MUSCAT, Oman — Thousands of people fled low-lying areas as the strongest cyclone to threaten the Arabian Peninsula in 60 years blasted Oman's eastern coast early Wednesday with strong winds and waves, Civil Defense officials said.
Southern Iran and the oil-rich Persian Gulf were next in its path.
Click here for FOXNews.com's Middle East center.
Cyclone-force winds of Gonu, which had been churning northwest through the Indian Ocean, reached the Omani coastal towns of Sur and Ra's al-Hadd. Civil Defense said the storm was dropping heavy rains on the capital, Muscat, and other nearby towns, but it was not known if the storm was causing any damage.
Cyclone Gonu had weakened somewhat during the day but was still packing winds of up to 106 mph and churning up ocean waves of several feet, the officials said. More
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Tension Is High In Male'
After the reports of new death in Maafushi tension is high in male'. There is heavy police presence all around government offices including Television Maldives, Voice of Maldives and Presidential Palace. There is also heavy police presence near mercury light cafe'.
Reports of another death in Maafushi jail
Male' - 03:45 - Reliable sources have confirmed that Muslih Abbas, 25, was beaten to death in Maafushi jail last night and his body is not being brought to the capital Male'. His Father, Zaithoonimaagey Abbas told DO that he heard about the news and as far as he is concerned his son's dead body is now being brought to Male'. Several people are now waiting near the hospital (IGHM) in Male' along with Muslih's father. Tension has been very high in Maafushi jail over the past 3 days, as we reported earlier. There are reports of other deaths but we are unable to independently verify those reports as yet.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Cabin Crew Walkout At MAT
One day after Malé taxi drivers began the first strike in Maldivian history, all thirty five cabin crew staff of Maldivian Air Taxi (MAT) have staged a walkout in protest at low pay.
MAT is one of two internal airlines offering transfers to tourist resorts. On Monday it could only provide a skeleton service with several of its twenty-two planes grounded and up to eight hundred tourists effected.
Even this service was possible only after the Civil Aviation Department controversially intervened to temporarily suspend regulations requiring all flights to be manned by licensed cabin crew staff.
Striking Taxi Drivers Make Maldivian History
A new form of political protest has come to the Maldives. The estimated seven hundred taxi drivers of Malé have begun the first strike in the country’s history. None of the drivers took fares on Sunday and hundreds gathered to protest against rising fuel prices.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Maldives: Coastal flooding OCHA Situation Report No. 1
This situation report is based on information received from the Maldives' National Disaster Management Center, the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in the Maldives, as well as from the OCHA Regional Office for Asia and Pacific in Bangkok.
SITUATION
1. A series of wave surges of varying magnitude hit about 35 islands in 13 Atolls across the Maldives on 15-17 May 2007, causing inundation up to 600m from the coastline. Southern atolls of the Maldives, especially Seenu and Gaafu Dhaalu, were particularly affected due to their flatness as well as their location in the open sea. The wave that affected the southern atolls had wavelength of 350 – 433 meters, which doubled in height as it approached the coastline.
2. The disaster resulted in no human casualties, although four persons were wounded and some 1649 people were evacuated.(1) 217 housing units were damaged and 258 more were otherwise affected by the flooding. Three days of wave swells caused extensive damage to the home gardens and other means of livelihood; 43 vegetation sites were destroyed, about 15 sea vessels were damaged. The disaster caused partial damage to a number of harbour and jetties as eroded sections of beaches and coastline walls.
3. The seawater incursion contaminated the wells and the groundwater table, causing shortage of drinking water in some islands. Septic tanks were damaged or filled with seawater, causing sewage to flood some areas. The tide also flooded some landfills and scattered trash throughout the affected area, raising sanitation concerns. Cleaning-up operations are in progress.
4. The healthcare facilities were not damaged and have assisted the affected populations. No major outbreaks were reported. Nevertheless, cases of tsunami-related trauma among the population, including children, were reported. The schools were not affected and continue to function on schedule.
5. A Rapid Assessment Team, comprised of Government personnel and IFRC and UN counterparts, was deployed on 19 May 2007 to conduct a rapid assessment of five islands of Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll: Fares-Maathodaa, Fiyoare, Rathafandhoo, Nadellaa, and Madaveli. The assessment is to focus on infrastructure, health, water-sanitation, livelihood, environment and emergency relief needs. The final report is expected to be released by Government of Maldives in the next few days.
II. NATIONAL RESPONSE
6. The Government of Maldives provided emergency relief assistance (food, water supply, mattresses) to the affected communities. A mobile water desalination plant had been dispatched by the Government's National Disaster Management Center.
7. The Department of Meteorology has been monitoring the weather situation and issued warning information to communities. The National Disaster Management Center provided updated situation reports of the island situation as well as coordinated Government's assessment and emergency relief assistance efforts.
8. The Government of Maldives issued an appeal for assistance to the international community. It also made a formal appeal for assistance to the UN Secretary General to assist in the immediate relief and early recovery efforts.
III. INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
9. UNICEF provided ten water tanks and five rain-water harvesting kits to the most affected Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. IFRC is preparing provision of drinking water in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll. American Red Cross is organizing a parents-teachers meeting to assess stress levels among children.
10. WHO is coordinating with the Ministry of Health on possible health assistance that may be required. UNDP is liaising with national authorities in order to provide support in the areas of livelihoods recovery and coordination. OCHA has offered the UN Resident Coordinator its assistance in coordinating international response, as well as technical assistance in environmental impact assessment and disaster prevention and risk reduction.
11. The UN System and IFRC are awaiting the report of the rapid assessment team to identify next steps and will accordingly update partners.
SITUATION
1. A series of wave surges of varying magnitude hit about 35 islands in 13 Atolls across the Maldives on 15-17 May 2007, causing inundation up to 600m from the coastline. Southern atolls of the Maldives, especially Seenu and Gaafu Dhaalu, were particularly affected due to their flatness as well as their location in the open sea. The wave that affected the southern atolls had wavelength of 350 – 433 meters, which doubled in height as it approached the coastline.
2. The disaster resulted in no human casualties, although four persons were wounded and some 1649 people were evacuated.(1) 217 housing units were damaged and 258 more were otherwise affected by the flooding. Three days of wave swells caused extensive damage to the home gardens and other means of livelihood; 43 vegetation sites were destroyed, about 15 sea vessels were damaged. The disaster caused partial damage to a number of harbour and jetties as eroded sections of beaches and coastline walls.
3. The seawater incursion contaminated the wells and the groundwater table, causing shortage of drinking water in some islands. Septic tanks were damaged or filled with seawater, causing sewage to flood some areas. The tide also flooded some landfills and scattered trash throughout the affected area, raising sanitation concerns. Cleaning-up operations are in progress.
4. The healthcare facilities were not damaged and have assisted the affected populations. No major outbreaks were reported. Nevertheless, cases of tsunami-related trauma among the population, including children, were reported. The schools were not affected and continue to function on schedule.
5. A Rapid Assessment Team, comprised of Government personnel and IFRC and UN counterparts, was deployed on 19 May 2007 to conduct a rapid assessment of five islands of Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll: Fares-Maathodaa, Fiyoare, Rathafandhoo, Nadellaa, and Madaveli. The assessment is to focus on infrastructure, health, water-sanitation, livelihood, environment and emergency relief needs. The final report is expected to be released by Government of Maldives in the next few days.
II. NATIONAL RESPONSE
6. The Government of Maldives provided emergency relief assistance (food, water supply, mattresses) to the affected communities. A mobile water desalination plant had been dispatched by the Government's National Disaster Management Center.
7. The Department of Meteorology has been monitoring the weather situation and issued warning information to communities. The National Disaster Management Center provided updated situation reports of the island situation as well as coordinated Government's assessment and emergency relief assistance efforts.
8. The Government of Maldives issued an appeal for assistance to the international community. It also made a formal appeal for assistance to the UN Secretary General to assist in the immediate relief and early recovery efforts.
III. INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
9. UNICEF provided ten water tanks and five rain-water harvesting kits to the most affected Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. IFRC is preparing provision of drinking water in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll. American Red Cross is organizing a parents-teachers meeting to assess stress levels among children.
10. WHO is coordinating with the Ministry of Health on possible health assistance that may be required. UNDP is liaising with national authorities in order to provide support in the areas of livelihoods recovery and coordination. OCHA has offered the UN Resident Coordinator its assistance in coordinating international response, as well as technical assistance in environmental impact assessment and disaster prevention and risk reduction.
11. The UN System and IFRC are awaiting the report of the rapid assessment team to identify next steps and will accordingly update partners.
Maldives Beats Sweden into Second Life
From Radio Sweden:
Sweden’s plans to be the world’s first country to open an embassy in the virtual reality of Second Life have been dashed, after the small island nation of the Maldives, said it had opened its own embassy in the computer-generated world.
Sweden was hoping to be the first country to have a presence in Second Life, when it opens its embassy there on May 30, moved up from the original starting date of June 1.
The internet-savy Swedes have however been pipped at the post by the tiny island nation. Officials for the Maldives say they did not know Sweden had planned to open an embassy in Second Life.
SR International - Radio Sweden
The point is what the Maldives done? Did someone at a government ministry sign up for a Second Life account, buy an off-the-shelf house, and call it an embassy? Anybody can do that.
Here’s one report:
The embassy will be located in the “Diplomatic Quarter” of Second Life, and visitors will be able to talk to a virtual diplomat about visas, trade and other issues.
An official from the Maldives mission in Geneva will actually create their own ‘avatar’, or computer-generated character, to deal with visitors ‘face-to-face’.
Sweden’s plans to be the world’s first country to open an embassy in the virtual reality of Second Life have been dashed, after the small island nation of the Maldives, said it had opened its own embassy in the computer-generated world.
Sweden was hoping to be the first country to have a presence in Second Life, when it opens its embassy there on May 30, moved up from the original starting date of June 1.
The internet-savy Swedes have however been pipped at the post by the tiny island nation. Officials for the Maldives say they did not know Sweden had planned to open an embassy in Second Life.
SR International - Radio Sweden
The point is what the Maldives done? Did someone at a government ministry sign up for a Second Life account, buy an off-the-shelf house, and call it an embassy? Anybody can do that.
Here’s one report:
The embassy will be located in the “Diplomatic Quarter” of Second Life, and visitors will be able to talk to a virtual diplomat about visas, trade and other issues.
An official from the Maldives mission in Geneva will actually create their own ‘avatar’, or computer-generated character, to deal with visitors ‘face-to-face’.
The Maldives Virtual Embassy
The Maldives Virtual Embassy has the unique distinction of actually being the first RL embassy in SL, beating the upcoming Swedish Embassy by 8 days. The build itself more resembles a beachside retreat than an embassy, but it is very welcoming. Once inside the compound, though, its true nature asserts itself. There are clickable placards which disseminate information about various governmental agencies in the Maldives, as well as their thoughts on environmental policies, sustainable development, and human rights reform.
The Maldives Embassy is the product of work by the Diplo Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps countries communicate and participate with the worldwide community. Macedonia and the Philippines also have embassies coming to SL, but it's not known at this time if Diplo will be behind their construction.
The Benevolent Dictator
The time has come! George W. Bush has shown us that we no longer need Congressional approval for important decisions like declarations of war or usurping of civil rights. His administration has effectively blocked all means of an ineffective Congress to reign him in. He has effectively used the guarded protocols of the Presidency to control all three branches of the Federal Government of the United States of America. Read More
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