Maldives ibu's Eyes

Maldives opposition plan protest

The Maldives is braced for more clashes between the police and opposition activists demonstrating over a man allegedly killed in police custody.
The man's battered body was discovered in the harbour of the capital Male.
The government has denied allegations by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party that he died in police custody.
The opposition says it is losing faith in commitments made by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to loosen his nearly three-decade-long hold on power.
Severe rioting
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) says it is determined to go ahead with a protest on Friday. read more

Politics this week

In the biggest mass shooting in America's history, a student at Virginia Tech college in Blacksburg shot and killed 32 people on campus before turning the gun on himself. Cho Seung-hui, a South Korean national who emigrated to America as a child, was already in counselling and was causing concern to his teachers. College officials were criticised for not securing the campus immediately after the first two people were shot. In the more than two hours that were allowed to elapse before he resumed his killing spree, Cho took the time to post a macabre video manifesto to the NBC network in New York. See article

George Bush attended a convocation at the college and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast. A debate about gun control was begun by some, but even the Democrats backed away from calls to introduce legislation.

Paul Wolfowitz came under pressure to step down as head of the World Bank after it emerged he had secured favourable pay and work conditions for his girlfriend, a bank official. Mr Wolfowitz has spearheaded a controversial campaign against government corruption since taking charge of the bank. See article
The Supreme Court ruled, by five to four, that a ban on partial-birth abortions passed in 2003 by the then Republican Congress was constitutional. It is seen as a marked shift in the court's stance; for the first time it approved a restriction on abortion without regard for a woman's health. See article
The trial began of José Padilla, five years after he was arrested in connection with an alleged “dirty bomb” plot. Mr Padilla does not face any charges in relation to such a plot but is accused (with two co-defendants) of giving material support to terrorist groups. See article
New Jersey's governor remained in critical condition after a car crash. Jon Corzine was being driven to a conciliatory meeting he was to chair between the women's basketball team of Rutgers university and Don Imus, who was sacked from his popular radio show for making racist remarks about the players.
Confident Correa
Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, won his controversial referendum to set up a “constituent assembly” to rewrite the constitution with 80% of the vote. Some fear he may now use this to concentrate power in his own hands. See article
In Mexico at least 20 people were killed in what police claimed was a feud between rival drug gangs. Meanwhile, in Brazil, battles between the police and competing drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro claimed the lives of 25 people.
The realm of possibilities

The campaign for the French presidential election drew to a close before polling day on April 22nd. The eventual result seemed uncertain, though the centre-right candidate, Nicolas Sarkozy, looked likely to come top in the first round. See article
AFP
Demonstrations in both Moscow and St Petersburg by Other Russia, an opposition group, were broken up violently by police, who arrested a former chess champion, Garry Kasparov, one of its leading lights. The crackdown confirms that Russia's government is in no mood to brook opposition, however small. See article
Ukraine's constitutional court began to consider whether President Viktor Yushchenko's decree dissolving parliament was constitutional. One of the judges was accused of receiving a $12m bribe. Protesters blocked the court's entrance in an effort to stop it sitting.
Leaving the country

The interim administration in Bangladesh in effect sent two of the country's former prime ministers into exile. It was announced that Khaleda Zia, prime minister until October 2006, would go to Saudi Arabia. Her rival, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, was in America, and has said she will try to defy a government order barring her from returning to Bangladesh. See article

North Korea missed the deadline—of April 14th—by when it was supposed to shut down its main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. North Korea complains it still has not received roughly $25m frozen in accounts in a bank in Macau it regards as a precondition to closing the reactor. See article

The election commission in Nepal confirmed what many had feared: that it will not be ready to hold an election for a constituent assembly on June 20th as scheduled. The date was set as part of a peace agreement between mainstream political parties and Maoist rebels.
The mayor of Japan's southern city of Nagasaki was shot dead by a member of a criminal gang while campaigning for re-election.

Tensions rose in the Maldives after the death of a man the main opposition party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), alleges was killed in police custody....read more

Richard Gere kiss sparks India protests

Actor Richard Gere has sparked protests in India after kissing Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty at an Aids awareness rally in New Delhi.

NEW DELHI (AP) - Angry crowds in several Indian cities are burning effigies of Richard Gere.
It's happening after Gere swept a popular Bollywood actress into his arms and kissed her several times during an AIDS-awareness event. Photographs of Gere embracing Shilpa Shetty and kissing her on the cheek at an HIV/AIDS awareness event in New Delhi were splashed across front pages.
India is a country where sex and public displays of affection are largely taboo.
In Mumbai, members of the right-wing Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena beat burning effigies of Gere with sticks and set fire to glamourous shots of Shetty.
Similar protests have broken out in other cities.
The two appeared at a news conference in New Delhi on Sunday to highlight the HIV/AIDS epidemic among India's truck drivers. In front of a cheering crowd, Gere kissed the giggling Shetty on the hand, then kissed her on both cheeks before bending her in a full embrace to kiss her cheek again.
"This is a bit too much," Shetty said after the embrace.
On Monday, Shetty tried to stamp out the controversy.
"I understand this is his culture, not ours. But this was not such a big thing or so obscene for people to overreact in such manner," she told the Press Trust of India news agency.
"I understand people's sentiments, but I don't want a foreigner to take bad memories from here," PTI quoted her as saying.
The spokesman for Hindu nationalist party, Bharatiya Janata party, condemned the kiss.
"Such a public display is not part of Indian tradition," said Prakash Javadekar, according to PTI.
Shetty, already well-known in India, became an international star after her appearance on the British reality show "Celebrity Big Brother" - another controversial public appearance.
A fellow contestant, Jade Goody, sparked international headlines by making allegedly racist comment to Shetty. Mobs took to the streets of India to denounce Goody, and Shetty went on to win the competition.

Row over Maldives 'custody' death

Tensions have been high in the Maldives after weekend protests over the death of a man who opposition parties allege was killed in police custody.

Hussain Salah's body was pulled from a harbour in the capital on Sunday.
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) says he was beaten to death in custody, a charge officials deny.
The Maldives government has been under pressure over its human rights record in recent years and legalised opposition parties only in 2005.
Negotiations between the authorities and the opposition saw a number of opposition figures released from jail last year.
But the MDP now says preparations for landmark multiparty elections due in 2008 are taking too long.
'Violent mob'
The government says Mr Salah was arrested on drugs charges and died after he was released on Friday.

President Gayoom is accused of introducing reform too slowly
It said "unruly crowds" of opposition supporters had roamed the streets. There had been a number of arrests.
"MDP supporters also created unrest... A number of police constables were injured as the violent mob hurled stones and projectiles, and torched public property. Some of the injuries were serious," a statement from chief government spokesman Mohamed Shareef said.
The MDP said one of its senior leaders, Mohamed Nasheed, had been badly beaten by police and then briefly detained following the disturbances.
He was freed early on Monday morning.(read more)

Source from BBC WORLD NEWS

Maldives invites Malaysians to help develop 40 island resorts

THE Republic of Maldives is inviting Malaysian businesses to participate in the proposed development of another 40 island resorts to cater to the country's expanding tourism sector.

Targeted sectors for investment include the hospitality industry, fishery, construction and infrastructure."The current development in our tourism industry offers numerous opportunities for Malaysian businesses in investing in resorts and hotels, trading and construction," Maldives Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Dr Mahmood Shougy said in a statement.He was in Kuala Lumpur recently to meet with outbound Malaysian tour operators and representatives of chambers of commerce on the opportunities available in Maldives' tourism industry."Malaysia is a key target for inbound investments and trade because of its excellent record as a regional player. Malaysian entrepreneurs are well known for their creative energies and willingness to take risk," Maldives High Commissioner to Malaysia Midhath Hilmy added. The Maldives has been enjoying impressive economic development over the past two decades. With annual GDP growth averaging 7.4 per cent over the last 10 years and inflation maintained at low levels, it is keen to open its doors for Malaysian businesses to participate in its exotic island tourism product.To create more awareness of the opportunities available, an investment trade show titled "Maldives Open for Business" will be held in July this year.The trade show will provide a platform for Malaysian business representatives to meet with their Maldivian counterparts and explore the possibilities for future collaboration.The High Commission has also established a Business Service Centre or helpdesk, to provide information and facilitate business-to-business contact."The number of foreign companies investing in the Maldives, particularly in the tourism sector, has been increasing steadily. "With the ongoing expansion plans, more big name international hoteliers are expected to come in," Mahmood added.The Maldives comprises 1,190 islands known for their white beaches and enchanting scenery. Its economy is largely based on tourism and fishing.

Source: Business Times

The Maldives - Water Wonderworld

SUMMARY: What some people call a "thousand Robinson Crusoe islands" could be your next travel destination. The Maldives are ideal for a honeymoon, a family vacation, or a private getaway.The Maldives are a perfect destination for a holiday, especially if you enjoy the water and all it has to offer. What some people call a "thousand Robinson Crusoe islands" could be your next travel destination. The Maldives are ideal for a honeymoon, a family vacation, or a private getaway. They are the destination of choice for those that enjoy scuba diving and snorkelling.Warm temperatures all year round, picturesque scenery, and deep-sea underwater diving are just a few of the great reasons to book a trip to this beautiful Maldivian wonderland. Each of the 86 tourist resorts comprising the Maldives caters for scuba diving, and every one has scuba instructors, equipment, and easy set-up for underwater expeditions.Special courses cover night diving, rescue diving, underwater photography, simple naturalism, and sharks. The growing interest in marine biology amongst students and laymen has influenced the Maldives' instructional courses. All the dive schools instruct in English, at least. It's not uncommon to have German, Italian, French, and Japanese instruction availability.Some dive schools are instructor development centers, yet others cater to a large variety of advanced and specialized dive courses. All are concerned for safety and security so you will always be in good hands.These are the ideal islands to get your introduction into scuba diving because all the islands have the basic equipment of compressors, tanks, BCDs, wetsuits, weight belts, etc. Some islands even rent out underwater cameras and video cameras. Snorkeling is better for those afraid of deep sea diving, and surfing is better for those that want to stay above the waves.

The Real Meaning of Adventure

What is adventure? Some people believe that adventure is not just that extreme and dangerous experience that one could find existing. On the contrary, they believe that it is an attitude that helps us face the obstacles present in our daily routine. For example, the challenges we have to deal with, the new and different options that life offers, the unknown that is at all time waiting for us, represent an adventure in itself. And it is in this adventure that the human beings discover themselves.

The word adventure has different meanings for different people. Generally, adventure implies thrill and excitement, risks and dangers, and the unexpected and extraordinary experiences. The adventurous people are always on the look out for things that will evoke new feelings and sensations. This is the definition of adventure commonly accepted. However, there are others for whom adventure means much more than this. They associate adventure with a certain bent of mind that helps them enjoy life to the fullest, by accepting it as it unfolds before them. They see opportunities in difficulties and treat hurdles as stepping-stones. They accept everything knowing very well that there is nothing without its pluses and minuses.

Therefore, life is seen as an adventure in itself. It is the manner in which you decide to view and live your own life. And the approach you have to life will certainly affect the way you experience this mysterious journey which we are part of. Some people believe that traveling, sightseeing or hanging on a rope is what an adventure stands for. But the problem may be that they are not experiencing their life as an exploration and their boring life leads them to lookfor excitement outside themselves.

This hidden and deeper meaning of adventure can only be understood by changing one's point of view towards life. This will not only enable you to identify the raison d'etre of your life, but will also help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and accept yourself as a person. However, one needs to realize that one just doesn't stumble upon adventures just like that. It is only through discovering our own strengths that we can uncover these adventures, and derive wisdom from them. As human beings, we are posed in the world in such a manner that we are compulsive adventurers. And, being so, we are capable of shaping our own lives and destinies, through a positive and constructive approach.

Life is a rare opportunity. With a little faith we can change the very meaning of life. Hurdles and obstacles can be used as openings and opportunities to discover the extent of our strength and courage. The secret lies in living life as an ever-new, ever-fresh adventure and being open to accepting whatever comes our way.