Maldives News
Hilton wins US$24million damages from MP Sun Siyam
Ruling coalition MP and tourism tycoon Ahmed Siyam’s Sun Travel and Tours has been ordered to pay US$24million in damages for the abrupt termination of a tourism contract with Hilton International, the Maldives Independent has learned.
28 Jan 2016, 09:00
TVM launches English talk show to counter Nasheed’s media blitz
Top government officials appeared last night in the Maldives public broadcaster’s first-ever English talk show to dismiss former President Mohamed Nasheed’s damning comments on rising terrorist recruitment and call for targeted sanctions.
28 Jan 2016, 09:00
UK will consider Maldives sanctions, says Cameron
“We want to see a change in behaviour from the Maldivian government to make sure that political prisoners are set free and yes we are prepared to consider targeted action against individuals if further progress isn’t made,” Cameron told the British parliament yesterday.
28 Jan 2016, 09:00
Police seek charges against suspects accused of planting bomb
The police yesterday forwarded cases for prosecution against four suspects accused of planting a bomb near the presidential palace in Malé last November. Hisham Wajeeh, spokesperson at the Prosecutor General’s office, told The Maldives Independent that charges might not be filed against all four suspects.
28 Jan 2016, 09:00
Court to hear Adeeb’s complaint of discriminatory treatment after talks fail
The civil court will formally hear a complaint by detained former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb over discriminatory treatment in police custody after the police refused to settle the dispute out of court.
27 Jan 2016, 09:00
Nasheed’s media blitz: IS recruitment, political repression, and 2018 election
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour alongside his celebrity lawyer Amal Clooney, the 48-year-old opposition leader said he will challenge President Abdulla Yameen in the 2018 presidential election. “I think I will have to fight the next election. It’s unfinished business. Everything seems to be very half-baked,” he said.
27 Jan 2016, 09:00
Thinadhoo without power for a third night
The residents of southern Thinadhoo Island are without power for a third night following a fire that destroyed its powerhouse. The state utility said it could take up to three months to rebuild the powerhouse, but hopes to restore power by Friday using donated electricity generators.
27 Jan 2016, 09:00
Crisis in Thinadhoo after fire leaves thousands without electricity
A fire that destroyed southern Thinadhoo island’s powerhouse this morning has left thousands of people without electricity and water. Shops ran out of kerosene by evening as hundreds queued up to stock up for lanterns, and the island council is now rationing jet fuel brought in from the airport.
26 Jan 2016, 09:00
UN panel rejected government’s appeal of Nasheed ruling
A UN human rights panel rejected the government’s appeal of its judgment declaring former President Mohamed Nasheed’s imprisonment illegal, the opposition leader’s lawyer Jared Genser told the press in London yesterday.
26 Jan 2016, 09:00
Supreme Court to validate some lower court rulings
The Supreme Court has granted itself the final word on rulings that strike down laws and regulations by announcing that such verdicts would be up for review regardless of whether the parties involved desired an appeal.
26 Jan 2016, 09:00
Government plans for an ice-rink in Malé draws criticism
President Abdulla Yameen’s plans for a “winter corner” in Malé’s main park complete with an ice skating rink has sparked an outcry online, with critics claiming the move is meant to distract the Maldivian public from the government’s failure to address serious social ills.
26 Jan 2016, 09:00
New Maldives banknotes introduced into circulation
Following a launching ceremony at the president’s office, Dr Azeema Adam, the central bank’s governor, became the first to use the new banknotes for a purchase when she bought a papaya at the local market.
26 Jan 2016, 09:00
Prominent religious scholars call for judicial reform
Citing verses of the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad’s hadith, a group of 31 prominent religious scholars have urged Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and the judicial watchdog to stem the tide of eroding public trust and confidence in the Maldivian judiciary.
26 Jan 2016, 09:00
Maldives cuts electricity subsidies
Households across the country are facing higher electricity bills in March after the government revised tariff rates and decided to discontinue electricity subsidies next month.
26 Jan 2016, 09:00
A trial by media: misinterpretations, contradictions and half-truths in the case of Mohamed Nasheed
The international ‘popular’ trial of former President Mohamed Nasheed has fallen into a spiral of oversimplifications and selective narratives that leads to contradictions, writes PPM MP Dr Abdulla Khaleel. “The real motivation behind their call for sanctions is not the liberation of the former President, but a governmental change, which would turn the sanctions illegal and contrary to the principle of sovereignty.”
26 Jan 2016, 09:00
Former MDP vice president seeks annulment of internal election
Alhan Fahmy, former MP and vice president of the Maldivian Democratic Party, has sued the main opposition party at the civil court seeking the annulment of internal elections held in 2014.
25 Jan 2016, 09:00
“I will go back to the Maldives”: Nasheed calls for escalating pressure with sanctions
Flanked by his heavyweight lawyers Jared Genser, Amal Clooney, and Ben Emmerson, the opposition leader stressed that his temporary release does not signal an end to the “repression” of President Abdulla Yameen’s administration. Nasheed said Yameen only felt “compelled to act” when faced with the threat of sanctions.
25 Jan 2016, 09:00
CNM journalist barred from Imran’s terrorism trial
Misbah Abbas, senior desk editor at CNM, told The Maldives Independent that he was barred days after he reported Judge Bari threatening journalists over allegedly unfair coverage of the Adhaalath Party leader’s terrorism trial. Despite registering for yesterday’s hearing, Misbah was told that “the judge has decided not to let the CNM journalists inside.”
25 Jan 2016, 09:00
Resort worker sacked after staging a hunger strike over unpaid service charge
Abdul Hameed Moosa first went on strike on January 18 claiming Zitahli – owned by AAA Hotels and Resorts – had failed to pay service charge allowances for 12 months.
25 Jan 2016, 09:00
Maldives unveils new e-passports
President Abdulla Yameen launched last night the new biometric Maldivian e-passport and automated e-gate service at the international airport.
25 Jan 2016, 09:00
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