The Finance Ministry has decided to give the guest house at Dhoogas in Seenu Gan to Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC), reports Haveeru.
Haveeru reported that the land where the guest house was built also was given to MTCC.
On October last year the government gave Dhoogas guest house to MVK Maldives, according to Haveeru.
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(0)Special Envoy of the President, Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, is on an official visit to Japan.
Zaki’s visit is mainly focused on meeting with Japanese officials and discussing bilateral relations between the two countries. He will also be promoting the upcoming Maldives Partnership Forum, or Donor’s Conference, to be held at the end of March.
Zaki met with Japanese State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Environment, Director General of International Corporation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Secretary General of Japan-Maldives Parliamentary League and the Japanese Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.
He also met with officials from the Japanese Democratic Party and Liberal Democratic Party.
(0)Dislikes(0)Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Margaret Chan has visited the Maldives on invitation from the Minister of Health Aiminath Jameel.
Chan said there were two main purposes of her visit to the Maldives, “to see how the WHO is working with the government and to see the economic impacts of climate change on the country.”
Chan said the government had done ”very well” with the health sector and been particularly successful in controlling communicable diseases, such as the H1N1 virus.
She said non-communicable diseases, such as mental health, remained a significant challenge for the country.
She also noted that a significant percentage of the country’s medical staff were expatriate, including 60 per cent of its nurses and 90 per cent of its doctors.
(0)Dislikes(0)The long-expected ban on shark trade and export of shark products will come into effect on 1 July 2010.
The decision to impose the ban, which was meant to come into effect on 1 March 2010, was made yesterday in a cabinet meeting chaired by Vice President Mohamed Waheed.
At the meeting yesterday, the cabinet also decided the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture would assist shark fishermen to find alternative livelihoods.
The cabinet also decided to ratify the Agreement on the Establishment of South Asian Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO).
One of the main objectives of this agreement is to develop standards for the region, and to facilitate intra-regional trade.
Cabinet members noted that with the ratification of this agreement, ‘consumer confidence on Maldivian local products will improve’.
The Maldives will also benefit from SARSO assistance in formulating national standards for products.
(0)Dislikes(0)President Mohamed Nasheed met yesterday with German Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Dr Norbert Röttgen, at the Federal Ministry for Environment.
President Nasheed thanked Minister Röttgen and Germany’s constructive role at COP15 last year. He asked the EU for support in implementing the Copenhagen Accord.
President Nasheed also sought German assistance for adaptation and mitigation projects. He also discussed the importance of reaching a legally binding treaty in COP16, the next international climate summit to be held in Mexico later this year.
Dr Röttgen praised the president for his role in the Copenhagen Summit and said Germany would continue to support the Maldives in its efforts to tackle climate change.
(0)Dislikes(0)President Mohamed Nasheed met with officials from the development banking sector in Germany yesterday.
President Nasheed discussed investment and assistance for the Maldives at a meeting with representatives from KfW Entwicklungsbank (German Development Bank), German Investment and Development Company (DEG), and Senior Expert Services (SES).
They focused on the areas of investment in renewable energy, tourism and the fisheries industry.
The president sought assistance from the SES in restructuring state-owned enterprises.
(0)Dislikes(0)Pakistani High Commissioner to the Maldives, Akhtar Ali Sulehri, has made a courtesy visit to Vice President Mohamed Waheed.
They met at the President’s Office yesterday morning.
Dr Waheed and Ali Sulehri spoke of ways to enhance the close bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly in combating terrorism and religious fundamentalism.
Mr Sulehri was appointed High Commissioner for the Maldives August 2009.
(0)Dislikes(0)Parliament yesterday passed legislation on the administration of taxation, the first of two bills proposed by the government to introduce corporate profit taxes.
Of the 70 MPs present and voting, 67 voted in favour, two voted against and one abstained. The bill was passed with 15 amendments proposed by MPs.
The legislation specifies taxpayers, exemptions and penalties for tax evasion. Presenting the bill in July last year, Finance Minister Ali Hashim said taxes will be levied on all profit-making businesses, including income from rent and government enterprises will not be excluded.
The legislation was formulated after extensive discussions with the Asian Development Bank, local businesses and other stakeholders, Hashim said.
(0)Dislikes(0)Speaker for Tanzania’s island state of Zanzibar, Ameer Kipicho, arrived on an official visit to the Maldives on Sunday, reports Miadhu.
Kipicho was invited by Maldives’ speaker, Abdulla Shahid, who received him at the airport along with Moosa Maniku, MDP’s parliamentary group leader.
Kipicho will visit the chamber of the People’s Majlis and observe a sitting of parliament.
Kipicho will be in the Maldives until 13 March.
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