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Maldives hopes to become the greenest country in the World

With new measures and green initiatives, the Maldives is hoping to become the cleanest country in the world, a senior official said. The Indian Ocean archipelago is already phasing out single-use plastic, including water bottles, and projects that could reduce its carbon footprints.

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Amnesty expresses concern over Maldives’ crackdown on anti-India protestors

The decree came after the country’s National Security Council concluded that the ‘India Out’ campaign, led by former president Abdullah Yameen, posed a threat to national security, to Maldivians living in India, and Indians living in the archipelago

Tourist inflow crosses half a million in the Maldives, records 46 percent growth in four months

Revenues from tourism contribute almost 70 percent of the country’s total GDP. In a recently released growth prospect, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected the Maldives to grow by 11 percent, mainly because of the rebound in the tourism industry

Maldives bans ‘India Out’ campaign citing threat to national security; Opposition vows to challenge in court

Soon after the issuance of the decree, police stormed the opposition PPM headquarters and the residence of opposition leaders, including residences of former president Yameen and Abdul Gayoom, on Thursday to remove ‘India Out’ banners hanging from the buildings

Indian Navy chief, Maldives defense minister discusses enhancing cooperation

The visit by the Indian Navy chief came at a time when New Delhi has been strengthening defense and economic ties with countries in the Indian Ocean littoral, where China has gained a significant footprint in the last couple of years

Maldives includes sign language for broadcasting parliament session

Sign language will be used in all the sessions from Monday, 18 April onwards, as well as any significant interviews as well, said Hassan Ziyaau, the Communications Director for Parliament.

Maldives signs defense agreement with US; India welcomes move

The agreement with the US is among many initiatives Male has been taking to diversify its defense and security ties, with the US expanding its ties with the Indian Ocean archipelago and opening an embassy in Male as a recognition of its strategic location in the intersection of important sea lanes

Former Maldives president Yameen calls for demilitarized IOR; seeks to make political capital of negligible Indian military presence

The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) should remain a demilitarized zone, former Maldivian President Abdullah Yameen said, opposing the alleged presence of Indian military personnel in the strategically located archipelago, which has lately emerged as a key battleground for influence between the two big Asian powers, India and China

Russian superrich move superyachts to the Maldives amid western sanctions

Amid growing western sanctions on Russia, at least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires are either anchored in or moving around the Maldives, a small Indian Ocean archipelago and a luxury tourism destination, media reports say citing ship tracking data

Ukraine war to significantly impact tourism, says Maldives tourism minister; pins hopes on China to offset potential loss

The ongoing war in Ukraine will significantly impact the tourism industry,  said Maldives’ Tourism Minister Abdullah Mausoom, as tourists from Russia and Ukraine, the two countries at war now, comprise almost 20 percent of the country’s total tourists

The Maldives to extend visas of stranded Ukrainian tourists; worried about war effect on tourist flow

The Maldives has announced that it was planning to extend visas of Ukrainian tourists who got stranded in the archipelago as commercial flights canceled their operations to Ukraine after the conflict broke out last week

Maldives welcomes Air India flight with a water cannon salute marking 46 years of air service

Tourism-dependent Maldives welcomed Air India flight AI-267 with a water cannon salute at Male airport on Monday, commemorating 46 years of air service between the two countries

Maldives puts bill criminalizing the ‘India out’ campaign on hold amid political differences

The Maldives government has put the bill that seeks to criminalize the ‘India Out’ campaign led by former president Abdullah Yameen on hold amid some “concerns” within the ruling coalition

Maldives to get Reliance Jio’s Multi Terabit India-Asia-Xpress undersea cable system; vision to make it South Asia's communications hub

Reliance Jio Infocomm, India's largest mobile operator, will land the multi-terabit India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) undersea cable system in the Maldives’ Hulhumale, a reclaimed island south of North Male, the company confirmed in a statement on Monday

‘India out’ most dangerous campaign in Maldives' history, says Maldives' Defence Minister

On Thursday, the defence minister reiterated that the campaign posed a threat to Maldivian nationals living in India and foreigners staying in the archipelago

Britain establishes diplomatic mission in the Maldives; Australia to follow suit

Britain has established its high commission in the Maldives’ capital Male, becoming the first European country to open a diplomatic mission in the country for its luxury tourism and white sandy beaches