The ruling party's supermajority in parliament passed the “media control bill” as rival protests raged outside. The bill proposes the creation of a seven-member regulator with sweeping powers to fine and shut down media outlets.
The trade ministry hosted a webinar in partnership with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba for Maldivian online businesses to open seller accounts on the platform. It featured sessions on "the Alibaba.com ecosystem, B2B cross-border e-commerce trends, core platform functions and benefits, as well as a live demonstration of seller operations." More than 540 people took part in the webinar, according to the economic minister, which the Chinese ambassador said far exceeded his expectations and marked the "first direct contact between Maldivian small and medium-sized enterprises and Chinese e-commerce platforms."
The state-owned operator of the national carrier Maldivian airlines sold a Dash-8 aircraft to an Australian company for US$ 3.7 million without a tender process, Adhadhu reported, citing a report from the central bank's Financial Intelligence Unit that flagged the no-bid deal, which involved escrow agent fees in excess of US$ 355,000.
A parliamentary committee dismissed a petition signed by 151 journalists from 41 outlets urging lawmakers to reject the media regulation bill. The chair of the ruling party-dominated petitions committee claimed the concerns about proposed law had been addressed by amendments proposed by the Attorney General's office.
Parliament will introduce guidelines dictating “proper conduct” for visitors attending committee meetings, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim announced, citing a report prepared by the sergeant-at-arms about protests by journalists and members of the public present who observed Monday’s committee meeting on the media regulation bill. The veteran lawmaker from the ruling party criticised the protests as “disruptive,” “disrespectful,” and in violation of societal norms. The general purpose committee was tasked with reviewing the incident report and drafting rules changes.
Following approval at Monday's sitting of parliament, the president appointed Mohamed Mujuthaz and Mohamed Nasih respectively as the new president and vice president of the Civil Service Commission. By virtue of office, Muthujaz was also appointed to the Judicial Service Commission. Mohamed Shafeeg Mahmood was meanwhile appointed as vice president of the Human Rights Commission.
