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Ayada resort targets autumn opening for Maldives debut

The Aydeniz group, a Turkish development company, is set to launch its first resort development in the Maldives later this year with the opening of the 112-villa Ayada Maldives property in Gaaf Alif Atoll.

A spokesperson for the company told Minivan News that the resort is scheduled to open in the autumn and would be an entirely new tourist property operated by a recently formed local subsidiary of the Aydeniz Group.

According to the resort operator, Ayada Maldives will consist of 62 seafront villas and 50 water villas spread over a 150,000 square meter island that will also aim to offer both reef and pool swimming, water sports opportunities, spa treatments , a “health bar” and a selection of restaurants providing  international cuisine.

Along with its tourist properties, the Aydeniz Group has operations in areas such as agriculture, engineering and construction that includes bridge and road building projects in the Maldives, Turkey, Afghanistan and Ethiopia.

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Adhaalath Party plans “Shariah is the Solution” protest march

The religiously conservative Adhaalath Party has announced a nation-wide protest march for next Friday calling for the implementation of Islamic Shariah in the Maldives.

”Murder, violent assaults, robbery, rape, drug abuse and other such crimes have reached an extreme level in this country,” the Adhaalath Party said in a statement. ”The whole nation is threatened and institutions have failed.”

The gathering is to be held under the slogan ”Islamic Shariah is the Solution” and NGOs and political parties have been invited to participate.

”The gathering will commence at 4:00pm near the tsunami monument next Friday,” said the Adhaalth Party, appealing for as many people as possible to attend.

The statement suggested that participants should carry a national flag if possible.

”More than 100 NGOs have confirmed that they will be joining us in this gathering,” a party official said today. ”In the islands they will gather at an area decided amongst themselves; our target is to get as many islands, NGOs and political parties join this gathering.”

While the official did not mention names of specific NGOs and political parties that will participate, he revealed that the NGO coalition formed to protest the planned sale of alcohol from hotels in inhabited islands would be involved.

Religious NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf announced that it backed the Adhaalath Party’s gathering and Salaf would join the party’s event in support.

Salaf President Abdulla Bin Ali Ibrahim explained that Salaf would join any event that demands Islamic Shariah be observed.

”We will hold a meeting tonight to discuss it within our NGO,” Abdulla said. ”We have also expressed our ideas and sent it to the Adhaalath Party.”

The Adhaalath Party has recently threatened to terminate its coalition agreement with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) should an Israeli airline be allowed to operate in the Maldives.

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Over 5,400 convicted in past nine years

The Criminal Court convicted 5,435 people during the past nine years, including over 2,500 people sentenced to jail in the past four years alone, reports Haveeru.

According to statistics from the Criminal Court, 864 people were sentenced to jail in 2009 followed by 522 in 2010.

Meanwhile as of this week, police have requested 3,669 court orders to extend detention of suspects so far this year, 2,814 of which were granted.

From 2001 to 2010, some 2,950 persons were banished while 798 were sentenced to house arrest.

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Maldivian students in Malaysia host futsal tournament

Maldivian students in Malaysia will hold an annual futsal tournament, the Krolickz Raajje Cup, in Malaysia at the Subang Grand Sports Planet, Sunway.

The one day event this Saturday April 30 begins at 9am in the morning until 8pm that evening. 21 teams will take part in the event, with many players travelling to Malaysia from Male’.

The event is sponsored by Krolickz, a Malaysia based education consultant agency, which represents a number of colleges and universities in Malaysia. Other sponsors include Malaysian university Segi University College and several Maldivian companies, including Happy Market Traders, Airplus Travel and Tours, Net Solutions and one Malaysian university Segi University College.

Futsal is an indoor game similar to five-a-side football, played with a smaller ball with less bounce that a conventional football.

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Convict arrested for robbery

A man brought before the court for allegedly stealing a wallet had previously been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in 2006 for possession of illegal drugs.

Court records show that Adam Firdous Ushman, G. Dhonbageechage, had first been sentenced to six months banishment in 2001 for robbery and again in 2005 to six years in jail for possession and use of illegal drugs.

“Convicts sentenced to jail being brought before the Criminal Court for committing various offences during the period when they are supposed to be serving the sentence is increasing day by day,” said the court.

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May 1 designated a public holiday to mark Labour Day

President Mohamed Nasheed has declared International Labour Day, May 1, a public holiday in the Maldives beginning this year.

Cabinet said the decision would highlighting the government’s commitment as well as efforts of private parties to protect and promote workers’ rights in the Maldives.

The Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM) has meanwhile announced it intends to hold a ‘May Day’ rally to promote workers’ rights and pressure the government to comply with international labour conventions.

“There are huge concerns about the recent regulations on strikes, which totally bans strikes on resorts,” said TEAM Vice President Maroof Zakir.

Maroof said TEAM was hoping civil service employees, taxi drivers and workers from other sectors would join tourism employees for the 4pm-6pm rally in Male’ on May 1, International Workers’ Day.

“We will start from the social centre and march down Majeedee Magu,” Maroof said.

International Workers’ Day or Labour Day is a common public holiday in many countries.

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Cabinet to hold May 12 meeting in Addu

Cabinet yesterday decided to hold a community cabinet meeting in Addu City on May 12.

The concept of community cabinet meetings was introduced on November 30, 2010, with the stated aim of bringing government working closer to the people. The first cabinet meeting to be held outside Male’ was in Kulhudhufushi.

The President’s Office said the meeting in Addu would enable people to interact directly with the Cabinet, and receive public inputs into decision and policy-making, and understand public concerns on issues.
The President’s Office further noted that the ministers would travel to islands and hold meetings open for entire island communities in which the meetings are held.

The Community Cabinet meeting to be held in Addu City will be open for the people from Addu City as well as Fuahmulah, the Office added.

Community Cabinets are forms of community forums held in few other democracies to strengthen government-public relations.

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A team of three to sanitise the seas: The Hindu

India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives have joined hands to keep the seas in their sphere of influence free from unwanted visitors such as pirates, interlopers and drug runners, reports India’s Hindu newspaper.

“With Somali pirates getting closer, we have deep concern and are working closely with India and Sri Lanka in preventing any unwarranted incident. We have over 25,000 fishermen on the high seas on any given day. Our concern is for their protection as well. We have a surveillance programme to monitor fishing vessels but the point is we have to work in cooperation with the two Coast Guards so that they increasingly exchange information on the movement of suspicious vessels,” Ahmed Naseem told The Hindu at the end of his first visit to India as Maldives Foreign Minister.

“Somali pirates can be bold enough to come all the way to the Maldives. They sacked the Mahe port in Seychelles. They could do that here,” he had said adding Indian assistance was instrumental in the Maldives beefing up its surveillance and patrolling capability. The Maldives had seven radars bought and installed with Indian assistance and they were harmonised with the naval grid here. Recently, India-Maldives security partnership led to the capture of two rogue fishing vessels in the Maldives waters.

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Cabinet to establish National Sports Institute

Cabinet will establish a National Sports Institute in the Maldives, after yesterday’s cabinet meeting.

Sports programmes are currently operated under the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sport, from the Youth and Sports Development Centre.

A separate and focused sports training and education institute could more effectively develop sports in the Maldives, cabinet heard.

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