Category: News in Brief

Somali pirates kill four US hostages

Somali pirates have shot and killed four US hostages aboard a hijacked yacht, ‘The Quest’, prompting US Special Forces to storm the vessel.

Two pirates were killed by the soldiers, while the bodies of two more pirates were also found on board. 15 pirates were arrested and taken aboard the nearby USS Enterprise aircraft carrier for extradition to the US.

Somali pirates claimed the four hostages were killed in retaliation for a preemptive strike by US forces.

“Our colleagues called us this morning [saying] that they were being attacked by a US warship,” said a pirate to news agency Reuters over the telephone.

“The US warship shot in the head two of my comrades who were on the deck of the yacht by the time they alerted us. This is the time we ordered the other comrades inside the yacht to react – kill the four Americans because there was no other alternative – then our line got cut.”

Another pirate from a Somali pirate haven told Reuters that “the killing of those four Americans and our comrades is a fair game that has started. Everybody will react if his life is in danger. We should not agree to be killed and let the hostages be freed.”

The claims were dismissed by the US Navy, which had been negotiating for the release of the hostages.

The hostages were identified as Jean and Scott Adam, from Los Angeles and holidaymakers Macay and Bob Riggle, from Seattle.

US authorities have recently voiced concern that pirate activity is moving further into the Indian Ocean, towards the Maldives.

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Cabinet tackles foreign currency shortage, corruption

Cabinet has agreed to strengthen the regulations regarding foreign currency exchange in a bid to curb ongoing dollar shortages in the Maldives.

Ministers agreed to expedite measures to ease the difficulties faced by the Maldivian population due to the ongoing shortage.

During Tuesday’s cabinet meeting ministers also approved the Maldives’ participation in the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA).

IACA is a joint initiative by the United National Office on Drugs and Crime, Austria, European Anti-Fraud Office and other stakeholders. IACA aims to overcome current shortcomings in knowledge and practice in the field of anti-corruption.

In a statement the President’s Office said that the Maldives’ participation in IACA would be “a huge step forward in its fight against corruption.”

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Wataniya confirms appointment of MNBC chief as new CEO

Mobile operator Wataniya has confirmed the appointment of former head of the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC), Ibrahim Khaleel, as the company’s new CEO in the Maldives.

“The Board of Directors have welcomed iconic Maldivian figure, [Ibrahim] Khaleel to take the helm as we push forward in our voyage,” Watanyia said in a statement.

Khaleel, the company said, had “years of experience in the media industry, most recently as the charismatic Managing Director of MNBC.”

“Mr Khaleel has the strong professional credentials and proven ability to lead performance-driven teams. He brings with him a ‘war chest’ of local experience, especially in terms of rich media content and customer interactive media.”

Khaleeel will succeed outgoing Chief Operations Officer (COO) Abraham Smith, on March 1.

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Kingfisher Airlines applies for permission for daily Mumbai-Male’ flights

Indian airline Kingfisher has applied for permission to launch a daily flight between Male’ and Mumbai from mid-March, reports Indian travel media.

The move would coincide with growing interest in the Maldives in the Indian tourism market, and the competitive off-season in the island nation during the European summer.

Air India flies daily to Bangalore and also runs a daily flight to Trivandrum.

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet has previously received permission to fly to the Maldives, however it has not made use of this so far.

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MNBC managing director resigns

Managing Director of Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) Ibrahim Khaleel has resigned, reports Haveeru this morning, after sending his resignation letter to President Mohamed Nasheed.

Haveeru reported “reliable sources” as claiming that Khaleel was to take over as CEO of the country’s second largest telecoms firm, Wataniya.

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New UK High Commissioner, Vietnamese Ambassador present credentials

The new British High Commissioner to the Maldives, John Rankin, has presented his credentials to President Mohamed Nasheed.

During the ceremony, Nasheed thanked the High Commissioner for the UK’s assistance in introducing and consolidating democracy in the Maldives, and discussed the political and economic situation in the country.

Nasheed also raised the struggle for democracy in Egypt, and called on Western countries to support rather than fear the forces of democracy in Muslim countries.

Rankin succeeds Dr Peter Hayes at the UK’s High Commission in Colombo. He has served as Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Dublin, working on the Northern Ireland peace process, and was Her Majesty’s Consul General in Boston between 2003 and 2007.

The new Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Tan also presented his credentials to President Nasheed.

The pair discussed the potential to increase cooperation between the Maldives and Vietnam, such as expanding the local aquaculture industry.

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Home Ministry confirms council swearing-in date

Council members officially confirmed to have won seats during the country’s first local council elections held this month will take an oath of office this Saturday (26 February), according to the Home Ministry.

Haveeru reported that city, atoll and island councillors that were not required to take part in a second round of elections would attend swearing-in ceremonies that will begin at 9am on Saturday.

Each of the respective ceremonies will be held locally; with island councillors swearing-in within their constituencies and their atoll counterparts travelling to their respective capital islands to be inaugurated.

According to Haveeru, the Home Ministry has called for members of the public to attend the ceremonies in an attempt to harbour a sense of national spirit about the occasions.

While the majority of councillors selected during the council elections will be taking part on the ceremony, some positions still remain up for grabs after a second round of voting was announced last week in five constituencies.

EC Vice President Ahmed Hassan Fayaz confirmed that a second round of voting would be taking place on 12 March 2011 in Baa atoll Kihaadhoo, Raa atoll Dhuvaafaru, Gaaf Alif atoll Kolamaafushi, Haa Dhaal atoll Kumundhoo, and Meemu atoll Veyvah to reselect a fifth respective council candidate.

The decision was taken due to claims that an equal number of votes for each constituency were received by contestants for the fifth and final seat.

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Libyan protests spread to capital after Gaddafi uses African mercenaries to quell uprising

Protests that erupted in the Libyan city of Benghazi have spread to the capital, after a vicious military crackdown that opposition supporters are claiming may have killed up to 200.

Despite the news blackout, yesterday reports of assorted incidents filtered out from the country, often over the phone to news media. Libyans accused their leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of using mercenaries from Chad to attack protesters, deploy sniper teams firing indiscriminately on protesters, and even of firing an anti-aircraft missile to disperse a crowd. A cleric told the BBC he had seen a tank crush a car containing two passengers, another said African mercenaries has shot and killed a two year-old boy.

Last night Gaddafi’s son Saif Gaddafi appeared on state television and warned that the overthrow of the 42 year regime could lead to civil war. At least one military battalion has sided with the demonstrators following the Benghazi crackdown.

The BBC’s Middle East correspondent Jon Leyne described Saif Gaddafi’s rambling speech as “one of the strangest political speeches I think I’ve ever sat through. He was completely and utterly detached from the reality of what is going on in his country.”

“To put it bluntly, most Libyans will just treat it as gibberish – it was completely meaningless to them. The idea that they’re somehow going to sit down and have a national dialogue with a government that’s brought in foreign mercenaries to shoot at them is laughable.”

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ADK dentist handed to police

A 55 year-old orthodontist at ADK hospital in Male has been handed to police after the discovery that he had fled the US facing charges of child molestation.

According to a 1997 report in the New York Times, Kenneth D’Cunha was accused of fleeing the US to escape charges of involvement in a Manhattan pedophile ring and in particular, the sodomy of three young boys.

“Prosecutors said he was part of a ring of men who gave teen-age boys drugs and cash in exchange for sex. The ring was broken up in 1986. Five members of the ring were found guilty. Mr D’Cunha was charged but fled the country,” the NYT reported.

He was eventually discovered by chance 11 years later working in New Zealand when he sued an employer for wrongful dismissal, and was extradited to the  United States. He appeared in the State Supreme Court of Manhattan and pleaded not guilty, and was eventually released.

ADK Managing Director Ahmed Afal told Haveeru that hospital management had received complaints from staff. The Indian doctor was still in his probationary period and had been cleared by the Maldives Medical Council, Afal said.

Maldivian police said the dentist was being investigated.

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