Maldives

MALE: A 4,500-tonne high-tech Chinese research ship is back in the Maldivian waters, two months after it spent a week docked at different ports in this archipelago nation.

Xiang Yang Hong 03 was docked at the Thilafushi industrial island's harbour on Thursday morning, news portal Adhadhu.com reported on Friday.

MALE, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- "Doctor, I can see your name tag now. Thank you," Ahmed Kalo said right after Chinese doctors at the China-Maldives Ophthalmology Center removed the bandages covering his eyes.

The 69-year-old has been blind for many years due to a stroke. Kalo's son, Shafraz Ahmed, said his father was dealing with hypertension, diabetes and heart disease but had not received the required medical attention from multiple hospitals due to the intricate nature of his condition.

MALE, Jan 29 (NNN-PSM) – Maldivian President, Ibrahim Solih, won the presidential primary election of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) yesterday, local media reported.

This is the first time in the country’s history that a sitting president contested in a primary for re-election, and Solih’s challenger was Parliament Speaker, Mohamed Nasheed.

Solih’s victory secured him the presidential ticket of the country’s ruling party.

Solih assumed the presidency in 2018, and the upcoming presidential election will take place in Sept this year.

MALE, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives has welcomed the first direct flight from China with a water cannon salute following the latter's recent optimization of COVID-19 strategy.

The Capital Airlines' flight with over 190 Chinese tourists aboard was received Wednesday by Chinese Ambassador Wang Lixin, Tourism Minister of the Maldives Abdulla Mausoom and other officials at the Velana International Airport.

MALE, Dec 25 (Reuters) - The Maldives criminal court on Sunday sentenced former president Abdulla Yameen to 11 years in prison and fined him $5 million after finding him guilty of corruption and money laundering charges related to receiving kickbacks from a private company.

Yameen has denied any wrongdoing.

He lost power in 2018 but has been declared presidential candidate for the Progressive Party of the Maldives for an election due in 2023.

New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) India and Maldives on Tuesday inked six agreements to expand cooperation in several key areas with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that New Delhi has been and will continue to be the "first responder" to any need or crisis facing the island nation.

After wide-ranging talks with visiting Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Modi announced a Line of Credit of USD 100 million (one million = 10 lakh) for the neighbouring country for the completion of development projects in a time-bound manner.

MALE, April 7 (Reuters) - A day after coal and fertilizer billionaire Andrey Melnichenko was placed on the European Union's sanctions list on March 9, his superyacht Motor Yacht A stopped broadcasting its location while in Maldives' waters, maritime data shows.

In Italy, four days later, authorities seized another of Melnichenko's vessels – the world's largest sailing yacht, estimated by Italian financial police to be worth $578 million.

Switching off devices that allow authorities to track a ship's whereabouts can help keep yachts out of their sight.

MALE, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Saturday that China-Maldives relations, through 50 years of joint efforts, have become a model of friendly exchanges and win-win cooperation.

Wang told a joint press conference with Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid that China, as an all-round friendly and cooperative partner, supports the Maldives in speeding up its socio-economic construction and enhancing the capability of independent development.

MALE, Oct 26 (NNN-IPS) – Over 100,000 tourists have visited the Maldives in Oct, the state-owned PSM News, citing data from the Ministry of Tourism, reported here today.

Tourism ministry data showed that, 102,434 tourists visited the Maldives from Oct 1 to 24, a 599 percent increase from the same period in 2020, but a two percent decrease compared to 2019.

The Maldives recorded a total of 973,269 tourist arrivals so far this year, or a daily average of 4,454.

MALE, Aug 11 (NNN-PSM) – Chinese contractor, Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG), officially handed over the seaplane terminal to the operator of the Maldives’ Velana International Airport (VIA), the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), according to a statement from BUCG yesterday.

“With a total floor area of 28,000 square metres and complete water facilities, the seaplane terminal will improve the Maldives’ tourism service quality and reception capacity, and further boost local economy,” BUCG Project Director, Zhang Fenglin said.