The Maldives

Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed on Thursday set his ousted predecessor's party a four-day ultimatum to join the government in a national unity coalition to end an eruption of political unrest. Waheed's new government left the door open to former president Mohamed Nasheed 's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) when the cabinet was formed over the weekend. The Maldives has been shaken by turmoil since February 7 when protesters backed by police toppled Nasheed, who said he had been thrown out...Read Full Story

Goway Travel’s IslandsEscapes brand is offering romance packages for Fiji, Tahiti, the Maldives and Cook Islands. The company offers a Luxury Heli Combo package with three nights in the Coral Coast at the Outrigger on the Lagoon Resort and three nights in the Mamanuca Islands on Castaway Island from $3,079, including roundtrip airfare, six nights accommodation, transfers, a one-way free helicopter transfer, free spa treatment and free dolphin safari. In the Maldives in the Indian Ocean...Read Full Story

Mon, Feb 13 2012 17:36 IST | 12 Views | Add your comment SHARE: Expressing concern over the recent political developments in the Maldives, a human rights group has called for strict compliance of the accepted democratic norms and the rule of law if a situation genuinely warranted a change in government. "There is deep concern that such has not been the case in the Maldives, considering that former president Mohammed Nasheed became the country's first democratically elected...Read Full Story

Sun, Feb 12 2012 11:39 IST | 20 Views | Add your comment SHARE: Thousands of supporters of ousted Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed rallied in protest in the capital Saturday night as the new President Mohamed Waheed Hassan was busy approaching parties to form a coalition government. Supporters of Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and his members of parliament staged a public demonstration on a beach front park, demanding the newly appointed president to step down...Read Full Story

Sat, Feb 11 2012 22:30 IST | 24 Views | Add your comment SHARE: A senior US diplomat said here Saturday that it was too early to conduct a snap poll in the Maldives and urged former president who claimed he was ousted in a coup to join the new coalition government. At the end of a 12-hour visit to the Indian Ocean island nation, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake said the US is committed to working with the new government and...Read Full Story

Sat, Feb 11 2012 17:09 IST | 8 Views | Add your comment SHARE: Following an international demand for clarification on the power transfer from former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed to his vice president, the government Saturday announced that an independent inquiry would be conducted on the allegation of a coup in the country. "I am fully committed to an independent investigation," Xinhua quoted newly-appointed president Mohamed Waheed Hassan as telling international...Read Full Story

Sat, Feb 11 2012 20:36 IST | 23 Views | Add your comment SHARE: Amid reports of Islamists backing the change of regime in the Maldives, India is concerned about possibilities of the rise of Islamic extremism in the island nation and is closely monitoring the situation. Indian intelligence agencies have received reports of several Maldivian youths going to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to train in madrasas there over the past few years, said informed sources. Also, in the run...Read Full Story

Fri, Feb 10 2012 22:42 IST | 17 Views | Add your comment SHARE: The Maldives' ousted president Mohamed Nasheed said Friday that his party would hit the streets and demonstrate in the absence of international support but "we cannot join this government as we believe it is illegal". Nasheed resigned Tuesday morning on the national TV after prolonged protests over detention of a top judge and was replaced by his vice president Mohamed Waheed. The resignation was tendered under...Read Full Story

Fri, Feb 10 2012 16:06 IST | 50 Views | Add your comment SHARE: The Maldives, the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago that underwent a tumultuous regime change, says the "mistrust" between rich and poor nations on climate change negotiations needs to go and all countries should shun the blame game while dealing with an issue so critical to everyone's survival, particularly small island nations like theirs. "There is lot of mistrust in climate change negotiations as developing...Read Full Story

Fri, Feb 10 2012 22:15 IST | 34 Views | Add your comment SHARE: Indian investments in politically troubled island nation of the Maldives are safe, the country's envoy to India said Friday. "All investments and people are safe, it is our first priority to make Maldives the preferred destination for Indian investment. From our side we have all the safeguards, all the policies for making business more enterprising for India in the Maldives," High Commissioner to India Abdul...Read Full Story