Category: News in Brief

National team players unhappy with late salaries

Members of the national football team have met the sports minister and Football Association Maldives (FAM) officials over pay issues.

According to Haveeru, the players have not received salaries for the last two months of last year.

After the meeting FAM announced that the players salaries would be released, reports Haveeru.

A few of the senior squad members have also lodged a complaint about not receiving any of the US$25,000 prize money the team received for being runners-up in the recent SAAF championship.

FAM said they have yet to receive the prize money.

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Man dies after falling off motorbike

A man died last night after falling off the back of a motorcycle in Thinadhoo.

According to police, 19 year-old Ahmed Mohamed of Tharuvaas Gaaf Dhaalu Thinadhoo fell off the back of a motorbike and sustained serious injuries to his head and his body.

Mohamed was being treated in the intensive care unit of the Thinadhoo regional hospital, however he passed away this morning.

Police reported that the driver of the motorbike was another 19 year-old who held the appropriate driving license and registration documents, and are currently investigating the cause of the accident.

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President announces plans for subsidies

In a press conference this morning, President Mohamed Nasheed announced that the government plans to boost subsidies to help compensate for high electric prices.

The president also said the government would be also broaden eligibility for subsidies, noting that the current eligibility criteria was based on data collected in 1997.

Under that data, the poverty line is considered Rf 21 (US$1.50) a day. The president said that a new survey was under way.

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Speedboat burns eight in Naifaru

A speedboat that entered Lhaviyyani Naifaru harbour injured some of its passengers when it suddenly caught fire on January 15 at 3:15 pm.

According to police, the boat was carrying 11 passengers when it caught fire, eight of whom suffered varying degrees on burns to their bodies. Investigators claimed a short circuiting battery was the cause of the fire.

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Girl dies after boat capsizes

A 13 year-old girl died when a boat capsized in Laamu Dhanbidhoo yesterday at around 4:15 pm.

The accident occurred during bad weather conditions as the boat was shipping sand from a nearby island, according to the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF).

The girl has been identified as Hawwa Aroosha of Fithuroanuge, Laamu Dhanbidhoo.

A 23 year-old man and three children were also on board when the accident happened.

One of the children, a 15 year-old boy, has been taken to Laamu Gan regional Hospital with serious injuries.

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Athletics tournament in February

The athletics association have opened up entries for the 20 national athletics competition.

The competition is being held from February 18 to 20.

Entry is open to all clubs associated with the athletics association and also every atoll to put out a team if they wish.

According to Haveeru, the prize money for the tournament is Rf10,000 ($US778) and consists of 11 individual events and two group events.

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MNDF corporal praised for bravery

The MNDF have congratulated corporal Mohamed Vishal of the Marine Corps for his initiative and bravery, after saving a man from a gang attack in December.

At round 9.30 pm on 10 December, Hassan Rasheed Abdullah, assistant director of the drug rehabilitation centre, was attacked by a group wielding box cutters and sustained many injuries.

According to MNDF, Vishal overcame many obstacles and took Rasheed to the IGMH hospital on his motorbike.

In recognition of his efforts, the Maldives police service had passed on a message of thank to Corporal Vishal.

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President sends sympathy message to Haiti

President Mohamed Nasheed has sent a message of sumpathy to the president of Haiti René Préval , following the devastating earthquake that hit the city of Port-au-Prince.

The president’s message said “It was with deep shock and sadness that I learned about the powerful earthquake that hit the city of Port-au-Prince causing loss of lives and injury to hundreds of people as well as extensive destruction to property and infrastructure’.

“The Government and people of the Maldives join me in conveying our deepest sympathy to you, the Government and the people of Haiti, and in particular, to those who were directly affected by this tragedy. We would also like to send our sincere condolences to the members of the bereaved families.”

The deadly  magnitude seven earthquake was the worst to hit Haiti in over 200 years. According to the Haitian prime minister, as many as 3 million people have been affected and 100,00 feared dead.

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Dead child found on Reethi Rah resort beach

The body of a dead child has been found on the beach of Reethi Rah Resort.

According to police the body was found this morning at 7am on the north eastern beach of the island.

The police have so far not released further details. A forensics team and the serious and organised crime unit are currently investigating the case.

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