For today's elections, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih distributed title deeds for plots of land that have yet to be reclaimed, promised a 40% salary increase for the public sector, and waived all fees for parking violations of the past five years

The Maldives is facing a shortage of medicines, with many essential drugs unavailable and challenges in accessing doctors, so that even basic treatments can be difficult to obtain; public complaints about healthcare quality reflect structural problems

Tourist arrivals continued to rise in December, with figures pointing to sustained year on year growth of 10% and over during what is traditionally the busiest month; notwithstanding the Christmas holidays China is expected to lead the incoming this month

The ban on packaging, producing, and importing single-use plastic water bottles sized between 500ml and 1 litre, set to begin on 1 December 1 has been set to 1 December 2027 by President Muizzu who amended previous presidential decree

The Maldivian National Cricket Team, which departed the UAE after competing in the ACC U19 Premier Cup, has been stranded in Sri Lanka due to the powerful storm affecting the country