High Court rules both parents must be present at child custody hearings

The High Court has ruled on Monday that both parents must be summoned to court before a child is questioned regarding cases of child custody in the event of divorce.

The court ruled as such in a hearing in which it overruled a Family Court sentence that handed custody of a child to an Indian mother rather than her Maldivian father.

The High Court sentence claimed that it is not just to let the child decide who he or she wanted to live with in the absence of any one parent, and on those grounds overturned the Family Court verdict.

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Addu City Councillor dies of a heart attack

Addu City councillor for Feydhoo constituency Abdulla Aswan suffered a heart attack and died in the early hours of Tuesday morning (July 8).

According to the Addu City Council, they were notified of his death by the widow on Tuesday morning. They noted that Aswan was a passionate and active member of the team.

Aswan was a member of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party.

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MBC orders Medianet to stop airing World Cup matches on channels except TVM and VTV

The Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) has ordered Medianet to stop airing FIFA world cup matches on any channel besides local state broadcaster TVM and privately owned channel VTV.

In a letter sent to Medianet, MBC stated that the agreement with Sony MSM – which Medianet had shared with MBC – was not made in accordance with the rebroadcasting regulations.

MBC also stated that Medianet had charged an extra fee from customers for viewing the matches on channels 100 and 100 plus against the rebroadcasting regulations.

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Man accused of assaulting a child arrested

A 37-year-old man has been arrested from the island of Dhevvadhoo in Gaaf Dhaalu atoll on charges of assaulting a minor of 13 years.

According to Dhevvadhoo Island Council, the man assaulted the 13-year-old after his son accused him of spitting on him during a fight. They quoted eyewitnesses as saying the man took the boy by the throat and threw him on to the ground.

While the boy was released from hospital after immediate medical attention, he suffered from a ‘seizure’ and lost consciousness on the following day. He was then taken to Thinadhoo Hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit.

He is now being transferred to Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in capital Malé City for further treatment.

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Housing Ministry to stop leasing some Dharubaaruge halls for private functions

The Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure has announced that it will no longer lease Rannaban’deyri Maalan, Hakuraa Maalan, and Hiriya Maalan of Dharubaaruge for any private functions.

Instead, the three halls in the national convention centre will now be leased only for the holding of political party, company, and national functions.

Dharubaaruge has been the source of jurisdictional wranglings in recent years, being forcefully taken from Malé City Council by the government earlier this year. Plans to renovate and eventually replace the convention centre were subsequently revealed to local media.

Dhoshimeyna Maalan, Faashanaa Maalan, and Billoori Maalan halls will continue to be available for private functions.

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ACP Fairoosh appointed as executive officer to Home Minister

Assistant Commissioner of Police Abdulla Fairoosh who previously served as the Maldives Police Services development directorate head has been transferred to the post of executive officer to the minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Although Fairoosh works at the Home Ministry offices, his post remains as a position with the Maldives Police Services.

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Detention of narcotics seller in Kulhudhuhfushi extended by 15 days

A 39-year-old accused of smuggling and selling narcotics on the island of Kulhudhuhfushi has had his detention extended by 15 days by the island’s magistrate court.

The man was arrested on the island on June 27 and the magistrate court initially extended his detention by 10 days at the time. Police caught him while he was receiving a box from a boat that travels between Malé and the island.

Police found him to be in possession of a large number of small packets used to pack illicit drugs in and three packets containing narcotics as well as other contraband. He had also tested positive for illegal drugs.

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High Court upholds Civil Court ruling against Meridian Services

The Maldivian High Court has upheld the Civil Court ruling that the State Trading Organization (STO) had not acted against the law in limiting the credit amount of fuel released to Meridian Services, and decreasing the duration within which the company needs to pay back the owed money to STO.

Meridian Services had appealed the case at the High Court alleging that the Civil Court sentence was against legal principles.

The case was presided over by High Court judges Abdulla Hameed, Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, and Shuaib Hussain Zakariya.

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Criminal Court rules money earned in drug trade to be taken by the state

The Criminal Court has ruled that the money acquired through the sale of drugs by Ahmed Anil from the island of Kon’de in Gaaf Alif Atoll is to be taken by the state.

The money amounts to MVR64,985 (US$4,214). Anil was sentenced to life in jail and fined MVR100,000 (US$6,485) which he has to pay to the Criminal Court within a period of 30 days.

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