Category: News in Brief

Wataniya to introduce 4G service to the Maldives

Wataniya has said it is preparing to launch a 4G network service to the Maldives for the first time.

”The introduction of single RAN aligns with the government’s strategies towards carbon neutrality with over 54 per-cent reduction in power consumption per site,” Wataniya said in a statement. ”Battery life has also increased from 4 hours to 16 hours, and in terms of size, there is more than 80 per-cent in reduction of footprint.”

”Wataniya will soon be testing the 4G network, and over the course of the year, will be introducing new products and services,” said the telco.

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Gayoom accepted “concerning” election results “for the sake of people’s security”

Former President and ‘Honorary Leader’ of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has said that the current government is attempting to erase Islamic education from the Maldives, reports local newspaper Haveeru.

At a rally last night held on Villingili, Haveeru reported Gayoom as saying that citizens “are again in need of a change.”

”I have to say that people are now in need of change. The way things are going now is not the way people want it to be,” said the former President. “Our economy has gone down, respect for the constitution and laws have totally disappeared, violence and assault have become widespread and extreme, thousands of people are unemployed, and the amount of money they earn has decreased,” Haveeru quoted the former president saying.

”The religion of Islam is treated very poorly – you will know the disturbance and troubles caused to the Islamic education centres.”

Gayoom also raised concerns of vote rigging during the Presidential Elections in 2008, and urged people “to have sharp eyes on the Local Council Elections.”

He claimed to have accepted the result of the election “for the sake of people’s security”, Haveeru reported Gayoom as saying.

The former President came out of retirement to campaign for the DRP ahead of the local council elections on February 5.

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President’s Fainu visit the first in 28 years

President Mohamed Nasheed’s visit to Fainu in Raa Atoll was the first time a President has visited the island in 28 years, the President’s Office has claimed.

Speaking to the islanders as part of his campaign prior to the local council elections, Nasheed said it was important for leaders to experience first-hand the difficulties faced by islanders in their daily lives.

Larger islands such as Fainu had a role to play in the development of mid-market tourism in the country, Nasheed said, linking this to the development of the transport network.

The island’s harbour project had been contracted to a third party and was to be finished by the end of the year, he said.

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Man arrested for caging six year-old boy

Police have arrested a man for putting a six year-old boy in a cage, reports Manadhoo Live.

Manadhoo reported that the offender accused the boy of stealing a chicken from the cage, and locked him inside the cage as a punishment for the alleged offense. The man was not a relative of the boy, it added.

According to the paper, the man put called the police to report the theft of the chickens after he had caged the boy.

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National library donates books to rehab centres

The National Library will donate books to prisons and rehabilitation centres in the Maldives, reports Haveeru.

The Library’s Director General Ibrahim Shiyam told the local newspaper that the library would begin a new series of projects to encourage reading in the Maldives, train more librarians, and fund donations of books and resources to other libraries our of its own budget.

Books and bookshelves will be  donated to  prisons and rehabilitation centres as part of the National Day celebrations, Shiyam said.

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Police arrest crocodile

Police have caught and detained a four foot-long crocodile in Thaa Atoll.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that the animal was caught on a uninhabited island in Thaa Atoll, after it was discovered by a group of people picnicking on the island.

”It is now in police custody,” said Shiyam. ”Police had to catch it because it was a very dangerous species of animal.”

Shiyam said police had not yet decided what to do with the crocodile, and had informed the Environment Ministry about the crocodile. However State Environment Minister Ahmed Ali Manik said he had no information about the creature.

A nine foot-long crocodile, ‘Kimboo’, is kept in the Kudakudhinge Bageecha (children’s park) in Male’, after it was caught by Maldives National Defence Force cadets in 1998.

In July 2010, students at Billabong High School in Male’ launched a campaign to ‘Save Kimboo’, due to the small size of its enclosure and poor treatment.

Kimboo occasionally makes it into local media and even has his own Facebook page calling for his release, but so far nothing has eventuated.
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Foster parents found for abandoned baby

The government has selected a foster family for the baby girl who was found abandoned on Hulhumale’ beach on November 25, with the umbilical cord still attached.

Haveeru reported Deputy Health Minister Mariya Ali as saying the family was selecting “after considering the condition of the baby.”

“The panel decided that the couple was the most suitable as they are well educated and are in good health,” Haveeru reported her as saying.

The ministry is also drafting regulations to govern fostering, Haveeru added.

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MDP to submit minimum wage bill

A bill governing the minimum wage of people employed in the Maldives has been sent to parliament by MDP Parliamentary Group Leader ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, reports Haveeru.

“Some salaries are increasing day by day,’ Moosa told Haveeru, in reference to the recently-passed MP Privileges Bill, which grants MPs an Rf20,000 ‘committee allowance’ on told of their existing Rf 62,500 salary package.

“It is important for everyone working in the Maldives to be certain of the minimum wage that can be given to them, that is a right of every citizen. That’s why this bill is being drafted,” Moosa said.

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