Maldives headlines

The government will establish the state-owned Maldives Hajj Corporation Limited following a recommendation by the Cabinet Economic Committee, the President's Office has confirmed.

The Maldives Police Service has arrested three people on suspicion of smuggling over 100 bottles of alcohol into Male' on a local boat (dhoni), local media has reported.

In the Islamist vocabulary, in the region and around the world, ladini is the pejorative term for 'secular'. However, this notion of the word is lost on most Maldivians, writes Abdulla Faraz.

The government parties, despite an outward show of confidence and ‘fighting spirit’, are in silent consensus that there is no formidable challenge to Nasheed from any of their named candidates, writes Aishath Velezinee.

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has said it has “not officially” received complaints of alleged political harassment from staff at the Iru Fushi Resort in Noonu Atoll after the property's owners this month terminated a management agreement with Hilton.

The Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) temporarily halted public ferry services last night (May 15) due to bad weather and rough seas, stranding over 200 people.

Police received a report Monday (May 13) night that a 26 year-old woman was attempting to take her own life by swimming away from Dhuvaafaru. At approximately 11pm officers in uniform waded out into the sea to rescue the woman.

In an email obtained by Minivan News dated May 8, Airports Council International alerts its members that the Maldivian government is “in the process of transferring the Male airport to a wholly-owned subsidiary of MACL and may explore a sale of equity in this entity to another airport operator.”

Police arrested eight individuals in the island of Maradhoo in Addu City yesterday (May 15) following clashes with Special Operations (SO) officers near a campaign office of the government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

Former President Mohamed Nasheed announced the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) willingness to discuss enacting an interim government with the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), which the party believes is essential for free and fair elections to occur.

The companies had proposed being exempt from all aviation surcharges and would charge US$95 (MVR 1,464.90) per trip, per person.

“Maldives President Mohamed Waheed has unexpectedly thrown his hat in the ring for the September 2013 elections, upsetting what was supposed to be a two-cornered contest between the country’s best-known democrat and its infamous strongman,” writes R Radhakrishnan, in an open editorial for the Hindu newspaper.

"Refusing [to incorporate] a single Hadd [fixed punishments specifically mentioned in Quran] is destroying Islam," said the Adhaalath Party religious scholars' council chair at parliament today.

Nine political parties have submitted their annual audit reports to the Elections Commission (EC) by a deadline that expired yesterday (May 14), local media has reported.

"Despite President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik prioritising self-interest at this time, PPM will always prioritise national [interests]," the largest party in the ruling coalition declared in a statement today.

An Indian physics teacher has been hospitalised after a group of angry islanders confronted him on the island of Kumundhoo in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, and beat him up after accusing him of hitting a student in the chest.

Flooding due to three weeks of severe weather and heavy rain has damaged households, sewerage systems, as well as caused extensive agricultural destruction, according to the National Disaster Management Centre. Food shortages on some islands have resulted from agricultural damage as well as the disruption of transportation and supply networks.

Despite the push for population consolidation, displaced communities in the Maldives after the 2004 tsunami continue to face serious challenges.

Police have arrested three 17 year-old boys and a 19 year-old man in connection with the gang rape and filming of a 20 year-old girl on the island of Dhuvaafaru in Raa Atoll.

The 32 year-old Maldivian and 44 year-old Bangladeshi were arrested around 7:17pm while on a speedboat near the public swimming track in Male’.