A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
In an award ceremony held in London at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall, Coco Privé Private Island was awarded World’s Best Private Villa and Asia’s Best Private Villa in 2017 Boutique Hotel Awards. The Boutique Hotel Awards is the first and only international awards organization exclusively dedicated to recognising unique excellence among boutique hotels. Now in […]
The elderly man who has been accused of sexually assaulting four sisters on the back of a motorbike in the capital Male. Reportedly he fled from his island when the allegations surfaced and moved to Male — The Criminal Court on Tuesday freed an elderly man who was accused of sexually assaulting four sisters in […]
The World Bank has apologised for Maldivians being asked “unintended” political questions in a financial survey about how good their president is. In a statement issued Tuesday the global institution said survey staff had been posing questions “beyond the scope” of a data gathering exercise about how people save, borrow, make payments and manage risks […]
A landmark free trade deal between the Maldives and China was rushed through parliament Wednesday, hours after President Abdulla Yameen sought approval for ratification. The free trade agreement – which commits both nations to reduce tariffs on most imported goods to zero – was passed with 30 votes from ruling party lawmakers in the 85-member […]
Gulhi Falhu where a mega project was started previously by a foreign investor: Changes to government affects such projects. Now this project is nationalised The original Dhivehi article was published on Avas.mv website on 30th November 2017. The following is a loose translation: Every year the World Bank selects countries which are easy to do […]
Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Credit: Reuters New Delhi: The Maldives will soon become the second country in South Asia, after Pakistan, to enter into a free trade agreement (FTA) with China after it was passed on Wednesday evening by parliament in a session boycotted by the opposition. The text of the FTA […]
President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has sent a message on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The President’s message reads as follows: “As we mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, I wish to reiterate the unwavering support of the Government and the people of Maldives […]
President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has declared the passport card issued by the Maldives Immigration to be recognized as a valid identity document. The passport card is currently the safest, most secure; identity document used in Maldives and cannot be duplicated. Therefore, the passport card will be recognized in government institutions, hospitals, banks, and by […]
Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed (C) pictured at a free trade discussion. The Maldives’ government on Wednesday decided to enter the long-discussed free trade pact with China, and submitted the proposal to the parliament for review. The president’s Cabinet ministers made the decision to sign the free trade agreement with China at a meeting held earlier […]