President Muizzu attacked the MDP as a "destructive" force at a rally held in Dhaalu Meedhoo to celebrate the PNC's win of the island council's presidency, a seat secured only after a tied vote was rerun. The attack came after former President Nasheed swept the MDP chairmanship promising a more combative opposition. The Meedhoo victory followed a run of poor results for the government. The PNC lost the April 4 council elections and referendum, and failed to win the recent parliamentary by-election in Addu City. Muizzu, who visited Meedhoo with his wife Sajidha Mohamed, framed the choice for voters as one between a "constructive" PNC and an MDP whose outlook would harm the country, a decades-old dichotomy that dates to former President Gayoom, who first deployed it against the MDP and Nasheed in particular, casting him as secular and irreligious. Muizzu leaned heavily on the same religious and nationalist themes, accusing the MDP of dismantling Arabic and Islamic education across its two terms in government, of normalising drugs and vaping, and of subordinating Maldivian foreign policy to a particular country – an apparent reference to India, with which Muizzu himself now maintains close ties. The MDP had strengthened relations with Israel, while his own government had banned Israeli passport holders, he said. Muizzu also criticised previous administrations, without naming former President Yameen – who is now in opposition and working with Nasheed and former President Solih – for foreign policy decisions he said were made to please specific countries, citing the Yameen government's severing of ties with Iran, Qatar and the Commonwealth, which the Solih administration later restored. Muizzu said his own foreign policy put Maldivians first. His speech also included a presentation on debt repayment.
Zeenaz Adnan was appointed a state minister at the health ministry, taking up the gender affairs portfolio from June 7, multiple media outlets reported. Zeenaz, a former CEO of the Children's Home and ex-PNC secretary general, is married to former local government minister Adam Shareef, who resigned in April and has been nominated as ambassador to Qatar, pending parliamentary approval. Her appointment comes as the President's Office has stopped publishing the profiles and photographs of state ministers and deputy ministers, leaving no public means of verifying who holds senior political posts across government. The pages were removed amid a run of reshuffles and ministry restructuring. Strategic Communications Minister Ibrahim Khaleel said in mid-April they would be republished once changes from cutting the number of ministries to 15 were complete, but two months on they have not reappeared. The absence comes despite the Information Commissioner's Office recently praising the President's Office for 100 percent compliance with proactive disclosure rules, and as the administration nears its third year without disclosing the total number of political appointees.
Eight people are due to stand trial on Wednesday over an MDP protest in Malé last October, charged with obstructing law enforcement officers. The Criminal Court is to begin the hearing at 10am against Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir, Hulhumalé North councillor Fathimath Zahiyya, Abdul Salaam, Mohamed Hamaaidh Abdul Ghani, Ali Naufal, Aishath Najdha Ali, Ali Muawwaz and Hussain Rasheed. Summons have been issued to the defendants. The October 3 protest set off from artificial beach and police blocked it as it tried to move down Majeedhee Magu, using force, an acoustic device deployed as a sound weapon and pepper spray to break it up. Police arrested eight people, six of whom were held for 15 days.
Private skipjack tuna buyers, Ensis Fisheries, Maandhoo Fisheries Complex, Big Fish, and Ocean Hunters, raised their purchase price to MVR 21 (US$1.36) per kilogram. Companies are sending vessels directly to productive fishing areas to secure supply, including Big Fish's 80-tonne "Kurimagu" in Gaaf Alif Nilandhoo and 63-tonne "Shifa" in Gaaf Dhaalu Kandahalagalaa, paying fishermen on the spot. The price increase comes despite generally good fishing conditions this season, as a shortage of bait fish has reduced catch volumes and created supply difficulties for the companies.
The US Diplomatic Security and Anti-Terrorism Assistance programme conducted K-9 training for Maldivian police at Velana International Airport from May 22 to June 4, covering indoor and outdoor canine search operations, vehicle inspections, and first-aid training led by a US veterinarian. Police began using dogs in operations in 2015, adding 10 more in 2022 for counter-terrorism work, with canine units now deployed for security at high-profile events alongside Customs, MPL, and airport authorities.
Police joined EPA rangers in enforcing regulations in the South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area (SAMPA), in a bid to strengthen marine conservation. Operators using the area must use registered vessels and guides, notify rangers and share their live location before and during operations, fly identification flags, install propeller guards by June 30 and follow marine wildlife interaction guidelines. The environment ministry said the prop guards, required under the SAMPA management plan, are intended both to protect the propeller and gearbox from damage and to protect people or whale sharks who come into contact with a moving propeller. It stressed, however, that guards alone cannot prevent all injuries, and that the most effective safeguard is keeping people out of the water near a running propeller in the first place, through measures such as keeping a proper lookout, using a kill cord and observing the speed limits and distances in the management plan.
The Maldives Trade Union Congress accused the government of failing to support workers' and employers' representatives at the International Labour Conference in Geneva from June 1 to 12. The MTUC said the conference is built on tripartism – governments, employers and workers participating equally in shaping labour standards – and that by denying the country's social partners the chance to take part, the government had silenced those directly affected by labour and economic policy. It called the exclusion a serious setback for social dialogue that raised questions about the government's commitment to labour rights and its obligations under the International Labour Organisation, and urged the government to explain publicly why the representatives were denied support and to ensure it was not repeated.
BML offered customers who apply for a new US dollar debit card and spend at least US$ 100 in a week a chance to win US$1,000 in a weekly lucky draw, running until July 30. Applications can be made through the BML mobile banking app.
With over 100 visually impaired people registered in the Maldives, the Blind and Visually Impaired Society of Maldives is running training camps in Malé teaching practical independence skills – cooking, using knives safely, ironing, and laundry – alongside navigation using smart canes and apps like Google Maps and ride-hailing services for transport and money transfers. The camps currently have 20 participants of varying ages, with the society saying the goal is to enable blind individuals to manage daily life without relying on others, while also building self-confidence and social participation in coordination with government agencies.
