Maldives
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
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, 9:00 AM
Nasheed’s family wins right to weekly visits
“Visitation rights have now been set to as it was before. This is a big development. The MCS did not reveal why they had stopped giving us the chance to visit. We believe it was personal,” Nasheed’s brother told the press today.
18 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
Suspect in Nasheed’s lawyer stabbing spotted in Colombo
A young man wanted by Interpol on a charge of stabbing a lawyer who represents former President Mohamed Nasheed has been spotted in Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to a credible source.
18 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
The explosion on Yameen’s speedboat: What we know so far
The cause of an explosion on President Abdulla Yameen’s speedboat remains unclear, but here are the important details of the inquiry, which has seen the arrest of three soldiers, a shakeup of the security forces and raids on government offices, and homes of a businessman and a top tourism official.
18 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
President’s aide resigns
Aishath Liza, the president’s office media coordinator, was told to stay home from work on Friday. She says she resigned today to pursue higher education.
17 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
Top military officers detained in boat blast probe
The former head of the military unit tasked with providing security to senior state officials and a former bodyguard to Vice President Ahmed Adeeb are under administrative detention, a reliable source has confirmed.
17 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
Showing 62 / 530