Category: News in Brief

Faris Maumoon appointed PPM Media Coordinator

Minister of State for Economic Development Faris Maumoon has been appointed as media coordinator for the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

Faris – son of former President and PPM leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – was nominated for the role at a party meeting held yesterday evening (January 19), reports media.

The position is said to have been vacant up to now, but is mandated within the party’s regulations.

It was also reported that the party agreed to hold a meeting of its national council next year.

Source: Sun Online, Raajje.mv

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MMA announces finalists in new rufiyya note design competition

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) has announced the three proposals shortlisted for the competition to design the new Maldivian currency notes.

The shortlisted proposals were presented by Abdulla Nashath, Afzal Shafium, and the team of Mohamed Rassam, Hussein Shihab, and Ali Nishaf Rasheed. These three parties will present their designs on February 25.

Proposals for the new notes to be released on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Maldivian independence were evaluated by an advisory committee of 13 members comprising of representatives from various technical fields including history, art, language, and economics.

The MMA board of directors will make the final decision on which designs will be printed after considering the evaluation of the advisory committee.

After initially inviting designs for notes in September, the MMA extended the November 30 deadline for one month after concluding that the 60 submitted designs were all unsuitable for bank notes.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Indian state employees granted travel concessions on trips to Maldives

India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation will provide leave travel concessions (LTC) for state employees travelling to the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Nepal in an effort to boost regional tourism among SAARC member nations, reports The Financial Express.

State employees will require approval from the ministry in order to utilise the LTC on Air India when flying to the selected countries.

Senior government officials were reported as saying the move is expected to enhance tourism, and subsequently economic development, in the South Asian region.

“There are around two million government employees. With the extension of the LTC scheme there is bound to be greater tourist inflow and outflow with these countries,” an Indian government official is quoted as saying.

Air India currently operates 14 flights to the Maldives per week – between Malé, Trivandrum, and Bangalore – although Indian tourists make up less than four percent of the million-plus visitors to the Indian Ocean archipelago each year.

During the 18th SAARC Summit held in Nepal last November Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed the need for increased regional connectivity noting that “it is still harder to travel within our region than to Bangkok or Singapore, and more expensive to speak to each other”.

The conclusion of the summit saw the signing of the Kathmandu Declaration which called ‘Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity’.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Beijing to ‘publicly shame’ unruly Chinese tourists when abroad: Washington Post

“On Friday, Chinese state media reported Beijing was taking new measures to combat a growing problem: the embarrassing behaviour of Chinese tourists when abroad,” reports the Washington Post.

“After a spate of incidents involving Chinese nationals abroad, Li Jinzao, head of China’s National Tourism Administration, was reported to have said that records would be kept of problem tourists, with tourists “ranked” on the severity of their misbehaviour. These tourists would receive messages reminding them to behave when they land at their destination. If they disobeyed, they would be punished.

Li also announced a new tactic to improve tourists’ behaviour: Public shaming. He encouraged Chinese tourists to take photos or video of bad behaviour they spot and pass it on to authorities. The evidence would then be publicised.

Over the past few years, the behaviour of some Chinese citizens when abroad has become a source of ire for the nation. Online, many stories of Chinese tourists showing a lack of civility or behaving selfishly have become viral sensations: There was the Chinese teenager who defaced a 3,500-year-old temple in Egypt, for example, and the group of Chinese tourists who washed their feet at the Louvre in Paris.”

Read more

Likes(1)Dislikes(0)

31-year-old critical after Malé knife attack

A 31-year-old Bangladeshi national has been left in a critical condition after being stabbed in the stomach in Malé last night (January 17), reports media.

The man had been working on the reception desk of the Inama guest house in Malé when the incident occurred.

He was taken to ADK Hospital after the attack, which is said to have occurred at aroung 11:20pm.

The prevalence of knife crime – particularly in the capital Malé – resulted in five deaths in 2014, prompting the government to amend laws covering sharp weapons, reducing the rights of suspects following arrest.

“The most important aims of this administration is to ensure the streets of Malé and the islands are safe. Today, the strongest bill required for this task has been passed,” said President Abdulla Yameen following the amendments to legislation last month.

Source: Haveeru, Raajje.mv

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

China donates 150 motorcycles to Maldives police

China has donated 150 motorcycles to the Maldives Police Service in order to help improve the force’s operational capacity.

The police website revealed today that the bikes were currently being assembled by police, working alongside Chinese mechanics, after having arrived in the country a few days ago.

An official ceremony for the handing over of the vehicles will be held in the near future.

In addition to contributing over 300,000 tourists to the Maldives every year and pledging assistance in a number of major infrastructure projects, the Chinese government has also given other gifts to the Maldives in recent months.

After handing 200 waste bins and 200,000 LED lights to the Maldivian government last November, China last month gifted cultural items, which included books, ethnic costumes, musical instruments, and Chinese crafts.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Civil Aviation Authority assures all domestic airlines meet international standards

The Maldives Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has responded to claims that Maldivian based airlines are among the world’s most unsafe.

The authority stated that allegations regarding the safety and maintenance of airlines based in the Maldives are baseless and untrue and that Maldivian civil aviation standards are in line with the best practice set up by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The statement comes in response to the world’s only airline ratings website, www.airlineratings.com, stating that three airlines operating in the Maldives – Maldivian, Trans Maldivian Airways, and Maldivian Air Taxi – failed to reach adequate safety standards.

According to the website, its editorial team had examined the “operational history, incident records and operational excellence” of 449 airlines.

The Maldivian aviation authority has also noted that a technical team from the organisation visited Maldives for its yearly audit of safety features of domestic airlines, finding that domestic airlines operating in Maldives were in line with international standards.

“In this respect, this authority regularly audits all airlines to ensure their safety standards are within ICAO standards and recommended practices”, the statement continued.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Environment Minister attends International Renewable Energy Agency session

Environment minister Thoriq Ibrahim has told the plenary session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to take the lead in creating space for renewable energy technologies.

The Abu Dhabi based international organisation began its fifth session today, with Thoriq leading the Maldivian delegation and stressing the importance of IRENA in pushing countries to transform toward renewable energy.

IRENA counts over 100 states and the European Union as members, both supporting and providing a platform for international cooperation on the adoption of sustainable energy.

Thoriq also briefed the plenary session on the Maldives’ efforts to transform its own energy sector, revealed last year in the Accelerating Sustainable Private Investments in Renewable Energy programme (ASPIRE).

The ASPIRE programme aims to increase the proportion of sustainable energy consumed in the country by developing solar panel projects and fostering private sector participation for the development of renewable energy on the islands.

It was also announced in September that the government had a five-year target to generate 30 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources, though the government has also pledged to search for oil within the Maldives’ territorial waters.

More than 170 countries and representatives from 50 organisations are participating in the 2 day IRENA assembly, explained the Maldives Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Bangladesh appoints new High Commissioner to Maldives

Bangladesh has appointed a new high commissioner to the Maldives, with Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain to replace the recently departed ‎Rear Admiral Abu Saeed Mohamed Abdul Awal.

After joining the Bangladeshi navy in 1980, Hossain has served as director general of the coast guard and in the UN Peace Keeping Mission in Ivory Coast, reports Bangladeshi media. He also holds a Masters degree in Defence Studies.

Bangladeshi labourers make up the majority of the estimated 120,000 expatriate workers in the Maldives, with human trafficking and labour management issues a major focal point of bilateral relations.

Source: Dhaka Tribune

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)