Category: News in Brief

Police seek cooperation to stop gang violence

Police are launching a major operation to minimise gang violence, reports Miadhu.

Police have communicated with the courts, the Prosecutor General’s office, People’s Majlis and the media.

Police said gang violence is rising, and a gang-related case is reported to the Police every 27 minutes. There have been thirteen deaths and many injuries in the last three years relating to these cases.

Police said the main reasons behind gang violence were lack of education, unemployment and drugs. Police said most gang members were aged between 15 and 21.

Police Commissioner Faseeh asked the media for their full cooperation. He said full cooperation from all concerned members was essential in abating crime.

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President Nasheed meets with President and PM of Iceland

President Mohamed Nasheed arrived in Iceland on Friday morning as part of his European tour, meeting the country’s President Ólafur Grímsson.

The presidents discussed issues of mutual concern like climate change, which President Nasheed said was a very real threat to the world and was an issue to be tackled urgently.

President Nasheed commended Iceland’s policy to make renewable energy their main source of energy. He said both developed and developing countries could learn from Iceland in this respect.

President Nasheed said cooperation between both countries could be strengthened in both the fisheries industry and in renewable energy. He sought Iceland’s assistance in these areas.

President Ólafur Grímsson expressed his wish to strengthen relations with the Maldives, and assured President Nasheed of his country’s support and assistance.

President Nasheed later met with Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and discussed ways of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

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President attends ‘Maldivian Night’ tourism event in Berlin

As part of his on-going European tour, President Mohamed Nasheed participated in Maldivian Night, a tourism event organised by the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) on Wednesday in Berlin.

The function was attended by major tour operators and the media. President Nasheed discussed the Maldivian tourism industry, saying that after a downturn in previous months, tourist arrivals were now picking up.

He said the private sector had done a lot of hard work to make the industry strong and resilient. He added that government wants to stay out of the tourism business and act as a regulator to facilitate its growth.

The president also launched a new tourism advertisement, made in association with the National Geographic Channel, which focuses on environmental preservation.

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President urges Majlis to think sensibly when voting on Armed Forces Act

In his weekly national address on the Voice of Maldives, President Mohamed Nasheed has urged the People’s Majlis to take national security into consideration when voting on the bill to amend the Armed Forces Act.

President Nasheed said according to the Constitution, “I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces” and he could not “allow any disruptions and divisions among the Armed Forces.”

The president said requiring Majlis’ approval in appointing high-ranking military officials was “undue interference” and it could be a barrier against national security, progress and peace.

President Nasheed added that he would “not allow any party to interfere” with national security or his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

He hoped members of the Majlis would think sensibly before voting on the bill.

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President sends condolences after passing of Sheikh Tantawi in Egypt

Hearing of the passing of the Grand Imam of the al-Azhar Mosque and head of the al-Azhar University in Cairo, President Mohamed Nasheed sent a message of condolence to Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak.

The president said he was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, 81, who was “a strong voice for the universal Islamic values of peace and tolerance.”

President Nasheed said Tantawi’s death was a great loss to “all those moderate voices in Islam.”

He sent sincere sympathies on the behalf of the people and government of the Maldives to the president, government and people of Egypt, as well as Sheikh Tantawi’s family.

Sheikh Tantawi passed away in Riyadh on Wednesday 10 March. He was buried in Madinah at Jannatul Baqee cemetery after funeral prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque.

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Maldivian fishing depends on British appetite for fish, claims Telegraph

Britain is “essential” to the Maldivian economy, claims an article on the country’s fishing industry published in the Telegraph.

Following a day in the life of a Maldivian fishing vessel, the article does not refer to the government’s recent deliberations over whether to permit environmentally damaging long-line fishing methods in order to make the industry more competitive.

“The appetite for fresh tuna in Western countries has encouraged fishermen to hunt using hi-tech methods that are not permitted in the Maldives,” the article notes.

Journalist Rose Prince travelled to the Maldives with Paul Willgoss, the technical director of UK retailer Marks & Spencer.

“The Maldives have an opportunity to become iconic in the way they manage their fishing,” Willgoss told Prince. “It is up to us to help them increase their returns and take the earnings back to the people of these islands.”

Marks & Spencer imports 700 tons of yellow fin from the Maldives each year, all of it stamped ‘pole-and-line’.

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President Nasheed attends opening ceremony of ITB

President Mohamed Nasheed attended the official opening ceremony for the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) 2010 travel fair in Berlin on Tuesday night.

The ITB is the world’s leading travel trade show, with as many as 11,127 exhibitors gathering for this year’s show. Travel destinations, tour operators, booking systems, carriers, hotels and other service providers and suppliers were represented at the fair.

The Maldives Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) and other tourism operators from the Maldives participated at the ITB.

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President Nasheed meets with German Minister of State

President Mohamed Nasheed met yesterday with German Minister of State Dr Wener Hoyer.

The meeting was held at the Federal Foreign Office on 9 March. The president and the minister discussed the importance of a binding global climate treaty.

President Nasheed said the Maldives is communicating with other countries, including members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) to ensure a common understanding is reached before COP16 climate summit in Mexico later this year.

Dr Hoyer said Germany is also working with other EU members to reach an understanding on climate change.

President Nasheed discussed other areas of possible cooperation between the two nations, mainly the strengthening of the Maldivian legal and judicial sectors. He sought German assistance to improve the institutional capacity of these sectors.

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Two men injured in a accident

A car and motorbike have collided near Giyasudeen School, injuring two men.

Police reported the incident occurred at 2:30pm yesterday.

The motorbike went against the traffic lights and hit the car, according to police.

The person riding the motorbike was under the age of 18 and did not possess a driving license, police said.

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