Politics
Three arrested from opposition prayer gathering
Riot police continued to forcibly disperse the opposition’s weekly prayer gathering Friday afternoon, arresting three men and using pepper spray to push back the crowd outside the Islamic centre in Malé.
23 Jul 2016, 09:00
UN envoy departs with appeal for ‘maximum flexibility’
The UN said Tamrat Samuel “urged all concerned Maldivian parties to show maximum flexibility and commitment to compromise in order to overcome outstanding differences and address vital matters of national importance.”
23 Jul 2016, 09:00
Gayoom vindicated by Yameen faction walkout, says PPM
An emergency meeting of the ruling party’s council Tuesday night showed that some members are opposed to the reform agenda launched by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Progressive Party of Maldives has said.
23 Jul 2016, 09:00
Regulator bans Raajje TV report on Afrasheem murder cover-up
The broadcasting regulator has ordered the opposition-aligned Raajje TV not to air a news report featuring a young man who claims police offered him MVR500,000 (US$32,509) to frame a suspect in the high-profile murder of a parliamentarian.
23 Jul 2016, 09:00
MUO vows to reinstate officers fired for disobeying unlawful orders
The Maldives United Opposition’s shadow cabinet on also discussed setting up “a special ‘Whatsapp’ phone hotline to impart relevant information to police personnel seeking to refuse unlawful orders from superiors.”
21 Jul 2016, 09:00
Opposition coalition gears up for first rally
The Maldives United Opposition is gearing up for its rally tonight despite the government’s refusal to grant permission to use a public venue in Malé.
21 Jul 2016, 09:00
Thousands gather for opposition coalition’s first rally – as it happened
The first rally by the Maldives United Opposition is underway. A podium has been set up at the MDP’s meeting hall, located on the outer ring road of the capital. Hundreds of opposition supporters have gathered on the opposite side of the road, filling up the artificial beach and allowing traffic to pass through.
21 Jul 2016, 09:00
PPM split worsens as ‘Yameen faction’ walks out of council meeting
Gayoom, the leader of the PPM, said the members who walked out objected to the presence of his son Faris Maumoon and Aminath Nadira, who they insist have been expelled by the party’s disciplinary committee.
20 Jul 2016, 09:00
Majlis grants ministers authority over top civil servant
Warning that the changes would compromise the civil service’s impartiality and meritocracy, PPM MP Faris Maumoon breached the ruling party’s whip line again and voted against the bill.
19 Jul 2016, 09:00
Opposition MPs protest in parliament over jailing of Mahloof
MDP MPs clamoured for the immediate release of their jailed colleague and called for President Yameen’s resignation. Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed adjourned proceedings shortly after the protest began in the People’s Majlis chamber.
19 Jul 2016, 09:00
UK training terrorists to attack Maldives, says ruling party MP
“There’s no room now to believe that what Britain is doing now isn’t keeping a few Maldivians there and training them for a terrorist attack here,” PPM MP Riyaz Rasheed said during Monday’s sitting of parliament.
19 Jul 2016, 09:00
MP Mahloof sentenced to four months in jail
The opposition coalition’s spokesman was accused of trying to “flee” from the police after a remand hearing in April last year. Despite the conviction, Mahloof remains a lawmaker as a sitting MP can only be stripped of his seat if he is sentenced to more than one year in prison.
18 Jul 2016, 09:00
PPM MPs proceed with lawsuit against Gayoom
The ruling party MPs told local media that the lawsuit had been withdrawn. “But we’ve realised Maumoon is still not allowing for council or committee meetings, that’s why we decided to carry on with the case,” MP Shahid told The Maldives Independent.
18 Jul 2016, 09:00
UN envoy arrives in Maldives for proximity talks
Tamrat Samuel is due to begin talks with the government and opposition parties Tuesday, but the imprisonment of opposition leaders, including former President Nasheed and Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran, remains a major stumbling block.
18 Jul 2016, 09:00
Failed coup in Turkey reignites debate about Feb 7
A failed coup attempt by a faction within the Turkish military Friday night has reignited fierce debates among Maldivians on social media about the controversial transfer of power on February 7, 2012.
17 Jul 2016, 09:00
MP Mahloof arrested while promoting opposition rally
MP Ahmed Mahloof and three others were briefly detained Saturday evening. Standing atop a pickup, Mahloof was using a megaphone to invite the public to the rescheduled rally when riot police stopped the vehicle near the local market in Malé.
17 Jul 2016, 09:00
Opposition coalition reschedules first rally for July 21
The Maldives United Opposition, launched in London last month by opposition leaders in exile, had planned to hold the rally Thursday night despite the last-minute withdrawal of a permit granted by the housing ministry, but was forced to cancel due to bad weather.
16 Jul 2016, 09:00
Maldives enlists top US lobbying firm for US$55,000 a month
Amid mounting foreign pressure and the threat of targeted sanctions, Akin Gump has been employed for six months to assist the government with “outreach and communications with US government officials and media regarding ongoing priorities of the Republic of Maldives.”
15 Jul 2016, 09:00
UK considering ‘exclusion orders’ against Maldives officials
“It is crucial that concrete progress is delivered by CMAG’s September meeting. We are also considering bilateral action, including exclusion orders against senior members of the Government and the judiciary,” Hugo Swire told the House of Commons last week.
15 Jul 2016, 09:00
Government in u-turn cancels permit for opposition rally
Despite the withdrawal of the permit, the MDP has said the first rally of the new opposition coalition will go ahead as planned tonight. Maldives United Opposition Spokesman Ahmed Mahloof told said the rally will take place if the weather improves.
14 Jul 2016, 09:00
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