Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim resigned just before Sunday's out-of-session Majlis sitting was due to take up the no-confidence motion against him, denying all the allegations in a statement and saying the PNC parliamentary group had cited no evidence or specific complaints. The motion had accused him of abusing his position, sowing discord, and shirking his responsibilities. Nazim said he had carried out his duties "honestly and with integrity," had not taken undue advantage of his office, and had treated all members equally regardless of party. But even if the accusations were untrue, complying when an overwhelming majority of those who elected him to the post called for him to step down was the civilised democratic course, he said. PNC holds a supermajority of 76 seats in the 93-member Majlis. Nazim had also served as deputy speaker in the 17th parliament under the Yameen administration. Senior PNC members maintained throughout the run-up that the party was united despite rumours of internal tension over the motion.
The government is considering cutting cigarette import duty by 50 percent – from MVR 8 (US$ 0.52) to MVR 4 per stick – in line with a WHO-recommended rate for the Maldives, Home Minister Ali Ihusan announced at a press conference held to mark World No Tobacco Day. The tariff was raised from MVR 3.50 to MVR 8 in late 2024 as a precautionary measure when vaping was banned, to deter users from switching to cigarettes. Health Minister Geela Ali announced a five-year national campaign aimed at a tobacco-free society, building on the generational tobacco ban and the e-cigarette prohibition. Tobacco use could not be addressed through short-term measures alone and the campaign's success would depend on active participation from individuals and communities, she said. The campaign will focus on awareness-raising across key sectors, supported by incentives, education and youth initiatives, civil society engagement and stronger law enforcement.
The government transferred all medical welfare services previously provided by NSPA to Aasandha Company effective June 1, consolidating healthcare assistance under a single platform. According to the health ministry, the move aims to eliminate the confusion of having two separate agencies handle medical support, covering services ranging from specialist medications and overseas treatment referrals to assistive devices, bone marrow transplant follow-ups, and emergency coverage extensions. Pending NSPA applications will now be processed and responded to by Aasandha.
A team from China Railway Design Corporation arrived to inspect and design roads in Malé and Villimalé, ahead of a Chinese grant-funded road-building project agreed during President Muizzu's January 2024 trip to Beijing. Chinese Ambassador Kong Xianhua announced on X, saying the team would also begin design work on the project. Physical work on the Chinese-funded road project is yet to begin, though multiple inspection and survey teams have visited over the past 18 months. The government has separately been expanding Malé's ring road on the northern waterfront. Part of the lagoon was reclaimed to widen the road.
Rainfall is likely to be below normal across most of the country in June. Near-normal to below-normal rainfall is expected in the northern and parts of the central atolls, the Maldives Meteorological Service said in its monthly climate outlook. Both maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to remain slightly above normal nationwide. The forecast follows a drier-than-usual June 2025, when all five meteorological stations recorded below-normal rainfall. Kadhdhoo saw the largest deficit at about half its long-term average. The Met office attributed the outlook to a transition toward El Niño conditions, which most climate models expect to develop during June–July and persist through the second half of the year. The Indian Ocean Dipole is currently neutral with some models pointing to a possible positive phase in July.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Ahmed Shifan was briefly appointed head of the Commissioner's Bureau on May 16 before the internal notice was quietly withdrawn, sources within police told Dhauru. The reversal came after some senior officials expressed disapproval of the appointment, though no official reason has been given. Shifan, who remains the police spokesman, is currently under a Professional Standards Command investigation over allegations he attempted to have two uninvolved senior officers implicated in a cigarette smuggling case.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella awarded Italy's highest civilian honour – the Order of Merit ≠ to the three Finnish divers who recovered the bodies of five Italian divers from an underwater cave near Vaavu Alimatha in the Maldives. The award was presented to Sami Pakarinen, Jenny Westerlund, and Patrick Grönkvist on the same day as the funeral of professor Monica Montefalcone and her 20-year-old daughter Georgia Somacal, which drew around 2,000 mourners. MNDF Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahdi, who died from decompression sickness during the search operation, remains the subject of a separate police investigation into whether negligence was involved.
All services previously provided by the Dhamanaveshi public health centre were relocated to two other Malé-region facilities. Dhamanaveshi and the adjoining thalassaemia centre are to be renovated to become a new Urban Primary Health Care Centre. With effect on Monday, services will move to the Urban Primary Health Care Centre in Maafannu and the GP clinic in Hulhumalé Phase 2, the health ministry said. Dhamanaveshi staff have been redistributed across the two sites. Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital group CEO Ibrahim Haleem said the change was temporary and that services would return to Henveiru once the new Urban Primary Health Care Centre opens there. Dhamanaveshi was the country's main childhood vaccination centre and also administered Hajj and Umrah vaccinations.
