STO sharply increased wholesale fuel prices for businesses. Diesel nearly doubled from MVR 16.52 (US$ 1) to MVR 27.22 per litre and petrol rose from MVR 15 to MVR 26.14 in the Malé area. Prices were significantly higher elsewhere. Addu City Mayor Ali Nizar reported petrol at MVR 29.26 and diesel at MVR 30.13. In Kulhudhuffushi, Mayor Mohamed Athif said petrol hit MVR 29.30 and diesel was at MVR 29.51, up from around MVR 16 a week earlier. Speedboat fares in some areas have doubled. Retail prices at FSM fuel sheds in Malé remain unchanged at MVR 16.01 for petrol and MVR 17.54 for diesel. STO later told state media that it will continue to sell fuel at the previous subsidised rate to fishermen, public ferry operators, and atoll fuel shed operators, and that the wholesale increase applied only to private businesses.
The opposition MDP staged a sit-in at the Public Service Media headquarters for seven hours after the state broadcaster refused to grant the party airtime to present its case against the concurrent elections referendum. MDP says PSM has aired only pro-referendum content without presenting opposing arguments. Protesters demanded a meeting with PSM management and refused to leave, breaking their fast at the reception. The party said PSM's deputy managing director was seen leaving the building by motorcycle to avoid them, and that police were called to remove them. The standoff ended after PSM agreed to a meeting on Tuesday. MD Ahmed Shakeeb is abroad on Umrah. PSM said it had informed MDP that the managing director was on Umrah and that a meeting would be arranged upon his return, and accused the party of "causing fear among staff and disrupting services" by entering the premises despite this communication. PSM claimed it was only featuring former Special Majlis members as expert commentators and had not given airtime to any political party.
HDC staff removed and destroyed MDP campaign banners across Hulhumalé before dawn, leaving only PNC banners on display, Dhauru reported. HDC said the banners were removed because MDP had not obtained a permit, but Mayor Adam Azim said MDP had applied for permits weeks ago and HDC had deliberately withheld approval while allowing PNC banners throughout the city. "Giving permits to one side and not the other is corruption," Azim said. The removal came a day after some PNC banners in Hulhumalé were defaced with used diesel oil. Mayoral candidate Ismail Zariyand also reported his campaign posters stolen by people in HDC uniforms and filed a police complaint, saying some were taken from supporters' private property.
Former Football Association of Maldives president Bassam Adeel Jaleel, who is serving a 32-year sentence for embezzling US$ 1.2 million in FIFA funds and money laundering, was transferred to house arrest on medical grounds after nasal surgery. A government official said doctors recommended he stay in a dust-free environment for a specified period. Bassam was convicted last October. His appeal is pending before the High Court. Police have seized two apartments he purchased with the stolen funds.
MPL awarded a contract to build a yacht marina in Haa Alif Uligan to local firm Sas E Construction. The first phase will accommodate 18 yachts and provide immigration and customs clearance services. The contract value was not disclosed. MPL said it is separately seeking an operator to run and further develop the marina. Uligan is a popular stopover for yachts transiting between South Asia and Europe.
MPL appointed former MTCC boss Ibrahim Ziyath as deputy CEO and board member.
The Prosecutor General charged tourism businessman Sunny Umar with five counts including sexually assaulting three children over a decade. One victim was allegedly abused from the age of seven. He also faces charges of obstructing justice and giving false information to authorities for allegedly claiming to have lost his phone and withholding SIM card information. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 44 years in prison. Sunny fled the country when the allegations surfaced but was arrested in December after police initially detained and released him twice, including once as he boarded a flight to Sri Lanka.
Abdul Muizzu Hassan, a former chairman of the Thalassaemia Society and a prominent advocate for thalassaemia patients, died at the Hulhumalé Hospital ICU. An appeal for six blood donors had been issued the day before. Muizzu, who had thalassaemia himself, was a current member of the society's executive committee and worked at HDC. President Muizzu offered condolences, calling him a courageous young man who set an example through his advocacy.
Maafannu West councillor Ibrahim Aboobakr, who was running as an independent after leaving PNF, dropped his candidacy and endorsed the PNC candidate, Deputy Mayor Mohamed Areesh. Ibrahim, who originally won the seat on a PPM ticket, attributed his independent bid to a "communication error" and appeared alongside President Muizzu during a door-to-door campaign event.
The government began work on a park at the site of the former Ghazee Building on Ameer Ahmed Magu in Malé. RDC was contracted for the project. The building was demolished in 2023 after it became structurally unsafe, and the site had been used as a motorcycle parking zone.
Following the killing of a pregnant cat in Hoarafushi, the animal welfare ministry warned it would take the harshest legal action available against animal abusers, citing the recently enacted Animal Welfare Act which provides for fines of MVR 5,000 to MVR 50,000 and imprisonment.
