Category: News in Brief

President inaugurates Maldives Pavillion at Shanghai World Expo

President Mohamed Nasheed and First Lady Laila Ali arrived in Shanghai, China yesterday morning for the inauguration of the Maldives Pavillion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

President Nasheed said the Maldives has been participating in international exhibitions of over 100 years and reminders of the participation of the Maldives in the Shanghai Expo show the country’s active involvement in the international community.

He added the Maldives’ participation in the Expo would be highly beneficial for the country.

The Expo was formally opened to the public yesterday, and is expected to draw 70 million people over six months. There are over 200 pavilions from different countries, representing the urban sustainability theme “Better City, Better Life.”

On his way to China, President Nasheed met with Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. They discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and projects being developed by Thailand in the Maldives.

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DRP criticises government for not consulting Parliament on new SAARC Secretary General nominee

Leader of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party’s (DRP) Women’s Wing and daughter of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Dhunya Maumoon, has said the government did not consult with Parliament before nominating former Auditor General Dhiyana Saeed as the new South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretary General, reports Miadhu.

The DRP has welcomed the new appointee for SAARC Secretary General but have criticised the government for not consulting the appointment with Parliament.

According to Miadhu, the government did not have to consult with Parliament before announcing their nomination for Dhiyana to serve as secretary general. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, said her term will begin 1 March 2011.

Dhiyana was in office as attorney general for a short time and was previously a DRP MP during Gayoom’s government.

She is married to local businessman, Abdulla Jabir, who has been linked to a corruption case currently under investigation.

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President departs for China

President Mohamed Nasheed and First Lady Madam Laila Ali concluded their visit to Bhutan to attend the 16th SAARC Summit and departed for China today.

In China, the president is expected to inaugurate the Maldives pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010, a global event expected to draw 70 million people.

President Nasheed will also conduct talks with senior Chinese government officials during his visit.

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President participates in CNN Earth Frontiers debate

President Mohamed Nasheed participated in the CNN Earth Frontiers debate in Seoul, South Korea on Thursday, along with Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, Puma’s CEO Jochen Zeitz, and Changhua Wu of The Climate Group.

Climate skeptics are indicative of societies in decay, the president said, calling for greater urgency in dealing with climate change.

“If we cannot become carbon neutral by mid-century, then we won’t be around here. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

Reruns of the programme will be aired today at 10.30pm local time as well as throughout the day on Sunday.

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Diabetes Society marks 10th anniversary

The Diabetes Society of Maldives of Maldives celebrated its 10th anniversary at a ceremony at Dharubaaruge (convention centre) last night.

Speaking at the event, Vice-President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik stressed the importance of disseminating information of diabetes to students and young adults.

In his speech, Mohamed Waheedeen, chairman of the society, said the association was planning to introduce laboratory services next year.

The Diabetes Society of Maldives (DSM), with membership exceeding 900 people, provides support for diabetics and conducts fund raising activities for children with diabetes.

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Kooddoo loses Rf22 million in three months

The Kooddoo Fisheries Complex faced losses of Rf22 million in its final three months under the state-run Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO), State Minister for Economic Development Adhil Saleem has revealed.

Adhil met with employees of Koodoo on Thursday after taking over management of the fisheries complex last week, according to Voice of Maldives.

Kooddoo was detached from MIFCO by the finance ministry following a dispute between MIFCO senior management and Kooddoo staff over changes to duty shifts.

Employees at the factory had staged demonstrations on the island last month in response to reduced benefits and working hours.

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Parliament postpones recess

Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday to postpone its recess until the bill on local council elections could be passed.

The resolution proposed by opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ali Waheed was sent to the general affairs committee with 62 votes in favour.

On Thursday, Independent MP Nazim Rashad, chairman of the committee, presented the resolution back to the floor without any amendments.

The resolution was adopted with 45 votes in favour out of the 51 MPs in attendance.

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Govt to propose amendments to Employment Act

Amendments to the Employment Act will be presented to the next session of parliament, Minister of Human Resources, Youth and Sports Hassan Latheef has said.

In an interview with Voice of Maldives on the occasion of May Day, the minister said the amendments have now been sent to the president’s office and were part of the process of ratifying conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The minister said a draft legislation on introducing trade unions and collective bargaining has also been completed.

The Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM) will hold a May Day rally in Male’ today.

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Afghani President talks terrorism with Nasheed

President Mohamed Nasheed met with Afghani President Hamid Karzai yesterday at the Afghanistan House in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Village in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu.

At the meeting, President Nasheed said SAARC’s position on climate change should benefit all the countries in the region.

He noted the importance of a common SAARC position on climate change in the international arena, and highlighted the importance of promoting trade in the region through the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA).

President Karzai said Afghanistan was rich in water before, but due to climate change, the country was experiencing yearly droughts.

The presidents also discussed ways of handling terrorism and religious extremism in the region.

President Nasheed then met with Japanese Parliamentary Vice President and Minister for Foregin Affairs, Chinami Nishimura at the Maldives House in SAARC Village.

Nishimura spoke of the existing bilateral relations between the countries and ways to strengthen these ties. She congratulated President Nasheed on the democratic reform in the country, noting the process had accelerated under his leadership.

President Nasheed said Japanese assistance has been instrumental in helping the Maldives with its upcoming graduation from the list of the UN’s Least Developed Countries (LDC). He added the Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, was one of the few leaders who supported the Maldives during Copenhagen climate change summit.

President Nasheed sought Japanese assistance in developing the fisheries industry in the Maldives and to undertake a study for the reasons of decline in fishing.

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