A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
On World Mental Health Day earlier this month, 27-year-old Aisha* Mohamed was eating fried chicken at a seaside cafe in the Maldivian capital Malé. Her laughter hid the long day she had had. Her humour also concealed issues that affected her more. Issues that affect many Maldivians who have challenges diagnosing and treating them. “Three […]
Bangladeshi police have concluded that Raudha Athif, a 21-year-old Maldivian medical student who was found hanged in her college dorm room, committed suicide after a breakup with her boyfriend. In a report submitted Tuesday to the Rajshahi metropolitan court, the criminal investigation department dismissed allegations of murder from her father, Dr Mohamed Athif, Bangladesh’s The Daily Star reported. […]
The government is “creating youth slums” with new flats in Hulhumalé aimed at married couples, a former housing minister told the Maldives Independent on Tuesday. The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) earlier this month invited bidders to submit proposals for the construction of a 14-storey residential block comprising 322 one-bedroom apartments with 23 apartments on each […]
In August 2016, the Maldives passed a controversial law that criminalised defamation and restricted freedom of expression. The Maldives Broadcasting Commission has punished opposition-aligned Raajje TV several times under this law, increasing tensions between journalists and the government-backed regulator. Following is a timeline of actions taken by MBC against Raajje TV this year. March 7: […]
During a daily team meeting one Sunday at Raajje TV, journalists and producers debated on ways to minimise the impact of their third fundraising drive for the year on their work. The campaigns – the current one launched on October 8 – battle exorbitant fines imposed by the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) after the introduction […]
A 78-year-old with special needs has been transferred to government care after a Facebook post seeking a guardian for him went viral. Ali Anwar, the assistant director of Seenu atoll office, posted photos of Ali Thakuru after several unsuccessful attempts to get him into government special care. The post, which has more than 1220 shares […]
There has been an increase in the registered number of poor people in the Maldives, as the Islamic ministry Sunday began distributing zakat at a rate of MVR900 (US$59) per person. Zakat is an obligatory alms tax collected from the accumulated wealth of all able-bodied Muslims in the Maldives. This year’s zakat will be distributed […]
Ahmed Fauzan Abbas is on a ferry headed towards a popular surf spot an hour from Malé, the capital of Maldives. The surfer, better known as Karo, remembers a time when locals were arrested for surfing in spots where well-heeled foreign tourists were charged US$25 (MVR375) for access to the waves. “Back then surfing had […]
The Maldives National University will offer medical degree courses for the first time in 2018 with assistance from the Pakistani government, Health Minister Abdulla Nazim has pledged. Briefing the press together with the Pakistan ambassador last Wednesday about plans to establish the first national medical college, Nazim said US$5 million provided by Pakistan as grant […]