Category: News in Brief

STO hikes diesel, petrol prices

The State Trading Organisation (STO) yesterday hiked the prices of diesel to Rf13.50 per litre and petrol to Rf13.53 per litre, an increase of 89 laari and 86 laari respectively.

Yesterday’s changes marked the third time prices have been increased this month. On March 15, STO hiked the price of a litre of diesel to Rf12.61 and a litre of petrol to Rf12.67.

A press statement from STO explains that the revised prices reflect the change in cost of the new oil shipment.

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Raffles to join regional and local exhibitors at Male’ Youth Vision education fair

Raffles Education Corporation has said it will be among a number of groups looking to promote their services to Maldivian students at the 2011 Youth Vision Exhibition to be hosted in Male’ between April 7 to 9.

The attendance at the event of the company, which claims to operate as one of the Asia Pacific region’s largest education providers – running 38 colleges in 14 countries – will coincide with a meeting between Raffles and the Maldivian Qualification Authority (MQA) to ensure closer regulative compliance with authorities in the country.

“Realising the need for quality abroad education for Maldivian students, Raffles has decided to participate in the major education exhibition to provide the on-site consultation for potential students and their parents,” the company stated.

Representatives from the company will join with other regional and local education suppliers like Maldives-based Cyryx College at the Youth Vision 2011 Expo in Male’s Dharubaaruge exhibition hall to detail various education opportunities available to local students.

According to Raffles, 1000 to 1500 Maldivian students are estimated to be involved in higher education courses at present, a number it believes offers significant opportunity when considering the total national population of 270,000 people.

The education supplier stated that Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Australia and Egypt were believed to be the most popular destinations for Maldivians opting to study abroad.

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Haveeru stands by Maldivian terrorist report despite Interpol denial

Haveeru has stood by a report it published claiming Interpol had confirmed that two Maldivian nationals were being sought as part of an alleged plot to attack the 2011 Cricket World Cup, despite an outright denial by the international police organisation that such an investigation has taken place.

In an article appearing on the daily newspaper’s website, Haveeru published an Interpol statement calling for corrections to a report entitled “Interpol on the hunt for two Maldivians involved in planning Cricket World Cup attack”, which the organisation alleged has “serious inaccuracies”.  The Interpol statement was followed by a response from the author of the original article standing by the claims.

Both Interpol and the Maldives’ National Security Advisor yesterday released statements that said that there had been no arrests or investigations over the involvement of any Maldivian nationals in an alleged plot to strike the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup event taking place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Haveeru today responded that it was committed to the highest journalistic standards in its investigative reporting and had sought to act in the public interest without compromising any potential ongoing investigations.

“However, Haveeru Daily wishes to inform those concerned that our Colombo Correspondent, who was also a Senior Defence Correspondent for a leading Sri Lankan national English weekly, stands by his report,” the paper stated.

“Due to the highly sensitive nature of the investigations carried out up to now, our writer is not in a position to reveal more intricate details of the probes due to reasons more fully enumerated hereinafter. However, as and when investigations unfold, Haveeru Daily will reveal further details of these investigations in due course.”

The original Haveeru report can be read here.

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Government moves to outlaw tinted windows in commercial vehicles

The government has reportedly moved to ban the use of materials such as Sun-X and other solar window film products that obscure viewing the inside of taxis and other commercial vessels and vehicles in the Maldives.

Haveeru has reported that the national transport authority has acted under article 45 of the constitution and now expects all vehicles that are being used for commercial reasons to be in compliance with the new regulation by April 1 2011.

Although not directly connected to any specific case, news of the announcement follows an alleged attempt by a taxi driver in Male’ this month to sexually assault a 20-year old woman in a vehicle with darkly tinted windows.

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“Translation errors” slow Evidence Bill

Some articles of the pending Evidence Bill “made no sense at all”, Chair of Parliament’s Independent Commissions Committee Mohamed Mujitaz said today, at a press conference in parliament.

He said the bill was sent to the committee in 2009 and that MPs in the committee had noted that there were many issues with the bill.

MPs had tried to determine what sources were cited in drafting the bill, discovering that the Malaysian Evidence Act was the original source.

”But the translation of the Act was not accurate and in a Maldivian court where they speak the Dhivehi Language, judges would not be able to reach the expected verdicts with that translation,” he said.

The bill had had been sent back to the Attorney General’s office in January, he said.

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Kaafu Atoll budget frozen by Mid-North National Office, claim Councilors

The Kaafu Atoll council has been obstructed from functioning and conducting its work after the Mid-North National Office froze the budget expected by the council, reports Haveeru.

Kaafu Atoll Council’s President Ahmed Saeed told the paper that the council might be unwilling to pay the wages of the civil servants working in the council as well as the councilors.

Haveeru reported that the budget was held by the National Office due to inconsistent articles in the concerned law within the constitution.

The paper also reported that the council’s president had said that development programs scheduled were delayed and could only be commenced after it received the budget.

“We were told that the budget would not be provided until after the conclusion of the judicial procedures. The budget has not been provided to any island [council] of the atoll. The atoll has come to a halt,” he told Haveeru.

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President grants clemency to reggae artist sentenced to 10 years imprisonment

President Mohamed Nasheed has granted clemency to famous Maldivian reggae artist Haisham Mohamed, who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after one gram of cannabis was found inside his bag and his urine was found to test positive to THC, the drug’s active ingredient.

Local radio station SunFM quoted Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Service [DPRS] Director General Mohamed Rasheed saying that if persons released under parole committed an offense, the person would have to serve the annulled sentence and the punishment for the second offence as well.

Haisham, of Maafannu Loha, was arrested with a bag containing the illegal narcotics while in a resort to perform a live music show and was sentenced last year September.

The Criminal Court convicted Haisham under Article 4 [a][1] of the Drug Act after he tested positive for cannabis, an illegal substance under the Act. Haisham received five years for using the drug and five years for possession.

The judge ruled that according to witness statements, evidence, and Haisham’s own confession, he owned the bag containing illegal narcotics with which he was found.

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Cambridge invalidates Milandhoo maths results

Cambridge University has decided not to grade the O’Level mathematics papers for Milandhoo on Shaviyani Atoll, because the exam was conducted in breach of rules and regulations for examinations, reports Haveeru.

The university initially raised concerns over the similarity of students’ answers in the exam, witout

Director General of the Department of Public Examinations, Ahmed Shakeeb, said the 38 students who did the exam would receive no grade in the O-Level maths exam.

Deputy Principal of Milandhoo School Ahmed Anwar told Haveeru that the Education Ministry had yet to officially inform the school that the students marks had been invalidated.

Milandhoo ranked second in last year’s O-Level exams.

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MJA reelects office bearers unopposed

The Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) has re-elected Editor of SunFM Online, Ahmed Hiriga Zahir, as the organisation’s President.

Ali Shamaan from the Maldives Broadcasting Corporation was elected Vice President.

Other members include Administrative Secretary Adam Haleem (Deputy Editor Sun Online), Budget Secretary Midhhath Adam (Editor Dhi-TV), and General Members Ali Yusuf (Haveeru Daily) and Hussain Hassan (SunOnline).

In a statement the MJA said that office bearers were appointed without an elections process as no other names were submitted, apart from for the General Member position.

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