Category: News in Brief

EC publishes voter registry for council elections

The Elections Commission (EC) has published the list of eligible voters for the upcoming local council elections on February 5, 2011.

The commission announced yesterday that complaint forms regarding registry issues will now be available from its website and office as well as island and atoll offices.

Following a verification process, an updated list will be published in the government gazette at a later date.

Meanwhile, candidates have been invited to lodge applications starting 9am tomorrow to 4pm on December 8.

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Taliban true to Islamic Ideology, claims Pakistani Tourism Minister

Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Tourism has said that the Taliban truly represent Islamic ideology, resulting in their vilification by the United States of America, according to local media reports in the country.

Maulana Attaur Rehman was reported by the Pakistan-based newspaper Dawn to have made the claims at a public gathering in the country this week, claiming terrorism cannot be defeated unless the US and the world gave respect and equal rights to “the muslims”.

Rehman is a member of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam political party, the newspaper adds.

“Ulema and Taliban are the true followers of Islamic ideology and America is the biggest terrorist of the world, which is creating hatred against them,” said Rehman.

“It is a misconception that ulema and Taliban are against coexistence of people with different religions, in fact it is America which is against the interfaith harmony to maintain its hegemony on the world,” he added.

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RAF man says Gan reunion the inspiration for Addu Atoll hospital fund

A recent return to Gan for one former member of Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) has reportedly been the inspiration for a fund aiming to strengthen medical facilities on the island.

Richard Houlston, from Devon in the UK, spent a year of his RAF service in Addu Atoll between 1969 and 1970, where he worked to maintain transmission equipment to support a nearby British airbase operated from Gan, reports the Express & Echo newspaper, published in Exeter in the UK.

Speaking to the newspaper, Houlston said that the Gan Scholarship Fund, which hopes to raise about £10,000 (Rf202,664) to provide training and equipment in order to try and boost medical facilities in the area, was formed after a visit to the island by 28 airmen the island earlier this year.

After being greeted and looked after by the people of Addu Atoll during a visit, which also included time for a spot of diving, Houlston said the airmen were concerned by the standards of healthcare available to local people.

“There is a hospital on the island of Hithadhoo, where I was working, but it struggles to give anything more than a basic service,” he told the paper. “The closest proper hospital is in India, over 1,000 miles away.”
At present, Houlston said £1,600 (Rf32,000) has been raised for the fund.

The RAF were based at Gan from the early 1950s to the mid 1970s.

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Group attacks ‘Scoop’ with smoke bomb

A group of people attacked well known restaurant ‘Scoop’ in Chandhanee Magu with a smoke bomb on Monday evening.

The police forensic team attended the restaurant and took the remains of the smoke bomb for investigation.

A person from the restaurant told Minivan News that the group came and threw the smoke bomb and ran away.

”There were lots of customers inside the place when they attacked,” he said. ”They were all forced to move out from the place as the whole place was covered with smoke.”

He said he did not see the attackers as they “were quick” and the attack was “a shock”.

”It was a handmade bomb of foil and some other materials,” he said.

Police Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the police attended the scene and took the remains of the material.

”It is too early to say it was a deliberate attack,” he added.

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Shaheeb Consultancy journalism course commences

A 10-day journalism course conducted by Shaheeb Media Consultancy commenced this week with 60 students, reports SunFM.

The course, run by the consultancy firm in collaboration with MNBC One and Maldives Polytechnic, aims to offer an instruction in basic journalism and writing skills as well as information on the challenges faced by the burgeoning free press in the Maldives.

The students, most of whom recently completed their O’ Levels, are charged a course fee of Rf2,500 (US$195) to enrol.

Shaheeb, CEO of the first media consultancy firm in the country, explained that the course is intended to help school leavers choosing journalism as a profession to kick-start their careers.

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Maldives Customs Service celebrates 120 years of operation

The Maldives Customs Service yesterday celebrated 120 years of operation at a special function at the Dharubaaruge exhibition hall in Male’.

The event, attended by Vice President Mohamed Waheed, was held to commemorate the work of Customs officials in the country as well as to launch a Strategic Plan from next year that will outline the department’s work up to 2013.

Alongside playing a ‘big role’ in matters of national security and drug prevention, the Vice President also claimed that the expansion of the service to a number of regions around the country has been a vital contributor to wider development issues, particularly in terms of the economy.

Speaking at the ceremony, State Minister for Home Affairs Mohamed Aswan, acting head of customs, said that promoting public confidence in customs services and “improving the public image of customs” would be a main priority in the coming year.

According to local daily Haveeru, Aswan said that a number of reforms will also be made to change procedures, apply risk management principles in all sectors and introduce information technology facilities.

Aswan revealed that changes will be made in valuation for import duties when a customs bill currently before parliament is passed to adhere to valuation agreements with the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Established in 1890, Maldives Customs currently has over 700 staff in eight regional offices. It became a member of the World Customs Association in September 1995.

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MDP concludes primaries for Male’ city council

The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) conducted primaries in the capital yesterday to choose its 11 candidates for the Male’ city council.

Provisional results show that Male’ municipality president ‘Sarangu’ Adam Manik received the most number of votes in the primaries.

The winning candidates from yesterday’s primary who will contest on the MDP ticket for the local council elections on February 5 are ‘Maizan’ Ali Manik for Hulhu-Henveiru, Lufshan Shakeeb for Mid-Henveiru, Mohamed Abdul Kareem for Henveiru South, Mohamed Afrah Haleel for Galolhu North, Adam Manik for Machangoalhi South, Mohamed Aiman for Maafanu South and Arham Hussein for Vili-Maafanu.

The rest of the candidates – Abdulla Shafeeq for Galolhu South, Ahmed Samah Rasheed for Maafanu North, Mohamed Falah for Maafanu West and “Jambu” Hassan Afeef for Machangoalhi North – ran uncontested.

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Taliban factions “rub shoulders with the jet-set and dodge women in bikinis”: BBC

The incredible natural beauty of the Maldives, its blue waters and warm welcome are not only a main attraction for honeymooners, sun-worshippers and divers – they also seemed to go down pretty well with the rather different visitors from Afghanistan, writes Daud Qarizadah for the BBC.

“Afghanistan is land-locked and for many of those present, this was the first time they had seen the sea. Some had never even left Afghanistan before.

“One first-time delegate in the Maldives said: “It is a beautiful Islamic country and the scenery is amazing.” Another delegate who was also there for the first time added that he “wished Afghanistan would become as peaceful as the Maldives one day”.

“As soon as the delegates arrived at their hotel in Paradise Island, the contrast was striking. They had to hold talks just metres away from where women in bikinis were sunbathing or had just been swimming.

“Whenever the delegates encountered women in bikinis, they turned their eyes away in order to avoid becoming sinful by looking at half-naked women. This was a difficult situation for some to cope with – especially for those delegates who want women to wear the all-covering burka.”

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Police appeal for witnesses to ambulance accident

The traffic police have requested those who witnessed an accident in which an ambulance collided with a 25 year-old man at the intersection of Orchid Magu and Chandaanee Magu over the weekend to come forward.

According to police, the ambulance was driving with its siren sounding en route to an emergency pickup.

The man sustained injuries to his head, face and arms in the collision and was taken to Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Police said the most accurate witnesses would be persons on vehicles waiting at the intersection of Orchid Magu and Chandanee Magu.

Police requested all persons who had information on the case to contact the police duty officer on 988 8999, or traffic police number 333 3835 or the police toll-free number 119.

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