President Mohamed Nasheed appointed Mohamed Ahmed as the new Financial Controller at the Ministry of Finance and Treasury during a ceremony this morning.
Mohamed Ahmed, who was serving as deputy finance minister, replaces Ahmed Assad who resigned from the post in November.
He had also served as Financial Controller before Assad was appointed to the post in April 2011.
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(0)The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a corruption case with the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office on Tuesday against certain members of the Home Ministry’s Tender Evaluation Board.
The case accuses members of engaging in “unlawful practices” while evaluating bids to set up partitions in the ministry’s office, located on the tenth floor of the Velaanage office complex.
The case accuses State Home Minister Mohamed Mahir Easa, Maimoona Ahmed of Henveiru Mahaasa, Hamid Yousuf of Zeelithan/Raa atoll Hulhudhuffaru, Ahmed Shareef Nafees of Dhaftharu 1119, Ahmed Ishaq of Galolhu Cherry, Hussein Rasheed Yousuf of Dhaftharu 2065 and Mohamed Adam of Machangoalhi Maanika, Haveeru reports.
According to the ACC, marks were given for experience not conforming with the criteria stated in the information leaflet for setting up partitions, Haveeru reports.
The case has been filed under Article 12(a) of the Anti-Corruption Act.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched an investigation into the Ministry of Human Resources’ decision to license certain recruitment agencies which are blacklisted.
ACC Commissioner Hassan Luthfee said the case involved reissuing recruitment licenses to blacklisted agencies but did not provide further details, Haveeru reports.
Agency licenses were revoked when the agencies illegally recruited expatriate workers.
(0)Dislikes(0)Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM) has donated vital food aid to over 80,000 victims of famine in the drought-stricken Somalia.
In a press statement released today, the religious NGO claimed that the food aid which included rice, flour, sugar, dates and cooking oil was handed over to 84,040 Somalis. Most recipients were women, children and the elderly.
According to IFM, food items worth Rf365, 203 (US$23,683) were equally distributed among 10,050 households belonging to the four worst hit areas: Bay, Bakool, Lower Shabelle and Banadir.
During the last quarter of 2011, an IFM official went to Somalia and dispersed the aid with the help of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), the statement noted.
The UN has officially declared six parts of Somalia to be suffering from famine amid the worst drought in east Africa for 60 years.
“The Somalia crisis is everybody’s responsibility and Somalis need support now. We cannot afford to wait or we will let down the Somali people,” said Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia.
According to Bowden, more than half of Somalia’s 10 million people who are in dire need of help “will die without assistance”, while tens of thousands, including children, have already died of starvation.
The drought in East Africa has put an estimated 11 million people at risk. Suffering decades of relentless conflict, Somalia is the worst-hit country in the region.
Somalia’s south are experience the worst cases of famine, particularly the regions of Lower Shabelle, Middle and Lower Juba, Bay, Bakool, Benadir, Gedo and Hiraan, where the UN says an estimated 310,000 now suffer from acute malnutrition.
Meanwhile the UN has appealed for $1.5 billion for 2012, warning that the humanitarian crisis gripping millions of Somalis will persist for the coming months.
(1)Dislikes(0)Swedish heavy metal band Opeth will perform live in the Maldives on February 7 at Dharubaaruge in capital Male as part of its Asian tour.
Opeth agreed to play in the Maldives after Maldivian heavy metal band Nothnegal contacted its manager Northern Music Company.
The band previously played in India, however the Asian tour will take Opeth to new audiences in China, Taiwan and South Korea, said managing director Andrew Farrow.
In its lengthy compositions Opeth fuses progressive, folk, blues, classical and jazz elements with black metal and death metal. The band has released ten studio albums, three live DVDs, three live albums, and two box sets.
The current lineup includes Mikael Åkerfeldt (lead vocals, guitars), Martin Mendez (bass guitar), Martin “Axe” Axenrot (drums, percussion), Fredrik Åkesson (guitars, backing vocals) and Joakim Svalberg (keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals, percussion.
(0)Dislikes(0)President Mohamed Nasheed has ratified legislation on pre-school administration passed by parliament on December 21 in its final session of 2011.
“The Pre-School Administration Bill states the policies regarding the expansion and growth of pre-school education in the country, with the State’s full involvement, as well as the contribution of City Councils and Island Councils, private corporations and organisations, and private individuals,” reads a statement by the President’s Office.
The legislation also stipulates that the government should “encourage and facilitate” the institution of pre-schools in all inhabited islands of the country.
The Act specifies procedures for establishing a pre-school system to enroll children four to six years old.
Under the new law, parents would have the option of enrolling children aged two and a half years in pre-school programmes.
The law also states that children must be provided equal opportunity through the pre-schools and instructed in Islamic studies.
(0)Dislikes(0)An engine caught on fire on a boat en route to Kulhudhufushi from Male’ at about 5pm today, injuring two passengers.
Local media outlets reports that the fire broke out aboard the ‘Raalhu’ vessel near Aarah in Male’ atoll. There were reportedly 175 passengers on board at the time.
According to the Maldives National Defence Force, an 80 year-old man broke his leg while a woman suffered minor burns.
The fire was put out at about 6.21pm and the boat was towed into the Male’ harbour around 6.30pm.
All passengers were evacuated and brought back to Male’ at 6.15pm.
(0)Dislikes(0)A man sentenced by two different courts for the same offence has sued for damages in excess of Rf10 million, reports Haveeru.
Ali Shareef, of Laamu Gan Iruvai, was first sentenced by the island magistrate court for participating in an unlawful assembly in 2004 and fined Rf75.
However in 2007, Shareef was brought before the Criminal Court in Male’ on the same charge and sentenced to four months imprisonment.
Shareef served 61 days of the sentence in jail. The High Court has since overturned the Criminal Court verdict, which prompted Shareef to sue for Rf10.8 million in compensation for unlawful detention.
(1)Dislikes(0)The State Trading Organization (STO) has reduced the price of petrol and diesel today.
According to the state-owned enterprise, diesel will now be sold at Rf15.03 per liter and petrol at Rf15.02 per liter.
The price reduction follows the waiver of import duties by the government for petrol and diesel.
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