Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo voted to break away from Addu City Council in Saturday's referendum as Feydhoo decided against the proposed creation of a separate island council. Of 9,576 eligible voters across the three islands, 4,510 cast their ballots. The referendum followed advocacy from Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo for independent municipal administrations due to their geographical distance from Addu's other connected islands.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino played in an exhibition match with President Muizzu at Malé's National Stadium on Friday. The game was part of a Kids' Football Festival organised by the Football Association of Maldives. Infantino's team, which featured former Italian World Cup winner Marco Materazzi and Maldivian football legends, defeated Muizzu's team 6-4. During the event, Infantino and Muizzu jointly unveiled the Diamond Jubilee logo commemorating 75 years of Maldivian football. Police forced out spectators carrying placards calling on FIFA to ban Israel, sparking outrage on social media. During his visit, Infantino also called on the president, who outlined ongoing infrastructure initiatives for sporting facilities. Infantino pledged FIFA's continued support and emphasised the importance of nurturing young talent.
The Maldives signed the UN Convention against Cybercrime at a ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam. Speaking at the plenary, Foreign Minister Khaleel "highlighted the government’s target for the digital economy to contribute 15 percent of GDP by 2030, the 'Maldives 2.0' transformation to build a transparent, efficient and citizen-centric digital ecosystem, and the establishment of the National Cyber Security Agency to protect citizens, critical infrastructure and the economy."
The criminal court ordered the detention of Mohamed Waheed 'Dhigali,' 65, CEO of Apollo Holdings, until the end of a trial over the theft of two containers with 1,360 cigarette cases from the Hulhumalé port. Three more suspects – Ahmed Shameem, 42, Ahmed Firushaan, 35, and Hussain Samih, 35 – were meanwhile arrested in connection with the heist.
The Maldives has the highest cost of living in South Asia with monthly expenses for an individual estimated at US$ 840 (excluding rent).
The US and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime donated FRED systems and RAMAN Spectroscopic devices to the Maldives police.
Purnima Gajma, a 19-year-old Nepalese woman, was reported missing in Malé. She was last seen at 2pm on October 21. Police urged the public to contact 9660183 with any information.
Police arrested four men – Hassan Rayyan Rasheed, 26, Ismail Haizam Habeeb, 22, Ali Janah Jaufar, 25, and Azaan Mohamed, 19 – for allegedly smuggling drugs to Gaafu Alif Kolamaafushi, seizing 30 rubber packets, two film bottles, and seven cellophane bags totalling 44.83 grams of suspected narcotics from their speedboat. The court remanded Habeeb for 12 days and the other three for seven days as investigations continue.
