Maldives News


Bridge pipes ‘stored’ on Gulhifalhu reef
Some 18 massive steel pipes imported for the ongoing construction of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge are being kept on top of a coral reef near Malé.
30 May 2016, 09:00


Verdict in protracted murder trial postponed
The criminal court has postponed the sentencing of four young men charged in connection with the murder of 16-year-old Mohamed Aruham in May 2012.
30 May 2016, 09:00


Court to review acquittal of man charged with air gun possession
Inthif Rauf was arrested on October 30 after the police discovered a gun during a raid of his home in Malé. The criminal court, however, ruled earlier this month that the prosecution was unable to prove that it was “a dangerous weapon.”
30 May 2016, 09:00


Yameen’s remarks on sex workers, opium spark controversy
President Abdulla Yameen has sparked outrage on social media with recent comments on Maldivian men visiting sex workers in Bangkok, feeding opium to the youth, and a reference to Allah’s children.
29 May 2016, 09:00


Maldives leads push for first-ever precautionary controls on tuna fishery
The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, a regional fisheries management body, adopted last week a Maldives-led proposal to set harvest control rules on the skipjack fishery.
29 May 2016, 09:00


Magistrate arrested on drug charge released by high court
The High Court released this morning a magistrate arrested from the southern island of Thinadhoo in Gaaf Dhaal atoll Saturday night on a charge of drug abuse. Magistrate Ali Rasheed, 38, was arrested “in a state of intoxication” and a rubber packet containing drugs was found on the ground, the police said in a statement.
29 May 2016, 09:00


Pakistan pledges US$10m loan for Maldives military
Speaking to reporters last night upon his return from a four-day official visit to Pakistan, Defence Minister Adam Shareef Umar said the loan will be used to purchase military equipment and two aircraft.
28 May 2016, 09:00


Evidence submitted to prove Adeeb planned to flee after boat blast
A forensic analysis of the former vice president’s mobile phone “shows that Adeeb had used his phone to search online for ways to assassinate the president using chemicals or explosives and that he had searched for ways to flee the country and obtain a visa from another country,” the state prosecutor explained.
28 May 2016, 09:00


Customs seize sauce bottles with wine and pork
The Maldives Customs Service launched a special operation on Tuesday night to seize sauce bottles containing white wine and pork on sale at a shop in Malé.
26 May 2016, 09:00


Prosecutors revise charges against Raajje TV journalist
Raajje TV Chief Operating Office Hussain Fiyaz Moosa Fiyaz was accused of assaulting a police officer while reporting on the military’s attempts to defuse a bomb on November 2 last year, but he was charged with touching an individual without his consent.
26 May 2016, 09:00


Victim of local market assault passes away
A 41-year-old man injured early march in an assault at the local market in Malé passed away on Wednesday afternoon.
26 May 2016, 09:00


Two policemen acquitted of assaulting ex-MP
At least 71 people were hospitalised on February 8, 2012 after a heavy-handed police crackdown, described by the human rights watchdog as “brutal” and “without warning.” However, charges were only raised against six police officers, none of whom have been convicted to date.
26 May 2016, 09:00


Our journey to Mihaaru
“31 March saw the beginning of a painful time for the team of seventy-five employed by Haveeru,” writes editor Ali Naseer. “With no means of income, life has been difficult. The group of journalists’ decision to form a new newspaper was based on their fundamental right of choosing their mode employment.”
26 May 2016, 09:00


MDP urged to boycott elections if EC introduces e-voting
The Elections Commission had said earlier this month that it will “do what is necessary to introduce electronic voting.” However, commission members and Home Minister Umar Naseer told visiting European Union diplomats yesterday that e-voting would not be introduced unless the system has public support.
25 May 2016, 09:00


Nations mourns passing of state dignitary Zahir Naseer
Mohamed Zahir Naseer, “father of sports in the Maldives” and honorary chairman of the Maldives Olympic Committee, passed away at the age of 87 in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
25 May 2016, 09:00


Yameen accused of ‘sullying GMR’s reputation’
Yameen had claimed that GMR only paid MVR16 million to the government a year whilst MACL generated MVR1 billion in the first year after taking over management of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in December 2012.
24 May 2016, 09:00


MDP activist arrested for photographing policemen
A member of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s youth wing was briefly detained Monday night after photographing traffic policemen towing vehicles in Malé.
24 May 2016, 09:00


Maldives ‘disappointed’ with Britain granting asylum for Nasheed
“The government of the Maldives is disappointed, if confirmed, that the UK government is allowing itself to be part of this charade, and further, is enabling an individual to circumvent his obligations under the law,” the foreign ministry said in a statement last night.
24 May 2016, 09:00


Trial begins for suspects accused of stabbing Nasheed’s lawyer
The trial of three suspects charged in connection with the near-fatal stabbing of Mahfooz Saeed, a member of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s legal team, began at the criminal court on Monday.
24 May 2016, 09:00


Lost in translation: the story of Haveeru
Ali Rafeeq, Haveeru’s editor from 1987 – 2010, takes a look at the ownership dispute that has shut down the Maldives’ oldest newspaper.
24 May 2016, 09:00

