— The nation in focus —
President Mohamed Muizzu says the dollar payments start on 1 November and the tax changes on 1 January. He said the law changes needed are still under way.
The Meteorological Service says the event may become one of the strongest on record. NOAA’s satellite monitoring puts the Maldives’ reefs on bleaching watch, with its outlook rising to a warning level from late December.
President Mohamed Muizzu said 20 memoranda of understanding were exchanged in Islamabad, including on tourism, and that talks on direct flights were continuing.
The central bank said the money changer broke the regulation on money-changing businesses. It is the second money changer MMA has announced action against since August.
The national airline also held a China roadshow with its sales agent there. China sent 324,039 tourists to the Maldives this year up to 21 October, more than any other country.
Sino Soar Hybrid Technology will finance and own the plants, ten of them in Laamu Atoll, and sell the power to STELCO. Neither the price nor the investment has been disclosed.
Genocide and treason would be class 1 felonies, and senior officials would face heavier penalties for inciting genocide or harming the economy. The bill, submitted on 25 October, has not had its first reading.
Taxpayers would have to pay at least half of a disputed assessment, up from a quarter, before going to the Tax Appeal Tribunal. Disputes over tax avoidance and related-party deals would need full payment first.
Kaafu’s 770,644 guests to 21 October were 46% of those recorded at resorts, hotels and guesthouses. Arrivals remain 3.2% behind 2025, but October’s shortfall has narrowed to 0.9%.
