Author: Minivan News

Disputed ambergris kept under police guard

Police in Hanimaadhoo are keeping guard outside a house where 25 kilograms of ambergris is being held, whilst the dispute over its rightful owners is settled, reports Haveeru.

Hanimaadhoo council told Haveeru that three people have claimed ownership of what is purported to be the precious substance, secreted by sperm whales.

Vice President of the Council Masood Adam said that the eight people present on the beach when the ambergris was found had all agreed to share any money received for the substance before one member of the group changed his mind and contacted the police.

Ambergris is used to make perfumes, in medicine, and is also known as an aphrodisiac and so enjoys a high value on the international market. This particular find could be worth around Rf7.5 million (US$486,000) depending on its quality.

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One million rufiya expected in donations for mosques: Islamic Ministry

The “Help Mosques Fund” set up by the Islamic Ministry received approximately Rf 950,000 Rufiyaa (US$61,608) within one hour on Friday.

Thirty-two donation boxes were placed on Friday in mosques around Male’ to collect money for mosque repairment works in preparation for Ramadan.

Permanent Secretary for the Islamic Ministry Mohamed Didi said the fund is expected to collect about one million rufiya by the end of the week, reports local newspaper Haveeru.

“We noticed how prepared some people were to help the mosques. Some of them just put 10,000 rufiya in an envelope and donated it,” Didi told Haveeru.

The fund will be open for donations at the Islamic Centre in Male’ until June 14, according to the ministry.

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Maldives to sponsor BBC world weather forecasts

The world weather service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will be sponsored by the Maldives between June 18 and August 21, the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation has said.

An agreement with the BBC regarding sponsorship of its international weather broadcasts is scheduled to be signed tomorrow at the Conrad Rangali Island Resort as part of a wider international marketing focus by the country’s tourism authorities.

The BBC, Britain’s public service broadcaster, is the world’s largest broadcasting corporation in terms of audience numbers and employees.

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Addu International Airport set to unveil developer later this month

Addu International Airport Company Limited (AIACL) has said it expects to announce the party chosen to oversee developments to the country’s second international airport before the end of the month.

AIACL Managing Director Shahid Ali said that it was presently looking at bids from a short-list of three international bidders and expected to choose a finalist for the development in the next ten days.

Shahid told local newspaper Haveeru that all three companies to have submitted bids for the project were all very “capable”. However, he said that securing finance for the project may pose some difficulties for the party chosen to proceed with the airport project.

“There are options through which they can obtain finance. It will progress on fine,” Shahid was quoted as saying by Haveeru.

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Will not hand power to speaker, “who got elected with just 2,000 votes”, President Waheed tells FT

President of the Maldives Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has told the UK’s Financial Times (FT) newspaper that he would not resign as this would require him to hand power to the Speaker of Parliament, Dr Abdulla Shahid, “who got elected with just 2,000 votes”.

Dr Waheed’s own Gaumee Ithihaad Party (GIP) received 518 votes in the 2009 Parliamentary Election, and had 2625 members as of February 27.

“For me it would be easy to leave the country and go but I wouldn’t do that,” Dr Waheed told the FT. “[Voters] elected me with an expectation that if a situation like this arose, I would be there to help manage it. I feel responsible that I need to do that.”

Resigning and holding early elections would be “reckless and undemocratic”, Waheed said: “It would be irresponsible of me.”

Full story

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Are we getting bogged down in the process?: Dr Hassan Saeed

“The political process affects us all and can make a real difference to people’s lives. Politics should be about real things that matter to people. But do politicians and the public talk about the same things, even when both are focused on the issues?,” asks Dr Hassan Saeed in his latest comment piece for local newspaper Haveeru.

Dr Hassan, leader of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) and Special Advisor to President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan,  gives his opinion on the need to put political processes into a wider perspective.

“I say that when we are heading into a period when matters other than politics are likely to be at the forefront of ordinary citizens minds. I’m talking about the Euro Football Championship and of course Ramazan.

This natural break presents an opportunity for politicians to review how they operate.

Let me give an example of the different priorities for the public and politicians. I posed myself the question “What was the most important event in the Maldives last week”?

•    Was it progress on the Commission of Inquiry?
•    Was it the All Party Talks?
•    Was it the vote of confidence in the Majlis in the Speaker?
•    Was it MPs swapping parties?
•    Was it the drama on Usfasgandu?

No, it was the fatal stabbing of 16 year-old Mohamed Arham.”

Read more

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President Waheed attends Commonwealth Diamond Jubilee lunch

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan yesterday attended a special Diamond Jubilee lunch at Marlborough House in London, as Commonwealth members gathered to celebrates 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign as head of the Commonwealth. Dr Waheed was accompanied by the First Lady Madam Ilham Hussein.

The lunch, hosted by Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, came after Dr Waheed and Madam Ilham had attended a national service of thanksgiving, during which the President met with the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, and the British Prime Minister David Cameron.

“Two billion citizens of the Commonwealth are represented here today. This gathering is testimony to the profound sense of gratitude, respect and affection felt towards Your Majesty,” Sharma told those gathered.

“The Commonwealth remains vibrant as it renews its role. Never before, and surely never again, has so diverse a group of nations, representing a third of the world’s peoples, been joined in free and voluntary association,” he continued.

The leaders presented Her Majesty with a commemorative plaque, to be embedded in the gardens of Marlborough House, which reads:

“Offered with profound admiration and abiding appreciation for the manner in which Her Majesty has diligently and faithfully served the Commonwealth and advanced its values of democracy, development and respect for diversity through six decades, as both the Head and heart of the Commonwealth family, evoking deep respect and affection from Commonwealth citizens around the globe.”

President Waheed will use the rest of his time in the UK to further discuss the current political situation in the Maldives with senior officials, to liaise with the local media, and to meet with the local Maldivian community. He will return to the Maldives on Friday.

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Pakistan pledges support to Maldivian cricket development

Pakistan has provided cricket equipment to the Maldives in a bid to further promote the sport across the nation, the Press Trust of India (PTI) has reported.

The equipment was handed over the Maldivian Cricket Board by Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani to assist in developing national sport.

Jilani added that Pakistan would also continue to provide academic assistance in the country.

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Government postpones nationwide vehicle ban

Next week’s Pedestrian Day event that will ban vehicles from the streets of Male’ and other inhabited islands for six hours has been postponed until Friday June 15, local media has reported.

The event, originally scheduled for Tuesday June 12, will ban the use of vehicles between 4:00pm to 10:00pm as part of the country’s commitments to play up sustainable development ahead of the Rio+20 summit later this month.

However, the government has opted to move the Pedestrian Day to the weekend over concerns about disruption caused to the general public during a working day, according to Haveeru.

During the six hour period, only vehicles used by security forces and emergency services, as well as transportation for people with special needs will be permitted to operate on the country’s roads.

Vehicles carrying departure passengers and other tourism related services will be required to obtain a special permit from transport authorities. Members of the public not found to be in compliance with the vehicle ban will be charged Rf750, according to local media.

An exhibition set to be held on the artificial beach area of Male’ based around recycling has also been postponed until next Friday.

However, the government has said that events scheduled for the next 24 hours to mark World Environment Day were going ahead as planned.

The government told Minivan News yesterday that it was presently undertaking work to devise a new national environment strategy.

A President’s Office spokesperson claimed the government was not looking to “completely” reverse the high-profile carbon neutral policies practised during the administration of former President Mohamed Nasheed.

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