Maldives News
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
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
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