Category: News in Brief

MNDF steps up patrols against pirate threat

Maldives National Defense Force has increase its patrols in the western waters of the Maldives because of the number of dinghies from Africa being sighted, reports Miadhu.

Lieutenant Ahmed Mujuthaba told Miadhu that the patrols were being conducted with the assistance of neighbouring countries.

Suspicious dinghies have been spotted in the north, central and southern areas of the Maldives during the past six months, he revealed to Miadhu, although he added that they were more likely to have strayed rather than be engaging in piracy.

Several weeks ago a Somali man narrowly escaped being buried after a dinghy containing him and five other men was recovered near Makunudhoo in Haadhaalu Atoll.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Motorbike collides with car on Addu link Road

A motorbike collided with a parked car on the Addu link road yesterday.

Police reported that an 18 year-old male on the motorbike was seriously injured.

A 17 year-old boy who was on the back seat of the motorbike was also injured during the accident.

Police reported that the two injured have been admitted to Addu regional hospital.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Street bike stunt performer Chris Pfeiffer shows off in Addu

Street bike champion Chris Pfeiffer has amazed “dozens” of supporters in Hithadhoo, reports Haveeru.

Pfeiffer, who has won the World Street Bike Free-style Riding Championship in Germany four times and secured a place in the Guinness Book of Records, was touring Addu Atoll last week showing off his skills as part of a marketing campaign for Red Bull. He will perform in Male on Friday.

Haveeru noted that  “But overall, we believe that this event was a huge success. So we thank the assistance and support of police and Addu residents.”

“I should say that the event held at Feydhoo was a huge success. But the Hithadhoo event did not attract much supporters, as the timing was not good,” Red Bull’s distributor in the Maldives, Mohamed Fahmy, told Haveeru.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Optional Dhivehi subject will kill the language: expert

Making Dhivehi  an optional subject at A-level will erode and kill the language, according to Dhivehi language expert Abdulla Sadhig.

Miadhu reported Sadhig as saying that students who completed their secondary education learned very little of the language, particularly the grammar.

The subject were considered the “most boring” subjects among many students, Sadhig said, and it was more important to improve the quality of the teaching that to make the subject optional.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Sri Lanka can learn from the Maldives: Sunday Times

Fancy sharply pruning down the cost of the president’s office or any government ministry or department for that matter? Maybe we can learn some lessons from the Maldives, a tiny island state which is having a major voice in the global climate change debate, writes the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka.

Young, vibrant, frank and honest, the young Nasheed has enforced some cuts which to most governments would be impossible. Consider this: The President’s Palace (residence) and its 300-strong staff previously cost the government 400 million rufiya (about $30.7 million) to run. The new President has cut it, virtually to the bone, and now the cost of running the residence is 27 million rufiya! How? He has moved to a smaller house and cut staff at the residence to 23.

The island nation of more than 1000 atolls has undertaken a stringent cost cutting exercise to rid the country of extravagant spending and channelling all this valuable money to social spending including a new social insurance scheme. This is happening under the new regime of Mohamed Nasheed who was elected President of the Maldives in November 2008, ending the 30-year reign of Mamoon Abdul Gayoom.

Read more

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

STO profits drop 10% in 2009

Profits of the State Trading Organisation (STO) dropped 10 percent in 2009 to Rf140 million, reports Haveeru.

The company received Rf3.8 billion in revenue last year, a 35 percent decline from 2008 (Rf5.9 billion).

The company directors’ report blamed the impact of the worldwide economic recession and a drop in imports due to the dollar shortage.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MNDF rescues stranded vessel in six hours

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) rescued a vessel with a damaged engine after six hours, reports Haveeru.

The news paper reported that the boat was stranded near Gaafaru in Kaafu (Male) Atoll, while an MNDF vessel was also stationed in the atoll.

Haveeru reported an MNDF official saying that rough seas and bad weather contributed to the delay, and that six hours was not late considering the circumstances.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)