Maldives News
17 arrested for ‘disrupting public order’ released
The 17 people, including two minors, taken into custody yesterday for “disrupting public order” in the wake of Vice President Ahmed Adeeb’s arrest.
25 Oct 2015, 09:00
Republic Square shut off for vice president’s return
Supporters of the vice president were planning to gather near the official jetty at the restricted “green zone” to greet Adeeb amidst rumours of his imminent arrest over an alleged attempt to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen. The vice president and his associates have become the main suspects over the blast on the president’s speedboat on September 28.
24 Oct 2015, 09:00
Vice president is innocent, says lawyer
Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, arrested today on suspicion of links to an alleged assassination attempt on President Abdulla Yameen, has called for an impartial inquiry, according to his lawyer.
24 Oct 2015, 09:00
Maldives Vice President arrested, charged with high treason
Ahmed Adeeb was arrested on a charge of high treason, moments after his flight from Singapore landed at the international airport.
24 Oct 2015, 09:00
Top tourism official, target of boat blast probe, arrested
Abdulla Ziyath, the managing director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), was taken into custody “in connection to a case under investigation” at around 7pm today, the police said.
23 Oct 2015, 09:00
Police chief sacked, deputies transferred
Updated: Hussain Waheed has been offered state minister at the housing ministry. Deputy commissioners of police Hassan Habeeb and Mohamed Sadiq have also been transferred to government ministries. Police intelligence chief Ahmed Areef has been promoted from assistant to deputy commissioner of police, and placed in charge.
23 Oct 2015, 09:00
Maldives risks suspension from FIFA with cancellation of polls
The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) said in a statement that the poll was called off “because the relevant governmental authorities failed to provide the necessary approvals” to hold an extraordinary congress to elect its executive committee. The Maldives faces suspension from FIFA over the long-delayed election.
23 Oct 2015, 09:00
Lawyers repeat plea for medical care to jailed politicians
Lawyers representing jailed ex-Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and former ruling party MP Ahmed Nazim have accused the government of neglecting their clients’ medical care and endangering the pair’s health.
22 Oct 2015, 09:00
More than a third of state offices without information officers
More than a third of government offices and organizations funded by the state have failed to appoint staff to handle information requests, as required by the landmark Right to Information (RTI) Act, passed in 2014 with the aim of improving public access to information.
22 Oct 2015, 09:00
Soldiers raid a Maldives resort under development
Dozens of soldiers raided an island in central Lhaviyani Atoll that is being developed as a resort today. A spokesman said the raid was “routine, and not related to the ongoing inquiry” into an explosion on President Abdulla Yameen’s speedboat.
22 Oct 2015, 09:00
Judicial watchdog reprimands judge over blogpost
“I have the right to write. The Judges Act doesn’t prohibit me from writing. This does not threaten me at all and I don’t regret writing that post,” Judge Mahaz Ali told The Maldives Independent. The judge was reprimanded over a blogpost deemed critical of a Supreme Court ruling.
22 Oct 2015, 09:00
Maldives pursues fossil fuels and clean energy at once
The government, noting the need for reducing oil dependency, has signed its second renewable energy project in a month, but has also asked a visiting American research vessel to conduct tests for oil and gas near a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
22 Oct 2015, 09:00
Presidential affairs minister resigns
Mohamed Hussain Shareef, presidential affairs minister, said he decided to resign after being told not to report to work on Sunday. Shareef returned to the Maldives last night after accompanying Vice President Ahmed in an official visit to China to attend an investment forum.
22 Oct 2015, 09:00
Police seize security camera footage from Adeeb’s residences
In the first direct move against Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, police have seized CCTV footage from two of his residences in Malé as part of the inquiry into an alleged assassination attempt on President Abdulla Yameen.
22 Oct 2015, 09:00
News website hacked after repeated threats to journalists
Hassan Zaheen, senior journalist at Addu Live, told The Maldives Independent that suspects acquitted by the criminal court had often called reporters and demanded the removal of articles on corruption of judges and news items critical of the government.
22 Oct 2015, 09:00
Maldives ‘will not entertain’ foreign arms deals
The Maldives “will not entertain” private arms depots, the government has declared, after it emerged that a Malta based maritime security firm was planning to set up an armory in the remote north.
21 Oct 2015, 09:00
Police impose restrictions on MDP’s nightly street protests
Invoking authority under the Freedom of Assembly Act, which authorises police to order protest organisers to limit gatherings to a specific area, the police said in a letter to the MDP that its protests have posed “numerous difficulties” for pedestrians, businesses and restaurants as well as for tourists staying at guesthouses and hotels in the area.
21 Oct 2015, 09:00
Committee approves controversial anti-terrorism bill
The parliament’s national security committee has approved a new anti-terrorism bill that opposition MPs fear could be misused to target anti-government activities and jail politicians. The government-sponsored legislation could be put to a vote next week and is likely to pass as the ruling coalition controls a simple majority in the People’s Majlis.
21 Oct 2015, 09:00
Maldives moves to halt polls for national football body again
Despite the threat of suspension from international football, the home ministry has requested the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) to call off long-awaited elections scheduled for Thursday.
21 Oct 2015, 09:00
Police chief, majority leader abruptly depart Maldives
The police chief and the majority leader of the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) abruptly left the Maldives last night, in a sign of escalating struggle for influence at the country’s top leadership.
21 Oct 2015, 09:00
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