Maldives News
Survey reveals barriers for women’s political participation
A majority of Maldivians believe that men make better leaders than women and only 39 percent agree that a woman could serve as president, a nationwide survey conducted by Transparency Maldives has revealed. Nine out of ten Maldivians also believe that “a good wife will always obey her husband, even if she disagrees with him.”
21 Oct 2015, 09:00
Vice President no longer co-chair of economic council
Vice President Ahmed Adeeb has been stripped of the title as co-chair of the powerful economic and youth council, days after the tourism portfolio was taken off his hands.
21 Oct 2015, 09:00
Nasheed urges Modi visit to ‘disentangle Maldives mess’
Jailed former president Mohamed Nasheed has urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the Maldives to “disentangle us from the mess we are in,” according to his lawyers.
20 Oct 2015, 09:00
Five-year-old’s death revives concern over dengue
A five-year-old boy died from dengue fever on Sunday in a southern atoll as the spread of the mosquito-borne disease continues unabated with unusual rainfall caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon.
20 Oct 2015, 09:00
Malta company confirms plans to build private armory in Maldives
A Malta company has confirmed plans to set up a private armory in a northern island in the Maldives, supervised by the Maldivian army, to cater to the demand for maritime security for ships transiting the Indian Ocean.
20 Oct 2015, 09:00
Majority of Maldivians ‘troubled by status quo,’ but support democracy
A solid majority of Maldivians prefer democracy as a form of government, but remain cynical about the status quo and distrustful of state institutions and political parties, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Transparency Maldives
20 Oct 2015, 09:00
Sri Lankan experts confirm bomb blast on president’s speedboat, says home minister
Umar Naseer told the press today that a team of forensic experts from Sri Lanka who investigated the incident has confirmed that the blast was caused by an explosive device. Forensic teams from the US, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and India also investigated the blast, but have not shared their findings with the government so far.
20 Oct 2015, 09:00
Suspect wanted for stabbing of Nasheed’s lawyer arrested
A police spokesman confirmed that Ahmed Raaid, 20 years, one of the two suspects wanted over the stabbing, has been taken into police custody. He declined to comment on where Raaid had been apprehended.
20 Oct 2015, 09:00
MMPRC’s fireworks import suspected of links to boat blast
The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) remains shut down over an investigation into suspected links between the corporation’s import of fireworks and a blast on the president’s speedboat, credible sources have told The Maldives Independent.
20 Oct 2015, 09:00
Police seize new synthetic drug ‘flakka’ and 2.5kg of cocaine
Flakka or alpha-PV is a synthetic drug created in laboratories. Police Superintendent Ahmed Shifan said the seizure of 200 grammes of the drug at the airport was the first time it was discovered in the Maldives.
20 Oct 2015, 09:00
Why the sentence on death by stoning is unconstitutional
The decision contravenes provisions that emphasize non-discrimination, equality, human dignity and fair trial rights in the constitution and international human rights conventions that the Maldives is signatory to, argues Shahindha Ismail and Mushfiq Mohamed.
20 Oct 2015, 09:00
Maldives government launches media offensive on boat blast
Cabinet ministers and ruling party MPs have launched a media offensive, appearing on some six TV channels every week night. Slick messages extolling President Yameen’s virtues have begun appearing on social media with the hashtag #IStandWithYameen.
19 Oct 2015, 09:00
Foreigners banned from mobile phone business
“The ministry believes that the mobile phone business has much potential. We would like to encourage and pave way for locals to invest in the trade,” Ali Abdulla, economic development ministry spokesperson, told The Maldives Independent.
19 Oct 2015, 09:00
Supreme Court strikes down sentence of death by stoning
The magistrate court verdict marked the first time a person was sentenced to death by stoning in the Maldives and sparked heated debate and outrage on social media. Invoking powers under “supervisory jurisdiction,” the Supreme Court said the magistrate court decided the case “in violation of judicial and legal procedures”.
19 Oct 2015, 09:00
Maldives faces suspension from international football over delayed elections
The governing body of Asian football has warned that the Maldives could face suspension “from all football activities” over government interference in the long-delayed elections of the Football Association of Maldives.
19 Oct 2015, 09:00
Vice President stripped of tourism portfolio
President Abdulla Yameen has temporarily assigned Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim as acting tourism minister, stripping Vice President Ahmed Adeeb of authority over his previous portfolio.
19 Oct 2015, 09:00
New US ambassador presents credentials to president
Atul Keshap, the new ambassador of the United States of America to the Maldives, presented his credentials to President Abdulla Yameen this morning. The pair discussed “issues of mutual interest encompassing global terrorism, human rights and environmental problems.”
19 Oct 2015, 09:00
MDP moves protest from pavement to the streets
Angered by the police’s attempts to limit protests to pavements, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) led a march in Malé late at night, walking along streets randomly and sometimes, against the traffic last flow.
19 Oct 2015, 09:00
Government grants itself ‘extraordinary discretionary powers’ over NGOs
Under new regulations, a registrar at the home ministry has the discretion to suspend NGOs if it conducts activities that could be considered “a threat to national security” or “defamatory towards an individual.”
19 Oct 2015, 09:00
Security forces shut down Maldives tourism corporation
Employees of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation turned up to work at 8am today only to find three military and police officers blocking the office entrance. The shut-down comes days after police raided the offices and the home of its managing director Abdulla Ziyath over a blast on the president’s speedboat.
18 Oct 2015, 09:00
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