Maldives News
Police deny clearing former vice president of attempted murder charges
The police have threatened to take legal action against Adeeb’s lawyer Hussain Shameem, who said yesterday that the police have confirmed that the former vice president has been cleared of suspicion over the alleged attempt to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen.
28 Dec 2015, 09:00
Government plans to relocate ancient mosque to ‘heritage island’
The government is planning to relocate the ancient Kalhuvakaru mosque in Malé to a heritage island to be developed on the capital’s suburb Hulhumalé. Built in the late 18th century, it came to be known as the “travelling mosque” due to its history of relocation.
27 Dec 2015, 09:00
High Court to summon witnesses for ex-defence minister’s appeal
Mohamed Nazim’s lawyer also asked the High Court to consider sentencing him under the new penal code if judges decide to uphold the criminal court’s 11-year sentence on a weapons smuggling charge. Under the new penal code, weapons possession carries a jail term of less than one year.
27 Dec 2015, 09:00
Civil Service Commission denies rumours of laying off elderly employees
After facing criticism over its silence on the issue, the CSC said in a statement yesterday that the finance ministry staff made redundant by restructuring will be dealt with in accordance with chapter five of the civil service regulations. Uncertainty over job security prompted dozens of civil servants at the ministry to go on strike last Tuesday.
27 Dec 2015, 09:00
MDP launches recruitment drive to re-register members
The MDP said in a statement on Thursday that it is aiming to re-register more than 23,000 -nearly half of its 48,000 members – before the end of the month. The Elections Commission had imposed a deadline of December 31 for parties to re-register members who had submitted membership forms before a requirement for fingerprints was enforced.
27 Dec 2015, 09:00
Former vice president “cleared” of boat blast allegations
“According to the police, Adeeb is now only accused in the [Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation corruption] case. Apart from questions posed on the first day over the boat blast, no further questions have been put to Ahmed Adeeb in the investigation,” the former vice president’s lawyers said today.
27 Dec 2015, 09:00
Maldives hopeful of signing free trade agreement with China by 2017
After the first round of negotiations concluded at the Bandos Island Resort on Tuesday, Economic Development Minister Mohamed Saeed said a free trade pact with China will be most beneficial to Maldivian businesses that export fish products. “Our main aim is to export [fish products] to the China market without any tariffs,” he said.
24 Dec 2015, 09:00
Maldives bans Christmas celebrations at guesthouses
“[A]s activities such as celebrating Christmas are contrary to Islam and the Maldives’ culture and traditions, celebrating Christmas in any inhabited island is not allowed under Maldivian law,” reads the letter signed by the home minister to local councils.
24 Dec 2015, 09:00
More than half a million rufiyaa stolen in phone scams
Scammers pose as staff from large companies, offer financial rewards and gifts under fake promotions, and seek credit card information to steal money from unsuspecting victims, the police explained.
24 Dec 2015, 09:00
Missing journalist’s family delivers 500 paper cranes to president
Ahmed Rilwan’s family and friends delivered 500 origami cranes, which represent peace and happiness, to President Abdulla Yameen urging him to expedite the investigation into the journalist’s disappearance.
24 Dec 2015, 09:00
Yameen condemned for threats against civil servants
President Abdulla Yameen’s threats against striking civil servants has enraged human rights advocates and opposition parties, with some describing the warning as high-handed and yet another example of a deepening crackdown on civil rights.
23 Dec 2015, 09:00
President threatens to cut wages for striking staff
“They don’t have to protest for their jobs. They will remain in government jobs. But no government employee should tell me, ‘I will work at this office.’ That’s not something they can say. The government will decide that based on the level of skill and training,” Yameen said last night in the wake of a historic strike by staff at the finance ministry over imminent mass job cuts.
23 Dec 2015, 09:00
Nasheed petitions lower courts to secure release
After appealing former President Mohamed Nasheed’s 13-year sentence at the Supreme Court this week, the opposition leader’s lawyers are now petitioning the lower courts to secure his release from prison. They are “seeking a solution through the judiciary” as urged by President Abdulla Yameen.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Introducing Dhivehi braille is just the first step for blind literacy
First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim’s unveiling of a braille code in Dhivehi earlier this month was hailed as a milestone that would improve literacy among blind Maldivians. Advocates for the disabled are now urging the government to make braille accessible by introducing the code in schools, printing books in braille, and training teachers to teach braille.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Striking staff demand transparent audit before job cuts
Staff on strike at the finance ministry have signed a petition calling on the Civil Service Commission to conduct a transparent and comprehensive resource audit before making mass job cuts.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Finance Ministry staff stage strike over job cuts: “We have families to take care of, bills and rent to pay”
Hundreds of civil servants at the finance ministry are on strike over mass job cuts. The historic strike – only the second by civil servants in recent history – comes after President Abdulla Yameen insisted on the dismissals, arguing the Maldivian civil service is overstaffed.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
“This attack on me is, first and foremost, personal,” says Cadman
Responding to allegations of pitching the government and the opposition, Cadman writes: “Supporters of the former President need to make as much noise in public and in the press as possible because the activities of which he is accused are so hard to contest in court, not least when he has confirmed them in media interviews on at least two occasions.”
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Maldivians who assisted deported German crew under fire
Home Minister Umar Naseer has pledged to prosecute all Maldivians who assisted a German TV crew who were deported while filming for a story on Islamic extremism. ARD’s local fixer was summoned for questioning on Sunday.
21 Dec 2015, 09:00
UNDP launches app to report illegal waste dumping
Users from the capital and its suburbs Hulhumalé and Vilimalé can download the ‘MakeMyIsland’ app for free, take a picture, and report littering and unattended waste in public spaces to the concerned authorities, which will attend to the problem and send a notification through email.
21 Dec 2015, 09:00
Filmmaker hopes to kickstart discussion with documentary on street harassment
‘Street Harassment: The Daily Menace’ by Hulhevi Media – uploaded to YouTube on Friday – shows women telling stories of facing harassment on a daily basis, including lewd remarks, exhibitionism, stalking, and groping.
21 Dec 2015, 09:00
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