Parliament passes MVR 133.6 million budget for Auditor General's Office
MPs approved the Auditor General's Office's 2027 budget unopposed at MVR 133.59 million, 1% less than this year, with day-to-day spending cut and capital spending raised.
Latest
All the latest Maldives news, newest first.
Ras Malé properties can only be sold back to the state, President Muizzu says
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu says the government will keep full control of Ras Malé properties, with 99-year leaseholders able to sell only to the state and Maldivian law applying throughout.
First draft of Maldives carbon trading rules completed, minister says
Environment Minister Ali Shareef says the first draft of regulations for a Maldives carbon market is done and under review, with the government aiming to gazette them before the end of 2026.
Government moves to repeal tourism tax on foreign tour operators
A government bill submitted to Parliament on Tuesday would scrap the requirement for foreign tour operators, travel agencies and booking platforms to pay Tourism GST, weeks after it took effect.
MVR 58.8 billion needed to finish housing ministry's projects, minister says
Infrastructure Minister Dr Abdulla Muththalib told parliament that completing the projects his ministry has started will cost MVR 58.83 billion, and that this year's budget sets no fixed amount for any single project.
Government cuts cost of tourism island leases in six atolls
The Tourism Ministry has lowered the cost of acquiring islands under the cross-subsidy scheme in Haa Alif, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Laamu and Addu, cutting base and per-hectare rates and halving the premium on large islands.
Ice plants to be built on 11 islands under deal with Malaysian firm
The Fisheries Ministry has signed an agreement with Altus Oil and Gas Malaysia to build ice plants on 11 islands, each producing 30 tonnes of ice a day with 50 tonnes of storage.
President Muizzu to make state visit to Pakistan, first in a decade
Dr Mohamed Muizzu travels to Pakistan from 20 to 22 October at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The two leaders will witness the exchange of several memoranda of understanding.
Maldives condemns fifth attack on Saudi Arabia in five weeks
The Foreign Ministry has issued five statements since 8 September on attacks inside the Kingdom. The latest followed a strike on Riyadh's main airport that killed civilians and injured hundreds.
Tourist arrivals claw back to last year’s level after spring slump
October arrivals are running marginally ahead of last year, Tourism Ministry figures show, after a slump that wiped nearly a quarter off April.
Central bank suspends MS Finance licence and fines it MVR 500,000
The Maldives Monetary Authority has suspended the licence of MS Finance Currency Exchange and fined it MVR 500,000 for breaching money-changing rules.
Government rules out automatic lease renewal at Ras Male
The housing ministry told parliament that no Ras Male land will be leased on automatically renewing terms and none will pass into foreign ownership, with the state expecting a land premium of about USD 3.1 billion.
Police log 2,387 road accidents so far this year
Police figures show 2,387 road accidents in the Maldives so far this year, against 3,079 in the whole of 2025 and 2,882 in 2024.
Cybercrime reports double in six months, police say
Police say cybercrime complaints in the first half of 2026 were double the same period last year, with 68 percent committed through social media and criminals now using AI-generated messages.
Police officer seriously injured as speeding motorcycle hits bridge highway checkpoint
A motorcycle ridden at more than 100 kilometres an hour hit a police barricade and then an officer on duty at a checkpoint on the Sinamalé Bridge highway early on Saturday. Four people have been arrested, and the police commissioner called it a deliberate attempt to obstruct the force’s operation against reckless riders.
Seaplane, domestic flight, speedboat or ferry: how to reach your island in the Maldives
Almost every visitor lands at one airport and then faces a second journey. A guide to which transfer suits which atoll, why your arrival time matters, the taxes you will actually pay, and the entry formalities.
Two Maldivian flydubai pilots deported from UAE over hijack-attempt probe
Two Maldivian co-pilots held in the UAE in connection with an attempted hijacking on a flydubai flight to Israel have been deported and arrived home on Friday. Police questioned them at the airport but have not arrested them.
Obama says Israel has 'ceded moral ground', 7m Palestinians 'not going anywhere'
Former US president Barack Obama said Israel's reliance on military strength had cost it moral ground, and that its government must accept that seven million Palestinians are not going anywhere. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the remarks.
