Tag: maldives news

Lunar eclipse tonight

The Maldives is among the countries to experience a lunar experience on the eve of the new year.

The eclipse will occur at 11pm tonight, but astronomers say it might not be fully visible till around 12.20am.

Other countries that will experience the eclipse are Sri Lanka, parts of the United States, Australia, South Africa, Indonesia and much of the European and Arctic regions.

The eclipse would last for about an hour, experts said.

The Maldives is also set to experience a solar eclipse on January 15, 2010.

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MNDF Male’ area inaugurated

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Malé Area was inaugurated by President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday.

The Male’ area is being formed as part of the MNDF decentralising its operations.

The president highlighted the importance of decentralising MNDF into different area commands. As a result, he said, army officers could now work closer to their families.

The president also mentioned the economic benefits to the local communities from the MNDF bases.

He said Rf65 million, spent annually on salaries, healthcare and catering for MNDF staff, would directly benefit the local economies.

MNDF have already established an area command centers in southern, central and northern parts of the country.

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NGOs slam special needs bill

Several NGOs have criticised the recently-passed bill protecting the rights and providing financial assistance to people with special needs.

The bill, which was passed on 21 December, states that disabled people will receive financial benefits of Rf2000 a month. In addition, persons found mocking people with disabilities could be fined from anywhere between Rf5000 to Rf10,000.

However NGOs such as Care Society have strongly criticised the bill.

Sidaatha Shareef from Care Society said “this bill is not in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) that the Maldives has signed.”

The UNCRPD is an international human rights convention pushing a rights-based vision addressing issues concerning people with disabilities.

The Maldives signed a UNCRPD act in 2008. According to this Act, a country must have a specialised bill that focuses on the rights of people with disabilities.

“The term ‘special needs’ is a very board category. We wanted this bill to be specifically for the rights of people with disabilities,” continued Sidaatha.

“We’re not trying to downplay other issues, they are just as important, but we want to get rid of the confusion caused by the bill. People with special needs and people with disabilities are very different.”

Care Society said a revised bill was important because people with disabilities were a marginalised group, and therefore it was important to make sure a proper bill was passed that would give rights to these groups.

Sidaatha also said that in the future “we must carefully think about signing such conventions such as the UNCRPD.”

Former minister of gender and family Aishath Didi said that providing monthly financial assistance was not enough.

“We need to focus more on prevention and screening,” she said. “Screening during the first three months is crucial in early detection of disabilities, and once detected the proper assistance needs to be provided.”

Didi also mentioned the importance of including things like speech therapy in the bill.

The bill is currently with the president who has a week to ratify it before it becomes law.

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National carom tounament – wrap up

The 20th National carom tournament has come to an end.

The men’s singles title was won by Hussain Neeshaal. Neeshaal defeated Ali Niyzaaz in the final by two sets, the third successive national title he has won.

The women’s singles final was won by Aishath Shaaznaa. Shaaznaa defeated Aishath Fianaaz by two sets, the sixth consecutive title Shaaznaa has won.

The mens team event was won by Club Mecano and the womens team event was won by Faafu Nilhandhoo Club Shaababu.

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Police hold awareness program in Noonu Atoll

The Noonu Manadhoo police have visited all the houses on Noonu Kendhikulhudhoo to increase awareness of how to reduce crime.

During the trip the police asked people what sort of crime was happening on the island. The police also gave people information on how to contact the police, how cases were investigated and how the police in Noonu Atoll operated.

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Diesel goes up

The State Trading Organisation (STO) has increased the price of diesel to Rf8.20 a litre from 29 December.

This is an increase of 55 laari from the previous diesel price.

STO reports that the increase in price is because the last diesel shipment brought in by the STO had gone up in price.

According to Miadhu, there has been an increase in international oil prices over the last couple of days by around US$4 a barrel.

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Children injured by lightning

Lightning strikes have injured four children in Haa Alifu Dhidhoo.

Miadhu reported that the four children were playing at an abandoned house during a heavy rain storm, which was struck by lightning. Two of the boys were below the age of 18 years while the other two were 18.

The Dhidhoo hospital reported that one child’s condition was serious while another had already been released, reports Miadhu.

The lightning strike had also caused some houses in Dhidhoo to lose electricity.

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European Commission hands Maldives €6.5 million for climate adaption

The European Commission has pledged €6.5 million (US$9.36 million) to help the Maldives adapt to the effects of climate change and mitigate the impact, and provide technical support.

The new Climate Change Trust Fund will be administered by the World Bank in a deal cemented between President Mohamed Nasheed and World Bank President Robert Zoellick at Copenhagen.

“The European Commission has given the money to the World Bank and asked them to manage it,” noted Minister for the Environment, Mohamed Aslam. “I believe the contract is already signed and the World Bank office in Sri Lanka informed me they were receiving it by courier today.”

The money was not part of the US$30 billion pledged at Copenhagen by developed nations to help developing countries adjust to climate change, Aslam emphasised, and was the fruition of an ongoing program “long before the [Copenhagen] accord.”

“We just happen to be the first country receiving this money,” he said.

While the money was not enough to begin tackling the problems facing the capital, he said, it would make a difference to coastal protection and “soft engineering” projects to help smaller islands suffering severe beach erosion.

“We will also invest it in developing sewerage and water systems on islands,” he said, adding the government had yet to decide which islands to help.

Food security was another priority for the money, Aslam said, and an issue that affected the entire country regardless of geographic location.

“It’s more about trying to find a climate-sound method of agriculture for the country,” he said.

A delegation from the World Bank will arrive in the Maldives in January to meet with the government and discuss how the money should be spent.

“Adapting to climate change will cost a lot more than €6.5 million,” Aslam noted, estimating the figure was more in the realm of US$4.6 billion.

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Hinnavaru harbour to be expanded

Work has begun on expanding the harbour at Faadhipolhu Hinnavaru.

TVM reported that under the tsunami development project, Amin Construction has taken over the project. The harbour expansion is expected to be complete after one year.

The existing 300 foot harbour currently does not meet the requirements of the people of Hinnavaru, TVM reported.

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