The Pension Administration Office completed the conversion of MVR 2.4 billion (US$155.6 million) in treasury bills held by the pension fund into a long-term government bond, Adhadhu reported. The government received the funds on Thursday after recent leadership changes enabled the office to proceed with the transaction, which had remained stalled since its approval in February due to the absence of an authorised signatory following a series of senior resignations, including the CEO, CFO and board chairman. Chief legal officer, Abdulla Fikry, resigned last week, Dhauru reported. Investment and Research Director Aminath Iruthiyasha and head of Investment and Advisory Service Haifa Ahmed had also resigned, according to Adhadhu. Critics and economists say the transaction amounts to indirect money printing.
The Food and Drug Authority published revised essential medicine lists for Grade 1 and Grade 2 pharmacies, urging all pharmacies to stock at least 80 percent of the medicines listed for their respective grade. Under the new guideline, Grade 1 pharmacies outside hospitals must carry essential medicines for common acute illnesses, chronic diseases, primary healthcare conditions, and preventive and supportive care. Grade 2 pharmacies operating within hospitals are required to stock additional medicines needed for specialist treatment, inpatient and outpatient services, emergency and critical care, and the management of more complex medical conditions. Existing pharmacies have been given six months to stock up all essential medicines, while new pharmacies will not be granted operating licences until they meet the requirement.
President Muizzu ratified the Organ Transplant Act, establishing the legal framework for human organ transplant services and defining the rights and responsibilities of donors, recipients and service providers. The law creates an Organ Transplant Council, appointed by the president to develop national transplant policy, and an Organ Transplant Authorisation Committee to review and approve individual transplant applications.
Palm trees and native coastal vegetation were planted along the newly developed northeastern section of Boduthakurufaanu Magu between the Henveiru ferry terminal and the MMA building, as senior ministers and heads of state-owned enterprises participated in a ceremonial tree-planting event. The expanded road is scheduled to open on Friday evening ahead of Independence Day, although minor work on the jetty stair railings will continue. MTCC said more than 3,100 trees have now been planted along the outer road.
The Food and Drug Authority warned against advertisements promoting food products as weight-loss solutions or cures for diseases. Under the food advertising regulation, it is illegal to market food products as having medicinal properties, specific health benefits, or other special characteristics through false or misleading claims, the authority said.
Ahmed Niyaz was removed as managing director and board member of MTDC. Niyaz, appointed in November 2023, joined MTDC in 2007 and has served as its board director and operations and development manager, and chaired MTCC from 2016 to 2018 and STO from 2013 to 2016. MTDC's profit fell 19 percent in the first quarter to US$178,389 from US$219,282 a year earlier.
The PCB appointed board members to four more state companies: Ahmed Mazin to Maldives Hajj Corporation, Shahid Moosa to HDC, Maeesha Ibrahim to Island Aviation Services and Abdulla Yameen to Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation.
Malé City Council said it stopped people damaging a tree at the children's playground in Villimalé after staff noticed them in the grounds. The council said it is looking into the matter and urged people to protect public facilities. It comes two weeks after a banyan tree was cut down in the same park by men in WAMCO uniforms, an incident the council said it was not responsible for and was investigating.
Maldives Blood Services began nucleic acid testing, enabling faster and more accurate screening of donated blood for transmission of diseases like hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
The Supreme Court overturned a Criminal Court decision to dismiss a blackmail case involving Mohamed Fawaz Luthfy, who allegedly posed as a woman and blackmailed another man for six months after obtaining explicit photos and videos, demanding money in exchange for not releasing the material. The Criminal Court had dismissed the case, ruling that it did not meet the threshold to proceed with charges under the Sexual Offences Act because no direct physical or material sexual contact had occurred before the alleged blackmail. In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court found that a sexual act cannot be limited to physical conduct alone. The bench held that acts carried out through communication platforms can also constitute sexual acts and said screenshots of conversations between the two men provided sufficient evidence of sexual intent to allow the case to proceed.
Sixteen newly qualified Maldivian doctors have joined IGMH and Dharumavantha Hospital this year, Ibrahim Abdul Razzaq Haleem, CEO of the Malé Group of Hospitals, announced. The new recruits include specialists and sub-specialists in several fields that are being introduced in the Maldives for the first time, including neuro-interventional radiology, paediatric dentistry, neonatology and clinical haematology.
