Politics
Population consolidation keystone of 2016 state budget
As the dispersion of the Maldivian people in 188 islands is an obstacle to economic development, Jihad said the government’s population consolidation policy is to settle 70 percent of the population to Hulhumalé.
16 Nov 2015, 09:00
Lawyers of two more suspects in boat blast suspended
The Supreme Court has suspended the lawyers representing two more suspects in the September 28 explosion on President Abdulla Yameen’s speedboat.
16 Nov 2015, 09:00
Translation of President Yameen’s Republic Day speech
A translation of President Abdulla Yameen’s speech on the occasion of Republic Day
15 Nov 2015, 09:00
Maldives hires second public relations firm
The government of the Maldives has hired a second public relations firm, London-based BTP Advisers, the Maldives Independent can reveal.
15 Nov 2015, 09:00
All three of former vice president’s lawyers suspended
The Supreme Court has suspended lawyers Hussain Shameem and Ahmed Thalib from appearing in any court while the police barred lawyer Ali Nadheem from meeting impeached Vice President Ahmed Adeeb at the Dhoonidhoo detention centre.
14 Nov 2015, 09:00
Translation of President Yameen’s Oct 25 speech
President Abdulla Yameen’s speech on October 25, the day after his deputy Ahmed Adeeb’s arrest.
14 Nov 2015, 09:00
MDP gears up for mass protest on Nov 27
The main opposition party originally planned to hold the anti-government demonstration on November 6, but was forced to call it off after President Abdulla Yameen declared an unprecedented 30-day state of emergency and suspended the constitutional right to freedom of assembly.
14 Nov 2015, 09:00
Prosecutor General’s removal draws criticism over ‘due process violations’
Nikhil Narayan from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) told the The Maldives Independent that the “arbitrary removal” of PG Muhthaz Muhsin is the latest instance in a series of events deepening a crisis of rule of law in the Maldives.
13 Nov 2015, 09:00
Finance minister submits record MVR27bn budget for 2016
While MVR21.5 billion was expected in revenue this year, Finance Minister Abdullla Jihad said the government will only have earned MVR17.7 billion by the end of the year. The forecast deficit was MVR1.3 billion, but the figure is likely to reach MVR3.6 billion or 6.9 percent of GDP.
12 Nov 2015, 09:00
Courtroom to be set up at police detention centre
“Our aim to establish a reliable teleconferencing facility in Dhoonidhoo so that remand hearings and collecting of statements by suspects can be carried out without the suspect being physically transported to a court in Malé,” said the criminal court’s spokesperson.
12 Nov 2015, 09:00
Thulhaadhoo councillors suspended for ‘defying orders’
The five island councillors have been suspended for a month without pay for refusing to to withhold the monthly salary of two councillors suspended earlier this year over a social media post and for attending a mass anti-government protest on May 1.
12 Nov 2015, 09:00
Sri Lanka warns Maldives against regional instability
Sri Lanka has warned the Maldives against “regional instability,” slamming a state of emergency declared here in the wake of an explosion on the presidential speedboat that has seen a cross-border killing and arrests. Soon after the statement was issued, Maldives lifted the state of emergency.
11 Nov 2015, 09:00
President Yameen lashes out at ‘bipolar’ opposition
Accusing the MDP of calling for a tourism boycott and then expressing concern over the adverse impact on the tourism industry from the unprecedented 30-day nationwide state of emergency declared last week, Yameen said: “I think the psyche or thinking of these groups is characterised by bipolarism.”
11 Nov 2015, 09:00
Majlis removes Prosecutor General at midnight vote
The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives dominated People’s Majlis has removed Prosecutor General Muhthaz Muhsin in an abrupt vote at midnight.
11 Nov 2015, 09:00
Police ask for respect, opposition supporters demand justice
Opposition supporters have hit back at a letter from the Maldives Police Services asking for respect by publishing photos of police brutality and demanding justice for continued impunity.
11 Nov 2015, 09:00
Maldives lifts state of emergency
President Abdulla Yameen has lifted an unprecedented 30-day nationwide state of emergency after just six days, citing progress by the police in investigating threats posed by missing weapons and explosives.
10 Nov 2015, 09:00
PPM wants to remove Prosecutor General
MPs of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives have submitted a no-confidence motion against Prosecutor General Muhthaz Muhsin. An emergency meeting of the parliament’s independent institutions committee has been called to discuss the motion.
10 Nov 2015, 09:00
After raid, Sangu TV resumes live transmission
Sangu TV was forced off-air after the police confiscated all of the station’s hard disks during a raid in the early hours of Friday. Ibrahim Waheed ‘Asward,’ Sangu TV’s managing director, said the police have not returned the broadcasting equipment. The station used hard disks from its staff to resume broadcasting at 8:00pm last night.
10 Nov 2015, 09:00
Sri Lankan ‘sniper’ was arrested on charge of bribery
A Sri Lankan national that the Maldives government claims had attempted to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen with a firearm was arrested not on a charge of attempted murder, but on a charge of “distributing money to groups and attempting to create unrest,” according to a reliable source.
09 Nov 2015, 09:00
Raajje TV resumes politics coverage ‘for the sake of viewers’
Raajje TV’s chief operating officer said the station decided to resume regular broadcasts last night for the sake of its viewers despite failed attempts to seek assurances from the authorities. The media regulatory body had threatened to revoke licenses of TV stations that air content deemed to pose a threat to national security.
09 Nov 2015, 09:00
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