A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
The housing minister on Wednesday defended a decision to publish an anonymous list of flat winners as a corruption probe continued into the social housing scheme and despite thousands of people complaining about its lack of transparency. The 661 winners of the flats built in Hulhumalé, a reclaimed island under development near Malé, are the […]
Maldivian-made films on mental health, gender equality and plastic pollution will debut on social media Wednesday following a joint project between a United Nations body and telecoms firm Dhiraagu. The three films, which will also have a one-off screening ahead of movies shown at Shwack Cinema, were made by participants in the United Nations Development […]
The powerhouse on the northern island of Bileyfahi in Shaviyani atoll has been completely destroyed by a fire that broke out late Saturday night. All three generators were damaged beyond use, according to Fenaka, the state utility company that operates the powerhouse. The police and the military’s fire department are investigating the incident. “We’re hoping […]
The Maldives will enter a new era of healthcare service delivery with the opening of the 25-storey Dharumavantha hospital next year, Health Minister Abdulla Nazim said at a topping off ceremony held Wednesday to mark the completion of the concrete structure. In his remarks after pouring the last batch of concrete, Nazim said the government hopes […]
Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muiz has defended an anonymised list of winners of flats in Hulhumalé, denying allegations that applicants were phoned by the first lady’s campaign office to check their political allegiance. At a testy press conference Monday morning, Muiz insisted that the 661 flat winners were chosen from more than 15,000 applicants after […]
The anti-corruption watchdog has launched a probe after an anonymised list of 661 flat winners caused an uproar from unsuccessful applicants of the government housing programme. Complaints were lodged last week over the lack of transparency and the housing ministry’s failure to explain how points were awarded, Anti-Corruption Commission officials told the press. About 15,000 […]
The health authorities have drawn up new rules to stop the sale of single cigarettes and introduce graphic warning images on packs and tobacco products. The sale of single sticks of cigarettes needs to be banned because “it is a tactic mainly used to lure children and young adolescents into smoking,” Dr Aishath Aroona, vice chair […]
A port worker was severely burned and two others injured when an oil barrel exploded Tuesday morning near the welding workshop at the Maldives Ports Limited’s commercial harbour in Malé. A police spokesman said the victims were rushed to the hospital shortly after the incident was reported around 10 am. The three MPL staff were working near […]
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 […]