The Housing Development Corporation waived fines incurred for the non-payment of rent for the Hiya flats in Hulhumalé. It was part of the government’s policy to offer relief to those struggling to pay rent for social housing units, an HDC official told Mihaaru. The monthly rent for the two-bedroom apartments is MVR 4,984 (US$ 320), inclusive of an MVR 1,000 maintenance fee. The written-off fines amounted to MVR 1.2 million. According to figures made public by HDC in July, the state-owned company was owed MVR 628 million from Hiya flat tenants, 70 percent of which was unpaid rent. Of 8,511 social housing flats under HDC’s management in Hulhumalé, rent was regularly paid for only 3,219 flats.
President Muizzu met residents of Hulhumalé Phase 1 as part of his community consultation meetings in each ward of the capital. Media coverage of Sunday night's town hall focused on announcements of banning phones in schools next year, allowing 10-storey buildings on plots awarded in Hulhumalé (up from eight at present), and having shut down 83 massage parlours under an inspection operation launched on December 9. Citing information provided by Attorney General Usham, Muizzu said the trials of suspects held under vaanuvaa detention for more than a year will be concluded by March next year.
A 38-year-old man was critically injured after he was stabbed in a violent altercation between siblings at a Hiya flat. The man sustained deep cuts to his thigh, including an injury to a major artery, according to the Hulhumalé Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment.
After the Elections Commission announced that it will begin accepting candidacy papers from January 17 for a two-week period, MDP brought forward its primaries for April’s local council elections from January 30 to January 16.
A foreign national was found dead at sea near the Kadooma shallows in Malé atoll. The discovery of the male corpse was reported around 10:15am, the police media official said.
A 25-year-old police officer was arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle drugs into Thaa Vaandhoo. Five rubber packets were found concealed inside a resewn teddy bear, according to a police statement. Mohamed Nawaz, who also tested positive for drugs after he was taken into custody in the targeted operation, was immediately suspended.
The Maldives Zakat House raised the nisab for Zakat al-Mal to MVR 19,527.90 (US$ 1,266.40), equivalent to the value of 595 grams of silver. The nisab threshold – the minimum amount of wealth required for the charity payments to be obligatory – increased from MVR 11,191.95 following a rise in the value of silver in the global market.
Police sought public assistance in locating a man who used counterfeit dollars to pay at a takeaway food outlet, sharing a video of the interaction.
A 21-year-old Nepali woman was among four suspects arrested with 377 grams of drugs after police raided a guesthouse and apartment in Malé.
Authentic Maldives reported sales of US$ 2.9 million from January to October this year, up from US$ 1.7 million in the same period last year. According to the government-backed initiative for small and medium-sized businesses – which operates outlets at local and foreign airports to sell Maldivian products – women entrepreneurs accounted for 69 percent of participating businesses.
The Malé City Council contracted STO to build a skate park in Villimalé.
A bundle of 100-metre dredger pipes from a reclamation site near Nakachafushi in Kaafu Atoll was drifting southwest towards Ari atoll, the MNDF warned, advising vessels travelling through the Alihuras sea to exercise caution, particularly at night.
