A 21-year-old Maldivian student died in a car crash in Malaysia. Adhadhu identified her as Amina Imily Nazim from Addu City's Hithadhoo. She was a passenger in one of two cars involved in the collision and was dead on arrival at hospital. The driver and another passenger in her car were not seriously injured.
The government is working to introduce peak-hour buses between Malé and Hulhumalé, as well as school-only buses for students travelling between the two, Transport Minister Mohamed Saeed said at the government's Ahaa forum. The services, including buses from Hulhumalé to the Velaanaage area at set times, are aimed at getting commuters off motorcycles and out of cars, since the bridge and highway can't take more traffic, he said. The school buses would be introduced after consulting schools and parents. Saeed said talks were also under way on restricting heavy and goods vehicles to set hours to ease congestion in Malé.
A taxi driver charged MVR1,100 (US$ 71.34) to clean a small amount of vomit from a seat after a one-year-old fell ill during a ride in Hulhumalé, initially demanding MVR1,500 and refusing to provide tissues or water, and driving deliberately slowly toward the ferry terminal until the mother's husband promised to pay. Nala Taxi, which said it had been unaware of the incident until multiple outlets reported it, said it would investigate.
Police arrested a 26-year-old man early on Sunday for allegedly riding a motorcycle drunk and crashing into a police car while trying to evade officers. Police said Ahmed Fariz of Kaafu Maafushi was reported riding from Hulhumalé to Malé on the highway lying flat on his motorcycle without a helmet. Ignoring orders to stop at the traffic lights in Malé, he sped off along Boduthakurufaanu Magu, crashed into a pursuing police car and fled on foot before being caught near Moonlight Hingun. He was remanded for seven days. Fariz owes MVR44,000 in unpaid traffic fines, police said, with a record including riding without a licence, riding while his licence was suspended, speeding and reckless riding.
Government subsidy spending reached MVR4.1 billion in the first 38 weeks of 2026, 43.5 per cent over the full-year budget of MVR2.8 billion, driven largely by rising fuel prices linked to the Iran conflict, and is on track to exceed any previous year's total. Subsidies have not fallen below MVR 3 billion since 2022, and three successive governments have failed to implement targeted subsidy reform despite years of pressure from international financial institutions to do so.
The environment ministry opened bids to procure 20 water tanker vehicles for President Muizzu's five million tree planting programme, which it said has planted over one million trees across the country since launching on World Environment Day in June 2024.
The Criminal Court sentenced Abdullah Faseeh, 50 years in jail and fined MVR200,000 for drug trafficking after he was caught at Velana International Airport in October 2024 with 23.5 grams of diamorphine and 252 grams of cannabis taped under duct tape on both calves while boarding a flight to Gaaf Alif Kooddoo. The court rejected his defence that he was a human trafficking victim acting under coercion, finding no supporting evidence had been submitted.
The LGA issued a circular to all councils on the day MDP's congress opened at Malé City Council's Thaiseykoshi venue, warning that using council premises to promote political parties violates the decentralisation law and councillors' code of conduct. MDP said it had been forced to hold the congress under a tent after the government denied it access to any venue, while the ruling PNC had previously used the Social Centre complex and three nearby schools for its own congress.
Former Supreme Court Justice Husnu Suood said he will demand investigations against President Muizzu, Attorney General Ahmed Usham, JSC chair Hussain Riza Adam and ACC President Adam Shamil over the February 2026 suspension of three Supreme Court justices, including himself, minutes before a hearing on a constitutional amendment affecting parliamentary seats, arguing the coordinated overnight action constitutes abuse of official authority under the Penal Code. Suood said the complaint will be filed jointly with the other two suspended justices, Dr Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir. He also said JSC should be reformed to consist entirely of judges elected by their peers, arguing the current 10-member composition, in which seven seats are effectively controlled by the party in government, has made the commission a tool of political control across successive administrations rather than an independent oversight body.
Police appointed Inspector Ahmed Shiyam as spokesperson, a role he previously held, replacing Superintendent Arif. No reason was given for Arif's removal. Shiyam rejoined the police after 12 years when the High Court overturned his dismissal in 2014. He is the third police spokesperson under the current government, after Arif and Assistant Commissioner Ahmed Shifan.
