A nine-year-old girl was in serious condition after being injured in a motorbike crash in Hulhumalé on Saturday night. Police said the girl and an 18-year-old woman were injured after the motorbike struck a pedestrian, who was walking on the side of the road to get into a car parked on the roadside. Both were receiving treatment at the hospital. The child’s condition was reported to be critical.
In a separate incident, a woman and an eight-year-old girl riding a motorbike in Fuvammulah were hit by a car at around 6.22pm on Saturday. Police said the car struck the motorbike before driving away and subsequently hitting another car and a palm tree. The 35-year-old male driver was apprehended. Police suspect he was intoxicated. He had forcefully taken the car after threatening its owner and saying he would crash it. The woman and girl were treated at the atoll hospital and did not sustain serious injuries, police said.
Resort workers began signing a petition opposing plans to pay salaries in Maldivian rufiyaa instead of US dollars. The campaign was launched after several resorts informed staff that they would no longer be able to pay salaries in dollars due to impending legal changes mandating the exchange of 40 per cent of foreign currency earnings. The Tourism Employment Association of Maldives said workers from 42 resorts had signed the petition as of Saturday. TEAM leaders warned that if the petition does not produce a favourable outcome, it is prepared to call on its union members to go on strike.
Former President Yameen called on all resorts to individually oppose the doubling of the conversion requirement. Speaking at a town hall meeting in Fuvammulah, Yameen said resorts had to pay back foreign loans and settle logistics in dollars payments. Former President Nasheed meanwhile said the change could bankrupt resorts.
Maldivians applied to renew expired passports will have the validity extended until 30 June 2027, Immigration said on Thursday, citing delays in the supply of passport booklets from the German contractor. The company had resolved an issue with its printing machines but had informed the department that delivery of new booklet stocks would be delayed. In the meantime, applicants for new passports will be issued eight-page emergency passports valid for one year. These can be used for short-distance travel to countries frequently visited by Maldivians, such as India and Sri Lanka. The extension of expiry for old passports and the issue of emergency passports will be done free of charge.
The new occupation categorisation by the homeland security ministry in the expatriate worker management system reclassifies healthcare professionals such as sub-specialist doctors, laboratory technologists and medical imaging technicians as “non-professionals”, the Maldives Health Professionals Union said on Friday, warning that the change would strip these employees from professionals benefits such as dependent visas and higher remittance limits. Long-term employees who live in Maldives with families and spouses would be forced to separate from their families if dependency visas cannot be renewed, MHPU said, warning that it will impact an expatriate-dependent healthcare system by affecting workforce retention and continuity of care.
Fuvahmulah City Council expressed concern over the sudden dismissal of employees from the Fenaka and WAMCO branches on the island, saying the terminations cut off their sources of income and undermine the financial and social security of their families. The council accused the companies of using “right-sizing” as a pretext to dismiss employees based on their political affiliations, without considering their commitment to their work or work ethic.
Police wiretapped phones and listened to private conversations following the 7 February 2012 transfer of power, an appeal hearing into the murder convictions of Mohamed Maimoon and Muhujath Ahmed Nasih heard on Wednesday. The two men were convicted over the 19 February 2012 killing of Abdul Muheeth 'Bobby.' Prosecutors discussed phone recordings submitted as evidence against the pair and acknowledged that police had "heard" the conversations while monitoring calls involving various groups and individuals. The surveillance was part of intelligence gathering for “national security,” as police believed some groups and individuals might carry out acts threatening domestic security in Malé.
Ahmed Raihan Naeem and Ahmed Rishmah were sentenced to 40 days and 38 days in jail respectively for throwing used diesel oil on MDP activist Mariyam Zubair last year.
A Change.org petition was launched calling on the Maldives government to ensure that newly enacted rules for the destination principle in the GST framework does not result in the imposition of the tax for commissions, margins and service income earned by foreign tour operators and travel agents through business activities performed outside the Maldives. The petition follows concerns raised by the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators last week regarding the changes, saying it had been made without adequate consultation and consideration for industry concerns.
The Met Office warned of the potential impacts of strengthening El Niño conditions in the Pacific, forecasting above-normal temperatures across the Maldives from September to November. Northern and some central atolls are expected to receive above-normal rainfall during the period, while southern atolls are forecast to experience below-normal rainfall. Marine heatwaves could also have impacts on coral reefs, agriculture and fisheries.
