Author: Minivan News

The chairman of the religious scholars council of the Adhaalath told a  press conference yesterday that threats to Islam within the Maldives were far more dangerous than any external problems, Miadhu reports.

Dr Abdul Majeed claimed religions other than Islam were being introduced to the country by people travelling abroad for education and becoming converted.

“They embrace other religions. They become senior officials of the government or get elected as MPs,” he said.

Dr Majeed called for Islamic faith to be strengthened, saying “that if the faith is strong, none of the external factors will lead us astray either.”

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MPs and members of parliament’s secretariat held a lorry ride to welcome the Maldives national football team back to Male’ following their defeat in the SAFF championships, Miadhu reports.

MP Abdulla Abdul Raheem told Television Maldives that the team played well and their efforts should be congratulated. He also added that while the Maldives was defeated, he was hopeful of a victory next year.

Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Dr Ali Shameem said that while the team did not win they had united the country.

The Maldives won the SAFF championship last year but were defeated by India in a 3-1 penalty shootout.

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The secretary general of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) has invited President Mohamed Nasheed to attend the forum’s sixth meeting.

The invitation requests the president deliver a keynote address for the special session on climate change

The forum will be opened by Dato Sri Najob Tun Abdul Razak, prime minister of Malaysia and patron of the WIEF foundation.

WIEF are scheduled in meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in May 2010.

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The Maldives Airports Company has pledged its support for the government’s efforts to combat global warming, with Mohamed Ibrahim presenting a letter to President Mohamed Nasheed outlining the measures the company is taking to reduce its carbon footprint.

Ibrahim said the company hoped to actively contribute to the government’s environmental initiatives.

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Pakistan is seeking to improve its economic relationship with the Maldives, according to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), promising to meet the country’s import needs “at a cheaper price than European countries.”

President of the ICCI Zahid Maqbool said the current bilateral trade agreement between the two countries “is not worth mentioning”, and pressed for a regular exchange of trade delegations.

He requested that Pakistani exporters be allowed to set up in the Maldives, and also claimed that Pakistan offered quality higher education at a lower cost than other countries.

High Commissioner of the Republic of Maldives, Aishath Shehnaz Adam, said the Maldives would welcome Pakistani investment in the Maldives. The economy was a strong one, she said, and had grown an average of 10 per cent every year for the past two decades.

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President Mohamed Nasheed left for Copenhagen yesterday to attend the landmark UN climate change conference (COP15).

Addressing press before his departure, Nasheed said it was important for the world to listen to countries such as the Maldives, which were vulnerable to climate change.

He said that he believed the Maldives would play a significant part in the negotiations, adding that delegates planned to propose a survival kit for the world.

During his visit, the president is scheduled to attend a number of high-level meetings and meet senior government officials and climate experts, including the Danish prime minister, the Australian prime minister, and former US vice president Al Gore.

The president’s entourage included Presidential Special Envoy Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, MP Eva Abdulla, MP Visam Ali, State Minister for Transport Adam Maniku, State Minister for Health Abdul Bari Abdulla, Envoy for Science and Technology Ahmed Moosa and Executive Service Secretary Mohamed Ziyad.

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A Maldivian woman, Hiyam Afeef, has become the first woman in the Maldives to receive a degree in aeronautical science, Miadhu reports.

Hiyam graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical university in the US, which is one of the most prestigious establishments specialising in aviation and aerospace.

“There are not a lot of airports [in the Maldives]. The main transportation is boats and planes. I want to start by flying seaplanes, but eventually I want to fly internationally,” said Hiyam in an interview given to her university.

But, she added, her true interests lay in aviation safety.

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Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is travelling to Bangladesh to watch Maldives play India in the SAFF final, according to a statement from the former president’s secretariat.

Gayoom is currently in Malaysia, and will be accompanied to Bangladesh by speaker of parliament Abdullah Shahid, the statement said.

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