The Press - The first political news website in Maldiveshttps://en.thepress.mven-usCopyright (C) 2026 thepress.mv https://en.thepress.mv/public/images/logo.png https://en.thepress.mv 512 220 The Speaker of the Parliament and the Chairperson of the ruling People's National Congress, PNC, Abdul Raheem Abdullah, has denied a report that said that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's influence within the party has diminished. The report was published by the opposition-aligned "Adhadhu" news outlet, which said that the PNC Senate rejected a motion submitted by the President The newspaper quoted some senior PNC members as saying that President Muizzu proposed at the party’s Senate meeting that the leadership be given full powers to conduct all arrangements for the upcoming party congress. Still, the Senate majority did not support his... https://en.thepress.mv/18981 https://en.thepress.mv/18981 Mon, 25 May 2026 14:50:43 +0500 President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu says his administration is focused on creating opportunities for the Maldives to host international football tournaments, strengthening our sporting culture, and giving our athletes greater exposure on the global stage. He said this in a message posted on World Football Day. The President said that this administration remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing sports and healthy living in the Maldives. He noted that, in addition to expanding and upgrading football infrastructure, including the development of FIFA-standard football grounds, the government has introduced meaningful policy reforms, such as amending the Sports Act to further decentralize sports development across... https://en.thepress.mv/18980 https://en.thepress.mv/18980 Mon, 25 May 2026 13:40:23 +0500 President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu says the government is working to resolve the medicine shortage issue in the country and expects relief in the coming 2 months. He made these comments while speaking on the "National Chat" program. In September last year, the government set up a special company called State Pharmaceutical and Medical Supply to find a permanent solution to the difficulties faced by the pharmacy cities. The President assured that by next June or July, the system of access to medicines would be revolutionized and an uninterrupted supply of medicines would be ensured, especially for those suffering from chronic diseases.... https://en.thepress.mv/18979 https://en.thepress.mv/18979 Sun, 24 May 2026 14:46:21 +0500 India’s ongoing efforts to expand its global economic footprint have taken another step forward with the finalisation of Terms of Reference (ToRs) aimed at advancing future trade partnerships and strengthening regional economic connectivity. The development is expected to pave the way for structured trade negotiations, deeper economic cooperation and enhanced market access between India and partner countries in the coming years. Trade analysts say the move reflects India’s broader strategy of securing long-term economic partnerships through Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs), particularly across the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific region. The Maldives is among the countries currently engaged in... https://en.thepress.mv/18978 https://en.thepress.mv/18978 Sun, 24 May 2026 13:00:26 +0500 The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has joined Exercise PRAGATI 2026, a multinational military exercise currently underway in Meghalaya, India, alongside forces from 11 other friendly nations. The opening ceremony of the two-week exercise was held on Friday at Umroi, Meghalaya, marking the official commencement of the joint training programme focused on enhancing interoperability, operational coordination and collective response capabilities among participating countries. The exercise includes military contingents from Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Addressing the participating forces during the opening ceremony, Major General Sunil Sheoran, Additional Director General Infantry of the Indian Army,... https://en.thepress.mv/18977 https://en.thepress.mv/18977 Sun, 24 May 2026 12:46:58 +0500 India and the Maldives marked the International Day for Biological Diversity with a joint environmental initiative in Hulhumalé, where more than 125 kilograms of plastic waste were collected during a coastal cleanup campaign organized by the Maldives Ocean Plastics Alliance and the High Commission of India in Maldives. The cleanup drive, held on Thursday, also saw the donation of colour-coded waste bins by the Indian High Commission to support waste segregation and promote sustainable waste management practices in the Maldives. In a post shared on social media, the Indian High Commission said the initiative reflected the shared commitment of both countries towards... https://en.thepress.mv/18976 https://en.thepress.mv/18976 Sun, 24 May 2026 12:38:04 +0500 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday during a four-day visit to India, with energy security emerging as a key focus amid ongoing instability in the Middle East. Rubio arrived in Kolkata earlier in the day before travelling to the Indian capital. His visit is also expected to include stops in Jaipur and Agra. According to US officials, Rubio extended an invitation from US President Donald Trump for Modi to visit the White House. Modi later said discussions with Rubio included matters concerning “regional and global peace and security.” The visit comes at... https://en.thepress.mv/18975 https://en.thepress.mv/18975 Sun, 24 May 2026 12:27:30 +0500 The State Electric Company Ltd, Stelco, says major parts of the Greater Male' area have been affected due to a sudden power outage. It said that a power outage has been reported in Male' and Hulhumale', including Hulhumale' Phase 1 and Phase 2. Stelco said that it was working to determine the cause of the power outage and restore power as soon as they can. Villimale, which is also included in the Male' area, remains unaffected by the city-wide power outage. The outage comes hours after Stelco announced that they had been able to complete the upgrading work of the... https://en.thepress.mv/18974 https://en.thepress.mv/18974 Sat, 23 May 2026 13:04:15 +0500 The Maldives has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the One China Principle and recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the entirety of China. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry stated that in an era marked by global challenges, the Maldives remains consistent with its long-standing position, maintained since the establishment of diplomatic relations with China, that Taiwan constitutes an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China, in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, and established principles of international law. It said that the Maldives remains committed to... https://en.thepress.mv/18973 https://en.thepress.mv/18973 Thu, 21 May 2026 14:10:58 +0500 The joint search operation team has retrieved the bodies of the two remaining Italian divers who passed away after their ill-fated deep dive into an underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll. The local law enforcement-led searching team, assisted by the Finnish cave-diving experts, had retrieved the bodies of two other divers yesterday, as four went missing last Thursday. This was confirmed by the Chief Spokesperson of the Maldivian government, Mohamed Hussain Shareef. He said yesterday, the team retrieved the bodies of ecology professor Monica Montefalcone and graduate Federico Gualtieri. He also said that all four bodies are being kept in the... https://en.thepress.mv/18972 https://en.thepress.mv/18972 Wed, 20 May 2026 14:30:54 +0500 International media reports claim that Rome prosecutors have opened an investigation into an alleged homicide over the case of five Italians who died while scuba diving in a cave in the Maldives last week. Five Italian divers went missing last Thursday after they set off to explore 60-meter deep underwater caves in Vaavu Atoll. The body of one of the divers was found on the same day, but four remained missing till last Monday when a Finnish team of cave diving experts joined the local authorities in the search operation. Tragically, before that, a Maldivian military diver lost his life... https://en.thepress.mv/18971 https://en.thepress.mv/18971 Wed, 20 May 2026 13:56:04 +0500 The joint search operation has retrieved the bodies of two Italian divers who passed away after cave diving in Vaavu Atoll last Thursday. The bodies of two other Italian divers remain in the 60-meter-deep cave The Maldives National Defence Force, MNDF, joined the Maldives Police Force, and the cave-diving expert team arranged by the Italian government, to successfully retrieve the bodies of the fallen divers. The authorities are yet to reveal the identities of the retrieved victims. Reports suggest the bodies of the remaining two victims will be retrieved sometime tomorrow. In one of the most devastating diving tragedies in... https://en.thepress.mv/18970 https://en.thepress.mv/18970 Wed, 20 May 2026 11:06:23 +0500 The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, Brazil, Jordan, Pakistan, Spain, Bangladesh, Colombia, Indonesia, Türkiye, and Libya condemn in the strongest terms the renewed Israeli assaults against the Global Sumud Flotilla, a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing international attention to the catastrophic humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people. The Ministers recall with grave concern the Israeli interventions against previous flotillas in international waters and condemn the continuation of hostile acts targeting civilian vessels and humanitarian activists. Such assaults, including attacks against the vessels and the arbitrary detention of activists, constitute blatant violations of international law and... https://en.thepress.mv/18969 https://en.thepress.mv/18969 Tue, 19 May 2026 16:40:25 +0500 The Maldives National Defence Force, MNDF, says the joint search operation has located the bodies of the four Italian divers who vanished after they went cave diving off Vaavu Atoll last Thursday. MNDF said that the recovery was made by the joint operation carried out by MNDF Coastguard, Maldives Police Service, and the cave-diving expert team arranged by the Italian government. It said that the bodies were found within the underwater cave. It also said that further dives would be carried out in the coming days to recover the bodies. Five divers who went to explore an underwater cave at... https://en.thepress.mv/18968 https://en.thepress.mv/18968 Tue, 19 May 2026 15:11:03 +0500 A tourist who was surfing off Gaafu Dhaalu Gaadhoo has drowned. Police said that they received the report of the incident around 12:57 this afternoon and identified the victim as a 53-year-old man from Spain. They said that the man was rushed to Gaafu Dhaalu Vaadhoo health Centre when he drowned, but was pronounced dead on arrival at the Health Centre. Police said that they were further investigating the incident. This comes days after five divers from Italy lost their lives in the Maldives after they went cave-diving in Vaavu Atoll. ... https://en.thepress.mv/18967 https://en.thepress.mv/18967 Mon, 18 May 2026 16:28:00 +0500 The Chief Spokesperson of the Maldivian Government, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, says local authorities are holding discussions with the Finnish diving team on whether or not to resume search operations for the four missing Italian divers. Speaking about the Finnish diving team that arrived in the Maldives today, Shareef said that they were experts in such recovery operations, having conducted numerous deep-sea and cave diving expeditions. The Spokesperson said that the divers arrived today with equipment to dive deep into the cave. The spokesman said discussions are now underway with Finnish divers to resume the search operation. The spokesman said the... https://en.thepress.mv/18966 https://en.thepress.mv/18966 Mon, 18 May 2026 16:47:55 +0500 The Chairperson of Male' Water and Sewerage Company Ltd, MWSC, Shamhooza Ahmed, has been dismissed from her post. The Privatization and Corporization Board, PCB, confirmed her dismissal. The PCB said that Shamhooza has been removed from the board of directors of the company The PCB did not give a reason for her dismissal. However, the government is implementing sweeping changes to the leadership of multiple state-owned companies to enhance productivity and performance further. Shamhooza was appointed as the Chairperson of MWSC under this administration. She is an educated and experienced person who has worked in various government institutions... https://en.thepress.mv/18965 https://en.thepress.mv/18965 Sun, 17 May 2026 15:00:07 +0500 Authorities are continuing extensive search operations for four Italian divers who went missing during a deep cave diving expedition near Vaavu Atoll, as investigations intensify into one of the most serious diving incidents recorded in the Maldives. The incident occurred during a dive near an underwater cave system off Vaavu Atoll. One diver was recovered dead shortly after the alarm was raised, while four others are believed to remain inside the submerged cave network, according to international media reports. The Maldives Police Service and Maldives National Defence Force are leading ongoing search and rescue efforts alongside specialist divers. Reports indicate the group had... https://en.thepress.mv/18964 https://en.thepress.mv/18964 Sat, 16 May 2026 18:06:07 +0500 The Maldives National Defence Force, MNDF, says one of its rescue divers has died while searching for the missing divers who vanished while exploring an underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll last Thursday. MNDF identified the soldier as Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee. He was one of the soldiers who briefed President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu yesterday when he visited the diving site to assess the ongoing operation. The Staff Sergeant was rushed to the ADK hospital following a dive, and MNDF later confirmed that the soldier had passed away. The deceased had likely suffered Decompression Sickness (DCS). Decompression sickness (DCS), often called... https://en.thepress.mv/18963 https://en.thepress.mv/18963 Sun, 17 May 2026 15:36:01 +0500 The Tourism Ministry has suspended the operating license of the safari that took a group of foreigners on a diving excursion in Vaavu Atoll, an incident that ended in tragedy. The Ministry suspended the license of M/Y Duke of York indefinitely as it further investigates the incident due to its seriousness Five divers who went to explore an underwater cave at a depth of 60 ft were reported missing last Thursday. The body of one of the divers was discovered on Thursday, and the other four remain missing as authorities suspect that they were stuck in the 200ft long cave. All... https://en.thepress.mv/18962 https://en.thepress.mv/18962 Sat, 16 May 2026 16:04:53 +0500