Maldives News

Rilwan’s family concerned with direction of abduction trial

Alif Rauf and Mohamed Nooradeen are accused of forcing Ahmed Rilwan into a car at knifepoint outside his apartment building in Hulhumalé in August 2014. Both were arrested shortly after his disappearance but freed two months later.

Standoff between knife-wielding groups under investigation

A widely shared video of a standoff between two groups of young men on the capital’s main thoroughfare has sparked outrage and concern over public safety.

Opposition councillor arrested

Ali Hashim, the president of the Dhidhdhoo island council, has been placed under arrest on charges of forging official documents, tampering with evidence and influencing witnesses.

Nation mourns passing of ex-Islamic minister Dr Majeed

The 55-year-old religious scholar was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Colombo when he passed away Tuesday afternoon. He was hospitalised last Friday after suffering a stroke.

Court rejects Gayoom’s pleas, proceeds to trial

Gayoom was charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly refusing to hand over his mobile phone for a police investigation.

Elections Commission threatens to dissolve MDP

The main opposition party was warned not to conduct its presidential primary as planned on May 30 with former president Mohamed Nasheed as the sole candidate.

Elections Commission condemned over veiled threat to annul MDP primary

With exiled former president Nasheed’s campaign for the May 30 primary in full swing, the EC announced guidelines for conducting primaries and implicitly rejected the candidacies of convicted opposition leaders.

Education ministry begins handing out 71,000 tablets

Education Minister Dr Aishath Shiham handed out the Huawei devices to Iskandhar School teachers at a ceremony Monday. The ministry plans to cover all schools in the capital this week and start distributing in atolls next week.

Fish exports up nearly 80 percent

The value of fish exports rose to MVR368 million in April, up from MVR208 million in the same period last year.

Nearly 2kg of drugs seized from postal parcels

The haul included “ecstasy, methamphetamine, amphetamine, cannabis tree branches, heroin, methcathinone, and mephedron.”

HPA advises precautions amid increase of dengue and flu

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has asked people to take precautions as dengue, the flu, viral fever, and influenza increase across the country.

Travel blogger blocks page in Maldives after backlash

Nas Daily made his page inaccessible in the Maldives out of fear for the safety of a local girl in his latest video who expressed her wish to take off the hijab.

Slain blogger’s family ‘left with no answers and little hope’

“According to the official narrative, no one ordered my son’s murder. No one paid these suspects. They acted on their own,” Yameen Rasheed’s father wrote in an op-ed.

Siyad Gasim pleads not guilty to bribery

It emerged at Sunday’s pre-trial hearing that the prosecution is yet to obtain a crucial piece of evidence against the Villa conglomerate’s managing director.

Watchdog denies seeking charges over custodial death

The Human Rights Commission of Maldives has denied media reports of seeking charges over a custodial death of a Maafushi jail inmate whose family alleges he was denied treatment.

‘Clean Waves’ to protect Maldives island from plastic pollution

A Maldives island is among the beneficiaries of a fundraising effort launched Thursday with the sale of design-wear made from intercepted and upcycled marine debris.

Heavy rains cause flooding in southern atolls

Water seeped into two households each in the Hithadhoo, Feydhoo and Hulhudhoo wards of Addu City but no items were damaged, according to police, who assisted with pumping out the water.

Lhaimagu youth plant coral on damaged reef

A youth group in the Lhaimagu carried out the coral planting programme to revitalise the island’s reef ahead of the introduction of local tourism.

May Day protester released after three years in prison

Nasheed submits candidacy papers for MDP primary

Former president Mohamed Nasheed submitted Saturday his candidacy papers as the sole contender in the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s presidential primary.