Category: News in Brief

Home Ministry to share DNR database with local councils

The Home Ministry has signed an agreement with the Local Government Authority (LGA) to share the Department of National Registration’s [DNR] database with local councils.

Home Minister Umar Naseer and President of LGA Mohamed Nazim, who is also the Defence Minister, signed the agreement yesterday.

The agreement’s purpose is to establish a system where atoll councils and island councils can obtain information of people such as date of birth or give identity card numbers to newborn babies and also determine dead people, Naseer said.

However, councils will not be able to edit any of the information on the database, Naseer said while Nazim said the database had very strong security features.

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Tourism Ministry to introduce “guest house Islands”.

Ministry of Tourism is planning to develop “guest house islands” for middle income tourism where individual business will invest for different services provided on the Island, local media have reported.

“Developing guest house islands is onthe PPM (Progressive Party of Maldives) manifesto as well. This will create middle income beds,” Tourism Minister Adheeb said. Adheeb said that an island close to capital Male’ city will be chosen for this purposes.

He said the government intends to double the current 25.000 beds in the industry and will work to open ten tourist resorts each year.

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Education Ministry unveils detailed hundred-day plan

Ministry of Education has unveiled its road map for the first hundred days of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration, joining many other ministries and government institutions.

The nineteen-point plan was announced at a ceremony held at Sultan Park yesterday.

The four priority objectives of the plan are: introducing Quran as a subject for grades 1 – 7 in in all schools within the 2014 academic year, introducing civic education, giving an allowance equivalent to salary for professional staff who take leave for further training, and providing opportunities for students in Male’ to train in six different areas from ‘Maldives Polytechnic” – the Ministry’s training institute for technical and vocational education.

Among other objectives, the ministry has planned to set professional standards for teachers and assign health assistants for schools through island health centers and provide counseling at schools.

The ministry also plans to establish Special Education units in five schools, and two dedicated regional Special Education centers. A child protection policy is also set to be passed within the first hundred days.

According to the Ministry, the government will choose two islands to establish Arabic medium schools within 100 days.

Plans to provide higher education and training opportunities include a campaign to familiarize students with training and career opportunities. In addition to this, the government will be signing agreements with five companies to provide apprenticeship programs and will seek local and overseas higher education opportunities for students with minimum three A Level passes.

Regional campuses of Maldives Polytechnic will be established and a scheme for introducing ‘economically beneficial’ foreign languages will also be designed within this period.

Sociology is planned to be taught in a selected number of schools and a special program to make students more aware of Dhivehi language and culture will also be introduced.

As part of this plan the ministry is seeking to assign Quran teachers for all Schools before the academic year 2014. The ministry’s Permanent Secretary Dr. Abdul Muhsin Mohamed said that the ministry is still short of 26 Quran teachers to achieve this this objective.

According to Muhsin the ministry will find teachers for other subjects as well within this period. He said priority will be given to local teachers even though a number of foreign treachers are on stand by to fill in for approximately three hundred vacant posts.

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Police to invalidate roadworthiness of vehicles that do not meet standards

The police have today said that they will start a special operation from January 1 to check vehicles to see if they meet the standards set by the Transport Ministry and invalidate the roadworthiness of vehicles that do not meet the standards.

In a statement issued today the police said that vehicles that do not meet the standards can only drive after correcting the issues with their vehicles.

Police said that the operation will be conducted in accordance with regulations made to test roadworthiness of vehicles made under the Act number 5/2009 Motor Vehicle Act.

According to the statement, during the operation police will check if the brakes work properly, if the silencer is modified to make loud noises, if the rear mirrors are installed and if all the lights work properly.

Police also said that they will invalidate the roadworthiness of vehicles that have black smoke coming out from the exhaust, vehicles that have installed loud sound producing tools, vehicles that have installed extra lights other than the ones that are there when the vehicle was bought, vehicles that have changed the colors of lights that are stated in the laws to be in a specific color and vehicles that leak oil.

Furthermore, the police reminded all drivers to see if their vehicles meet the roadworthiness standards required by the transport ministry.

Police have been advising drivers of vehicles that do not meet the standards to correct them during the traffic operations police have been conducting, the police added.

Police stated that the objective of the operation to check the roadworthiness of vehicles was to ensure the citizens that the roads are safe.

In the statement the police thanked all the citizens for their cooperation to police.

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Gang attempted to take revenge for recent murder: Home Minister

Home Minister Umar Naseer has today told the press that the gang of the recent murder victim, who was killed on December 24, attempted to murder someone from the rival gang by using an inmate who was convicted for 25 years.

According to Umar Naseer, the inmate pretended to be sick the following day of the murder incident to come to Male’ and planned to escape from the hospital and murder a member of the rival gang.

Umar stated that the inmate was brought Male’ according to the procedures of Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services [DPRS].

When he was brought to the hospital in Male’ there were members of his gang in the area to help him escape the hospital, however, police intelligence received information about this and police officers were in the area spying on them, Umar told the press.

Umar said that when the gang members attempted to take the prisoner away police Serious and Organized Crime [SO] officers went to the area and obstructed their plan.

Umar added that five persons were arrested from the scene.

Furthermore, Umar Naseer said that gang wars occur due to drug related issues and it can’t be stopped at once.

He assured that he will do all he can to stop gang crimes.

On December 24, Hussein Waheed, 21 of Mahchangolhi Aisha was stabbed to death while he was near ‘Coffee Corner’ café in Mahchangolhi, Male’.

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32 year-old man found dead in Hulhumale’

Police have said that this morning the dead body of a 32 year-old man was discovered inside an apartment in Hulhumale’.

The police identified the individual as Ibrahim Abubakuru from Makudhoo Island in Haa Dhaalu Atoll.

Police said that they received information about the case this morning at about 6 30 am, and declined to reveal further details on the case as it is currently under investigation.

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Two arrested with 112 bottles and six cases of alcohol

Police have arrested two individuals with 112 bottles and six cases of alcohol.

The police said that a special operation was conducted Friday night to apprehend the two individuals, but have defined to reveal their identity. One is a Sri Lankan national and the other is a Maldivian, the police have said.

Police said that during the special operation police raided a ‘Lodge’ house in Maafannu where the 112 bottles and six cases were found.

The police later searched another warehouse belonging to the two persons and found more alcohol there as well.

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National clean-up program to mark unity day

The Ministry of Home Affairs has organized a clean-up throughout the Maldives.

The program titled “Emmen Ekugai” (Everyone Together) was organized to mark ‘National Unity Day’ a commemoration of the devastating Tsunami of 2004. It was initiated by home minister Umar Naseer today at  Male’ swimming track area.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Umar said that this program will represent the unity showed by Maldivians on 26 December 2004 following the tsunami and this is a repetition of that same unity.

According to the Home Ministry various government officers, companies and NGOs took part in this program. Five areas of Male’ city were cleaned up in this program today from morning 0730hrs till 1200hrs.

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Civil Court staff arrested for stealing court’s laptops

A staff of the Civil Court has been arrested for stealing laptops from the court, local media have reported

According to CNM reported that the person was arrested after obtaining an arrest warrant and also police obtained a search warrant to search the person’s house.

According to CNM, police have recovered the stolen laptops.

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