The Maldives national football drew its first game 1-1 with Nepal on Friday at the SAFF Championship in New Delhi, India.
Captain Ali Ashfaq gave the Maldives the lead just before half-time with a powerful left-footed shot from 25 yards while Sandeep Rai levelled the score with a header at the near post from a Nepalese corner after the restart.
The other game in group B between Pakistan and Bangladesh ended in a scoreless draw.
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(0)The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) became active in the Maldives today, following a required 60-day period after depositing the Instrument of Ratification.
The Maldives recently became the 118th state member of the International Criminal Court following a favorable vote in Parliament. It is the third South Asian country to join the ICC after Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
By adopting the Rome Statute, experts say, the Maldives has benefitted its own legal system by expanding training opportunities. It has also taken a step towards greater transparency on the international level.
Based in the Hague in the Netherlands, the ICC is an independent, permanent tribunal established in 2002 to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. After 2017, it will exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression.
The Maldives is expected to participate in the 10th Assembly of State for the Rome Statute, scheduled in New York between 12-21 December.
(0)Dislikes(0)GMR Infrastructure, which is building Maldives’ largest airport, the Male International Airport, could face a funding shortage of $25 million annually, after reports emerged that a local political party – Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) – may file a case against the Bangalore-based company for collecting airport development charges (ADC), reports Indian newspaper The Economic Times.
GMR Infrastructure plans to charge $25 per passenger from the annual departing passenger count of one million, and wants to introduce a $2 insurance charge at the check-in counters starting January to offset the costs incurred in building the airport.
“The local opposition party is alleging that the ADC should be removed. However, GMR has mentioned that as per the terms of the airport agreement, it will be allowed. The company is looking to fund UD$25 million per annum for its capex plan of US$511 million,” said a person close to the development.
DQP vice-president Imad Solih has already submitted a separate civil case, questioning the legitimacy of the charge, and has requested the court to take action against the country’s finance ministry, according to a report by Haaveru Online, a local website.
“ADC at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, Male, is a charge approved by the Government of Maldives and we will implement the same in due course of time. As of now, we have no official intimation of the same and thus, would not like to comment on speculative news,” a GMR spokesperson said.
GMR has raised debt of $358 million from Axis Bank, Singapore branch, the sole underwriter and mandated lead arranger for the entire debt facility. The debt has a door-todoor tenure of 12 years with ballooning repayments over seven years, commencing from June 2015.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Civil Court has addressed the case filed by Opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) Vice President Imad Solih against GMR and will deliver the results next week.
Solih claimed that the Airport Development Charge (ADC, US$25) and Insurance Charge (US$2) to be collected from international passengers at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) is unconstitutional.
At yesterday’s hearing, Solih said that since the Insurance Charge is considered a tax the ADC should be treated as such, reports Haveeru.
The government has claimed that the ADC is not a tax.
State attorney Aishath Shyza said the ADC did not qualify as a tax because it was not a compulsory contribution by the people to the government.
ADC is to be collected by GMR and put towards the current airport development project.
GMR plans to begin collecting the charges from passengers on all international flights departing after midnight on 1 January 2012.
(0)Dislikes(0)Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim cancelled today’s sitting of parliament after 40 minutes stating that MPs “deliberately” left the chamber to force a loss of quorum.
After ringing the quorum bell and waiting five minutes when the number of MPs in attendance fell below the 20 needed for a quorum, Nazim said quorum was lost because MPs intentionally left the chamber.
“Since MPs do not want the sitting to go ahead I have decided to end today’s sitting now,” he announced at 9.42am.
Today’s sitting was called off shortly before preliminary debate was due to commence on a resolution proposed by Jumhooree Party MP Ahmed Moosa regarding the leasing of uninhabited islands in Lhaviyani atoll.
Prior to the presentation of the resolution by the Kurendhoo MP, Education Minister Shifa Mohamed answered queries from MPs for thirty minutes during the Minister’s Question Time, usually the first order of business for parliament sittings.
Since the beginning of the final session of the year in October, parliament was deadlocked for three weeks over a dispute concerning the right of convicted MP Ismail Abdul Hameed to attend sittings until the Supreme Court ruled on his appeal of the Criminal Court verdict.
While the past three sittings were adjourned before time due to loss of quorum after the 12.30 break, a total of 11 sittings out of the 18 held so far were disrupted and cancelled for lack of quroum, with some sittings lasting less than two hours.
(0)Dislikes(0)Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confiscated birds of two species held captive on industrial island Thilafushi.
An EPA statement said some birds that had been held captive and there was evidence of wing-clipping, a practice to keep birds from flying off.
Officials told Haveeru they would also check Hulhumale for more captive birds. He said a wider search conducted by police and councilors will inspect distant islands as well.
According to the EPA, 70 different bird species are protected in the Maldives, most of them since 2003. They include the Crab Plover, the Lesser Noddy, the Purple Heron and the Red-Footed Booby. Among the species confiscated on Thilafushi was the Catlle Egret.
(0)Dislikes(0)An 11-member band “The Maldivian” has been selected to participate in the 5th South Asian Band Festival (SABF) in New Delhi on December 2-3.
The band has been performing for last 10 years, is led by Composer Schaaz Saeed, who was awarded the Enchanter ‘Feature Film Best Original Score’ this year by the President of Maldives.
The group was also engaged for composing and performing the theme song of the recently concluded SAARC Summit in Maldives as well as the cultural programmes in the State Banquet, Foreign Minister’s official dinner and the Heads of States’ Spouse Program.
The band was selected to play at the festival by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and cultural NGO SEHER.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has allowed the government to proceed with a 500-unit housing project in Gaaf Dhaal atoll Thinadhoo and Male. Indian contractor OII will oversee the project.
The ACC had asked the government to halt the project on Thursday after receiving public complaints about the bidding process. Its investigation, however, found no acts of corruption and has approved the project.
The project is funded by a US$40 million loan provided by India’s EXIM Bank, which requires that the project is made open for Indian contractors only. Six Indian companies had submitted bids.
Under the project, housing units will be built at the Maafannu Boduge land plot, the former VTC land plot located on Alikilegefaanu Magu, and the land plot where debris is dumped.
(0)Dislikes(0)Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) has expressed concern that the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) had taken private radio station DhiFM to police, after DhiFM switched to a live feed of the MNBC One 8:00pm bulletin on November 11.
The MJA said that the decision “might turn the media against each other” and that it would “be more peaceful” to resolve the matter through the Maldives Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).
The MJA noted that DhiFM has apologised to MNBC and said it would “be better to resolve the issue without the police investigating it as a criminal offence.”
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