Author: Mohamed Reehaan

Medical interns at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) have refused to sign the two-year bond contract due to lack of an official Civil Service designation for them. Earlier in April 2023, the Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced an allowance for medical and dental interns to “endorse the development of Maldivian professionals in the health sector”. While the government ordered the allowance to be made effective from May 2023 onwards, IGMH have yet to provide the said allowances for the interns. The hospital meanwhile, made an attempt to sign contracts with the interns two weeks back. According to the…

London-based Virgin Atlantic has announced its plans to commence three weekly seasonal flights to the Maldives, kicking off from 22nd October 2023. The flights will operate from London Heathrow to Velana International Airport (VIA) on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays every week. Return flights from Maldives to London is scheduled to start on 25th October with departures scheduled on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The flight duration is expected to range between 10 to 11 hours.

State Trading Organization (STO) has announced reduction of fuel prices once more. The price adjustments will be implemented by its subsidiary Fuel Supplies Maldives (FSM). The price reduction will be reflected on both petrol and diesel prices. Petrol prices have gone down to MVR 0.41 per liter while diesel has reduced to MVR 0.63 per liter. Before the latest price revision, petrol was sold at MVR 15.14 while diesel was sold at MVR 15.70. With the current reduction, petrol will now be sold at MVR 14.73 per liter and diesel at MVR 15.07 per liter.

The tourist arrivals to the Maldives has reached an annual total of 832,169 as of 6th June 2023. As per the latest updates from the Ministry of Tourism, tourist arrivals to the Maldives has shown strong momentum this year with annual arrivals only 167,831 short of hitting the coveted 1 millionth mark. The statistics showed that the arrivals so far has observed a 14.7% increment compared to the same period in 2022, during which arrivals stood at 725,725. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals exclusively from 1st to 6th June experienced a slight drop of 2%. This year, the total number of arrivals…

Ooredoo Maldives introduces special offers for Hajj pilgrims. Telecommunication and internet service provider has introduced the Saudi IDD package and the ‘Hajj SIM’; specific for pilgrims who will be traveling to Mecca for Hajj pilgrim this year. The Saudi IDD package is available for MVR 150 and comes with 100 Saudi IDD minutes, and a social data pack of 1GB for Viber and WhatsApp. The pack is applicable for both Ooredoo Postpaid and Prepaid customers. To activate the pack, customers can send an SMS with “SD150” typed, to 1111. The new pack offers Ooredoo customers visiting Mecca this year a…

The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology has signed a contract with INSTEC Import and Export Company Limited from China, to set up solar-powered ice plants in four local islands in the Maldives. Signing ceremony saw the participation of key figures including the Minister of Environment Aminath Shauna, Minister of Fisheries Dr. Hussain Rasheed, and council members representing the four islands involved in the project. This initiative aligns with the state’s objective of achieving carbon Net-Zero 2023 goal. The plants will be established in the islands of Noonu atoll Landhoo, and Thaa atoll Buruni, Madifushi, and Vilufushi. The plants…

Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has announced a dividend of 60 Laari per share. MTDC board of directors made the decision during its recently held annual general meeting (AGM), held at the Manhattan Business Hotel last Tuesday, May 30. MTC had previously paid 60 Laari per share in dividends for the preceding fiscal year of 2021 as well. The state-owned enterprise (SOE) is set to disburse a total of MVR 20.4 million in dividends for the retained profits last year. While MTDC’s profit declined, the company had observed a bump in last year’s revenue. The profit for the year reached…

The OBLU SELECT Lobigili, the ‘Colors of OBLU’ brand under Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts has grabbed the “Best New Hotel” award at the 2023 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards. The property received the “rookie of the year” status, ranking first place in the world in this year’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Hotel awards. The luxury property, conveniently located 15-minute speedboat trip away from the country’s main air gateway, Velana International Airport (VIA) is a renowned haven for couples and honeymooners seeking a once-in-a-lifetime getaway. The property’s name is derived from two Dhivehi words; “LOBI” which signifies love, and “GILI”…

ADK Hospital announced that its annual Brain and Spine Conference for 2023 is scheduled for October. According to ADK Hospital’s Managing Director Ahmed Affal, the conference for this year is scheduled on October 25-26. “This is the largest health sector conference held in the Maldives, and many anticipate for this annual event. All interested parties wishing to participate can register for the event now,” Affal said. Healthcare professionals band together for this annual event where medical findings, research work, and innovations are shared and discussed. The event also serves as platform for ADK Hospital to announce new services and offers.…

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has claimed that over 7,000 beds will be added to the tourism operation in Addu City once the ongoing projects in the atoll conclude. The president made the remarks at the inauguration ceremony of the large-scale land reclamation project in the city. The ceremony was held at the now reclaimed area in Addu atoll Maradhoo. With the inclusion of the Hankede Project, which was a pledged initiative of the previous government, the area will observe an increment of 7,600 beds in total. The Addu Hankede Project will reportedly have 2,872 beds, while the remaining beds…