Ooredoo Maldives has scheduled its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for this year to be held on the ninth of March. According to Ooredoo, the AGM will take place on Sunday, March 9, at 9:30 PM.
The company stated that those who register to participate in this AGM can do so either online or by attending in person at the venue, which is the Ooredoo Maldives Headquarters (Ooredoo Maldives’ main office building in K. Hulhumale). They mentioned that only 50 shareholders will have the opportunity to attend the meeting in person at the Ooredoo Maldives Headquarters.
Ooredoo said that arrangements will be made for those who wish to participate online to do so through “FahiVote”. The company stated that both those attending the meeting in person at the headquarters and those participating online will be notified of the information before 6:00 PM on March 7.
Ooredoo clarified that those who have registered to attend the meeting in person can only participate from the Ooredoo Maldives Headquarters, and online participation will be through the Maldives Securities Depository Company Private Limited (MSD)’s online general meeting management system called “FahiVote”.
Ooredoo stated that only those who register to participate in this year’s AGM by 9:30 PM on March 7 will be able to attend.
The “Maumoon” font, created from the handwriting of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has been released. This font is being released through a collaboration between the Maumoon Foundation and Akuru Type. The font was prepared by Dhivehi Type Foundry. The Type Director of Dhivehi Type Foundry is Abdullah Shafiu (Abo), the former Creative Director of “Vaguthu”.
A special ceremony was held at the Art Gallery to introduce the “Maumoon” font. An exhibition to showcase the font to the public will be held today from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM at the Art Gallery. Those who wish to purchase and use the font can download it from the Akuru Type website. This exhibition will demonstrate various uses of the “Maumoon” font.
The “Maumoon” font is created based on Maumoon’s calligraphy skills. Maumoon is recognized as a highly skilled person in both Dhivehi and Arabic calligraphy. He writes very proficiently in both languages by hand. Maumoon studied in Egypt. Examples of Maumoon’s calligraphy skills can be seen in various places in Male’. For instance, the writing on the plaque installed in the mihrab of the Islamic Center in Male’ is written by him. He also wrote the name board outside the Islamic Center.
The purpose of creating the “Maumoon” font is to bring Maumoon’s calligraphy skills into the digital age. It is believed that using this font will bring additional perfection to writing Dhivehi letters in modern technology. The exhibition will showcase different varieties of the “Maumoon” font and various works prepared using the font. Additionally, information about the stages of font design will also be available at the exhibition.
The Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works has decided to introduce a token system for distributing canned fish cases that the government is gifting to every household in the Maldives as a Ramadan fasting gift this year. When the distribution of canned fish began on Thursday night in Male’, Vilimale’ and Hulhumale’, many people queued up in various areas. Many people also complained about having to stay in queues for long periods. The Ministry has now begun work to address these complaints.
The Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works said that arrangements will be made to obtain tokens through an online system so that people do not have to spend a long time in queues. They also said that arrangements will be made to obtain tokens for a specific night from a specific center through this system. The Ministry said that details of the designated system will be announced. When coming to collect the canned fish case, one must bring their ID card and an electricity bill for one month. A maximum of three canned fish cases will be issued to one person. The distribution of canned fish cases will continue from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM every night. It has been arranged to issue between 50 to 200 token numbers daily at the centers designated for distributing canned fish cases.
The Ministry said that this work will continue until canned fish cases are distributed to all households. They also said that arrangements will be made for people who may have difficulties using devices like phones to proceed without any trouble. As such, if a person has such a difficulty, they can go to a center and seek assistance from the staff there, the Ministry said. “While being grateful for the help and cooperation received from all citizens in such matters, we take this opportunity to note that the government’s aim is to provide the Ramadan gift in the easiest and most convenient way possible,” the Ministry said.
While distributing canned fish cases to homes this Ramadan, last year’s Ramadan, the government gave 1.6 million kilograms of staple foods free to 82,000 households. Each house was given 10 kg of flour and 10 kg of rice. Also, a discount of 142 million rufiyaa was given on electricity and water bills.
Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah Haleel has met with Maldivians living in Sri Lanka. In a post on X, Haleel said he was happy to have the opportunity to meet and talk with Maldivians living in Lanka. He also assured that he would find solutions to the difficulties faced by citizens living in Lanka.
During this trip at the invitation of the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Haleel has also met with the country’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He has also met with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. During this meeting, he highlighted the assistance provided by Lanka for the development of the Maldives over the past years, especially in the fields of education and human resource development.
Haleel has also expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by the country to the large number of Maldivians living in Lanka.
Bill Gates has expressed deep concern over Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle USAID. In an interview with PBS, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that Trump’s sudden decision to halt the independent agency, reduce its staff from over 10,000 to 300, has put millions of lives at risk. Trump has asked Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reconsider cutting U.S. foreign aid spending.
In a discussion with journalist Walter Isaacson on the Amanpour & Company YouTube channel, Gates said he hopes that a large part of it can be reversed and protected. Gates noted that due to Trump’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), “over 20 million people are living using HIV medication.”
“I know many of those workers, I know that work,” he said, adding that a very high percentage of it is something that every taxpayer would be proud of.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Ukrainian elections, stating that Trump is surrounded by misinformation. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump expressed support for Russian President Putin and claimed that Zelenskyy’s approval rating had “gone down to about 4 percent.” He also stated that the war-torn country was under “martial law.”
However, on Wednesday, Zelenskyy, who was elected to a five-year term in 2019, refuted Trump’s statements and responded. Citing a survey showing that 58 percent of Ukrainians trust him, the Ukrainian President said his approval rating was strong. He also mentioned that there is evidence of Russia spreading false information about the 4 percent approval rating.
Zelenskyy also denied Trump’s claims that the U.S. had given Ukraine $500 billion and rejected the suggestion that he had signed a mineral exploration agreement to “give back minerals.” However, he stated that he would be ready to work on a “serious document” if it included “security guarantees.”
Mohamed Malih, a prominent figure in former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s PNF party, has purchased a land in Male’ for 8 million rufiyaa. According to the Civil Court ruling, Malih bought a private land and building registered under the name of Tharmeena Ibrahim, called M. Janaan. The land measures 1066.56 square feet. Malih has paid and settled the full amount of eight million rufiyaa for the property.
The land was purchased in the names of Malih and his two cousins, who are children of former Vice President Mohamed Jameel. Malih was the first Technology Minister in former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s government. However, after being dismissed from the position, he has been seen with the opposition PPM/PNC. In addition to the previous government, Malih also served as the Youth Minister during former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration.
Malih is currently working with Yameen in the PNF party.
Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed has stated that the country’s economy is showing signs of improvement and is projected to grow by 6.4% this year. Speaking at a press conference held by the President’s Office, Saeed said that despite some parties claiming the economy is not progressing, it is indeed moving forward.
“If the projected figure is 6.4%, then we measure it quarterly. It is expected to grow,” Saeed said.
While Saeed made these remarks, the Deputy Speaker of the People’s Majlis, Ahmed Nazim, said yesterday that there are no visible signs of economic improvement or reduction in government expenditure. Minister Saeed said he had no comment on these concerns. Gasim Ibrahim, the chair of the Parliament’s Public Finance Committee, has also expressed concerns about the country’s economic situation. He stated that the country’s condition needs to be explained and that the economy will only improve if changes are made to the government’s format.
According to MIRA statistics, the total revenue collected in January this year was 3.34 billion rufiyaa. This is 7.7% lower than the revenue collected during the same period last year. Journalists at today’s press conference also noted that according to Finance Ministry statistics, state revenue has decreased by 19% over the past month.
In his presidential address at the opening of this year’s Parliament session, President Dr. Muizzu stated that reducing the budget deficit to 9.4 billion rufiyaa this year is a goal. The President said that measures taken to increase state revenue to overcome the economic difficulties facing the Maldives have begun to positively impact the state treasury and foreign currency reserves.
The newspaper “Adhadhu” has spread false news claiming that a sudden Cabinet meeting was held following the Supreme Court’s decision to review the constitutional amendment that would result in Members of Parliament losing their seats. Presidential Spokesperson Heena Waleed stated that the news article published by “Adhadhu” under the headline “Sudden Cabinet Meeting after Supreme Court Decision” contains blatantly false information.
“Presenting such false information without any authenticity in a way that misleads the public is unacceptable,” Heena said. She also mentioned that the President’s Office would submit this matter to the Maldives Media Council. Previously, the President’s Office has submitted complaints about “Adhadhu” newspaper to the Media Council. However, there has been no visible action taken by the Media Council in addressing these issues.
The People’s Majlis has approved the nominees sent by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu for appointment to four international organizations. The four organizations for which the President sought approval are the International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The names proposed for appointment to these organizations are:
International Maritime Organization (IMO) – Dr. Iruthisham Adam, Ambassador to the United Kingdom
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) – Mohamed Hussain Shareef, Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
World Trade Organization (WTO) – Dr. Salma Rasheed, Permanent Representative to the UN offices in Geneva
Organization of Islamic Cooperation – Ahmed Sareer, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
After the Foreign Relations Committee of the Majlis studied these matters, they were put to vote on the floor today. As a result, 73 members approved Dr. Iruthisham’s appointment as the representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Similarly, 73 members approved Mohamed Hussain Shareef’s appointment as the representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
For the World Trade Organization (WTO), 72 members voted in favor of appointing Dr. Salma as the representative, while 74 members voted to approve Ahmed Sareer’s appointment as the representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
