News

Muizzu pledges to launch MVR 100M loan scheme for women-led startups

Published

8 months ago

22/08/2023

Dr Mohamed Muizzu, PPM, PNC’s presidential candidate, has said last night that he will introduce a loan scheme of MVR 100 million in order for women to have the opportunity to start their own businesses.

Speaking in Hithadhoo, Addu City, last night, Muizzu said that women, youth, and fishermen are a very high priority in his manifesto.

He said that with the introduction of a loan scheme aimed especially for women would make it easier for women to start their own businesses.

“It is a startup loan scheme that is especially for women. God willing, we will give women opportunities to start small businesses with the loan,” Muizzu said.

In addition to this, he pledged to establish markets in all cities in the Maldives for the different products created by women, and that he will create women’s cooperatives in order to manage these markets.

“Women will be at the stall in these markets, it will be 100 percent a women’s business. Foreigners cannot be in these markets.”

Muizzu further said that while women drop their children off at daycares when they go to work, he highlighted that those places are neglected by the government.

He also pledged that those places will be updated and modernised if he is elected. The government will provide financial assistance to these places to develop daycare centres and facilitate the establishment of more daycare centres, he said.

“Then women who live alone can go to work without worry with their children safely in daycare centres,” he said”

In addition, mentioning domestic violence, Muizzu said that both men and women have to face it. He said such things happen very often in the Maldives.

Muizzu also said that these things need to be stopped.

“We have ministries, we have offices. However, it will be our policy to establish a national centre for this purpose,” Muizzu said.

“Therefore, a special national centre will be established to prevent domestic violence and educate on how to proceed after it happens in order to establish a compassionate caring society.”

When these things are done, a safe society can be established, he said, and, women can be made self-sufficient.

Muizzu also pledged to make online payment systems, such as PayPal, available in the Maldives during his term.

He further said that the payment systems that will be changed including PayPal, Payoneer, Stripe, Skrill, and Neteller, will be made available to the businesses in the Maldives.

In addition, he highlighted that global e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Shopify, Shoppy and Lazada users cannot create seller accounts in the Maldives.

He said he would make legal changes to allow seller accounts to be created on such platforms

Source(s): sun.mv

World

Hamas plans to suspend Gaza ceasefire negotiations if Israel attacks Rafah

Published

13 hours ago

02/05/2024

Hamas said on Wednesday that ceasefire negotiations with Israel would be suspended if Israel attacks the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said in an interview with Lebanon-based al-Manar TV that Hamas would halt all indirect negotiations with Israel if it launches military operations against Rafah.

Accusing Israel of seeking “to blackmail all the parties by its threats of attacking Rafah,” the official said “the resistance is still having its power to defend our people.”

On Monday, a Hamas delegation left Cairo and said they would return with a written response to the latest truce proposal.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on his seventh visit to the Middle East, on Wednesday urged Hamas to accept the truce deal which would see 33 hostages released in exchange for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners and a halt to the fighting, with the possibility of further steps towards a comprehensive deal later.

“Israel has made very important compromises,” he said. “There’s no time for further haggling. The deal is there. They (Hamas) should take it.”

A senior Hamas official said on Wednesday that Hamas was still studying the proposed deal but said Israel was the real obstacle.

Israel is holding off sending a delegation to Cairo for follow-up truce talks, pending a response from Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, an Israeli official told Reuters.

Israel’s military chief of staff Herzi Halevi on Wednesday said that the country’s offensive operation in Gaza “will continue with strength” and that Israel was “preparing for an offensive in the north.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said that Israel will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there “with or without” a deal with Hamas.

With an Israeli ground operation in Rafah on the horizon, United Nations (UN) aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday that Israeli improvements to aid access in Gaza “cannot be used to prepare for or justify a full-blown military assault on Rafah.”

More than one million people face famine after six months of the conflict, the UN has said.

As night fell on Wednesday, Israeli planes and tanks pounded several areas across Gaza, residents and Hamas-linked media said.

Medics in Gaza said at least 27 Palestinians were killed in strikes on Wednesday, with others likely hurt or killed in areas they were unable to reach.

To speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave, the U.S. military has so far constructed over 50 percent of a maritime pier that will be placed off the coast of Gaza, according to the Pentagon.

However, U.S. lawmakers have questioned whether the pier is a worthwhile endeavor. On the one hand, it will cost the American taxpayers at least $320 million to operate the pier for only 90 days; on the other hand, the U.S. military personnel could become targets of Hamas militants, Republican Senator Roger Wicker told Reuters.

Source(s): CGTN

News

Solih reassures MDP dedication to protecting workers’ rights

Published

1 day ago

01/05/2024

Former President and Advisor of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has reaffirmed the party’s commitment to safeguarding workers’ rights.

In a post on social media, Solih extended his congratulations to all Maldivian workers on International Labour Day, highlighting the advocacy of MDP for crucial policies like safeguarding workers’ rights and implementing a minimum wage. He also assured that the party remains dedicated to upholding the rights of workers

The world celebrates International Labour Day annually on May 1.

Source(s): PsmNews

News

Efforts underway to limit Hajj pilgrimage rates

Published

1 day ago

01/05/2024

Maldives Hajj Corporation (MHC) has initiated significant steps to substantially lower the prices of Hajj pilgrimage trips, aligning with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s presidential pledge to reduce costs for travellers from Maldives.

In a post shared on social media, Managing Director Mohamed Shakeel announced the establishment of the “Hajj Fund,” aimed at reducing pilgrim expenses while creating income-generating opportunities for the corporation, thus strengthening its financial stability. He underscored that efforts are currently underway to minimise Hajj trip costs, with an increase in real estate investments.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed affirmed that restructuring the Hajj Corporation would substantially decrease Hajj pilgrimage rates. He further emphasised the Ministry’s proactive measures under the new administration to address this issue. This year, the Hajj Corporation has disbursed USD 4,537 with over 7,000 individuals on the waiting list. The government has officially allocated 100 quotas to the Maldives to mitigate the waiting list and alleviate high pilgrimage costs incurred.

Minister Shaheem stated that if additional quotas are to be granted, private entities will be engaged in organising pilgrimage trips, adhering to the list compiled by the Hajj Corporation.

Source(s): PsmNews