Category: News in Brief

Government to build 350 housing units in Male

The Housing Ministry will build 350 housing units in Male within one and a half years, and 500 within two years according to a report in Miadhu.

The work will be performed by K. Agrawal of India, and will consist of three bedroom units of 1000 square feet, with a monthly rent of US$850.

“The housing units will be leased in a manner that the person will complete the payment within 15 years. Some of the flats will be awarded to those who are eligible for housing benefits,” Aslam said.

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Visiting scholar Zakir Naik and family arrives to the Maldives

World famous Islamic scholar Dr Zakir Naik and his family yesterday arrived in the Maldives.

Naik is scheduled to deliver sermons tonight at the Maafannu Stadium on the topic ”Misconceptions of Islam”.

Naik’s wife is also scheduled to deliver a sermon to women at the Islamic Centre.

Zakir Naik will depart on March 31.

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Bangladeshi expatriates can strengthen cultural links, says VP

Bangladeshi expatriates can help strengthen the cultural relationship between the Maldives and Bangladesh, Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan said at a forum organised by the Bangladesh High Commission to the Maldives.

Dr Waheed said historically the Maldives had focused on Bangladesh’s economic input to the Maldives, “but should appreciate the cultural and human dimensions of Bangladesh’s rich culture.”

He noted that Bangladesh had one of the world’s most advanced civil society movements, from which the Maldives could benefit.

The forum marks the beginning of a cultural exchange programme between the two countries.

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Man found dead in woods

A 52 year old man was found dead in the woods of Faresmaathodaa in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, after he was believed to have fallen from a coconut tree.

Miadhu reported that Ali Hussain Manik was found by other islanders at 6:00am this morning, nearby a rope used for climbing coconut trees and a carving knife.

The body was taken to the Faresmaathodaa Health Centre where the attending doctor concluded Manik had died on the May 23.

The Police are continuing to investigate the incident, Miadhu reported.

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UK electoral system “not corrupted, but certainly corruptible”, say observers

A team of Commonwealth Election Observers have released a report claiming that the UK electoral system is corruptible “and open to fraud.”

While believing the recent UK election was undertaken in a free and fair manner, this was a success based on “trust” rather than “controls and deterrents.”

The observers suggested improving the identification of voters at registration and polling stations, better verification of postal ballots to close certain loopholes, centralisation of electoral roll records to prevent multiple registrations in more than one constituency, and more staff at polling stations to ensure people can vote in a timely manner.

This last issue caused widespread condemnation following the day of the election, with thousands of voters queuing outside venues turned away when the ballot boxes closed at 10pm. Many people in London reported waiting in lines for several hours, with many office workers struggling to vote in time.

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Maldives increasingly fundamentalist: Washington Times

“The Maldives, once considered a liberal Islamic nation, has been increasingly adopting fundamentalist Muslim practices,” the Washington Times newspaper claimed yesterday.

The piece, which appeared in the paper’s diplomatic news column Embassy Row, noted that the Maldives has been “hosting Taliban terrorists from Afghanistan and breeding a youth attracted to Islamic jihad. Many analysts report that Maldivian young people have been recruited by Pakistani terrorists.”

“The US ambassador to the Maldives is discussing the possibility of transferring some terrorism suspects from the USmilitary prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the tropical island nation in the Indian Ocean, which some analysts say is a ‘paradise for Islamic radicalism’,” the newspaper claimed.

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Maldives Traveller to host awards ceremony

Maldives tourism magazine and website, Maldives Traveller, will hold an awards ceremony to honour the best resorts in the Maldives.

The Maldives Traveller Awards for Excellence will be judged by reader votes and will include 10 prize categories, recognising the ‘best resort’ and dream island’ as well as those best for honeymoons, wedding ceremonies, spa relaxation, snorkelling, diving, surfing, business and family holidays.

The awards ceremony will be organised by events company Mind-Set and will include a gala dinner and entertainment held in Berlin, Germany, in March 2011.

Publisher of Maldives Traveller, Tropical Paradise, said the awards ceremony would encourage excellence and competition within the Maldivian hospitality industry.

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Iranian fishermen released from Maldives jail

After six months in a Maldivian jail, thirty crew members from two Iranian fishing boats have been released, reports Miadhu.

The vessels, named Arvin and Hormoz, were detained and the crew arrested last November by the Coast Guard for illegally entering Maldivian waters.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry released a statement confirming they had been released last week and are on their way back to Iran.

Coast Guards found another Iranian fishing vessel last week near Havadhu Atoll. The crew were out of food and water and had been adrift for several days.

The Foreign Ministry noted the men were now in good condition.

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Indian government to begin ICT project with Maldives

The Indian government has accepted the Maldives’ proposal for an Information Communication Technologies (ICT) project, reports Miadhu.

The US$5.3 million project will train 1,000 teachers and 500 youth over two years in the field of information technology.

The project will be conducted by the Indian National Institute for Information Technology (NIIT) and the Education Ministry of the Maldives.

For more information call 3341111.

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