Maldives

The announcement in this regard was made by Home Minister Ali Ihusan during an emergency press briefing at the President's Office on Sunday. The decision has been taken in view of mounting public anger in the country over the devastating attacks by Israeli forces on Gaza.

In a statement, Zameer conveyed his thanks to EAM @DrSJaishankar and the Government of #India for extending this crucial support through the rollover of a $50 million Treasury Bill. He emphasized that this gesture reflects the enduring friendship between #Maldives and #India. Zameer's appreciation came during his visit to India from May 8 to 10.

As per data released by the Elections Commission (EC), 181,406 individuals cast their votes by 4:00 pm local time, yielding a voter turnout of 63.73 percent. This included 88,230 women and 93,176 men out of the 284,000 eligible voters.

India's decision to permit the export of specific essential items for the year 2024-25, as per the request of the Maldivian government, was confirmed by the Indian High Commission. This move, announced via social media platform X by the Indian High Commissioner, emphasized its uniqueness under a bilateral mechanism, with revised upward quotas for each item, marking the highest quantities approved since the inception of this arrangement in 1981.

In an interview with Turkey-based news outlet TRT World, Maldives' Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed addressed the possibility of maintaining friendly relations with both China and India. He asserted that the Maldives cherishes its friendships with all nations, highlighting the country's openness as a tourist destination appreciated by both Chinese and Indian visitors. Minister Saeed reiterated the Maldives' friendship with India, clarifying that the rejection pertains to the presence of foreign soldiers rather than the nations themselves.

Having lost to Muizzu in the presidential election held last September, Solih expressed his views at a gathering in Male’ aimed at garnering support for Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidates contesting parliamentary seats in Maafannu. Solih noted reports indicating Muizzu's willingness to discuss debt restructuring with India but stressed that the nation's financial woes stem primarily from debts owed to China, not India.

Despite his perceived pro-China stance, Muizzu emphasized that he has refrained from actions or statements that could strain the relationship between the Maldives and India, according to a report by the Edition newspaper.

Reports from Maldivian media indicated that Indian military personnel managing helicopter operations concluded their tenure and transferred responsibilities to an Indian civilian team before leaving the Maldives.

While there hasn't been immediate confirmation from India's defense ministry regarding this withdrawal, the MNDF official affirmed that the Indian military personnel departed in accordance with the agreed timeline, preceding March 10. Going forward, the helicopters will be managed by civilian experts from India who have been deployed to the Maldives for this purpose, as reported by the Editon.mv news portal.