PayPal services launched in the Maldives through an integration with Ooredoo's mFaisaa platform, the economic development ministry said, following discussions between the government and PayPal. Delivered through Ooredoo Fintech, the service lets customers receive international payments directly by linking their PayPal accounts to mFaisaa, addressing a long-standing gap in which Maldivians could send payments abroad but not receive them. It was launched at a ceremony attended by President Muizzu. Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed said the integration removed a long-standing barrier to Maldivians' participation in the global digital economy. The ministry said access to PayPal would link Maldivian entrepreneurs, freelancers and innovators to international markets and open a new channel for foreign exchange inflows. Muizzu described it as the fulfilment of a 2023 campaign pledge and part of his "Maldives 2.0" digital roadmap. He said the integration would let guesthouse operators take deposits directly from travellers, dive schools secure overseas bookings, and freelancers and artisans sell to international markets. According to Ooredoo, users can link their PayPal and mFaisaa accounts through the MyOoredoo app: after registering for mFaisaa, they select "link to PayPal" on the home page, confirm the email and phone number match across both accounts, and verify with a one-time password. Once linked, money received in PayPal can be withdrawn to mFaisaa, and mFaisaa funds can be topped up to PayPal for sending abroad. Ooredoo said Dhiraagu customers can also use the service through mFaisaa to send dollars overseas.
The MDP will hold protests nationwide on Thursday over what it called the government's disregard for the law. A resolution to the effect was passed at the party's first National Council meeting since former President Nasheed took over as chair. It cited three grievances: development projects stalled across the country, people dismissed from jobs over political activity, and politically motivated prosecutions. The party also resolved to work with island councils to take over and complete the stalled projects and to set up a system of legal and other support for those sacked or charged over politics. Hithadhoo North MP Abdulla Sodiq 'Sobe,' who won the recent by-election, told the meeting that around 10 of his campaign workers had been dismissed under the guise of cost-cutting, while staff kept on at the same companies were doing no work. He said those sacked included family members who had helped his campaign and even acquaintances who had no part in it but had been photographed with him. Two Hithadhoo Port Limited employees were among the latest dismissals: senior security officer Mohamed Arif, a relative of Sobe, with six and a half years at the company, and assistant manager Ahmed Shirhaan, with four years and seven months. Arif told Adhadhu he was sacked with no assessment and that the company cited a Privatisation and Corporatisation Board circular of April 18 ordering a 33 percent cut in staff to ease economic strain from the Iran war. Nasheed warned that the party would "occupy" the head offices of state companies if the measures against employees were not reversed.
The Civil Service Commission has dismissed three senior officials – the administrator, HR manager, and budget officer – at a Malé government school after an investigation found salary payments for a former expatriate teacher had continued for about five years after they left, with the funds deposited into accounts belonging to the budget officer's family members, Adhadhu reported. The embezzlement totals approximately MVR 1.5 million (US$ 97,276) and was uncovered during a random audit following the centralisation of teacher salary approvals under the education ministry. It remains unclear whether police or the ACC are pursuing a criminal investigation.
The Environmental Regulatory Authority fined the operator of Vaavu Kunavashi resort, China's CJL Investment, MVR 20,000 (US$ 1,297) for building a seaplane platform without completing the mandatory environmental impact assessment process before obtaining approval. The fine, the standard first-offence amount under EIA regulations, must be paid within 30 days. ERA advised the company to complete the EIA process for future projects in line with regulations.
The Criminal Court sentenced a man to 27 days in prison for breaking his Ramadan fast without a valid excuse, under Section 616 of the penal code, after he was seen consuming an energy drink near the PRU counter at police headquarters during daylight hours on March 16. The Maldivian man pleaded guilty. With 16 days served in remand deducted from his sentence, he has 11 days remaining.
PNC will hold its congress from September 15-18, with internal elections for constituency-level positions scheduled for July 11, including a vote in Dhiggaru constituency after former Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim was removed as its president by party leadership. At a press briefing on the upcoming congress, PNC Chairman Abdul Raheem Abdulla said leadership has authority to remove constituency presidents seen as acting against the party's interests, but declined to specify what Nazim did, saying only that the reasons were outlined in the earlier no-confidence motion against him and that no further details would be provided. He said no process to remove Nazim from party membership is currently underway.
Final results confirmed Nasheed's MDP chairperson win with 21,063 votes (69.2 percent), against young rival Meekail Ahmed Naseem's 9,263 (30.4 percent). Ibrahim Mohamed, who withdrew before the vote, received 132 votes. A total of 30,695 ballots were cast and 237 ballots were declared invalid.
MDP MP Abdulla Sodig 'Sobe' was sworn in after winning the Hithadhoo North by-election, taking his seat in parliament and bringing MDP's total to 13 seats in the 20th Majlis. The seat fell vacant after PNC's Mohamed Sinan lost it over an outstanding court-confirmed debt. Sodig won the June 6 by-election with 1,375 votes (51.15 percent) against PNC's Ahmed Saeed's 1,313 (48.85 percent), a margin of 62 votes, with turnout at 66 percent.
Customs reported total imports of MVR 5.5 billion for May. Exports stood at MVR 98 million. Customs collected MVR 322 million as revenue in May. Oman was the largest source of imports followed by China and India. Oil and gas worth US$ 90.8 million was the main import category followed by food imports valued at US$ 61.5 million. The main export destination were the United Kingdom, Thailand and France.
Rasfannu beach was closed again temporarily after oil washed into the water, days after it reopened from repairs. The Malé City Council closed the beach on Sunday night and urged the public not to swim until the oil – which had drifted in from the sea outside Rasfannu – was cleared. The council reopened it on Monday night. Rasfannu had reopened on Friday following repairs begun in early April, which included fixing seating and other public facilities as well as installing channels in the outer breakwater to improve water flow and tackle a long-standing silt build-up that had also forced closures in the past. The beach was closed over oil last year too, and similar incidents have occurred before.
The deadline to apply for land and flats under the government's housing programme was extended to 2am after a technical fault took down the "Boahiyaavahikan" portal shortly before applications were due to close at midnight. The housing ministry said the problem had since been fixed. The scheme is to allocate 15,000 plots from Rasmalé and 7,900 flats in Hulhumalé and elsewhere. The 1,250-square-foot plots go to Malé residents and to people from other islands who have lived in Malé for 15 years: 10,000 for Malé residents, 3,000 for long-term residents from other islands, 500 for those who lost property to reclamation, and 1,500 for people in cramped Malé alleyways or plots too small to develop. The 7,900 flats break down as 4,000 for Malé residents, 1,500 for non-native Malé dwellers, and 2,400 for priority categories including government offices, police, military and corrections.
The sports ministry told national sports associations to halt all sporting activity for 20 minutes at prayer times, at every venue where sport is played. A circular said pausing all activity for 20 minutes once the call to prayer sounds, and enforcing it, was government policy, and that it applied to events run by clubs, academies and private parties as well. President Muizzu said on June 1 that the government was working to require sport to stop for prayers and to set up places to pray at sports grounds, calling it a long-standing Maldivian habit to keep playing through prayer times in a country that is wholly Muslim. He said modern prayer facilities would be built at sports complexes, noting that neither the Maafannu Stadium nor the Ekuveni grounds currently has anywhere to pray, and that activity would pause for around 20 minutes from the call to prayer. Sports classes held at prayer times at the track area and Maafannu Stadium have periodically drawn criticism on social media.
A Guardian-class patrol boat gifted by Australia arrived at its home port. Australia's defence department said the boat sailed from Perth to Malé – the longest voyage made by a Guardian-class vessel – and would boost the Maldives' capability to contribute to maritime security in the northeast Indian Ocean. It called the handover a milestone in defence cooperation between the two countries. The Maldives defence ministry welcomed the vessel as a gift from Australia, thanking its government and people and calling it a strengthening of the two nations' strategic partnership and collective maritime security. The boat is one of 24 delivered under Australia's SEA 3036-1 programme, now all operated by its Indo-Pacific partners.
