The World Health Organisation has conferred an ‘Excellence in Public Health’ award to the health ministry of the Maldives in recognition of successes in disease elimination and eradication. The Maldives became the first member state of the WHO Southeast Asia region to be verified malaria-free in 2015 and went on to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and […]
The United States has “real concerns about the status of rule of law and democracy” in the Maldives, Acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells told a congressional subcommittee hearing Thursday on ‘Maintaining US influence in South Asia.’ “Lack of higher educational opportunities, high youth unemployment, rise of social media, and weak institutions all contribute to an environment […]
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has canceled a visit to the Maldives to speak at the annual session of the World Health Organisation’s regional committee for Southeast Asia. A senior manager at the Paradise Island Resort, which is hosting the WHO meeting, confirmed to the Maldives Independent that Bachchan’s booking at the resort was cancelled Thursday upon […]
Jumhooree Party leader Gasim Ibrahim departed for Singapore late Wednesday night after the Maldives Correctional Service authorised a 10-day medical leave for the convicted opposition lawmaker. The 67-year-old business tycoon was allowed to leave with a travel document nearly two weeks after he was found guilty of attempted bribery and sentenced to more than three […]
Two Maldivian men are among 19 suspected terrorists with links to the Islamic State arrested by the Malaysian police in major raids last month. The two Maldivians were arrested in Johor Bahu along with a Malaysian on August 7 and 9, Malaysian media reported Tuesday. “The two Maldives men, who worked as air-conditioner technicians, were […]
The state-owned wholesaler has hiked oil prices by 30 laari per litre of petrol and 20 laari per litre of diesel with effect from Wednesday. The changes were prompted by price increases in the global market, the State Trading Organisation said. The prices of crude oil presently stand at US$48.6 per barrel, up from US$46 at […]
By Fathmath Isha and Hassan Moosa The asphalt path to Rasrani Bageecha was left damp by the afternoon rain as families trudged across puddles to the newly opened park, drawn by greenery and open space ensconced from Malé’s heavy traffic. Thousands have visited Sultan Park since its reopening late August but one group of residents of the […]
The Elections Commission has declared that MP Abdulla Ahmed has been stripped of his seat following his expulsion from the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives. The electoral body informed parliament Tuesday that the MP for the Thinadhoo North constituency has lost his seat due to the Supreme Court’s anti-defection ruling, the state broadcaster reported. The […]
Winners of flats under the previous government’s Veshi Fahi Malé social housing programme have been told by the state-owned Housing Development Corporation to secure loans before a deadline of October 15. The HDC’s announcement last Tuesday came after complaints about delays in introducing a new affordable housing loan scheme devised by the central bank to help make […]