MNDF said the sea where Friend 4 dhoni sank is about 1,645 metres deep. Neither the vessel nor the three missing men have been found. It capsized 4.1 nautical miles off Kudalafari in Gaafu Alif. A media official said the depth means raising the boat is not possible and that the exact depth is unknown. The search has now covered 6,112 square nautical miles by air and 1,370.10 by sea. Video circulating shows one end of the boat going under before it slid down whole, with another vessel alongside.
Essential commodity prices in Malé rose 6.07 per cent in the year to July, down from 8 per cent in June. Gas and other fuels rose most over the year at 14.54 per cent, followed by food at 5.89 per cent and beverages at 5.75 per cent. Within food, meat was up 21.43 per cent over the year, milk, dairy and eggs 9.48 per cent, oils and fats 9.26 per cent, and sugar and confectionery 10.73 per cent. Coffee rose 20.20 per cent. Prices fell 1.27 per cent month on month, with vegetables down 10.89 per cent and fruit 1.42 per cent from June.
Police arrested a 44-year-old Nepali woman after a video surfaced of her performing Hindu religious worship at the Hulhumalé channel. Police said the video came to their attention on 25 July. They then traced and arrested her after the investigation found she had been living in the Maldives in breach of immigration law since 2024. She was handed to Immigration. The practice of religions other than Islam in public is illegal in the Maldives.
Eight Bangladeshi nationals died in the Maldives in 10 days, the Bangladesh High Commission said, most of them migrant workers aged between 21 and 45. Four died of strokes, one in a workplace accident on 25 July, and one after accidentally swallowing turpentine at his workplace on 1 August. One death is being investigated as a suspected suicide. The eighth was a 70-year-old woman, the wife of an anaesthesiologist at Tree Top Hospital, who died of a heart attack. Members of the Bangladeshi community said prolonged separation from families, financial hardship and psychological stress were contributing to health emergencies among workers, and the deaths have renewed calls for stronger welfare and mental health support.
On the 12th anniversary of journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdullah's abduction, the Association for Democracy in the Maldives renewed calls for President Muizzu to publicly release the findings of the Presidential Commission on Investigation of Murders and Enforced Disappearances, which handed a confidential report to the president after concluding work in May 2024 without public disclosure. The statement condemned the shutdown of the investigation without accountability, criticised the Human Rights Commission's silence, and noted that Muizzu had previously promised to disclose the findings but had not done so.
A resident of Haa Dhaalu Vaikaradhoo, Ali Rifhan, sued the island council for facilitating the uprooting and removal of large mature trees and fertile topsoil. The complaint alleges the council failed to maintain the legally required tree registry and is enabling environmental damage in violation of constitutional rights to a clean environment.
Hulhumalé Hospital denied claims circulating on social media about a male doctor. The hospital said it treats every patient complaint seriously and acts under the law, and that it protects the personal information of patients and staff.
MDP MP Mohamed Ibrahim sought information about conditions at the Himmafushi drug rehabilitation centre, citing concerns from patients and their families about safety, dignity and treatment standards. He asked for details on the state of the facility's building, staffing levels, food and living conditions, and whether treatment programmes meet international standards.
The Attorney General's Office launched a public legal awareness campaign in partnership with the EU, aiming to inform citizens of their rights and responsibilities through social media, community events and island visits across the Maldives under the EU's AIM project.
