Category: News in Brief

Samsung introduces ‘Maldives’ air conditioner

Samsung Electronics unveiled a new air conditioner called ‘the Maldives’ this month specifically designed for South Asian Countries with advanced air cooling technology that can reduce energy usage by up to 60 percent.

A press statement from the global electronics leader explains that the new air conditioner features “Double Saving” technology and an enhanced purifying system.

“When viruses come into contact with the Maldives systems, the chemical reaction with Samsung’s Virus Doctor technology converts bacteria into harmless water vapor. Combined with the Full HD Filter, this technology can eliminate up to 80 percent of dust and bacteria,” said Mr. Chang Wan Hong, executive vice president of the Samsung Digital Appliances business. “With continued focus on sophisticated technology and design, Samsung’s Digital Air Solutions products enable consumers to lead healthier, more eco-friendly lifestyles.”

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Less than 300 attend first DRP-DQP joint rally

No more than 250 people attended Thursday night’s joint rally held by the splintered main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and new coalition partner Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), according to newspaper Haveeru.

An unnamed DRP council member told the local daily that the low turnout showed “how fast political realities are changing.”

Last week the DRP’s ‘Gayoom faction’ had called on the party’s members to shun the rally held by DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali’s faction.

Former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer claimed that the rally exposed “showed Thasmeen and [DQP Leader] Dr Hassan Saeed’s real size.”

“Kalafaanu is the smallest venue in Male’ for political rallies,” said Umar. “When they can’t gather 300 people there, their real size has been seen.”

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Government to guarantee loans for unfinished homes in Male’

Discussions are underway between the Housing Ministry and Finance Ministry to establish a mechanism to provide government loan guarantees for unfinished homes in Male’, President Mohamed Nasheed announced Friday in his weekly radio address.

President Nasheed said that an announcement will be made this week to invite applicants to seek loan assistance under the programme.

Of the 1,500 construction permits issued for Male’ from 2008 to date, said Nasheed, construction work has yet to begin on 47 percent of the houses. Work had ceased for 20 percent more while only 33 percent of homes reached completion.

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Court hears evidence in Sheereen murder case

Video footage, phone recordings and DNA samples were presented at last week’s hearing of the murder case of Mariyam Sheereen, who was found dead under a stack of cement bags in a house under construction in the capital Male’.

At the Criminal Court hearing, police showed CCTV footage from January 2, 2010 of the defendant Mohamed Najah dragging a large bag behind him after allegedly dumping Sheereen’s body.

Moreover, police testified that DNA samples from the bag matched Sheereen’s.

Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed adjourned the hearing after ordering both the prosecution and the defendant to present closing statements at the next court date.

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ACC request MPs’ financial statement

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has requested an MPs’ financial statement in connection with a case the commission is currently investigating, reports Haveeru.

The ACC declined to reveal either the identity of the MP involved or the nature of the case.

According to local daily Haveeru, the parliamentary Ethics Committee has decided not to provide financial statements unless ordered to do so by a court of law.

Some MPs however revealed that the matter will be brought to the floor in the coming week for a decision by the full Majlis.

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Police begin search for escaped convict

Police have begun a search operation for fugitive Abdulla Mujthaba, Ma. Aafaluge, who escaped through a window at the Family Court last Sunday.

Mujthaba, convicted on multiple drug-related charges, was brought to Male’ for his divorce proceedings.

According to police, Mujthaba had escaped from prison more than once in the past and is likely to change his appearance.

Police urged anyone with information on the escaped convict to immediately report the matter to police.

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Police arrest 27 on drug-related charges

Police arrested 27 people on drug-related charges during the past week, including 25 men and two women.

According to the police website, police discovered 153 small packets, five emptied film roll cans and six bullet-sized packets on the suspects.

A number of homes in Male’ were checked under court orders during the past week.

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Thasmeen pledges to overcome opposition “challenges” through DQP coalition

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) serving leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has fired a warning at both the government and rival factions within his own party claiming he will remain in his post and face down challenges of internal and external opposition.

Speaking yesterday at the first rally of a recently formed coalition between the DRP and the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), Thasmeen claimed that he would work to try and hold the government to account over perceived public dissatisfaction with its work, Miadhu has reported. He added that he would work to oppose the government despite internal strife within his party, which serves as the main opposition party in the country.

Speaking at Kalaafanu School in Male’ yesterday, the DRP leader was reported to have said that he believed soaring prices, limited health services as a well as a “flagging economy” and widespread corruption had led citizens to turn to the opposition in a “desperate cry for help”.

However, Thasmeen is under pressure from certain MPs within the DRP following disputes between supporters loyal to himself and those backing his predecessor and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Just last week Ahmed Mahlouf, a DRP MP who is seen as being a major player within the so-called Gayoom faction of the party, called on supporters to boycott Thasmeen’s rally claiming he did not truly represent the DRP.

According to Miadhu, despite these criticisms, Thasmeen claimed yesterday that through its coalition with the DQP, his party would not be disrupted in working to hold the government accountable for having “lost credibility”.

The DRP-DQP coalition was formed back in February this year as a means to outline an “action plan” for opposition parties including providing training for councilors that came to power in local council elections held earlier in the month.

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Gayoom’s image suffers following corruption allegations: Himal

The story of corruption under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has given his image a massive beating, with even former allies now openly criticising the longtime autocrat of nepotism, writes CNN-IBN correspondent Sumon K Chakrabarti for Himal Southasian magazine.

“The Grant Thornton investigation was carried out mostly in Singapore, and the report, when it came out in September, was not just a serious indictment of Gayoom’s family members – primarily his young half-brother, Abdulla Yameen – but also a fascinating exploration of how autocracies often fall back on blood brother dictatorships to do business. In this case, that ‘brother’ was Burma. Meanwhile, Gayoom’s sudden foray back into politics seems to be with the specific intention of strengthening his own position in order to be able to more effectively deal with the revelations about the extent to which corruption took place during his decades in power.

“‘We had a whiff of it for some time, but we had no idea about the scale of the con job,’ a minister in President Nasheed’s cabinet, on condition of anonymity, told this reporter in Male, in the aftermath of the Grant Thornton report. ‘The scale, as we know now, is mind-boggling. What is now becoming clear is that “ghost ships” regularly left Singapore in the name of delivering oil to the Maldives – but never arrived here.’ He continued: ‘We are a tiny nation, and our oil consumption is very small. But the State Trading Organisation (Singapore) used to buy oil in bulk … and sell it either on the black market or to Myanmar.’”

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