Category: Other
Yameen to be sworn in as Maldives leader after shock win
MALÉ, November 16, 2013 (AFP) – Abdulla Yameen was to be sworn in as the Maldives new president Sunday after his shock win over former leader Mohamed Nasheed, drawing a line under a bout of turmoil on the paradise islands. Yameen secured 51.3 percent of the popular vote compared to 48.6 percent for ex-president Nasheed […]
Crisis-hit Maldives vote again
MALÉ, November 16, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives Saturday began voting in a run-off presidential election held under intense international pressure to elect a new leader and end months of political unrest.Polling booths across the Indian Ocean archipelago opened at 7:30am (0230 GMT) with the 239,000 electorate given eight and a half hours to choose […]
Maldives hopes for new leader after scuttled votes
MALÉ, November 16, 2013 (AFP) – Organisers of a troubled presidential election in the Maldives said they hoped to name a winner of a run-off contest Saturday after previous attempts were scuttled.Chief Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek told reporters that he hoped they will be able to declare a final winner in an election where former […]
Maldives president leaves country on eve of crucial polls
NEW DELHI, November 15, 2013 (AFP) – The president of the Maldives has left the country on the eve of national elections that have been delayed three times, his spokesman said Friday, leaving a leadership void amid a constitutional crisis.Mohamed Waheed, who took office after a contested transfer of power last February, left for Hong […]
License Debate
Nov 13, 2013 (LBO) – A debate over the legality of casinos in Sri Lanka is heating up with ministers of the administration and opposition legislators trading charges and counter chargers.At least four casinos are now operating under a de facto arrangement where an annual levy had been paid to the state revenue office under […]
Sri Lanka poultry group in profits amid revenue drop
Nov 14, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Grain Elevators group, which has operations in feed-milling said it returned to profits in the September 2013 quarter helped by lower soya prices despite a drop in sales.Three Acre Farms had also exported parent day old chicks and hatchable eggs to the region, helping boost margins. The […]
US warns Maldives president after vote blocked
MALÉ, November 12, 2013 (AFP) – The United States stepped up its criticism of the embattled Maldives on Tuesday, warning caretaker president Mohamed Waheed that a decision to remain in office after his mandate expired was endangering democracy.The US State Department said Waheed’s move to continue to govern after his time in office lapsed at […]
US rebukes Maldives top court as election suspended again
MALÉ, November 10, 2013 (AFP) – The United States sharply rebuked the Maldives’ top court after it suspended a presidential election runoff scheduled for Sunday, blocking a vote for the third time in two months.“Efforts by the Supreme Court to repeatedly and unduly interfere in the electoral process subverts Maldives’ democracy and takes decision-making out […]
Elections chief says Maldives run-off on track
MALÉ, November 9, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives’ presidential run-off will be held Sunday, but with a five-hour delay, the chief elections commissioner announced as the second-placed candidate asked for more time to prepare.The court has begun hearing the case.Ibrahim says he wants more time to tell his supporters which of the two candidates they […]
Political chaos as Maldives Supreme Court suspends run-off vote
MALÉ, November 10, 2013 (AFP) – Presidential elections in the Maldives were thrown into disarray on Sunday after the Supreme Court suspended a run-off vote, denying former president Mohamed Nasheed the chance to return to power 21 months after he was ousted. Despite growing international concerns over the Indian Ocean atoll nation’s failure to elect […]
Troubled Maldives holds make-or-break vote
MALÉ, November 9, 2013 (AFP) – Voting got underway in the Maldives Saturday in its third bid to choose a president and end unrest sparked by the toppling of their first freely-elected leader 21 months ago.“God willing, we will win this election in one round,” he said at a rally in the capital Male. Nearly […]
Crisis-hit Maldives to vote again with democracy in doubt
COLOMBO, November 7, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives faces a final chance to avoid a constitutional crisis and secure its five-year democracy this weekend when it makes a third attempt to hold a long-delayed presidential election.He held a meeting with all three candidates on Wednesday, with a statement saying it was “a very crucial period” […]