New Sudanese Ambassador to the Maldives, Khidir Haroun Ahmed, presented his credentials to President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday.
President Nasheed and Ambassador Ahmed discussed possible areas of cooperation between the two countries, and focused on how the Maldives and Sudan could strengthen cooperation to combat climate change.
Ambassador Ahmed is also serving as ambassador to Sri Lanka and was former ambassador to the United States.
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(0)Before her departure yesterday, European Union’s first Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, said doubters of climate change should come to the Maldives to see the true effects of climate change.
“It is very different to come to a place like here to see with your own eyes what climate change is all about,” she said.
She said it was necessary to find ways to improve sustainable development, and said President Mohamed Nasheed is “one of the leading voices” in the efforts to raise awareness on climate change.
President Nasheed said their visit to Sh. Komandoo was “very fruitful” and him and Hedegaard discussed issues of climate change on vulnerable countries like the Maldives.
(0)Dislikes(0)Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed Shaheed has told Miadhu that the Maldives’ national debt stood at 110% of GDP at the end of 2008 according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports.
Dr Shaheed said he is “not ashamed” to tell the truth about the country’s financial situation, because international financial institutions are monitoring the country’s external debts.
He said the country’s debt was due to the previous government’s extravagance in buying presidential yachts and offices. He added that this debt was the reason for the government reducing civil service salaries as they had no alternative.
Dr Shaheed said certain leaders of political parties are trying to spin the facts, contradicting the IMF’s reports.
Dr Shaheed said working with the international community and multilateral financial institutions is easing the country’s debt. The USA has readmitted the Maldives into the General System of Preferences, its duty-free quota system as well as signing an agreement with the US’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) which encourages companies to invest in the Maldives.
The Maldives also hopes to be admitted into the US’s development assistance project, Millennium Challenge Account, as well as the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
(0)Dislikes(0)A new bill has to regulate rent in Malé been proposed in Parliament by Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed, reports Miadhu.
Nasheed said the bill aims not to control rent, but to set certain standards for the real estate business.
Nasheed noted that in a time when human rights have become key in policy-making, this bill would protect the rights of both owners and tenants. The bill would also form a tribunal to arbitrate rent cases.
Most of the MPs supported the bill, which could help with overcrowding in Malé. But it was proposed that the bill also include rented offices and businesses, so it will not reduce the cost of goods and services.
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali said the bill could potentially harm the real estate industry.
He said the government should not intervene, because fewer people would enter the market and fewer would construct new homes.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Hamza also said introducing the bill at this moment could hinder construction business, adding that the bill would present challenges to the free-market.
(1)Dislikes(0)President Mohamed Nasheed presented a certificate to British national Guin Batten yesterday, after she rowed solo across the equatorial Zero Degree Channel on 30 March.
The president signed and presented the certificate at a function held at the President’s Office yesterday afternoon.
President Nasheed congratulated Guin on her achievement and she thanked him and the people of the Maldives for supporting the crossing.
“I hope that my crossing is an inspiration to bring rowing back here to the Maldives,” she said.
The crossing makes Guin the first rower to cross the 60 km channel alone and she now holds the record for the fastest crossing, 7 hours 16 minutes.
(0)Dislikes(0)World famous Islamic speaker Zakir Naik has confirmed he will visit the Maldives from 28-30 April upon an invitation from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, reports Miadhu.
Naik, his wife and child are to deliver speeches according to Sheikh Farooq and the chance to ask questions will be given.
Naik is the president and founder of religious NGO the Islamic Research Foundation, which also owns Mumbai-based TV channel Peace TV.
The Indian national is a medical doctor and has become one of the most renowned speakers of Islam and comparative religion.
(0)Dislikes(0)Chinese tourists have set a record for tourist arrivals in the Maldives this February, reports Miadhu.
The Asia-Pacific region recorded 21,362 tourist arrivals, marking a 122.5 percent rise in arrivals from the region.
During February, 13,345 Chinese tourists arrived in the Maldives, compared to 12,003 Italians, 10,422 British nationals and 6,602 Germans.
This is the first time that Europeans have not been the largest market for tourism in the Maldives.
Tourism experts believe the rise was due to the Chinese New Year, but some critics argue that entertainment and shopping are key areas for Chinese tourists and need to be improved to sustain the numbers of Chinese visiting the Maldives.
Two Chinese tourists recently died during their stay in the Maldives. The first drowned while snorkelling in February. The second man was reported as being robbed and killed by Chinese newspaper Shanghai Daily, but Maldives Police Service reported that the man drowned.
(0)Dislikes(0)Many well-known companies in the airport management business have shown interest in investing in and managing Malé International Airport according to Invest Maldives, reports Miadhu.
The main interested company is GMR of India, who has also made a bid to develop Hanimaadhoo International Airport.
Some of the other interested parties include Turkish company TAV Airports Holding Company, Aéroports de Paris Management Company of France, and two joint bids by Mexican government-owned Aeropuertos Y Servicios Auxiliares in partnership with Reliance Infrastructure of India, and Indian company GVK Airport Developers Ltd in partnership with Swiss Flughafen Zurich AG.
The winning bid will be chosen by a special evaluation committee. Experts have said the company who wins the bid will have to spend millions of dollars to redevelop, upgrade and manage the airport.
Malé International Airport is being offered for investment as part of the government’s decentralisation plan, but critics have said the airport is one of the few government owned ventures that makes a profit.
(0)Dislikes(0)Maldives and Timor-Leste will be launching the “Asian Initiative on Climate Change,” reports Miadhu.
The world’s largest growing economies and most populous countries are in Asia, and both the governments of the Maldives and Timor-Leste believe if Asia takes immediate action against climate change, other regions in the world will follow.
The Maldives was part of the recent Progressive Group meeting, held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia last week.
The Progressive Group is formed by countries wanting to reach a legally binding agreement at the next UNFCCC climate change summit in Mexico later this year.
The group will hold a second meeting before COP16 in Malé this July.
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