Author: Minivan News

Campaigns of disinformation “illustrate the death throes of the fossil fuel interests”: Nasheed

President Mohamed Nasheed has urged students at Oxford University to refrain from working for oil and coal companies who “threaten vulnerable countries like the Maldives and fund campaigns denying the existence of Climate Change.”

In his address to the Oxford Union, Nasheed claimed that the campaigns of disinformation “illustrate the death throes of the fossil fuel interests.”

“It is natural that these powerful vested interests are fighting hard – for they are fighting for their own survival,” Nasheed said. “Their dominance of the world economy is coming to an end.”

Addressing a packed audience of students, President Nasheed urged them to ignore the “lure of the fossil fuel industry” but to “join the new, exciting economy of tomorrow” created by renewable energy and clean tech companies.

In his speech, which was focused on climate change, the President reiterated his call for a fair and comprehensive climate package from Cancun summit.

Nasheed returns from a tour of the UK on Monday.

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MNDF says Maldivian waters free from terror threats

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Indian Navy have claimed that they have found no evidence of terrorist activities being conducted in the waters surrounding the country’s atolls, according to news reports.

Haveeru reported yesterday that Major Abdu Raheem of the MNDF had confirmed that joint patrols conducted within Maldivian waters by coastguard and naval forces, which included monitoring and searching cargo ships, found no terror threats to the Maldives.

“Our plans for the operation were to cover the entire Maldivian area. We searched a large part of the sea and found no terrorist activities,” Raheem told the paper’s online edition.

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Cleaning community and public places part of Maldives culture: Vice President

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed has inaugurated a cleaning programme for the Male’ swimming tracks, in conjunction with the Swimming Association of the Maldives and the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports and o clean Malé swimming area.

Opening the programme yesterday, Dr Waheed said that cleaning the community and public places was part of the Maldives’ history and culture, and that development should not mean abandoning such activities.

Several doctors raised concerns in May about potential contamination of the water in the swimming tracks.

Dr Abdul Azeez Yousuf from Malé Health Services Corporation said pollution in the water was a concern, since it is “a question of considerable contamination” and added there is “not an easy solution” to the problem.

The biggest problem, Dr Yousuf said, are all the boats in the harbour. “They don’t have proper sewerage disposal,” he told Minivan News at the time. “It goes straight into the sea.”

Medical doctor at the Central Clinic in Malé, Dr Ahmed Razee, said he has treated cases of gastro-enteritis caused by infections from the water.

“I am able to say very emphatically that yes, people can develop gastro-enteritis from swimming in Malé lagoon,” Dr Razee said.

He noted that “theoretically, the possibility [of getting gastro-enteritis] is very much real,” and “in medicine what we say is if something is possible, it will happen.”

But he added that “as far as the local population is concerned, and people who are continuing to go swimming, even if there was an infection, they would probably all have immunity to it, most of the common organisms.”

Dr Razee said the more “ominous thing is the presence of typhoid in the water and enteric organisms.” He said although enteric typhoid has been almost “wiped out” in Malé, “we do see some sporadic cases.”

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President appoints Climate Care founder as energy advisor

President Mohamed Nasheed has appointed the founder of Climate Care, one of the world’s first carbon trading companies, to the position of Energy Advisor.

Mike Mason was appointed to the unpaid position at a ceremony held at Oxford University in the UK on FriDAY evening.

A statement from the President’s Office described Mason as “a world expert on renewable energy, carbon finance and offsetting”, who would be “tasked with providing the President and his office with strategic advice on how the Maldives can switch from oil based power to renewable energy, in order to improve the country’s energy security and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. ”

Climate Care was acquired by investment banking monolith JP Morgan in April 2008.

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ADB to assist Maldives with its green goals

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced new cooperation with the Maldives to provide technical assistance in setting up investment plans to help the country meet its ambition to become carbon neutral by 2020, Haveeru has reported.

The paper claims that the investment plan will try to outline more specific measures to ensure that the millions of Rufiyaa that will be required to be raised in order to meet the nation’s green goals will be used effectively.

State Housing Minister, Akram Kamaluddin, who is currently in Tokyo for the second Asia Solar Energy Forum, claimed that the assistance of the ADB will allow the Maldives to cut the costs of trying to switch to becoming a more sustainable economy, according to the report.

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Opposition groups back national anti-piracy stance

Political opposition the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and Jumhooree Party (JP) have pledged to cooperate with the government in pursuing anti-piracy campaigns within the country’s waters, according to reports.

During a joint press conference held yesterday afternoon, Miadhu reported that both parties expressed concern about expanding activity from Somali pirates that they claim is getting closer to Maldivian shores.

Gasim Ibrahim, leader of the JP, claimed that piracy within Maldivian territorial waters represents a major threat to the nation and its lucrative tourism and fisheries sectors.

“There are many challenges to the tourism industry even now. Though it might be that the number of tourists has increased, the tourists come here with special discounts,” he said at the conference.  “Therefore, if the tourism industry is further undermined then the economy will be destabilised,”

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Government pledges to step up community-led decision making

A “Community Cabinet” has been established by the government in a move it has claimed will help bring more direct links between its work and local people.

The government specifically hopes to make greater use of public opinion in its decision making by travelling out to local and more far-flung island communities.

Along with direct discussion, the President’s Office said it was also considering making greater use of computers and online communication technology like social network sites to speed up communication with the public.  Popular sites like Facebook and Twitter are expected to be used as part of the focus.

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Asian chef contest to return to Male’ in 2011: report

The Hotel Asia Maldives International Culinary Challenge will return to Male’ in 2011 to bring together award winning chefs from across Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Mauritius and the Phillipines to find unique Asian flavours and recipes.

Miadhu reported that the event, which is scheduled to take place in the capital between 14 July and 16 July, 2011, is now in its seventh year and will be overseen by chef Alan Palmer, who is also a member of the World Association of Chefs Society (WACS). The report added that some 400 chefs are hoped to attend next year’s challenge.

About 300 chefs were in attendance for the 2010 Hotel Asia Maldives International Culinary Challenge event that saw an international panel of judges come to Male’ to oversee 13 different competition categories relation to cuisine.

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Island Aviation braces for GMR handover earnings hit: report

Last week’s handover of Male’ International Airport to infrastructure giant GMR could cost airline group Island Aviation Services (IAS) as much as Rf90m in a one-off annual loss based on the company’s own estimates, according to news reports.

As of November 24, 2010, a number of operations handled by IAS such as international cargo, ground handling and domestic passenger services were taken over by GMR as part of a long-term expansion programme it has undertaken at the transport hub.

Speaking to Haveeru, IAS Managing Director ‘Bandu’ Ibrahim Saleem said that the loss of the operations was expected by the group to be initially substantial to overall operations.

“Some claim that it would be a very small amount. But it is not. Despite the fact that several employees are leaving us we are still determined to take the company forward. But at this point we need to make some sacrifices,” he told the newspaper.

“We do not want to complain about the change in this situation. I thank all those who instructed the employees. All the employees who are leaving us today are faithful to the nation and are dedicated.”

Saleem claimed that the financial impact of handing over the operations to GMR was expected to be felt next year as a one-off hit to the group’s earnings.

In looking to IAS’ future though, the company’s Managing Director was optimistic that proposals it has submitted to the government in relation to Kaadehdhoo Airport reflected potentially lucrative new avenues for the company to explore, according to the report.

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