Time is running out, Antonio Guterres told the 15-member Security Council
world2 days ago
The Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives will ban Israelis from the luxury tourist hot spot, the office of the president said Sunday, announcing a national rally in "solidarity with Palestine".
The Maldives, a tiny Islamic republic of more than 1,000 strategically located coral islets, is known for its secluded sandy white beaches, shallow turquoise lagoons and Robinson Crusoe-style getaways.
President Mohamed Muizzu has "resolved to impose a ban on Israeli passports," a spokesman for his office said in a statement, without giving details of when the new law would take effect.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channel
Muizzu also announced a national fundraising campaign called "Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine".
The Maldives had lifted a previous ban on Israeli tourists in the early 1990s and moved to restore relations in 2010.
However, normalisation attempts were scuttled following the toppling of president Mohamed Nasheed in February 2012.
Opposition parties and government allies in the Maldives have been putting pressure on Muizzu to ban Israelis, as a sign of protest against the Gaza war.
Official data showed the number of Israelis visiting the Maldives dropped to 528 in the first four months of this year, down 88 percent compared to the corresponding period last year.
ALSO READ:
Time is running out, Antonio Guterres told the 15-member Security Council
world2 days ago
Ukraine now spends roughly half of its state budget — or about $40 billion — on defence
world2 days ago
The advance of Moscow's forces, which control just under a fifth of Ukraine, has underlined Russia's vast superiority in men and materiel
world2 days ago
Teams of enumerators accompanied by soldiers and armed police went door to door in Yangon to fill in the 68-question survey
world2 days ago
The debate is likely the final one of the 2024 presidential campaign, potentially giving it some extra weight ahead of the November 5 election
world2 days ago
Taal is one of the world's smallest active volcanoes and some of its previous eruptions have impacted the capital and air travel
world3 days ago
The 207 to 121 vote was largely a repeat of the Conservatives' failed attempt last week to trigger snap elections
world3 days ago
Reporters say they are frequently rounded up for covering attacks by militant groups or writing about the discrimination of women
world3 days ago