Following the transfer of all international airlines to the new passenger terminal, Velana International Airport's domestic flight operations were relocated to the revamped old international terminal. Domestic airlines complained of insufficient notice for the shift. Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef inaugurated the upgraded Terminal 2 on Tuesday night. Capacity was expanded from eight to 27 check-in counters, three additional security screening machines, six departure gates, gender-segregated prayer rooms and three food and beverage outlets. The airport operator also implemented changes to traffic flow after the relocation, requiring passengers arriving on domestic flights to use the designated taxi queue at Terminal 1.
The RTL speedboat ferry service was launched in Faafu and Dhaalu atolls, zone four under the 'Integrated National Public Ferry Network' project. Ferry rides will be free for the first week with slots assigned through island councils, MTCC announced. The six new routes include four inter-atoll ones and two that connect the two atolls with 48-seat vessels. Tickets can be booked through the RTL app or website. The public transport service is now available in 14 atolls. The remaining six atolls are Kaafu, Vaavu, Meemu, Laamu, Alif Alif, and Alif Dhaalu.
The Food and Drug Authority banned Handy glass water bottles after detecting contamination in 300ml, 500ml and 1 litre bottles sold by the local company. Tests showed the water failed to meet WHO safety standards.
Aflah Ali, a co-founder of Bright Minds Education tuition centre, was arrested last week on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor, police confirmed. Aflah, a former teacher who previously served as the centre’s CEO, is accused of repeatedly abusing a child between the ages of 14 and 16 while in a position of authority. The Criminal Court has remanded him in custody for 30 days. His shares in the company had been transferred to his brother and sister in September 2025.
The Maldives Monetary Authority abolished the governor's advisory board and dismissed its three members: Mariyam Hussain Didi, Idham Hussain and Mariyam Shifa. The positions, which cost MVR 2.4 million (US$ 155,642) a year, were no longer considered essential and the advisors had not provided adequate counsel, an official told Dhauru. The three were offered either three months' notice plus three months' severance, or immediate departure with six months' pay.
The Islamic ministry declared Wednesday as the first day of Ramadan after the crescent moon was sighted in several Muslim countries.
A complaint was filed with the Anti-Corruption Commission over President Muizzu's pledge of MVR 100,000 per household to residents of Sinamalé and Malé Hiyaa flats, announced less than seven weeks before local council elections at an event attended by the PNC's Malé mayoral candidate. The ACC told Adhadhu it was considering whether to accept the case. The allowance would cost an estimated MVR 16.1 million across 161 apartments in the six buildings.
Four Chagos islanders landed on the remote atoll of Peros Banhos to establish what they say will be a permanent settlement, in a move intended to complicate Britain's plan to transfer sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius. The group defied a British exclusion zone to reach Île du Coin on Monday and said hundreds more Chagossians would follow. Mauritius' attorney general dismissed the landing as a publicity stunt. The Maldives government is separately disputing the maritime boundary drawn by the international tribunal between the two countries' exclusive economic zones.
The Commissioner of Sports is investigating allegations that Chess Association president Nooh Ali embezzled government funds. Bank statements shared by the association's executive committee showed that of MVR 1.53 million received from the finance ministry over the past year, MVR 1.46 million was transferred to accounts belonging to Nooh and his son. But Nooh denied wrongdoing, saying the transfers were for buying foreign currency in bulk for overseas trips and athletes' families. The executive committee has suspended him from administrative duties.
MACL changed how overtime is calculated during Ramadan. Operational staff who work beyond the reduced fasting-month schedule will no longer receive overtime pay unless their total exceeds 48 hours per week. In previous years, hours worked beyond the shorter Ramadan schedule were automatically paid as overtime. Administrative staff will work from 9am to 1:30pm during the month.
The Civil Court ordered a woman to pay MVR 5,000 in defamation damages after she accused her former husband of physical and psychological abuse in an interview with Mihaaru and in social media posts but failed to substantiate the claims in court. The only evidence she presented was a police case number. Mihaaru had already retracted the article and apologised after finding the information was inaccurate. The man had sought over MVR 3.5 million and US$ 288,000 in material damages, claiming the allegations cost him a contract, but the court found no evidence to support the financial claim.
The Supreme Court ordered the Elections Commission to accept the candidacy of Fathimath Soozan, a sitting Thulusdhoo councillor seeking re-election as an independent, after the commission rejected her application over a MVR 12,000 debt from 2006. Soozan said she had paid the debt but no longer had the receipt after 20 years. The court ruled that the absence of a receipt did not constitute evidence the debt remained unpaid, noting that the creditor agency itself had no record of it.
STO said a new shipment of cooking gas had arrived and that full 10kg cylinders were back on sale after weeks of rationing by both Maldives Gas and Villa Hakatha due to regional supply disruptions. Both suppliers had been selling only 7kg cylinders at discounted rates.
The central bank put new prints of MVR 20 and MVR 100 banknotes into circulation to meet demand for cash and replace worn-out notes. The notes from the Ran Dhihafaheh series are signed by Governor Ahmed Munawar and dated July 31, 2025. They will circulate alongside existing notes, MMA said.
The Elections Commission opened re-registration for the April 4 public referendum on proposed constitutional amendments to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections concurrently.
President Muizzu attended the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and the new Bangladesh government. He met with the new leader and discussed "a broad range of areas to enhance cooperation, including trade and investment, health cooperation, environmental collaboration, higher education, and improved air connectivity," according to the President's Office.
