Category: News in Brief

If a country sinks beneath the sea, is it still a country, asks NYT

Rising ocean levels brought about by climate change have created a flood of unprecedented legal questions for small island nations and their neighbors, writes Lisa Friedman in the New York Times.

Among them: If a country disappears, is it still a country? Does it keep its seat at the United Nations? Who controls its offshore mineral rights? Its shipping lanes? Its fish?

And if entire populations are forced to relocate — as could be the case with citizens of the Maldives, Tuvalu, Kiribati and other small island states facing extinction — what citizenship, if any, can those displaced people claim?

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Parliament appoints CSC president and deputy

The parliament has appointed the President and Deputy President of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

Former spokesperson of the CSC, Fahmy Hassan, was elected President of the Commission, and newly elected member of the commission Ahmed Hassan Didi was appointed the deputy president.

Out of 74 present MPs, 69 of them voted in favor of both appointments.

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Two men sentenced for kidnapping boy

The Criminal Court has today sentenced two persons for 10 years for kidnapping an 18 year-old boy, reports Haveeru.

The news paper identified the two persons as Ibrahim Haleel, 28, of Henveiru Mehelige, and Mohamed Aiman, 20, of Hudhuveli in Raa Atoll Rasgatheemu.

A total of five people were arrested in connection with the case and presented to court, but due to lack of evidence, the Criminal Court declared the rest were not guilty.

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Adhaalath Party’s Pakistan relief fund nears Rf400,000

The Adhaalath Party’s fund to help flood victims in Pakistan has raised almost Rf400,000 (US$31,000) reported SunFM.

The party’s president Sheikh Hussein Rasheed told the station that Rf392,699 total had been raised up to last Saturday.

The money earned by the fund will be delivered to the government of Pakistan after Eid, according to the SunFM report.

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Maldives Hay festival to be held from October 14

The Maldives will hold a Hay festival starting October 14 with the intention of celebrating “ideas, conversations and fun”.

The festival will bring together international and local experts in literature, art, science, drama, music and poetry, according to a statement from the President’s Office.

Maldivian writers including Ogaru Ibrahim Waheed and Fathmath Nahula will join historian and biographer Jung Chang (author of Wild Swans and Mao), novelist Ian McEwan (author of Atonement) and environmental campaigners Montagu Don, Tim Smit, Mark Lynas and Chris Gorell-Barnes.

Mauritian-born, electronic fusion artist Ravin will perform and local bands will include Fasy Live. Lectures will also be delivered online by prominent artists, scientists and historians.

“The Maldives has been a multi-party democracy for only two years and this new freedom has opened up a host of new opportunities both culturally and politically,” the statement said.

Some events will be held on the Presidential Retreat on Aarah, allowing rare public access to the island.

The Hay Festival began in the Welsh book town of Hay-on-Wye in Brecon Beacons National Park in the UK, and has fostered the exchange of ideas for more than twenty years.

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AG Sawad appointed to JSC

President Nasheed appointed the Maldives’ new Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) in a ceremony Thursday morning.

Dr Sawad was presented a letter of appointment and took the oath of membership, administered by Supreme Court Judge Abdulla Areef.

Following the appointment, President Mohamed Nasheed said he hoped the JSC would “carry out its constitutional mandate” to ensure public confidence in the judicial system.

The President also nominated an additional six people for the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM), after appointing Mariyam Azra Ahmed, Jeehan Mahmood and Ahmed Tholal to the five member commission yesterday, who were approved by parliament.

Following concern expressed by the Adhaalath Party that the first list of nominees did not include a religious scholar, the second list includes Ahmed Abdul Kareem, a scholar who sat on the interim commission.

Earlier this week the President appointed Dr Mohamed Latheef, Fahmee Hassan, Ahmed Hassan Didi, Abdulla Jihad and Hadheeja Adam to the Civil Service Commission.

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Fled BML CEO resigns after failing to appear at inquiry for “health conditions”

Bank of Maldives (BML) CEO Ganesh Subramanian, who fled the Maldives following internal investigations concerning sexual misconduct, has formally resigned.

Chairman of BML Adam Ibrahim claimed Ganesh had resigned for “heath conditions”, according to a report in Haveeru.

Ibrahim told the newspaper that Ganesh had been asked to attend an internal inquiry into the case, but he had presented medical certificates.

“We have not been able to continue the investigation as he did not attend the inquiry,” Ibrahim said.

“We are working on to hold the AGM [Annual General Meeting] after the Ramadan. We are also discussing with MMA [Maldives Monetary Authority] on distributing profit for shares,” Ibrahim said.

Chief Credit Officer Ramesh Krishnan is managing the bank in the interim while the bank seeks to recruit a new CEO, BML stated.

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Expatriate worker stabbed and robbed

An expatriate worker was stabbed and robbed on Hithadhoo in Seenu Atoll on Monday, reports Haveeru.

The worker was allegedly robbed of Rf1,550 at around 9.30 pm while he was on a delivery, a sum including cash from the shop he was working at as well as his own.

The worker suffered cuts to his ear and finger but was not seriously injured in the incident.

Police have not yet arrested any suspects.

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Government to repatriate 27 Somalis

The government will try to repatriate 27 Somali nationals currently in the country, after being found in Maldivian waters.

Haveeru reported that the Somali Embassy in India had confirmed the identity of the 27 Somali men and had provided them with travel documents.

The men include two rescued near Alifushi in Raa Atoll, and six men found near Makunudhoo in Haa Dhaal Atoll.

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