Laamu Atoll Council has filed a case in the Civil Court against the government in a bid to reclaim the council’s assets, after it was requested by the National Office to hand over the assets to other authorities.
President of the Council Ibrahim Naseer told Haveeru that the council had not yet handed over the assets,
“The Decentralisation Act stipulates that the assets, formerly under the Atoll Office, would be transferred to the council,” he claimed.
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(0)The Maldives has climbed to fourth place in a competition to be named as one of a “New Seven Wonders of Nature” after having fallen down the rankings in January this year.
The Maldives Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) said it had been working at international travel shows and other events to try and boost its standing in the competition, whose finalists are expected to be announced on November 11 this year by Switzerland-based organiser New Open World Corporation, according to Haveeru.
Along with the Maldives, 28 destinations are competing within the competition, which organisers claim is 90 percent based on international voting and 10 percent on responses from within the host nations themselves.
Back in January, the MTPB had said that the country had fallen to fifth place in the competition after having been previously placed third.
According to the event organisers, the “New Seven Wonders” programme is operated under two distinct arms as both a Foundation and a commercial operation.
Along with the not-for-profit New7Wonders Foundation, the group has claimed to have transferred its commercial operations to its licensing group, New Open World Corporation, which it has said is needed to cover costs.
(0)Dislikes(0)President Mohamed Nasheed has appointed members to the Maldives Broadcasting Commission following their approval by parliament.
Members appointed were: Badhuru Naseer, Aishath Hana, Mohamed Shaheeb, Mariyam Shauqy, Ibrahim Ashraf, Moomina Adam and Abdulla Shujau.
Letters of appointment were presented at a ceremony held yesterday, during which the President emphasised the important of the media to governance and development, and urged the commission to take no action that would constrain media freedom.
(0)Dislikes(0)Telecoms provider Dhiraagu has said it will be introducing usage-limits for its postpaid billed services after customer feedback highlighted concerns over smart phone owners using “excessive data” amounts.
In a statement issued today, the company claimed that it will be issuing usage limits as well as sending SMS alerts detailing when certain amounts of a monthly data allocation had been used by each of its customers.
The limits being set by Dhiraagu will be based on each customer’s previous individual usage as well as their payment history, the company has claimed.
A spokesperson for the company was unavailable to detail which specific services the limitations will apply to at the time of going to press.
“This is an initiative based on feedback from customers and will facilitate customers to better understand and control their usage levels,” Dhiraagu said in a statement. “Customers will also have the option to change their usage limit in discussion with Dhiraagu, should they wish to do so.”
According to the company, the new usage limit scheme is anticipated to be fully implemented as of June 2011, by which point contracted customers will receive an individually set usage-limit. This limit will be accompanied by SMS alerts indicating when customers have used 70 and then 85 percent of their total data allowance.
Dhiraagu said that customers will also be able to check the balance of an individual bill as well as their usage limits by sending an SMS to 727 or calling 123 on their phones.
Rival telecoms group Wataniya was unable to respond to Minivan News at the time of going to press over whether it has considered implementing similar usage measures for its data services.
(0)Dislikes(0)With over 1,600 job opportunities in the Male’ region, only 300 people seeking employment have registered at the Human Resource Ministry’s career guidance center, reports Haveeru.
According to Deputy Minister Hussein Ismail, a survey conducted last month showed that there were 1,639 vacancies in private businesses and offices in Male’ alone. Some 24,094 employers in Male’ were surveyed.
However, only 300 people have applied at the ministry’s career guidance centre looking for jobs.
Of the total 22,642 employees in private enterprises in the Greater Male’ region, 10,210 are expatriates. Some 23,849 locals are meanwhile employed in the civil service.
(0)Dislikes(0)An inmate sentenced 25 years for group robbery escaped from the low security ‘Asseyri’ jail at Kaafu Himmafushi last Saturday night.
Ibrahim Rifau, 28, was noted as missing by prison guards during the nightly head count.
Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) Director General Mohamed Rasheed explained that inmates who show good behaviour and discipline are transferred to the minimum security prison in Himmafushi.
DPRS officers have been searching the island for the fugitive, Rasheed said.
(0)Dislikes(0)Broadcasting Maldives Pvt Ltd, which operates DhiTV, has sued the Telecommunications Authority of the Maldives (TAM) for reportedly refusing to grant the private channel a terrestrial broadcasting license.
At yesterday’s Civil Court hearing on the case, State Attorney Ahmed Usham argued that a decision on DhiTV’s license should be made by the recently-formed broadcasting commission, once its members are sworn in to office.
Usham claimed that the government has stopped enforcing existing broadcasting regulations as parliament was in the process of formulating new broadcasting laws.
However the plaintiff’s lawyer Azima Shukoor insisted that the government did not have the authority to disregard the broadcasting regulations.
At the previous hearing, Usham revealed that under the agreement renewed on December 2, 2010, DhiTV was granted a license to broadcast via satellite while the Broadcasting Company had not participated in the bidding for terrestrial licenses in 2007 when a company called Atoll Investment was granted the license.
Former Attorney General Azima argued at yesterday’s hearing that as a result of the government’s decision to renew DhiTV’s agreement with only the license to broadcast via satellite and not cable as before, the media company’s service was not widely available.
(0)Dislikes(0)The parliament has decided to hold committee meetings on all weekdays, including Sunday and Thursday when parliament sittings do not take place.
Parliament Secretary General Ahmed Mohamed told newspaper Haveeru that the decision was made by Speaker Abdulla Shahid after discussions with parliamentary group leaders in a bid to expedite the legislative process.
At present there are 43 bills being reviewed by parliamentary committees, including the draft penal code submitted in October 2009. Other belated pieces of legislation include the Drugs Bill, Evidence Bill and the Jails and Parole Bill.
(0)Dislikes(0)Former Finance Minister Ali Hashim has been appointed Chairman of the Addu International Airport Company Ltd (AIACL), a new joint venture formed between the Gan Airport Company, State Trading Organisation (STO) and the Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL), reports Haveeru.
Apart from Hashim, who resigned in December last year after parliament rejected his reappointment by President Mohamed Nasheed, the AIACL’s board comprises of STO MD Shahid Ali, MACL CEO Mohamed Ibrahim and Gan Airport MD Mohamed Didi and the company’s board member Ahmed Naseer.
STO MD Shahid Ali told newspaper Haveeru in January that the highest priority for the new joint venture would be to expand the airport’s runway and improve its surface to allow international flights to land in the southernmost atoll.
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