A newborn baby was found abandoned near the Wataniya telecommunications tower in Hulhumale’ on Thursday afternoon.
According to police, the baby girl was taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and her condition has since improved.
The umbilical cord had reportedly not been severed when she was discovered by members of the public.
Police urge anyone with information about the girl to contact either 119 or the duty officer at 9888999.
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(0)The Maldives Child Protection Database (MCPD) was launched by Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed at a special function on Thursday morning.
Established with assistance from UNICEF and the UN Children’s Fund in collaboration with the Maldives Police Service, Ministry of Health and Family, Ministry of Education and the Juvenile Justice Unit, the national database is designed to record details of reporting and followup on cases of child abuse, delinquency and gender based violence.
In his remarks, Dr Waheed said that the database would make accurate information on the incidence of child abuse and neglect more readily available, enabling better coordination among concerned agencies to expedite investigations.
(0)Dislikes(0)An art performance by renowned local artist Afzal Shafiu Hassan titled ‘Social Crisis’ took place on Thursday afternoon to call attention to the disintegration of social cohesion caused by political upheavals and partisan rivalry.
President Mohamed Nasheed attended the performance held at the Jumhooree park or Republic square.
The performance drew attention to increasing social discord and underscored the need for healthy and peaceful political discourse as well as respect for different opinions.
(0)Dislikes(0)A bill to amend the constitution proposed by Independent MP Ahmed Amir to extend the term of local councils from three years to five was rejected at yesterday’s sitting of parliament.
The first amendment proposed to the constitution did not win the required three quarters majority – 58 votes – to pass.
Of the 55 MPs who participated in the vote, 40 voted in favour and 15 against while two abstained. Three other MPs in attendance did not participate in the vote.
Historic local council elections, which will replace the centuries-old system of island and atoll chiefs appointed by the central government with elected councils, are due to place on February 5, 2011.
(0)Dislikes(0)A 20 year-old man injured in a road accident in Raa Atoll Dhuvafaru died while undergoing treatment in Trivandrum, India on Monday.
According to police, Ali Shabeen, Raa Kandholudhoo Fehikokaage, was in the back of a motorcycle when it collided with a pickup on November 17.
The collision threw Shabeen into the air and he crashed into the wall of a nearby mosque, sustaining serious head injuries and a broken arm.
While the man driving the motorcycle was bruised in the accident, the pickup driver escaped unharmed.
(0)Dislikes(0)A crew member who went missing on Tuesday night from a Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) vessel docked at the West-side harbour of Hulhumale’ was found dead yesterday in the lagoon.
Police revealed that the 24 year-old Maldivian man was reported missing at about 2.15pm on Wednesday morning.
The body was discovered by divers from the Marine Police and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) at about 12pm yesterday.
(0)Dislikes(0)Private hospital ADK in Male’ introduced mammography and digital x-ray services for the first time in the country, reports Haveeru.
The service was launched by former employee and Male’ MP Ahmed ‘X-ray’ Athif at a ceremony at the hospital yesterday.
According to CEO Ahmed Nashid, the new equipment cost about Rf10 million (US$778,210) and a foreign specialist has been brought in to operate the machines
While the hospital will charge a Rf600 fee for the service, it will be offered for free to the first 25 customers as part of an inaugural promotion.
Speaking at the ceremony, Managing Director Ahmed Afaal said that the use of digital x-rays will reduce the impact on the environment caused by the chemicals used to produce the films.
Statistics show an upward trend in the incidence of breast cancer in the Maldives.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldives has topped of the easiest countries in which to pay tax as a result of a narrower stream of revenue focused on tourism and hotels, claims a new report by analysts PricewaterhouseCoopers
The 2011 Paying Taxes study, jointly compiled with the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), found that the more simplified tax revenues of a smaller, hospitality-focused global economy like the Maldives have generally allowed for more effective means of raising government revenue.
PWC accepted that tourism and hospitality are sectors not included among the Doing Business indicators set out by both the IFC and World Bank as part of the basis for the report.
These indicators, which relate particularly to manufacturing economies, are devised to try and rank regulation and red tape that impact taxation and business process.
The report’s authors suggested that the findings are not a measure of the fiscal health of national economies or the provision of public services that may be supported by their tax revenue. However, the inclusion of the Maldives among the nations found to be the easiest to pay tax reflected the importance of keeping systems as “simple and clear” as possible to ensure quick and easy transactions, the authors claimed.
“Compliance with tax laws is important to keep the system working for all and to support the programmes and services that improve lives,” the report stated.
After the Maldives; Qatar, Hong Kong, China and Singapore filled out the report’s top five nations in terms of ease of tax payments. Ukraine, the Central African Republic and Belarus were labelled the three most difficult economies in which to deal with tax payments by the report, which ranked the countries 181st, 182nd and 183rd respectively.
The full report can be downloaded here.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldives has been designated the “World’s Most Romantic Destination” in the World Travel Awards for the second time, beating other nominees including New York, Paris, Tuscany and Venice.
The destination also won ‘leading cruise destination’ and ‘honeymoon destination’ for the Indian Ocean category.
The World Travel Awards also listed the Maldives as the Leading Cruise Destination and Honeymoon Destination in the Indian Ocean, a regional category where it also scooped the Leading Beach and Leading Island destination gongs.
A number of international resort groups operating in the country were also awarded during the evening, with Adaaran picking up an accolade in competition for the World’s Leading Water Villa title.
Companies Banyan Tree and Six Senses also walked away with awards in the areas of World’s Leading Corporate Social Responsibly programme and Leading Luxury Resort Brand respectively.
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