Author: Minivan News

Agreement signed for new higher education institution managed by Villa Education Services

An agreement has been signed between the government and Villa Education Services Private Limited (VES) for the development and management of a higher education institution at the Centre for Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) Annex.

The agreement was signed yesterday at the President’s Office by Minister of Education Dr Musthafa Luthfee on behalf of the government, and Dr Ahmed Anwar on behalf of VES.

President Mohamed Nasheed said VES was selected after considering all proposals submitted in response to the government’s requests in June 2009 for Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives for the education sector.

He added that this proved that local business could compete with international companies and win bids under the PPP initiative.

President Nasheed said the government’s aim was to improve the quality of education in the Maldives.

The agreement states that a new higher secondary institution named Villa International High School (VIHS) will be established and managed by VES.

VES must ensure the school caters for at least 800 higher secondary students in a period of three years, while progressively increasing the number of places for courses.

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President meets with World Bank Country Director

President Mohamed Nasheed met with World Bank Country Director, Naoko Ishii, at the President’s Office yesterday morning.

Ishii congratulated the president on behalf of World Bank’s Vice President for the South Asia Region, Isabel Guerrero, on the Donor Conference held this week.

President Nasheed sought the advice of the World Bank on what course of action to take following the Donor Conference and to follow up on the pledges made during the conference.

The meeting focused on ways of strengthening the management and monitoring of development projects in Maldives.

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Australian architects design floating skyscrapers for the Maldives

Australian architects have proposed floating skyscrapers to be built in the Maldives in an attempt to combat rising sea levels.

The designs, named ‘Maldives Floating States’, were submitted as part of the 2010 Skyscraper Competition organised by eVolo architecture magazine. They made the finals but did not get into the top three.

Architects William Fong, Joshua Loke and Livee Tan proposed that, in case rising sea levels were to flood all of the Maldives, the entire population could be relocated onto 1,000 metre tall floating structures.

They believe this way, the people of the Maldives could continue to live in “its own waters” and not lose its culture and heritage.

They have called their designs “engineering marvels of buoyancy and height” with the proposed structures to be anchored to the sea floor more than 1,000 metres below the surface.

To accommodate growing population, they suggest the towers’ height can be increased or new towers can be built, “like reclamation, only floating.”

In early March, the government signed an agreement with Dutch Company Dutch Docklands to build a floating golf course and and hotel.

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Details of funds pledged at Donor Conference will only be available with donor’s consent

World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Naoko Ishii, said details of the pledges made at the Donor Conference would only be released with consent from the donors.

Speaking at a press conference after the closing session of the conference yesterday, Ishii said some countries did not want to publicly announce the exact figures of their pledges.

She added that many of them had internal procedures which prevented them from announcing the figures at this time, and they needed to discuss and approve the pledges in their home countries before announcements were made.

Senior government officials said many countries’ fiscal years did not begin in January, like Australia and Japan, for example, which meant their pledges would not come into force until the beginning of their new fiscal year.

President Mohamed Nasheed said this year’s pledges surmounted the amounts of previous years because the international donor community did not have faith in the previous government.

He added that donors are confident of the democratic system of the Maldives and the support from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), making this year the most successful Donor Conference to date.

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Southern Utilities have signed 20 year agreement with Biwater International

Southern Utilities Limited signed a water purchase agreement with Biwater International Limited yesterday.

The agreement was signed by Chairman of Southern Utilities, Ahmed Zareer, and chairman of Biwater International, Adrian White.

Biwater International is a UK-based water and waste water treatment company. Under the agreement, Biwater International will improve the supply of drinking water and sewage treatment in South Province.

Biwater International has proposed to provide potable water produced from seawater desalination plants. They will also treat waste water by sewage treatment plants. Biwater will install pump stations, and distribution and collection pipe work systems.

The agreement stipulates that Biwater International will supply water to Southern Province for 20 years, commencing once the desalination plants are built and commissioned.

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Couple attacked during Earth Hour

Police have arrested a man for attacking two people who were walking during Earth Hour, reports Miadhu.

According to police, the incident took place near Galolhu National Stadium at around 11.30 pm on Saturday. A 26 year-old man and a 46 year-old woman were the victims of the attack.

Police said the man was attacked and the woman injured when she tried to defend him.

Police said the man received a cut on his forehead, but neither victim had serious injuries. They were released from ADK hospital after treatment.

Police added the suspect was arrested on Sosun Magu by Police with held from bystanders on the road, as the man was trying to flee.

The Serious and Organised Crime Unit of Maldives Police Service is investigating the incident.

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MDP holds parliamentary group elections

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) held its parliamentary group elections, reports Miadhu.

Moosa Maniku was the only candidate for the chairmanship of the parliamentary group, and was elected by 20 out of 24 votes cast.

Mohamed Aslam and Ahmed Abdulla were elected as vice-chairs by 21 and 10 votes, respectively. Ahmed Sameer and Mohamed Nasheed also ran for the vice-chair post, receiving eight and seven votes, respectively.

Mohamed Shifaz, Ilyas Labeeb and Eva Abdulla were elected parliamentary whips with 23 votes each.

Hamid Abdul Ghafoor was elected Secretary General of the parliamentary group.

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HRCM condemns recent violence and political confrontations

The Human Rights Commission Maldives (HRCM) has condemned the recent riots and political confrontations, reports Miadhu.

In a press statement released today, the HRCM has said the recent conflicts erupting during political activities and confrontations between people of different opinions are causing great physical and mental harm to the people.

The HRCM has requested the people avoid violence and cooperate with police. They have also asked the police to continue their work in preventing and dispersing violent demonstrations, and to respect the laws and Constitution of the Maldives.

They stated that although the Constitution provides “right to freedom of peaceful assembly without prior permission of the State” as stipulated in Article 32, this is limited by the “regulation on freedom of assembly” which was drafted before the new Constitution came into force.

The HRCM also expressed concern over the violent acts that took place in Parliament on 23 March, and requested the Parliament resolve issues by discussion and not to disrupt the work which needs to be done in the Majlis.

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US State Department congratulates Maldives on democratic progress

The US State Department has expressed confidence in the Maldives government, congratulating the country on “the progress it has made in its democratic transition.”

“The United States congratulates the Maldives on the progress and commends the substantial reforms undertaken by the government to strengthen democratic institutions and promote economic growth and social development,” the State Department said in a press release today.

“The United States looks forward to the opportunity to continue to partner with Maldives to address crucial challenges, such as the social, environmental and economic impact of climate change, customs and border security, and strengthening democratic institutions,” it added.

The US will be represented at the donor conference by Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Michael Owen.

The US assistance package on the table currently totals $4.6 million, “with a particular focus on climate change adaptation assistance,” the State Department noted.

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