News

Adhurey to Jameel: I will not forget the attempt to overthrow Yameen

Published

6 months ago

05/11/2023

Abdul Raheem Abdulla (Adhurey), the chairperson of PNC, said on Friday that he will never forget the attempt made by former Maldivian vice president Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed to overthrow former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration.

Adhurey’s remarks hit back at Jameel – who is now Yameen’s top lawyer – for recent comments he made during a gathering at the headquarters of PPM – PNC’s coalition partner.

Addressing Monday’s gathering, Jameel said that the PPM-PNC must not forget how it won the September presidential elections and came back to power.

This was after the top PPM-PNC leadership was visibly absent from gatherings at the PPM headquarters last week, which was attended by PPM’s leader Yameen.

Adhurey, along with other members of the PPM-PNC leadership, are currently on a visit to Addu City.

In a rally at Addu’s Hulhudhoo district on Friday night, Adhurey said they will not forget how they came back to power.

“We will not forget how we returned to power. What we did to come back to power. Who provided their cooperation. And who rose against it,” he said.

Adhurey said he also remembers who it was that installed the MDP in power and “destroyed” the country.

He said that MDP got elected in 2018 after spreading false rumors to end Yameen’s administration.

“Completely baseless lies. There wasn’t a single thing President Yameen wasn’t accused of,” he said.

Adhurey said he will also not forget how certain individuals, having spread the rumors, switched sides again to the PPM-PNC.

Jameel had been Yameen’s first vice president after he was elected to office in 2013. However, Jameel was ousted in a no-confidence vote submitted to the Parliament by the PPM in 2015, and was replaced by then-tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor.

Following his ouster, Jameel led the ‘United Opposition’ movement against Yameen’s administration.

He became one of the fiercest critics of Yameen’s administration, accusing the PPM leader of major acts of corruption.

Jameel went into self-imposed exile in the UK after he was implicated in a court warrant for Yameen’s arrest.

He had remained in UK until the end of Yameen’s administration.

After Yameen’s election defeat in 2018, Jameel joined Jumhoory Party (JP) – part of the coalition government.

In 2019, he contested unusually in the parliamentary elections for the Vilimale’ seat, as an independent candidate.

He later left JP to rejoin PPM, and was appointed Yameen’s lead attorney in the corruption cases against him.

He was also Yameen’s choice for a running mate in the recent presidential election, before the Elections Commission rejected his candidacy due to the former president’s conviction for money laundering and bribery.

Source(s): sun.mv

World

Hamas plans to suspend Gaza ceasefire negotiations if Israel attacks Rafah

Published

14 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