The Blind and Visually Impaired Society, the Maldives Deaf Association, Transparency Maldives, and the Maldives Local Councils' Association jointly raised alarm over the Elections Commission's failure to make the April 4 local council elections and public referendum accessible to voters with disabilities. Deaf voters have received no sign language interpretation in any official election materials, while blind and visually impaired voters face a "restrictive" pre-registration requirement to access ballot templates, the groups said, noting that the regulation had been introduced without consultation with disability groups. These barriers affect around 4.5 percent of the electorate, comprising about 8,150 blind or visually impaired voters and 3,813 deaf voters, they estimated, calling on the EC to urgently provide sign language interpretation, accessible voter education, and barrier-free voting arrangements before polling day.
In its second statement on the war in the Middle East, the foreign ministry condemned Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and other Gulf states, calling the strikes on civilian locations including airports and oil facilities a clear violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions. In contrast to the previous statement, the government explicitly condemned Israeli and US military strikes on Iran, including an attack on a girls' school, and called for an immediate ceasefire by all parties, urging the international community to intensify diplomatic efforts toward peace and stability in the region.
The Maldives is entering the hottest period of the year, the Met office observed. During mid-March and April, weakening winds, clear skies, and high humidity combine to push "feels-like" temperatures above actual air temperatures and above climatological norms, it explained. The service shares daily temperature updates from five stations at 11am, 2pm, and 5pm through its Community Viber group. Peak temperatures typically occur around 2pm.
The Police Anti-Scam Centre warned the public about a surge in fraudulent medical fundraising posts on Facebook, where scammers use photos of sick patients – often children – taken from various websites to manipulate emotions and solicit money. Police advised the public to verify posts by calling the person directly before sending money, reverse image searching photos on Google, and refraining from sharing unverified posts, noting that sharing such content helps scammers reach more victims. Police have previously flagged a similar scam operating through a Facebook page called "Dheenuge Magu," which is followed by thousands of Maldivians.
The Maldives Development Alliance announced its support for concurrent presidential and parliamentary elections, calling it the most beneficial course of action for the state and the people given the country's economic situation.
A glass panel on the third floor of Masjid Rasheed in Hulhumalé shattered as worshippers were completing Isha prayers, with witnesses describing a loud bang as the glass gave way just as the prayer ended, Dhauru reported. No injuries were reported and the cause of the incident is not yet known. The mosque, built by Rasheed Carpentry and Construction and opened in 2022, has a capacity of 1,200 worshippers.
Contrary to the opposition's claims about the intent of the constitution's framers, the dates of the presidential and parliamentary elections were in fact debated in the Special Majlis, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Nazim said, posting text of three amendments submitted and supported on the matter by Ibrahim Ismail, and two by Ali Waheed and Shaheen Hameed.
Former Supreme Court Justice Mahaz Ali Zahir published a book examining how Islamic qisas (retribution) principles apply in group killing cases in the Maldives. The 224-page book critiques the courts' approach to capital punishment in gang violence cases, arguing that convictions are handed down without adequately considering each defendant's individual role in a killing. Mahaz was impeached and removed from the Supreme Court last year.
