Category: News in Brief

Syrian president meets Maldives foreign minister

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has met Maldives Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, reports ISIRA.

Shaheed expressed his country’s desire to develop relations with Syria, hailing the important role Syria is playing for realizing peace and stability in the region.

Shaheed discussed with Minister of religious Endowments (Awqaf) Mohammad Abdelsattar al-Said cooperation prospects between the two countries, particularly in the fields of religious affairs and teaching Arabic.

Shaheed, speaking to SANA, said his meeting with President al-Assad was fruitful and constructive, and that it dealt with means of boosting cooperation between the two countries in all fields.

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Wataniya launches World Cup fantasy league

Mobile provider Wataniya has announced it would launch a fantasy league named ”Wataniya World Cup Fantasy League” for Wataniya customers.

Prizes will be given for winners who participate in the league, which starts on next Friday.

For further information about the Wataniya worldcup fantasy league, customers can either visit Wataniya’s website or dial 929 for Wataniya’s customer helpline.

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Copenhagen a call for third-world reparations: New American

Copenhagen had little to do with climate change and everything to do with money, writes Ed Hiserodt in the New American.

Last December, as even every cloistered monk and Third World inhabitant probably knows, there was an International Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, attended by government functionaries from around the world. The pampered delegates, who evidently weren’t worried about their own carbon footprints, caused a Scandinavia-wide shortage of black stretch limousines.

The conference actually had very little to do with climate change, ignoring almost out-of-hand the prominent news at the time: the Climategate scandal — the release of the e-mails indicating top global-warming scientists were skewing temperature data and engaged in a smear campaign against climate-change skeptics.

But the conference had much to do with money. So-called Third World countries demanded reparations for damage done to their satrapies by CO2 emissions from industrial nations, totally ignoring the fact that but for those nations said delegates would be sleeping in huts instead of five-star hotels. Certainly there was little room for science or the consequences of turning the economies of the world on their heads through instituting carbon-emission limits.

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Rf 60 0000 of Zakath fund to be given to Quran classes

The Islamic Ministry has said that Rf600,000 of its Zakath fund will be allocated Quran classes, reported Haveeru.

Haveeru reported that the funds will be divided only among Quran classes that are operated by ministry scholars.

According to Haveeru, the Islamic Ministry said that all Quran classes have the opportunity to be taught by scholars of the ministry.

Haveeru reported that more than 80 Quran classes would be funded using the money.

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A coffin made out of Coral stones found in Hithadhu

A coffin made out of coral stone has been found in Hithadhu of Seenu Atoll, reports Haveeru.

Haveeru reported that the coffin was found when a man dug inside an abandoned house to plant a tree.

The coffin was six feet two inches long and two feet long, reported Haveeru.

The area has now been secured by police for investigation.

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Coastguard rescues boat with engine failure

The MNDF Coastguard rescued the vessel ‘Rasreethi’ after it suffered an engine failure during a crossing from Male’ to Foakaidhoo in Shaviyani Atoll.

The boat left Male’ at 4:30pm yesterday and MNDF received reports of the emergency at 9:42pm that evening.

The vessel was located near Kagi in Kaafu Atoll with 94 passengers on board, 18 experiencing seasickness due to rough seas.

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Star of Mysore interviews Election Commissioner

Ibrahim Waheed wears his many hats lightly, writes Jagdish Prasad in the Star of Mysore evening daily.

He is currently the Election Commissioner of Maldives. He is also the Prem Chand Fellow of the Sahitya Academy in Delhi. In between, he has been a musician with his own band (of course) when he was studying at the International University of Beirut in the late 1970s. He is also an acclaimed poet and a writer. He speaks several languages and best of all; he has travelled from Kerala to Delhi on a motorcycle in 21 days !

Star of Mysore met him at Dhvanyaloka on Bogadi Road here, at a fellowship organised by the Regional Sahitya Academy and The Literary Criterion Centre. Ibrahim Waheed is young, all of 49, portly and like all portly men (and women), light on his feet with a sense of humour.

Ibrahim Waheed begins tongue-in-cheek, “It is refreshing to come here where I am not recognised. In my country I am always recognised. In introducing me, you have labelled me as a writer. Now that is an honour for me… and a problem for you!” (he smiles and gently laughs).

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