Willy Mutunga’s briefing note to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group.

Head of state utility corporation replaced with former MP

The dismissal of Fenaka Corporation’s Managing Director Mohamed Nimal comes weeks after a US$1 million corruption scandal surfaced in local media. The state utility company has reportedly been unable to recover MVR17 million released to a local company to purchase dollars.