Author: Minivan News

President councludes European tour in Finland

During the last days of his European tour, President Mohamed Nasheed met with the Speaker of Finnish Parliament Sauli Niinistö, Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb, and former President Martti Ahtisaari.

President Nasheed spoke to the Speaker about inter-parliamentary cooperation between the Finnish Parliament and the People’s Majlis.

The president also met with a parliamentary association of scientists and deputies.

President Nasheed then met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They discussed the importance of EU’s leadership in tackling climate change.

The president met with former Finnish President and NObel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari. They spoke of President Ahtisaari’s Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), which works on peace-building and conflict resolution.

President Nasheed also signed an MoU with Winwind, a Finnish company that builds latest-generation wind turbines, to begin work on a wind farm in the Maldives.

President Nasheed returned to Malé on the afternoon of 18 March.

The president said his European trip was very successful and he hoped it would bring more assistance to the Maldives.

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President ratifies Tax Administration Bill

President Mohamed Nasheed has ratified the Tax Administration Bill on 18 March.

The bill was passed in Parliament on 8 March 2010, and has now been published in the government gazette.

The Act establishs an independent legal entity know was the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA).

MIRA will implement laws and policies on taxation and will also be responsible for collecting taxes payable to the State.

There will be a board of directors appointed within 60 days of the establishment of MIRA. They will be responsible for formulating the policies of MIRA.

There will also be a Tax Appeal Tribunal which will oversee tax-related cases. The tribunal must be established within 90 days of the ratification of the bill.

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Man dies in Malé harbour

A man was found dead in Malé harbour near the local market on 15 March, reports Miadhu.

The man was identified by police as Moosa Khaleel, 26, Ameenee Villa, S. Hithadhoo.

Khaleel worked in a boat anchored in the harbour.

Reports claim he jumped in the water with another crew member to untie the boat. When Khaleel did not surface, the rest of the crew searched for him. They found his body at the bottom of the harbour.

He was immediately taken to hospital but doctors said he had died before he reached the hospital.

Police are still investigating the case and said the cause of death was still unknown.

Khaleel’s funeral was held after afternoon prayers on Monday.

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President Nasheed meets Finnish counterpart

President Mohamed Nasheed arrived in Finland yesterday morning, continuing his European tour.

President Nasheed met with Finnish President Tarja Halonen. The two presidents discussed climate change and democracy.

A press conference was held after the meeting, where President Halonen welcomed President Nasheed and expressed confidence that his visit would strengthen relations between the two countries.

President Halonen said climate change was a great issue to Finland and they were willing to work with the Maldives to find a solution.

President Nasheed congratulated the Finnish president in her strive to promote women’s rights and said the Maldives was committed in promoting gender equality.

President Nasheed said democracy and good governance were as important as financial assistance in combating climate change. He said citizens as well as governments needed to strive to protect the environment.

President Nasheed also spoke of establishing democracy in the Maldives and said he was confident Finland would support the Maldives in consolidating and strengthening its democracy.

President Nasheed will meet the Minister of Public Administration and Local Government, Mari Kiviniemi and representatives of the Finnish tourism and business sectors.

He will also participate in a seminar on climate change and leadership which is being organised by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

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Health sector employees abusing overtime wages, says Minister of Health

Minister of Health and Family Dr Aminath Jameel has said employees of regional hospitals, health centres and health posts have been misusing overtime allowances, reports Haveeru.

Dr Aminath said the ministry was taking action to prevent health employees from abusing overtime allowances.

She said the employees’ claims of overtime was “out of bounds” and the ministry will be monitoring the matter.

Dr Aminath said the ministry was trying to reduce the number of expatriate workers in the health sector, as this would solve the differences in salaries between local and foreign staff.

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Economic recovery dependent on tourism: Adhil Saleem

Minister of State for Economic Development Adhil Saleem told Miadhu that economic recovery can only be confirmed when there is a clear progress in the tourism sector and tourist arrivals.

Saleem said the government is addressing the budget deficit by raising additional funds, mainly increased revenue from the tourism sector.

He added that the tourism sector has improved but not the government’s expectations.

“Economy will only progress when there is increased spending,” Saleem said, adding that the construction of new resorts is crucial to the recovery of the tourism industry.

Saleem also mentioned the importance of improving the fishing industry. “We cannot solely depend on tourism,” he said, adding that the fisheries industry is in “bad shape.”

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Gaafaru Wind Energy project survey on the way

In preparation for the Gaafaru Wind Energy project, a survey has begun to monitor the wind speed in Gaafaru, reports Miadhu.

The State Electricity Company (STELCO) said it will take nine months to complete the survey.

This project is part of the government’s pledge to turn the Maldives into the first carbon-neutral country by 2020, and will be a joint venture between STELCO and a foreign investor.

Reports say the project is worth US$250,000,000.

The wind project would produce clean electricity for parts of North Malé Atoll, including Malé, Hulhulé and a number of resorts.

The project would require the construction of latest generation wind turbines, which would connect to Malé’s electricity grid through submarine cables.

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President meets with major human rights NGOs in Geneva

President Mohamed Nasheed met with officials from major human rights NGOs in Geneva as part of his European tour.

The meeting was attended by Mark Thompson from the Association for the Prevention of Torture; Julie De Reveiro from Human Rights Watch; Jan Borgen from Amnesty International; Wilbur Taylor from International Commission of Jurists; and Mohamed Mustapha Kabbaj from Nord-Sud XXI, a Swiss-based NGO aiming to “provide a voice…to people not normally represented in international forums”.

The meeting focused mainly on extending NGO support in the Maldives and strengthening the role of civil society in their respective areas, especially those dealing with protecting and promoting human rights.

President Nasheed said the country was undergoing major changes and said strengthening the role of civil society in Maldives is a priority for the government.

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President meets Vice President of Swiss Confederation

President Mohamed Nasheed met with Vice President of the Swiss Confederation, Mortiz Leunberger, yesterday afternoon at the Federal House in Bern.

The meeting focused on establishing stronger bilateral relations between the two countries and possible areas of further cooperation.

President Nasheed noted that there is already a well established relationship in the tourism sector.

The president also expressed his interest in working with Switzerland to secure a legally binding agreement at COP16 climate change summit in Mexico later this year.

President Nasheed thanked Vice President Leunberger for Switzerland’s support in a Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) waste management project in the Maldives, and hoped this would be the first of many Swiss-Maldives development initiatives.

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