A fever outbreak in Noonu Landhoo saw daily patient numbers more than triple since Hajj Day, with over 30 people visiting the health centre daily – up from around 10 – and hospital admissions rising. The HPA advised the health centre to test for Covid-19 and influenza before deciding whether to close schools, where absenteeism has surged, with only 150 of around 200 students attending yesterday. Symptoms include high fever, coughing and headache. The HPA urged anyone with fever or respiratory symptoms to stay home, wear a mask when seeking medical care and avoid public transport and crowded spaces.
FDC fined one tenant and issued written warnings to three others for illegally subletting social housing units, with two additional cases under investigation, the corporation confirmed. The units, allocated to low-income families at around MVR 8,000 (US$ 519) per month, are being sublet commercially for as much as MVR 25,000 per month in violation of the housing agreements, which prohibit subletting before full ownership is transferred. The crackdown follows a February case in which an FDC flat owner was fined MVR 50,000 for converting a unit into labour quarters for foreign workers.
The Prosecutor General's Office said it would not press corruption charges against Fenaka managing director Mohamed Afeef Hussain over a 2020 case in which he allegedly attempted to register his wife's car at a housing ministry garage, on the grounds that the state had suffered no financial loss. ACC investigators had found a letter had been prepared to register the vehicle under the ministry's jurisdiction, but Malé City Council never ultimately registered it. PG spokesman Ahmed Shafeeu told Adhadhu that since no party received an illicit benefit and the state suffered no loss, and given that administrative action had already been taken against Afeef and against Adam Shafeeu – who prepared the letter – there was no public interest in further criminal prosecution. Afeef had been accused of attempted the registration while serving as Director General of Public Works.
The Local Government Authority temporarily suspended Vaavu Thinadhoo council president Shujau Ali from his duties after he reportedly switched parties during the current council term, an offence that would cost him his seat under the Decentralisation Act. Shujau won the seat on a Democrats ticket but was registered with MDP when council members elected for the current term were sworn in. LGA wrote to deputy council president Samir Ahmed instructing him to inform Shujau of the suspension and to assume the president's responsibilities during the suspension period. If he loses his seat, he would be the first councillor to do so over a party switch. Several other councillors have reportedly switched to PNC since taking office, though the dates on which they were registered with the Elections Commission are not publicly known.
Fenaka suspended pay leave and unpaid leave for all employees as part of its right-sizing exercise. The state utility company ordered all department and branch staff to submit police reports to head office by close of business next Thursday. Managing Director Mohamed Afeef told Mihaaru that long-serving technical staff, including those transferred from STELCO and community-run powerhouses when Fenaka was formed, had been passed over for promotion while later-arriving political hires were promoted "while in coffee shops," with attendance fabricated. Engine operators, meter readers, customer service staff, salary administrators, electrical workers and cable technicians were the personnel actually needed to run the company's powerhouses and water and sewerage services, he said, adding that those staff had received neither pay raises nor career advancement while less essential employees were given promotions. Afeef said the resulting frustration among long-serving technical workers was significant, and that he was meeting with individual employees as part of the reform process.
The Hithadhoo North by-election campaign entered its final stretch ahead of Saturday's vote, with both PNC and MDP running intensive door-to-door campaigns and rallies in what the ruling party has described as its current top priority. PNC candidate Ahmed Saeed 'Sodaa' has was supported on the ground by Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla, several cabinet ministers including campaign manager Sports Minister Abdulla Rafiu and Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam, and PNC MPs making repeated trips to the constituency. MDP candidate and former Addu mayor Abdulla Sodiq 'Sobe' drew the party's senior leadership to Addu, with former Presidents Nasheed and Solih, MDP president Abdulla Shahid, acting chairman Abdul Ghafoor Moosa and Malé Mayor Adam Azim all attending the closing rally on Thursday night. Former President Yameen also endorsed Sobe. At the rally, Sobe said Muizzu's failure to visit Addu for Sodaa's campaign signalled a heavy MDP victory. He expected to win significant PNC votes alongside MDP ones. Polling opens at 8am at seven boxes; 4,120 voters are eligible. Sobe previously held the same constituency seat on the Addu council from 2011 to 2017, winning with majorities of 1,147 votes in 2014 and 1,376 in 2017. The seat fell vacant on April 12 when the Supreme Court ruled Sinan had lost it over an unpaid Islamic Bank loan. Sinan won the PNC primary 226-187 against Saeed. But Sinan later relinquished the ticket. He voluntarily stepped aside for family reasons, according to the PNC.
Former Supreme Court Justice Husnu Al Suood represented MDP candidate Ahsan Naeem, whose three-vote lead in the Meemu Veyvashu council election was overturned by the High Court after three of his ballots were invalidated over ink spots. Suood told the Supreme Court the spots were likely printing artefacts, noting the ballot printer itself acknowledged such marks are difficult to eliminate and that the elections law does not list printing ink as grounds for invalidating a ballot. He also argued that similar spots appeared on ballots for others, including the opposing PNC candidate, and that the burden of proof for deliberate tampering should rest with the challenger.
The Islamic ministry has begun work on a plan to coordinate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha celebrations across Malé and the atolls from the new Hijri year, Minister Mohamed Shaheem told the press. The plan is being developed by a ministry committee in consultation with councils and Islamic civil society organisations. The ministry will also work with the culture ministry on key events in the cities. Shaheem said the plan was not about creating regulations but about coordinating celebrations through councils and civil society organisations. The initiative comes after public controversy over some Eid al-Adha activities this year, most notably the Kulhudhuffushi Mashi Maali parade, which featured floats critical of the government as such parades have done in previous years and under previous governments. Government supporters had called for the parade to be banned.
The Maldives was elected to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on for the term 2027-2029, the first time the country has joined the body since joining the UN in 1965. The Maldives won 183 votes and was elected alongside Malaysia and South Korea to fill the three Asia-Pacific seats; the three-year term begins on January 1, 2027. Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam called it a proud and historic moment for the country and a reflection of international confidence in Muizzu's foreign policy; Permanent Representative to the UN Ali Naseer Mohamed said the Maldives would work with member states to strengthen ECOSOC as a platform for partnership and practical solutions. Separately, the Maldives was elected unanimously as vice-chair of the General Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee (the Second Committee) for its 81st session, which runs from September 2026 to September 2027. Second Secretary Hussain Azhaan Mohamed Hussain will represent the country on the committee's bureau. ECOSOC coordinates UN economic, social and development work, including reviewing progress on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda; the Second Committee considers sustainable development and economic growth issues. The foreign ministry said both elections came as the Maldives steps up advocacy for accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the global development financing architecture, and Small Island Developing State priorities in multilateral processes.
