Author: Minivan News

President Waheed calls for public unity, solidarity in Eid ul-Fitr message

President Dr Mohamed Waheed has called for unity and solidarity among Maldivians on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr.

In a statement issued today, President Waheed called on those campaigning ahead of next month’s election to avoid sewing “discord” among the public, requesting that all parties adhered to democratic principles in the build up to, and during, voting.

The president personally pledged his commitment to ensuring a free and fair election next month, while also speaking of various development projects presently being overseen by his government.

President Waheed also today held a reception for members and assorted dignitaries of the public at Muleeaage.

State ministers, foreign diplomats, government officials, MPs civil servant and members of the general public were among those greeted by the president this morning, according to an official press release.

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UK to establish temporary mobile visa application point for Maldivian students

Maldivian students intending to study in the UK will able to apply for student visas without having to travel to Colombo in Sri Lanka, thanks to a temporary mobile enrollment system to be set up later this month.

Students will be able to lodge UK visa applications on August 28 at Nasandhura Palace Hotel, using what the High Commission described in a statement as a ‘mobile biometric clinic’.

“Those using the service will save themselves the cost and time of travelling to Colombo. The service is optional, and being run by our commercial partner, VFS Global, who have successfully managed similar services in India and elsewhere on behalf of UK Visas and Immigration,” the statement read.

Tom Greig, Regional Director South Asia for UK Visas and Immigration said the UK “is keen to attract the brightest and best talent from around the world. Our aim in
setting up a temporary enrollment location in Malé is to bring the UK visa application point closer to our Maldivian customers, and make the process of applying for a UK visa as quick and convenient as possible.”

Applicants wishing to use the service must book an appointment in advance by calling +94 114 692 604 (08:00 hrs to 15:00 hrs – Maldives Standard Time). There will be a charge of £192 (US$302) for using the service, in addition to the usual visa fee. Appointment numbers are limited.

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Islamic Ministry declares Thursday August 8 Eid-ul-Fitr

The Islamic Ministry has declared that Eid-ul-Fitr will take place tomorrow, Thursday August 8.

Eid-ul-Fitr is the celebration marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

President Dr Mohamed Waheed will receive members of the public at Muleaage to exchange Eid greetings tomorrow morning from 9:30am, according to the President’s Office website, and then address the nation at 11:00am.

The event is open to members of foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations in Male, according to the President’s office.

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Former President Mohamed Nasheed to return from Umrah on Wednesday

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s Presidential Candidate and former President Mohamed Nasheed will be returning to Male’ after completing Umra pilgrimage in Mecca, reports local media outlet Channel News Maldives.

Nasheed left to Saudi Arabia last Saturday and spent the following two days in the pilgrimage. According to local media reports, the former president was accompanied by the Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid and former Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad.

Meanwhile the MDP has said that a special event will be organised on next Wednesday to exhibit 100,000 photos taken during Nasheed’s trips to the islands.

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President Waheed inaugurates Thaa Atoll, Dhaalu Atoll road developments

President Dr Mohamed Waheed yesterday (August 5) inaugurated two separate road development projects on the islands of Vilufushi in Thaa Atoll and Kudahuvadhoo in Dhaalu Atoll.

Speaking on Vilufushi, Dr Waheed said the projects were part of a nationwide commitment undertaken by his administration to build roads over the last two years. Nine roads were expected to be built in Vilufushi alone, according to the President’s Office website.

President Waheed added that with Vilufushi being one of the islands most severely impacted in the Maldives during the 2004 Asian Tsunami, a greater number of services still needed to be provided to the local population living there.

According to the President’s Office, Dr Waheed also shared specifics of government development plans for the island.

The president’s campaigning has recently come under criticism from rivals standing against him in the upcoming election.

The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) – part of his current coalition government – has accused Dr Waheed of using state resources to campaign for his own Gaumee Ihthihad Party (GIP) ahead of the upcoming presidential election scheduled for September 7.

PPM Presidential candidate MP Abdulla Yameen back in May said he understood “concerns” raised by MDP candidate Mohamed Nasheed regarding President Waheed’s use of state resources for campaigning.

“That is, the way [the government] is doing things, there are problems over whether we could reach free and fair elections. The Auditor General and ACC [Anti-Corruption Commission] have taken note of this,” he said at the time.

The PPM has nonetheless pledged to continue supporting President Waheed’s government up until September’s election, despite concerns about the decision to dismiss former Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed after he decided to stand as MP Yameen’s running mate.

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Court releases 47 year-old arrested for molesting two minors

The island court of Thimarafushi in Thaa Atoll has released a 47 year-old man arrested on charges of molesting two minors aged 13 and 17.

Police confirmed that the man had been released by the court after he was taken to court for the extension of his detention period

The local media reports state that the 47 year-old man was the manager of the state-owned utilities company, Fenaka, on Guraidhoo in Thaa Atoll.

Newspaper ‘Sun’ Online reported police as telling the paper that the two minors had testified against the accused.

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India needs Nasheed win in September: First Post

India may pat itself on the back as former President of Maldives Mohammed Nasheed has been confirmed as a candidate in the 7 September presidential elections by the Election Commission of Maldives, writes Rajeev Sharma for First Post.

Nasheed came calling in New Delhi this week on a two-pronged mission: (i) to thank his Indian friends without whose support he won’t have made it to the Presidential race; and (ii) to once again sensitise his Indian interlocutors to prevent “many a slip between the cup and the lip” kind of situation in his case.

Let’s be clear about Nasheed’s India mission.

He was here primarily centered on the ‘take’ part as he is not in a position to ‘give’ anything to India. His ‘give’ quotient, however, should not be underestimated as the first concrete deliverable he can give to India, particularly to the poll-bound UPA government, is to reverse the executive decision of the Maldives government to terminate the US$500 million GMR contract for the development and upgrade of the Male International Airport, the single largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Maldives ever got.

The GMR deal continues to be the single biggest obsession for the Congress-led UPA government, which if reversed, will inevitably yield the necessary electoral fire-power to the present Indian government. Such a development will allow the UPA government to tell the foreign policy-savvy electorate (though a small number) that Maldives is not lost to India!

Read more

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Police arrest man for sexual abuse of two minors

Police have arrested a 47 year-old on multiple charges of sexual abuse against two minors over several days on Guraidhoo in Thaa Atoll.

Police said the man was arrested last night at around 9:30pm, under an arrest warrant.

According to the police investigation, the man was alleged to have been sexually abusing two girls aged 17 and 13 years-old.

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Police charge two men for homosexuality on Fokaidhoo

Police have sent the names of two Maldivian men charged for homosexuality to the Prosecutor General’s office for prosecution in the Criminal Court.

Police identified the two men from Fokaidhoo in Shaviyani Atoll, aged 19 and 44 years-old.

Police arrested the pair on May 24, 2013 while they were allegedly performing homosexual acts in the kitchen of a hotel on Fokaidhoo island.

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