Minivan News – Page 411 – Minivan News

Civil Court to rule on legality of airport development charge

A verdict is forthcoming in a case submitted by Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) Vice President Imad Solih to the Civil Court, in an effort to prevent GMR from collecting a US$25 airport development charge from departing passengers.

The DQP has argued that the charges were a tax and unconstitutional, reported Haveeru.

The Attorney General’s (AG) Office argued on behalf of the Finance Ministry that that the charge would be taken under the Airport Service Charge Act and was not a tax.

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Nasheed makes Cameron’s top five for Berlusconi stag party

If given the chance, British Prime Minister David Cameron would include President Mohamed Nasheed in a stag weekend organised by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Graffiti artist Eine published a Q&A in UK media The Guardian in which he asked Cameron to choose five living world leaders to invite, and if he omitted Bill Clinton, to explain why.

After listing Clinton and Obama, Cameron said, “My new best friend is the president of the Maldives. He’s great.”

Press Secretary at the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair told Haveeru that President Nasheed and the British PM maintain an “ever growing” friendship, and that their respective parties share a close partnership.

France’s Nicholas Sarkozy and New Zealand’s John Key also made the list.

Cameron gave one of Eine’s pieces to Obama as an official gift in 2010.

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Mega Maldives opens route to Chonquing

One-year-old Mega Maldives Airlines welcomed its fourth scheduled route between the capital Male and the Chinese commercial powerhouse of Chongqing in China’s south-western mainland last weekend, the first time the route has been serviced from the Maldives.

“Mega Maldives viewed Chongqing as the next logical choice as a direct connection between one of the world’s most renowned and most sought after holiday destinations and the heart of China’s commerce and industry.”

Chongqing boasts one-third of China’s automobile industry, and is also home to international retail and finance groups Ford, Mazda, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and Wal Mart.

Mega Maldives currently operates flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Chonquing flights depart Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) every five days for the 7 hour flight.

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Part of convention centre roof falls to ground

A piece of ceiling on the outside of the Equatorial Convention Centre has fallen to the ground, reports Haveeru.

The centre was the venue of the recent SAARC Summit attended by leaders from around the region.

Haveeru spoke to a member of Addu City Council said Amin Construction was working to repair the ceiling.

“It’s an aluminium ceiling and it wasn’t a large part that fell,” the council member told Haveeru.

The government is seeking bids for the management of the Rf150 million (US$10 million) convention centre, and for the construction of a 100-bed hotel at the site.

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Rush to renewables stems as much from energy security and economic consideration: President Nasheed

As Europe and the US remain distracted by economic turmoil, an unlikely band of nations is taking up the climate cause: the small, the poor and the vulnerable, writes President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, for the UK’s Financial Times.

There are many reasons why poorer countries adopt tough greenhouse gas mitigation targets. My country, the Maldives, announced its 2020 carbon neutral target in part to cajole industrial behemoths to clean up their act. If a small nation with modest means can enact a radical plan for carbon-free energy, what excuse do larger, wealthier nations have for dragging their feet?

Environmentalism, though, is only half the story. For many developing nations, particularly far-flung, small-island states, the rush to renewables stems as much from energy security and economic considerations as from climate.

Many developing countries are among the world’s most energy insecure. Their economies run on imported oil and they are held hostage to an oil price over which they have no control. Fossil fuel addiction puts a brake on economic development.

The Maldives spends 14 per cent of gross domestic product on diesel imports – more than on education and healthcare combined. If we continue “business-as-usual” growth, our oil dependency will double by 2020.

As the oil price climbs, the cost of renewable energy such as solar is falling rapidly. Thanks in part to large increases in Chinese productive capacity, solar photovoltaic modules are about half the price they were in 2008. Daytime solar power in the Maldives is now a third cheaper than diesel-based electricity. For many countries without fossil fuel reserves, it makes simple economic sense to switch to clean power.”

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No future for metal in the Maldives, says band

Representing the Maldives in the global music arena, Sacred Legacy is a metal band with a vision to conquer, writes Hansini Munasinghe for Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times.

“As they sit around a coffee table, the brutality they unleashed on stage recently at High Voltage seems momentarily forgotten, yet the eager gleams in their eyes betray their passion.

Formed in 2006 by Shayd, the lead guitarist and the “key person” of the band, Sacred Legacy have so far released two albums of remarkable quality, Sacred Legacy (2006) and Apocalypse (2007) and have been invited to concerts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.Their albums are available through 30 online stores.

“There is no future for metal in the Maldives. So we are aiming at taking our music to the international level,” explains Shayd, adding that the international community is surprised to hear of the existence of metal music in the Maldives.

“Every step we take is a challenge,” adds Wadde, the drummer of the band, elaborating on the limitations of the underground metal scene.

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New7Wonders “a moneymaking exercise”: Telegraph

A campaign to find the world’s most popular natural wonders, promoted as a contribution to environmental protection, has been attacked as little more than a moneymaking exercise, reports the UK’s Telegraph newspaper.

“There have been accusations that several of the more obscure places on the ‘New7Wonders of Nature’ list, announced earlier this month, owe their ranking less to their beauty than to the readiness of tourism or marketing organisations to stump up cash – including taxpayers’ money – in their support.

“Tourism authorities in the Maldives and Indonesia, which both withdrew their backing for the project earlier this year, have cited concerns over voting methods and “hidden” costs, while Unesco – the agency of the United Nations dedicated to protecting natural and man-made sites – has repeatedly distanced itself from the project.

“A provisional list of seven wonders – including little-known islands in South Korea and the Philippines – was published on November 11. People had been encouraged to vote for free online or by paid text message to help compile it from a shortlist of 28. That shortlist had itself been whittled down from an original list of more than 400 submitted since the launch of the project in 2007 by the Zurich-based New7Wonders Foundation (N7W).

“Each of the 28 finalists had to be represented by an ‘official supporting committee (OSC)’, which was charged an initial US$199 ‘administration fee’. The government-funded Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) – which submitted the islands as a candidate – claims that organisers later demanded up to $350,000 in ‘sponsorship fees’ and hundreds of thousands more to organise an extravagant “world tour” event. The cost to the country’s economy would have been more than S$500,000.”

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RF18 million vanishes from Sheesha account

Rf18 million has allegedly gone missing from a State Bank of India (SBI) account owned by the three brothers who own local motorcycle retailer Sheesha.

Police have launched an investigation into the fraud case, reports Haveeru.

The transfer, allegedly unauthorised, was made from a personal savings account, Haveeru claims. The recipient account has not been identified.

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Jauza Khaleel earns rare President’s Badge

Jauza Khaleel, age 16, of Hiriyaa School was awarded the President’s Badge today, the highest national award for Maldivian Guides.

President Mohamed Nasheed presented the award to Miss Khaleel at the President’s Office. The President congratulated her on her achievements.

Chair Person for Awards at Maldives Guide Association, Shaheen Adam, said the award is only given every three to four years.

“Some kids start it but because of the work involved they just stop and don’t finish the program,” she said. “At most ten kids have received the Badge, I think.”

To receive the Badge Miss Khaleel had to perform a series of tasks and studies, including three months of community service, a challenge, and an oral review.

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