1.
Maldivian Democratic Party
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The Maldivian Democratic Party is the first and the largest political party in the Republic of Maldives. It is a party with its goal being the promotion of human rights. This party won the first ever multi-party elections in the Maldives with the support all the other political parties in the 2008 elections against the former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The Maldivian Democratic Party failed in the first two rounds of the 2008 presidential elections and called for a coalition for change against the then dictator, all the Political Parties joined the alliance of national unity and won the election. Maldivian Democratic Party has the largest number of members all the political parties in the Maldives. There had not been political parties in the Maldives since 1952, the MDP initially submitted its registration on February 24,2001. In 2001 MDPs first president was Mr. Gasim Ibrahim Although the Maldivian Constitution allows political parties to operate, after the people fighting for their rights on the street and the death of Evan Naseem, MDP declared its existence in exile from Sri Lanka on November 10,2003. Initially, it was formed by a group of 42 people, which included members of parliament, members on its first general council were elected on February 13,2004. Although the MDP was not recognized by the Maldivian government, it operating in Maldives on April 30,2005. In June 2,2005, the members of the Peoples Majlis unanimously voted to legally recognize political parties, the MDP subsequently submitted its registration on June 26,2005 becoming the first political party to be registered in the Second Republic of Maldives. Throughout 2006, the opposition faced restrictions on freedom of assembly, in March 2006, the government introduced a Roadmap for Reform and subsequently introduced several bills in parliament. In August 2007, voters decided via referendum that the Maldives new constitution should provide for a system of government. The special Majlis completed its work and the new constitution took effect in August 2008, in accordance with the new constitution ratified by then-President Gayoom on August 7,2008, the first round of presidential elections was held on October 10,2008. As no candidate received 50% of the vote, a round was held on October 29 between President Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed. From the elections DRP gained 27. 5% of the votes which is a 12. 5% decrease from the first round of 2008 Presidential Elections, official website of MDP Mohamed Nasheeds Presidential campaign site political information collected by US government about Maldives
2.
Mohammed Waheed Hassan
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Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik was the 5th President of the Maldives from 7 February 2012 to 17 November 2013, after the disputed resignation of the 4th President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed. He has worked as an anchor, a United Nations official with UNICEF, UNDP and UNESCO. Waheed was the first citizen of the Maldives to receive a Ph. D. having received it at Stanford University in the U. S. and he was Vice President of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012. On 7 February 2012, he assumed the office of president following the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed. Waheed was born to Hassan Ibrahim Maniku and Aishath Moosa and he was the first of ten children. By 1976, President Waheed returned home to the Maldives, President Waheed taught many students who would become highly influential members of Maldivian society both in the Government, as well as in the private sector. Among his students is the television comedian Yoosuf Rafeeu, along with members of the government such as the former Executive Secretary to the Parliament Abdullah Shahid. President Waheed also taught many senior civil servants such as the current Elections Commissioner, during this time, President Waheed also helped develop the first English language curriculum in Maldivian schools. By September 1976, President Waheed was granted a scholarship to attend Stanford University in the United States. After completing his masters in Education Planning in 1979, he returned home to the Maldives in order to begin working for the Ministry of Education. After his graduation, he remained in the United States for two years due to the necessity of his newly born son to receive medical treatment. And although he had the opportunity to remain in the United States, he elected to return home, giving up his job as a manager of a technology firm. He went to Addu after that due to political issues, on his return to Maldives from Addu, he became director of educational services in the Ministry of Education. He was placed in charge of the Ministry for several months as an Educational Minister was to be appointed, in 2003, long-standing President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom appointed Waheed to the Constitutional Assembly convened to amend the constitution of the country. After completing his education, he returned and stood for Parliament, in 1989, Waheed ran against Gayooms brother-in-law, Ilyas Ibrahim. Despite this opposition, Waheed won the seat, Waheed left Maldives in 1992, and he took a job with UNICEF, working in Tanzania and then Bangladesh. He would later be transferred to the UN Headquarters in New York, in 2001, he was transferred to UNICEF South Asia based in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he headed programs for the region. He was later made the head of UNICEF Afghanistan, soon, Waheed was asked to return to New York, where he was the UNICEF representative and the Associate Director to the UNDCO
3.
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
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Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is a politician from Maldives who served as the President of Maldives from 1978 to 2008. After serving as Minister of Transport, he was nominated as President by the Majlis of the Maldives, Gayoom was defeated in the October 2008 presidential election. In opposition, Gayoom continued to serve as leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party until January 2010, however, in September 2011, he returned to Maldivian politics as the leader of the newly formed Progressive Party of Maldives. Mamoon Abdul Gayoom is the son of Abdul Gayoom Ibrahim and Khadheeja Moosa and his father had 25 children from 8 wives. Gayoom is the 11th child of his family, Gayoom spent most of his youth in Egypt. He was part of a group of 15 students chosen at the initiative of Mohamed Amin Didi to get an education abroad, at the age of 10, in 1947, he embarked for Egypt. He eventually reached Egypt in March 1950, after the end of the conflict and he spent six months learning Arabic. He joined the Faculty and graduated with honors in 1966, at the top of his class and he was congratulated by Gamal Abdel Nasser. He also obtained a secondary level certificate in English Language at the American University in Cairo, during his studies, he led a group of 14 Maldivian students who sent a letter to Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir. They asked him to reconsider his desire to establish relations with Israel. Following this letter, their scholarships were removed and the students were taken under the care of the Egyptian government and this support stopped after graduation in 1966, however, and Gayoom was forced to end his studies. In 1965, Gayoom met Nasreena Ibrahim, a student who had just arrived in Cairo from the Maldives for her studies and she was then 15 and Gayoom was 27. Four years later, they married in Cairo, on 14 July 1969, a few weeks after his marriage, he joined Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria as a lecturer in Islamic Studies and moved there with Nasreena. On 20 March 1970, Nasreena gave birth to twins, Dhunya Maumoon, Nasreena went back to Malé when expecting their third child. She gave birth to their first son, Ahmed Faris Maumoon, in Malé, nine years later, during Gayooms presidency, a second son, Ghassan, was born on 12 June 1980. When his two-year contract with Ahmadu Bello University ended, he returned to the Maldives in 1971, three weeks later, he joined the Aminiyya School as a teacher of English, arithmetic and Islam. In 1972, he was appointed as the manager of the government shipping department, on 12 March 1973, Gayoom was placed under house-arrest for criticising President Ibrahim Nasirs policies. He was tried in court and sentenced to banishment for four years on 14 May 1973, on 21 May, he was taken to Makunudhoo Island of Haa Dhaalu Atoll
4.
Maldives
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The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a South Asian island country, located in the Indian Ocean, situated in the Arabian Sea. It lies southwest of India and Sri Lanka, the chain of twenty-six atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to the Addu City in the south. Malé is the capital and most populated city, traditionally called the Kings Island for its central location. With an average elevation of 1.5 metres above sea level, it is the worlds lowest country, with even its highest natural point being the lowest in the world. Due to the subsequent risks posed by rising sea-levels, the government pledged in 2009 to make the Maldives a carbon-neutral country by 2019, the Maldives have been historically and culturally linked to the Indian subcontinent since the fourth century BCE. The Maldivian archipelago was Islamised in the 12th century and consolidated as a sultanate, developing commercial and cultural ties with Asia. From the mid 16th-century, the region came under the influence of European colonial powers. Independence from the United Kingdom was achieved in 1965 and a republic was established in 1968 with an elected Peoples Majlis. The ensuing decades have been characterised by political instability, efforts at democratic reform, the Maldives is a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It is also a member of the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the World Bank classifies the Maldives as having an upper middle income economy. Fishing has historically been the dominant economic activity, and remains the largest sector by far, along with Sri Lanka, it is one of only two South Asian countries rated high on the Human Development Index, with its per capita income the highest among SAARC nations. The name Maldives may derive from the Malayalam words maala and dweepu or the Tamil maalai and theevu, the Maldivian people are called Dhivehin. The word theevu means island, and Dhives means islanders, the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle Mahawamsa refers to an island called Mahiladiva in Pali, which is probably a mistranslation of the same Sanskrit word meaning garland. Jan S Hogendorn, Grossman Professor of Economics, theorises that the name Maldives derives from the Sanskrit mālādvīpa, in Tamil, Garland of Islands can be translated as Malai Theevu. In Malayalam, Garland of Islands can be translated as Maladweepu, in Kannada, Garland of Islands can be translated as Maaledweepa. This is the name inscribed on the scroll in the Maldive state emblem. The classical Persian/Arabic name for Maldives is Dibajat, the Dutch referred to the islands as the Maldivische Eilanden, while the British anglicised the local name for the islands first to the Maldive Islands and later to Maldives. One such community are the Giraavaru people and they are mentioned in ancient legends and local folklore about the establishment of the capital and kingly rule in Malé
5.
Alma mater
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Alma mater is an allegorical Latin phrase for a university or college. In modern usage, it is a school or university which an individual has attended, the phrase is variously translated as nourishing mother, nursing mother, or fostering mother, suggesting that a school provides intellectual nourishment to its students. Before its modern usage, Alma mater was a title in Latin for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele. The source of its current use is the motto, Alma Mater Studiorum, of the oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world and it is related to the term alumnus, denoting a university graduate, which literally means a nursling or one who is nourished. The phrase can also denote a song or hymn associated with a school, although alma was a common epithet for Ceres, Cybele, Venus, and other mother goddesses, it was not frequently used in conjunction with mater in classical Latin. Alma Redemptoris Mater is a well-known 11th century antiphon devoted to Mary, the earliest documented English use of the term to refer to a university is in 1600, when University of Cambridge printer John Legate began using an emblem for the universitys press. In English etymological reference works, the first university-related usage is often cited in 1710, many historic European universities have adopted Alma Mater as part of the Latin translation of their official name. The University of Bologna Latin name, Alma Mater Studiorum, refers to its status as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. At least one, the Alma Mater Europaea in Salzburg, Austria, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been called the Alma Mater of the Nation because of its ties to the founding of the United States. At Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, the ancient Roman world had many statues of the Alma Mater, some still extant. Modern sculptures are found in prominent locations on several American university campuses, outside the United States, there is an Alma Mater sculpture on the steps of the monumental entrance to the Universidad de La Habana, in Havana, Cuba. Media related to Alma mater at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of alma mater at Wiktionary Alma Mater Europaea website
6.
Liverpool John Moores University
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Liverpool John Moores University is a public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It has 21,875 students, of which 18,375 are undergraduate students and 3,500 are postgraduate, in 1992, following an Act of Parliament the Liverpool Polytechnic became what is now Liverpool John Moores University. It is a member of the University Alliance, a group of British universities which was established in 2007. Founded as a small mechanics institution in 1823, the institution grew over the centuries by converging and amalgamating with different colleges, mott Training College, before eventually becoming Liverpool Polytechnic in 1970. The University also has a history of providing training, education and research to the maritime industry. The institution then became a university under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 under the new title of Liverpool John Moores University and this new title was approved by the Privy Council on 15 September 1992. The university took its name from Sir John Moores, the founder of the Littlewoods empire, Moores was a great believer in the creation of opportunity for all, which embodies the ethos of LJMU in providing educational routes for people of all ages and from all backgrounds. This belief led Sir John Moores to invest in the institution and facilities, such as the John Foster Building, designed by, LJMU now has more than 24,000 students. LJMU was awarded the Queens Anniversary Prize in 2005, currently, Liverpool John Moores University is receiving more applications than previously seen, according to data in 2009, the total number of applications submitted to LJMU was 27,784. On 14 April 2008, Dr Brian May CBE was inducted into the university as the fourth Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University, Dr May is also the lead guitarist for the rock band Queen. He replaced outgoing Chancellor Cherie Booth QC, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, honorary fellows in attendance at the ceremony included Sir Patrick Moore and Pete Postlethwaite. May was succeeded as Chancellor in 2013 by Sir Brian Leveson, LJMU is a founding member of the Northern Consortium, an educational charity, owned by eleven universities in the north of England. LJMU is also one of the UKs top universities for teaching and research in Sports, the Higher Education Funding Council for England awarded LJMU £4.5 million over five years for the establishment of a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The CETL award recognises LJMUs record for Physical Education, Dance, Sport, LJMU is the only United Kingdom university to be awarded an Ofsted Grade A in Physical Education and it is also the premier institution for both teaching and research in Sport and Exercise Sciences. LJMU was also chosen to deliver the academic side of a scheme called the New Entrepreneurs Scholarship. According to the UK Research Assessment Exercise 2014, LJMU every unit of assessment we submitted was rated as at least 45% internationally excellent or better, there are currently three libraries based at the three campus sites operated by LJMU. The third LRC is sited on the IM Marsh campus in Aigburth and is used exclusively by student at this campus, there are more than 68,500 books in the LRCs collections, with 1,630 work spaces available for students 24 hours a day. In addition to there are over 16,000 e-books and 5,000 e-journals available
7.
Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean
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The Most Distinguished Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean is the highest distinct order of merit in the honours system of Mauritius. It was founded in 1992 to decorate people who have made a contribution to progress in the nations of the Indian Ocean. It may be awarded to non-Mauritian citizens, the chancellor of the order is the President of the Republic of Mauritius. Each year on Independence day the president of the republic appoints new members on the recommendation of the prime minister, Labour Day has a special significance to the order as it relates to the hardship of people working for their country. On Labour Day 2007 the Malagasy President Marc Ramalomanana was appointed to the rank of Grand Commander, recipients of the rank of Grand Officer or above are automatically entitled to prefix The Hon, Hons or The Honourable to their name. Commanders and Officers may request permission from the president to use this prefix, recipients of the order who are not Mauritian citizens may not use the prefix or post-nominals unless granted permission by the president. The outer leaves shall be of gold, the length from tip to tip of the outer leaves shall be 71mm. The middle leaves shall be made of blue enamel, have pointed ends capped by beads. The length from head to bead shall be 76 mm, the inner leaves shall be in the shape of a cross with equal arms of blue enamel lined externally with gold 1mm thick. The length from tip to tip of the inner leaves shall be 65 mm, the central part shall depict a ring of gold with outer diameter 26mm and inner diameter 20mm. ON THE OBVERSE, to fit inside the ring, shall be embossed a Trochetia boutoniana flower in gold, ON THE REVERSE inside the ring, shall be embossed the coat of arms of the Republic of Mauritius and on the ring the words REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS. The clasp shall be of gold, the decoration shall be worn around the neck by a ribbon of old gold colour 70 mm wide with the colours of the flag of Mauritius running vertically in the middle in segments each 4 mm wide
8.
Dhivehi language
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Maldivian is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by about 350,000 people in the Maldives, where it is the national language. It is also the first language of nearly 10,000 people on the island of Minicoy in the Union territory of Lakshadweep, India, where the Mahl dialect of the Maldivian language is spoken. The ethnic autonym for the language, Divehi, is found in English as Dhivehi. Maldivian is written in the Thaana script, the major dialects of Maldivian are Malé, Huvadhu, Mulaku, Addu, Haddhunmathee, and Maliku. The standard form of Maldivian is Malé, which is spoken in the Maldivian capital of the same name, the Maliku dialect spoken in Minicoy is officially referred to as Mahl by the Lakshadweep administration. This has been adopted by many authors when referring to Maldivian spoken in Minicoy, Maldivian is a descendent of Maharashtri Prakrit and is closely related to the Marathi, Konkani and Sinhalese languages, but not mutually intelligible with them. Many languages have influenced the development of the Maldivian language through the ages, others include French, Persian, Portuguese, Hindustani, and English. The English words atoll and dhoni are anglicised forms of the Maldivian words atoḷu, the origin of the word Divehi is Div+vehi meaning Islanders. Bas means language, so Divehi-bas means Islanders language, harry Charles Purvis Bell, one of the first Dhivehi linguists, called it Divehi. This was consistent with Maldives, the name of the country, for the -dives of Maldives, Wilhelm Geiger, a German linguist who undertook the first research on Maldivian linguistics in the early 20th century, also called the language Divehi. An h was added to the name of the language— Dhivehi— in 1976, today the spelling with an h is both common and official usage in the Maldives. Maldivian is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to the Sinhalese language of Sri Lanka, Maldivian represents the southernmost Indo-Aryan language. Together with Sinhala, Maldivian represents a subgroup within the Modern Indo-Aryan languages which is called Insular Indo-Aryan, however, Sinhala and Maldivian are not mutually intelligible. Maldivian is descended from the Maharashtri Prakrit of ancient and medieval India and these Prakrits were originally derived from Old Indo-Aryan vernaculars related to Vedic Sanskrit. Maldivian has a written history of about eight hundred years. The earliest writings were on the lōmāfānu of the 12th and 13th centuries, early inscriptions on coral stone have also been found. The oldest inscription found to date is an inscription on a coral stone, Maldivian is an Indo-Aryan language of the Sinhalese-Maldivian subfamily. It developed in isolation from other languages until the 12th century
9.
Maldivians
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All Maldivians share the same culture and speak the Maldivian language which is a member of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages. For ethnographic and linguistic purposes as well as geo-political reasons anthropologists divide the Maldivian people into 3 subgroups, The main group of Maldivians and this is the group inhabiting the numerous atolls stretching from Ihavandhippolhu to Haddhunmathi in Maldives. They constitute over 70% of the population of all Maldivians. In a larger scale, the group also comes under this group. From this group, it is the dialect of Maldivian language which is spoken in the Maldives capital Male along with the central atolls. Slighter variants which are closely related to the former are spoken in rest of the islands from the far north of Maldives down to Laamu Atoll. The southern group of Maldivians, living in the three southernmost atolls of the zone in Maldives. This group numbers approximately 60,000 and constitute about 20% of the population of all Maldivians. The people of Minicoy – Mahls, numbering about 10,000, the island of Minicoy lies in the northern end of the atoll chain inhabited by Maldivians and is the northernmost group of the Maldivian people. They are only about 3% of the amount of Maldivians. Due to reasons such as politics, having to live in isolation from the remaining Maldivian people. This group has its own dialect which retains some features of an older Maldivian, still, the dialect is mutually intelligible with the standard Maldivian dialect and is more related to the slighter variants of northern Maldives from the first group. There is no evidence about the origin of Maldivians, there is also no indication that there was any negrito or other aboriginal population. No archaeology has been conducted to investigate the prehistory of the islands, There is, however, a Tamil–Malayalam substratum, in addition to other later cultural influences in the islands. Bengali, Odia and Sinhalese people have had trading connections to Dhivehi people in the past, according to Maldivian folklore the main myths of origin are reflecting the dependence of the Maldivians on the coconut tree and the tuna fish. Therefore, the tree is said to have an anthropomorphic origin according to Maldive lore. for this reason The word naashi is also the word used for skull in dhivehi language. The coconut tree occupies a place in the present-day Maldive national emblem. The tuna fish is said to have brought to the Maldivian waters by a mythical seafarer called Bodu Niyami Kalēfanu who went close to the Dagas to bring this valuable fish
10.
Maldives presidential election, 2008
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Presidential elections were held in the Maldives in two rounds on October 8 and 28,2008. No candidate gained more than 50% of the vote in the first round on October 8, a runoff was thus held on October 28 between Gayoom and second-placed Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed won the election, unseating longtime incumbent Gayoom, the election was the first one held democratically in the history of the Maldives. The election was planned to be held on October 4. The incumbent, President Gayoom, in power since 1978, ran for another five-year term, according to the new Constitution, which came into effect on August 7,2008, Gayoom had served the maximum number of terms allowed. He argued that since the election was held under a new constitution, the Supreme Court agreed that the limited terms were to be served under this Constitution and that Gayoom was therefore eligible to run in the election. On August 25,2008, the Maldives National Congress and the Adhaalath Party announced that they would support Republican Party candidate Qasim Ibrahim, on September 3,2008, the six candidates participated in a televised debate. There were 208,252 eligible voters in the Maldives in the first round, there were a total 396 polling stations throughout the country. Additionally, registered Maldivians living in Colombo, Thiruvananthapuram, Kuala Lumpur, voters went to the polls on October 8,2008 starting at 09,00 local time, and expecting to end at 20,00. The elections were peaceful, though voting irregularities prevented some voters from voting, lines to polling stations were long on some islands, with waits sometimes exceeding six hours. Later, the committee said that anyone could vote, as long as he or she showed an ID card that was valid. A handful of police were deployed after 300 protesters gathered around the central vote-counting location. Ahmed Shaheed, the independent vice-presidential nominee said, Its a disaster, I think there is deliberate tampering. In the second round,209,294 people were eligible to vote, there was a total of 403 polling stations across the Maldives. Registered voters were able to cast ballots at Maldivian embassies and diplomatic missions in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka. Voting progressed fairly peacefully, though there were problems, such as people not being registered. Six candidates competed in the first multi party election held in the Maldives. Those results stayed the same, and the four candidates were eliminated
11.
Maafushi Prison
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Maafushi Prison is a prison in Maafushi on Kaafu Atoll in the Maldives,18 miles south of the capital, Malé. It is the largest prison on the islands and has numerous political prisoners over the years, most notably the former president. In September 2003, an uprising broke out at the prison,12 others were taken to Sri Lanka for injuries, and another, Ali Aalaam, later died. The beating of the 19-year-old Naseem to death during the uprising caused a public outcry, at around 7 am on August 13,2004, the prison was taken during Black Friday. Didi was taken to Girifushi due to problems, but Zaki was incarcerated at Maafushi on 16 August. A further riot in October 2009 caused further damage to the prison through arson. Trouble continued the year, with 15 prisoners injured during a riot in April. In April 2013, inmates and staff of the prison were all tested for tuberculosis after one detainee was tested positive with it, the year 2014 witnessed many attacks by the inmates. On 17 October 2014, two murder convicts – Fariyash Ahmed of Gaafu Alifu, Maamendhoo and Ibrahim Shahum Adam of Malé – escaped from the prison by cutting the rods of the ventilator. Following this escape the Maldives Police Service and the Maldives Correctional Service initiated steps to reinforce the security system in the prison, on 1 December 2014 two more murder convicts – Ibrahim Shahum Adam and Fariyash Ahmed escaped from the prison but were caught soon thereafter. In another incident during a visit to the prison cells four officers of the Maldives Correctional Services were attacked by the inmates. These incidents have necessitated strengthening the existing 20 ft high wall with additional security measures such as surveillance cameras, better lights. In September 2015, British barrister Amal Clooney met Mohamed Nasheed, subsequent to the September 2003 death of Hassan Evan Naseem in Maafushi Prison, the UNDP carried out a study of the prison conditions. Now, the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services of the Ministry of Home Affairs has been put in place with the task of running the Maafushi Prison, action has been initiated to evolve a reformed criminal justice system in the country. The measures undertaken are in the form of establishing the Human Rights Commission of Maldives, on 7 August 2008 a new constitution was ratified with incorporation of a clause on the bill of rights. Many more reforms are on the anvil, such as the Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, Evidence Bill, Prison & Parole Bill and Drugs Bill
12.
Amnesty International
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Amnesty International is a non-governmental organisation focused on human rights that claims to have over 7 million members and supporters around the world. The stated objective of the organisation is to research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights. Amnesty International was founded in London in 1961, following the publication of the article The Forgotten Prisoners in The Observer on 28 May 1961, Amnesty draws attention to human rights abuses and campaigns for compliance with international laws and standards. It works to public opinion to put pressure on governments that let abuse take place. Amnesty considers capital punishment to be the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights, the organisation was awarded the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize for its campaign against torture, and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1978. Amnesty International was founded in London in July 1961 by English labour lawyer Peter Benenson, researchers have never traced the alleged newspaper article in question. In 1960, Portugal was ruled by the Estado Novo government of António de Oliveira Salazar, the government was authoritarian in nature and strongly anti-communist, suppressing enemies of the state as anti-Portuguese. The newspaper reader feels a sense of impotence. Yet if these feelings of disgust could be united into common action, Benenson worked with friend Eric Baker. It marked the launch of Appeal for Amnesty,1961, the aim of which was to mobilise public opinion, quickly and widely, in defence of these individuals, the Appeal for Amnesty was reprinted by a large number of international newspapers. In the same year, Benenson had a published, Persecution 1961. In July 1961 the leadership had decided that the appeal would form the basis of a permanent organisation, Amnesty, Benenson ensured that all three major political parties were represented, enlisting members of parliament from the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Party. On 30 September 1962, it was officially named Amnesty International, between the Appeal for Amnesty,1961 and September 1962 the organisation had been known simply as Amnesty. From the very beginning, research and campaigning were present in Amnesty Internationals work, a library was established for information about prisoners of conscience and a network of local groups, called THREES groups, was started. Each group worked on behalf of three prisoners, one each of the then three main ideological regions of the world, communist, capitalist and developing. The international movement was starting to agree on its principles and techniques. In 1967 Peter Benenson resigned after an independent inquiry did not support his claims that AI had been infiltrated by British agents, later he claimed that the Central Intelligence Agency had become involved in Amnesty. Leading Amnesty International in the 1970s were key figures Seán MacBride, Amnesty International believed that the reasons underlying torture of prisoners by governments, were either to acquire and obtain information or to quell opposition by the use of terror, or both
13.
United States Department of State
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The Department was created in 1789 and was the first executive department established. The Department is headquartered in the Harry S Truman Building located at 2201 C Street, NW, the Department operates the diplomatic missions of the United States abroad and is responsible for implementing the foreign policy of the United States and U. S. diplomacy efforts. The Department is also the depositary for more than 200 multilateral treaties, the Department is led by the Secretary of State, who is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate and is a member of the Cabinet. The current Secretary of State is Rex Tillerson, beginning 1 February 2017, the Secretary of State is the first Cabinet official in the order of precedence and in the presidential line of succession, after the President pro tempore of the Senate. This legislation remains the law of the Department of State. In September 1789, additional legislation changed the name of the agency to the Department of State and these responsibilities grew to include management of the United States Mint, keeper of the Great Seal of the United States, and the taking of the census. President George Washington signed the new legislation on September 15, most of these domestic duties of the Department of State were eventually turned over to various new Federal departments and agencies that were established during the 19th century. On September 29,1789, President Washington appointed Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, then Minister to France, from 1790 to 1800, the State Department had its headquarters in Philadelphia, the capital of the United States at the time. It occupied a building at Church and Fifth Streets, in 1800, it moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D. C. where it first occupied the Treasury Building and then the Seven Buildings at 19th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. It moved into the Six Buildings in September 1800, where it remained until May 1801 and it moved into the War Office Building due west of the White House in May 1801. It occupied the Treasury Building from September 1819 to November 1866 and it then occupied the Washington City Orphan Home from November 1866 to July 1875. It moved to the State, War, and Navy Building in 1875, since May 1947, it has occupied the Harry S. Truman Building in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, the State Department is therefore sometimes metonymically referred to as Foggy Bottom. Madeleine Albright became the first woman to become the United States Secretary of State, condoleezza Rice became the second female secretary of state in 2005. Hillary Rodham Clinton became the female secretary of state when she was appointed in 2009. In 2014, the State Department began expanding into the Navy Hill Complex across 23rd Street NW from the Truman Building, the Executive Branch and the U. S. Congress have constitutional responsibilities for U. S. foreign policy. Within the Executive Branch, the Department of State is the lead U. S, the Department advances U. S. objectives and interests in the world through its primary role in developing and implementing the Presidents foreign policy. It also provides an array of important services to U. S. citizens, the total Department of State budget, together with Other International Programs, costs about 45 cents a day for each resident of the United States. Keeping the public informed about U. S. foreign policy and relations with other countries, providing automobile registration for non-diplomatic staff vehicles and the vehicles of diplomats of foreign countries having diplomatic immunity in the United States
14.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
15.
Majeediyya School
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Majeedhiyya School is the first Maldivian government school, located in Malé, Maldives. It was a single school that used to teach only boys students to the secondary level of education until the introduction of Primary Education in 2010 when the school was opened to both genders. English medium is followed in teaching with the exception of Dhivehi, Majeedhiyya school was founded in April 1927, by Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen III under the name Madharusathul Salahiyya with 69 students. The school name was changed to Madhrasathul Saniyyathul Hukoomathul Mahaldheebiyya in June 1928, the first principal of the school was Sheik Husain Salaahuddin. Mohamed Ameen Didi was Principal from 1946 to 1953 and it was during this time that the school was renamed Madhrasathul Majeedhiyya, in 2010, with the introduction of primary schools, Majeedhiyya became the open to female students as well. On 1 July 1965, the first Bandmaster of Majeedhiyya School, Lieutenant A. A. Samidon and he founded the Marching Band of Majeedhiyya School. On 27 February 1966, the first set of band instruments arrived in Majeedhiyya, in 1979 the band became a fully functional brass band, staging several nationwide functions. Woodwind instruments were introduced in 1997, today, Majeedhiyya Band performs at various school and national events. The Best All Round Student Award was renamed as Stars of Majeedhiyya Award starting from the 2009 batch, Majeedhiyya school has produced 5 out of 6 Presidents of the Maldives and various other well-known figures in the country. Mohamed Amin Didi - 1st President of the Maldives from January 1,1953 to August 21,1953, the principal of Majeedhiyya School from 1946 to 1953. Ibrahim Nasir - 2nd President of the Maldives from 1968 to 1978, prime Minister of the Maldives from 1957 to 1968. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom - 3rd President of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008, mohamed Nasheed - 4th President of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik - 5th President of the Maldives from 2012 to 2013, abdulla Yameen - 6th President of the Maldives from 2013 to present. Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel - Former Chief of Defense Force of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012, and a hero who played an important role in the victory against terrorists attack on 3 November 1988. Mohamed Nazim - Former Colonel and the Defense Minister of Maldives from 2012 to present, Ali Ashfaq - Most well-known athlete in the Maldives nicknamed Dhagandey or Iron-man, widely regarded as the one of the best football player in South Asia region. And the best Maldivian football player of all time, also the captain of the Maldives national football team at the present. Ibrahim Fazeel - A famous football player in Maldives known by the name Oppo, and a key player in Maldives national football team, contributed to various victories in some international matches
16.
Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia near south-east India. Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest, Sri Lankas documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II. Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon, Sri Lankas recent history has been marred by a thirty-year civil war which decisively ended when the Sri Lankan military defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009. A diverse and multicultural country, Sri Lanka is home to many religions, ethnic groups, in addition to the majority Sinhalese, it is home to large groups of Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda. Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the capital and largest city. Along with the Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of the two countries in South Asia that are rated among high human development on the Human Development Index. In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travellers by a variety of names, according to the Mahavamsa, the legendary Prince Vijaya named the land Tambapanni, because his followers hands were reddened by the red soil of the area. In Hindu mythology, such as the Mahabharata, the island was referred to as Lankā, in Tamil, the island is referred to as Eelam. Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobanā or Taprobanē from the word Tambapanni, as a British crown colony, the island was known as Ceylon, it achieved independence as the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948. The country is known in Sinhalese as Śrī Laṃkā and in Tamil as Ilaṅkai, in 1972, its formal name was changed to Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka. Later in 1978 it was changed to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, as the name Ceylon still appears in the names of a number of organisations, the Sri Lankan government announced in 2011 a plan to rename all those over which it has authority. The pre-history of Sri Lanka goes back 125,000 years, the era spans the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and early Iron Ages. Among the Paleolithic human settlements discovered in Sri Lanka, Pahiyangala and it is said that Kubera was overthrown by his demon stepbrother Ravana, the powerful emperor who built a mythical flying machine named Dandu Monara. The modern city of Wariyapola is described as Ravanas airport, early inhabitants of Sri Lanka were probably ancestors of the Vedda people, an indigenous people numbering approximately 2,500 living in modern-day Sri Lanka. According to the Mahāvamsa, a written in Pāḷi, the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka are the Yakshas and Nagas. Ancient cemeteries that were used before 600BC and other signs of advanced civilization has also discovered in Sri Lanka
17.
Ordinary Level
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The O Level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced as part of British educational reform alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous A-level in England, Wales and those three jurisdictions replaced O Levels gradually with General Certificate of Secondary Education and International General Certificate of Secondary Education exams over time. The Scottish equivalent was the O-grade, both CIE and OCR have Cambridge Assessment as their parent organisation. The Cambridge O Level has already been phased out, however, in Bangladesh, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations under the board of British Council. In Brunei, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations, additionally, the Mathematics subject previously offered an exam paper and a syllabus unique to Brunei, but this has since been retired and the regular syllabus used worldwide is offered. This is equivalent to secondary education now, in India, Cambridge International Examinations GCE Ordinary Level qualifications are offered at private and international schools as an alternative to the conventional Indian School Certificate. In Malaysia, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations, in Mauritius, the O Level qualification is awarded as part of the School Certificate, which is awarded upon successful completion of Form V in secondary school. The O Level examinations are conducted by the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate. A number of subjects, including English Language, English Language, History, Mathematics, Mathematics, offer exam papers, additionally, the subject of Art and Design, the offering of which is restricted to a limited geographic region, is available in Mauritius. The GCE O Level qualification is offered in Pakistan by the CIE, O Level qualification has become a replacement for the matriculation qualification offered by the Government boards of education. Due to the costs associated with O Level qualifications, their reach is limited to middle to elite class families. It is common knowledge that the CIE qualification are more rigorous than their alternatives that exist in the country, in 2011, Zohaib Asad achieved grade A in a record 28 O-level examinations when a student of the Beaconhouse School System. In Seychelles, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations, some subjects are unique to Seychelles or have a format, curriculum, or syllabus that is unique to Seychelles. In Singapore, the O Level qualification is offered jointly by Cambridge International Examinations, a number of subjects previously offered exam papers and syllabuses unique to Singapore, but these have since been retired or planned to be phased out. After taking O-levels, some Singapore students go on to GCE Advanced Level exams, the GCE Ordinary Level qualification is offered by the British council of Sri Lanka School. Before, this qualification was offered by Cambridge International Examinations. The GCE Ordinary Level qualification is offered by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council, before, this qualification was jointly offered by Cambridge International Examinations and the Ministry of Education in Zimbabwe. The O Level qualification was previously awarded in the Caribbean, the O Level qualification was previously awarded in Hong Kong, along with the Hong Kong version of the A Level qualification
18.
England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
19.
Secondary education
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Secondary education covers two phases on the ISCED scale. Level 2 or junior secondary education is considered the second and final phase of basic education, every country aims to provide basic education, but the systems and terminology remain unique to them. Secondary education typically takes place six years of primary education and is followed by higher education. In most countries it is compulsory for students between the ages 11 and 16, Compulsory education sometimes extends to age 19. In classical and mediaeval times secondary education was provided by the church for the sons of nobility and to boys preparing for universities, as trade required navigational and scientific skills the church reluctantly expanded the curriculum and widened the intake. As late as 1868, secondary schools were organised to satisfy the needs of different social classes with the labouring classes getting 4yrs, the merchant class 5yrs, only then did it become accepted that girls could be sent to school. The rights to an education were codified after 1945, and countries are still working to achieve the goal of mandatory. It is at this education level, particularly in its first cycle. Within a country these can be implemented in different ways, with different age levels, Level 1 and Level 2, that is primary education and lower secondary together form basic education. Though they may be dated they do provide a set of definitions. The educational aim is to complete provision of education, completing the delivery of basic skills. The end of secondary education often coincides with the end of compulsory education in countries where that exists. There are also vocational schools that last only three years. Secondary schools supply students with primary subjects needed for the work environment in Croatia. People who completed secondary school are classified as medium expertise, there are currently around 90 gymnasiums and some 300 vocational schools in Croatia. The public secondary schools are under the jurisdiction of regional government, the two secondary phases are the Gymnasium followed by Eniaio Lykeio or Unified Lyceum. The third phase is the Post-secondary education consisting of public institutions or universities. Due to historic reasons, the Czech school system is almost the same as the German school system, the school system is free and mandatory until age 15
20.
Dauntsey's School
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Dauntseys School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the village of West Lavington, Wiltshire, England. The school was founded in 1542, in accordance with the will of William Dauntesey, the school was moved to its current site in 1895. The school occupies approximately 25 acres of land at the school campus. However, the school has yet to develop land. The school used to have a park, which featured in MBUK in 2004 when they held the Backyard Jam. Where the Osiris BMX team did a show there, though the park has since been bulldozed by the school to avoid lawsuits as the residents took to using it without permission. The school also owns a portion of land approximately 15 minutes walk from the main school. Most houses are named after former headmasters, the exceptions being Manor, Farmer, all houses are on main school site, except Manor. In lower school the day pupils houses determine little more than where their locker is, for lower school boarders, however, the Manor house is the only boarding house available, and therefore will be where they live, and eat. All classes have pupils from all houses, in upper school, houses are not mixed, and the eight houses are divided equally among day, boarding, female and male pupils. A pupils house is determined at random, although tend to be placed in the same house. The boys houses compete for the Strong Cup, Strong Cup is the annual point-system senior house competition for boys at Dauntseys School, so Farmer, Fitzmaurice, Hemens and Mercers are the only houses that are involved. Farmer won it recently in 2011, and again in 2013, Hemens won the cup most recently in 2014. The points are awarded from inter-house events throughout the academic year, Jolie Brise, a gaff rigged pilot cutter, is sailed exclusively by Dauntsey pupils throughout the year. In summer 2000 Dauntsey crews took part in The Tall Ships Race 2000, in Amsterdam, Jolie Brise was declared the overall winner of this prestigious international race. She also won The Tall Ships Races 2002, which took her from Alicante to Malaga, Jolie Brise has also won the Tall Ships Race in 2015 and 2016. He gave the Mercers Company lands in London so that they could build a schoolhouse for a school at West Lavington and also support seven poor persons in an almshouse. The master of the school was to be appointed by the heir of Daunteseys brother Ambrose Dauntesey, in 1868, a Schools Inquiry Commission noted that By ancient custom, the owner of the Dauntesey estate at West Lavington, now Lord Churchill, appoints
21.
Wiltshire
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Wiltshire is a county in South West England with an area of 3,485 km2. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, the county town was originally Wilton, after which the county is named, but Wiltshire Council is now based in the new county town of Trowbridge. Wiltshire is characterised by its high downland and wide valleys, Salisbury Plain is noted for being the location of the Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles and other ancient landmarks, and as a training area for the British Army. The city of Salisbury is notable for its mediaeval cathedral, important country houses open to the public include Longleat, near Warminster, and the National Trusts Stourhead, near Mere. The county, in the 9th century written as Wiltunscir, later Wiltonshire, is named after the county town of Wilton. Wiltshire is notable for its pre-Roman archaeology, the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age people that occupied southern Britain built settlements on the hills and downland that cover Wiltshire. Stonehenge and Avebury are perhaps the most famous Neolithic sites in the UK, in the 6th and 7th centuries Wiltshire was at the western edge of Saxon Britain, as Cranborne Chase and the Somerset Levels prevented the advance to the west. The Battle of Bedwyn was fought in 675 between Escuin, a West Saxon nobleman who had seized the throne of Queen Saxburga, in 878 the Danes invaded the county. Following the Norman Conquest, large areas of the country came into the possession of the crown, at the time of the Domesday Survey the industry of Wiltshire was largely agricultural,390 mills are mentioned, and vineyards at Tollard and Lacock. In the 17th century English Civil War Wiltshire was largely Parliamentarian, the Battle of Roundway Down, a Royalist victory, was fought near Devizes. The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry currently lives on as Y Squadron, based in Swindon, around 1800 the Kennet and Avon Canal was built through Wiltshire, providing a route for transporting cargoes from Bristol to London until the development of the Great Western Railway. Information on the 261 civil parishes of Wiltshire is available on the Wiltshire Community History website, run by the Libraries and this site includes maps, demographic data, historic and modern pictures and short histories. The local nickname for Wiltshire natives is moonrakers and this originated from a story of smugglers who managed to foil the local Excise men by hiding their alcohol, possibly French brandy in barrels or kegs, in a village pond. The officials took them for simple yokels or mad and left them alone, many villages claim the tale for their own village pond, but the story is most commonly linked with The Crammer in Devizes. Two-thirds of Wiltshire, a rural county, lies on chalk. This chalk is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group, the largest area of chalk in Wiltshire is Salisbury Plain, which is used mainly for arable agriculture and by the British Army as training ranges. The highest point in the county is the Tan Hill–Milk Hill ridge in the Pewsey Vale, just to the north of Salisbury Plain, the chalk uplands run northeast into West Berkshire in the Marlborough Downs ridge, and southwest into Dorset as Cranborne Chase. Cranborne Chase, which straddles the border, has, like Salisbury Plain, yielded much Stone Age, the Marlborough Downs are part of the North Wessex Downs AONB, a 1,730 km2 conservation area
22.
Advanced Level
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A number of countries, including Singapore, Kenya, Mauritius and Zimbabwe have developed qualifications with the same name as and a similar format to the British A Levels. Obtaining A Level or equivalent qualifications is generally required for university entrance, a Levels are generally worked towards over two years and split into two parts, with one part studied in each year. The first part is known as the Advanced Subsidiary Level, A1 Level or AS Level, the second part is known as the A2 Level and is more in depth and academically rigorous than the A1 Level. Up to June 2009 a third Special/Advanced Extension Award level was available for the brightest candidates, a number of countries use A Levels as a school-leaving qualification. The A Levels taken by students in some countries often differ significantly from the A Levels taken in the United Kingdom, a Levels are the secondary school leaving qualification offered in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. These are not compulsory, unlike GCSEs, in Scotland, A Levels are also offered by selected schools as an alternative school-leaving qualification in place of the Scottish Advanced Higher. The British variant of A/AS levels are taken in many Commonwealth and former Commonwealth countries. British international schools in foreign countries generally offer the British A Levels as offered through Edexcel or Cambridge International Examinations, at select examination centres, the British A Level exams may also be available to private candidates. A-level has become a choice for a number of students in Nepal. A-levels offered in Pakistan by non-governmental, private institutions, along with International Baccalaureate, Examinations are handled by international British boards and the program is equivalent to Higher Secondary School Certificate. Academies are established all around the country which prepare the students to take the examinations as a private candidate, in Brunei, the A Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations. Some subjects are unique to Brunei or have a format, curriculum, in Malaysia, the A Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations. Some subjects are unique to Malaysia or have a format, curriculum, for instance, there are two types of A Level in Malaysia, Cambridge A Level and Edexcel International Advanced Level. A number of papers for offered, such as French, are customised to support the national educational standards. Additionally, International A Level qualifications from Edexcel are available, for which exams may be registered through the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate, in Seychelles, the A Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations. Some subjects are unique to Seychelles or have a format, curriculum, in Sri Lanka, A Level is offered by governmental and non governmental schools. The qualifications are awarded upon completion of examinations called Local A Levels while most of the private schools award them upon London A Levels. Local GCE Advanced Level qualification is offered by the Department of Examinations, passing A Levels is the major requirement for applying local universities
23.
Liverpool
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Liverpool is a major city and metropolitan borough in North West England.24 million people in 2011. Liverpool historically lay within the ancient hundred of West Derby in the south west of the county of Lancashire and it became a borough from 1207 and a city from 1880. In 1889 it became a county borough independent of Lancashire, Liverpool sits on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary and its growth as a major port is paralleled by the expansion of the city throughout the Industrial Revolution. Along with general cargo, freight, raw materials such as coal and cotton, the city was also directly involved in the Atlantic slave trade. Liverpool was home to both the Cunard and White Star Line, and was the port of registry of the ocean liner RMS Titanic and others such as the RMS Lusitania, Queen Mary, and Olympic. The city celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007, and it held the European Capital of Culture title together with Stavanger, Norway, several areas of Liverpool city centre were granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2004. The Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City includes the Pier Head, Albert Dock, tourism forms a significant part of the citys economy. Liverpool is also the home of two Premier League football clubs, Liverpool and Everton, matches between the two being known as the Merseyside derby, the world-famous Grand National horse race takes place annually at Aintree Racecourse on the outskirts of the city. The city is home to the oldest Black African community in the country. Natives of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians and colloquially as Scousers, a reference to scouse, the word Scouse has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect. Pool is a place name element in England from the Brythonic word for a pond, inlet, or pit, cognate with the modern Welsh. The derivation of the first element remains uncertain, with the Welsh word Llif as the most plausible relative and this etymology is supported by its similarity to that of the archaic Welsh name for Liverpool Llynlleifiad. Other origins of the name have suggested, including elverpool. The name appeared in 1190 as Liuerpul, and it may be that the place appearing as Leyrpole, in a record of 1418. King Johns letters patent of 1207 announced the foundation of the borough of Liverpool, the original street plan of Liverpool is said to have been designed by King John near the same time it was granted a royal charter, making it a borough. The original seven streets were laid out in an H shape, Bank Street, Castle Street, Chapel Street, Dale Street, Juggler Street, Moor Street, in the 17th century there was slow progress in trade and population growth. Battles for the town were waged during the English Civil War, in 1699 Liverpool was made a parish by Act of Parliament, that same year its first slave ship, Liverpool Merchant, set sail for Africa. Since Roman times, the city of Chester on the River Dee had been the regions principal port on the Irish Sea
24.
Prisoner of conscience
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Prisoner of conscience is a term coined by Peter Benenson in a 28 May 1961 article for the London Observer newspaper. Most often associated with the human rights organisation Amnesty International, the term can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion and it also refers to those who have been imprisoned and/or persecuted for the non-violent expression of their conscientiously held beliefs. The article The Forgotten Prisoners by Peter Benenson, published in The Observer 28 May 1961, launched the campaign Appeal for Amnesty 1961, any person who is physically restrained from expressing any opinion which he honestly holds and which does not advocate or condone personal violence. We also exclude those people who have conspired with a government to overthrow their own. In early 1962, the campaign had received public support to become a permanent organization and was renamed Amnesty International. Under British law, Amnesty International was classed as a political organisation, to work around this, the Fund for the Persecuted was established in 1962 to receive donations to support prisoners and their families. Amnesty International has, since its founding, pressured governments to release those persons it considers to be prisoners of conscience, below is an incomplete list of individuals that Amnesty International considers to be prisoners of conscience, organized by country. Amnesty International resources about prisoners of conscience Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund
25.
History of the Maldives
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The Maldives is a nation consisting of 26 natural atolls, comprising 1192 islands. Since ancient times, the Maldives were ruled by kings and occasionally queens, historically, the Maldives had a strategic importance because of its location on the major marine routes of the Indian Ocean. The Maldives nearest neighbours are Sri Lanka and India, both of which have had cultural and economic ties with Maldives for centuries, the Maldives provided the main source of cowrie shells, then used as a currency throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast. Most probably Maldives were influenced by Kalingas of ancient India who were earliest sea traders to Sri Lanka, hence ancient Hindu culture has indelible impact on Maldives local culture. After the 16th century, when colonial powers took much of the trade in the Indian Ocean, first the Portuguese, then the Dutch. However, this ended when the Maldives became a British Protectorate in the 19th century. The Maldives gained total independence from the British on 26 July 1965, however, the British continued to maintain an air base on the island of Gan in the southernmost atoll until 1976. The British departure in 1976 at the height of the Cold War almost immediately triggered foreign speculation about the future of the air base, apparently the Soviet Union made a move to request the use of the base, but the Maldives refused. Concern was also evident over a projected sea level rise. Comparative studies of Maldivian oral, linguistic and cultural traditions and customs confirm that the first settlers were people from the shores of the neighbouring Indian subcontinent. These first Maldivians didnt leave any archaeological remains and their buildings were probably built of wood, palm fronds and other perishable materials, which would have quickly decayed in the salt and wind of the tropical climate. Moreover, chiefs or headmen didnt reside in elaborate stone palaces, despite being just mentioned briefly in most history books, the 1, 400-year-long Buddhist period has a foundational importance in the history of the Maldives. It was during this period that the culture of the Maldives as we now know it developed and flourished. Serious studies of the remains of the Maldives began with the work of H. C. P. Bell. Bell was shipwrecked on the islands in 1879 AD, and returned several times to investigate the ancient Buddhist ruins, Bell, who resided in Sri Lanka most of his life, claim that Buddhism came to the Maldives from Sri Lanka. Since then, new archaeological discoveries point to Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist influences, an urn discovered in Maalhos in the 1980s has a Vishvavajra inscribed with Protobengali script. This text was in the script used in the ancient Buddhist centres of learning in Nalanda. There is also a small Porites stupa in the Museum where the directional Dhyani Buddhas are etched in its four points as in the Mahayana tradition
26.
Hassan Evan Naseem
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Hassan Evan Naseem , commonly referred to as Evan Naseem, is the person whose death became a lever for the current, open, political reform activities in the Maldives. He was serving at Maafushi Prison for drug offences when he was beaten to death by the NSS personnel of the Security unit during a riot which endangered the lives of the security personnel. Evan attended Majeediyya School for his secondary education and he was jailed several times for drug offences and other related crimes. On September 19,2003, inmates of Evan Naseems cell crossed the partitions and this incident was reported to Maafushi Jail Office by the security unit in writing, along with two separate lists of people who crossed the partitions. Evans name was not on either of the lists, later the same day Evans fellow inmates were throwing objects at other cells. The Officer-in-Charge of the Maafushi Jail Security Unit, Captain Adam Mohamed, exaggerated the matter to police headquarters at Malé, Adam Mohamed was given permission to remove the troublemakers from the cell and to keep them handcuffed. Later the same night a team of five security personnel came to Evans cell with a list of people who were involved in assaulting Ali Didi, though Evans name was not on the list submitted earlier to Maafushi Jail Office, the new list included his name. As their names were read out, the men out from the cell. When Evans name was called out he refused to come out, upon his refusal one of the security personnel went into the cell and asked him to come out. He still refused to out and warned the security person not to come closer or touch him. The security man was attacked twice with a plank as he went towards Evan. Soon after this incident, numerous members of the unit stormed into the cell, Evan then yieldingly walked out of the cell. After being removed from the cell, Evan was taken to a place called Range where he was kept separate from other inmates, there he was beaten up by 12 Security personnel. He was beaten up with hands, wooden planks and riot batons. On various occasions he lost consciousness because of continuous beatings, when he no longer responded, he was taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in the early morning of September 20,2003. According to the reports he died on September 19,2003. Inmates of Evan Naseem learned of his death the same day and this resulted in a protest which then lead to unrest in Maafushi Prison. To control this unrest NSS personnel at Maafushi shot several unarmed prisoners killing 3, news of the death of Evan broke out quickly in the capital city Malé
27.
2003 Maldives civil unrest
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On Saturday September 20,2003 civil unrest broke out in Malé, the capital city of the Maldives. Many government buildings, vehicles and other properties were set on fire. The government controlled the unrest by around 2300hrs and declared a State of Emergency in Malé, late night curfews were enforced from 2200hrs to 0430hrs in Malé for more than a month following the rioting. On Friday September 19,2003, Hassan Evan Naseem, who was serving at Maafushi Jail for drug related offenses, was beaten by the NSS personnel of the security unit in the jail. This led to Naseems death the following day, the beating came about as punishment for the disturbances from complicated disputes between Naseems inmates and neighboring prisoners. To control the disturbances caused by these disputes security personnel came with a list of troublemakers, though it is said that, Naseem was not involved in the above-mentioned incident his name appeared on the list. The security guards then had gone in to round-up the listed prisoners, Naseem had resisted and had refused to leave his cell, demanding reasons for his summoning. This resistance ended up injuring a security guard led to numerous members of the security unit storming into the cell. Evan was then moved to solitary confinement, on the same night he was severely beaten up by 12 officers. He died in the morning of September 20,2003. Inmates of Evan Naseem learnt of his death at around 1100hrs, on receiving this news, they demanded to meet with a Security officer from Department of Corrections. There was no response to repeated demands. Some of the refused to take lunch to reflect their concern about the death of Evan Naseem. Funeral prayers were performed by Evans inmates and many other prisoners, shortly afterwards came a loud uproar from Block C where Evans cell was located. Two inmates, then, jumped out of cell C3 after corrugated iron sheets being pushed open, more prisoners followed them and attacked jail security unit personnel. They tried to calm the prisoners down for a while and then dispersed them when the prisoners refused to cease their attack, by now more inmates came out of the Block C and opened other Blocks, facilitating more prisoners to come out. Captain Adam Mohamed, in charge of security unit, was informed of this uprising and he issued instructions to block the premises. Upon Adam Mohameds instruction to block the premises, Jail Security Unit personnel were issued riot gear, prisoners on the loose confronted with this unit
28.
Atolls of the Maldives
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The Maldives are formed by a number of natural atolls plus atolls in the form of a few islands and isolated reefs today which form a pattern stretching from 7 degrees 10 North to 0 degrees 45 South. The Maldives is a long and narrow country formed by 26 natural atolls, some atolls are in the form of a number of islands by time and in the form of isolated reefs, which could be classified as smaller atoll formations. All land above the surface in the Maldives is of coralline origin, the atolls of the Maldives form a quite regular chain and, especially in the northern and central atolls, an arrayed structure is apparent. There are broad and deep channels in some atolls. The origin of the atoll itself is in the language of the Maldives. Atoll is now used in languages worldwide. Traditionally, Maldivians call the ending in -madulu or -mathi by their name without adding the word Atoll at the end. For example, it is correct to write simply Kolhumadulhu, without adding the word Atholhu at the end and this is also the case in the atoll known as Faadhippolhu. The atolls of the Maldives are very complex structures and formerly they were dangerous for navigators. These Admiralty charts were printed as three separate large maps by the Hydrographic Service of the Royal Navy, although they contain a few errors, Moresbys charts were so good that they were favoured by Maldivian pilots navigating through the treacherous waters of their atolls until the 1990s. Nowadays there are more accurate maps of the Maldives based on satellite surveys, however, Maldivian navigators still claim that Commander Moresbys charts provide a wealth of data that the modern maps dont give. At the time that they were drawn, the maps of the Maldives were deemed of such a quality that they were inspected personally by Queen Victoria. Owing to the many beautiful diving grounds of the atolls of the Maldives. Hence, during the last couple of decades many guides and maps of the best diving spots have been published and some of them are very accurate, the list below is a description of the atolls of the Maldives. Ihavandhippolhu Atoll is the northernmost atoll in the Maldives and it is a small natural atoll 22 km in length. It has 25 islands lying all around the boundary reef, one long barrier reef forms the western side of the atoll. There are several coral patches in the lagoon and the depth in the centre is 20 to 30 fathoms. Ihavandhippolhu is bounded in the north by the channel known as Māmalē Kandu which separates the islands of Maldives from those belonging to India
29.
Black Friday (Maldives)
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This unplanned and unorganized demonstration was the largest such protest in the countrys history. Beginning on the evening of August 12,2004, the demonstration grew, protesters initially demanding the freeing of the pro-reformists arrested on the afternoon of August 12,2004. As the protest continued to grow, people demanded the resignation of president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, what started as a peaceful demonstration ended after 22 hours, as the countrys darkest day in recent history. Several people were injured as NSS personnel used riot batons. Several members of the Majlis, former ministers, and many reformists were arrested. As a symbol of unity, President Gayoom pardoned all arrested following the December 26th tsunami, when police summoned Mr. Mohamed Yusuf, a few reform activists decided to gather near Republican Square to inquire about Yoosufs detention. What started as a vigil at Republican Square in Malé at dusk on August 12,2004, as the crowd grew larger and the demands to free Mr. Yoosuf became louder, he was released that afternoon. However, the protesters demanded four other reformists detained in Dhoonidhoo detention centre be transferred to Malé. They also called for the release of Naushad Waheed, Ahmed Didi, Mohamed Zaki and Fathimath Nisreen, all of whom were, according to the Opposition movement, detained without a fair trial. By early morning August 13,2004, a crowd had gathered near Republican Square. Initially the NSS and government minister Ilyas Ibrahim unsuccessfully tried to win the trust of the crowd by addressing the crowd over a megaphone, when they failed, they asked the pro-reformist MP Ibrahim Ismail to address the crowd in front of the NSS building. He convinced the crowd to move into nearby Republican Square, after moving the crowd into Republican Square, Ibrahim Ismail addressed the crowd and assured them he would take their demands to the NSS authorities for their consideration. They came directly from the Dhoonidhoo detention centre to Republican Square, there they addressed the crowd, criticized Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and called for his resignation. They also demanded the demonstration be reported live on state run television, however, no news of the protest was transmitted yet. The crowd continued to grow and took a life of its own, at around 0700 hrs Maafushi Prison was broken, thinking the government was overthrown, as the detainees got the news of the unusual protest in Malé. They headed to Malé in two Dhonis, however they were intercepted by the NSS coastguard. One of the Dhonis was sunk and the other gassed with tear gas, as the calling for Gayooms resignation got louder and stronger, a few pro-government people gathered to Republican Square. Some of them were sent there, according to reformists, to create violence so that use of force to disperse the crowd could be justified, since international media was reporting the event, NSS needed a valid and justifiable reason to use force to disperse the crowd
30.
2005 Maldives civil unrest
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Supporters of MDP were quick to demonstrate. They started calling for the resignation of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, soon after Nasheeds arrest, several arrests were made on the first night followed by the demolition of the Dhunfini tent. The demolition complicated the situation further provoking the unrest, the unrest grew violent on the third night, on August 14,2005, due to the methods used in the attempts by the authority to stop the demonstration. The unrest continued intermittently for three nights, from August 12 to August 14,2005, by August 15,2005, the uprising was controlled with the presence of heavy security around Malé. Almost a fourth of the city had to be cordoned off during the unrest, on August 12,2005, to mark the first anniversary of the Black Friday, members of the Maldivian Democratic Party and pro reformists started gathering near Republican Square. Despite heavy police and National Security Service presence, at around 4, 30pm local time Mohamed Nasheed along with several leading members of the party. Security was tight around Malé due to the obvious perceptibility of such a demonstration to mark this anniversary, two days before, on August 10,2005, NSS announced that they will be conducting a huge training in Malé for four days, starting from August 11,2005. Despite heavy police presence, Mohamed Nasheed decided to sit right in the center of the Republican square with his colleagues, minutes later he was approached by a team of Maldives Police Service. They approached him and asked him to go away from there. Nasheed demanded to know why he was asked to leave while he is not committing anything illegal, the leader of this team responded by saying such gatherings are illegal and they will have to remove him by force if not obeyed within five minutes. To this ultimatum, Nasheed responded by saying and you will give us five minutes, after that what. You will beat us to death, at one time Nasheed asked the police to join them, since he is not inciting violence but peacefully sitting there. Since he refused to leave the spot, the team moved towards the flag pole few meters away. At around 4,23 p. m. riot police moved into Republican Square, soon they surrounded Mohamed Nasheed and other members of the party present with him. Nasheed and his colleagues refused to leave the area. Members of riot then forcefully removed them and taken into nearby NSS headquarters, a footage of this event was leaked to Minivan News, run from outside the country. Along with Nasheed and shortly after that, several others were arrested, the arrest of Nasheed was instantly learnt by the people present at Dhunfini tent. They started calling for the resignation and the unconditional release of Nasheed in addition to their speeches to mark the Black Friday
31.
Maldivian presidential election, 2008
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Presidential elections were held in the Maldives in two rounds on October 8 and 28,2008. No candidate gained more than 50% of the vote in the first round on October 8, a runoff was thus held on October 28 between Gayoom and second-placed Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed won the election, unseating longtime incumbent Gayoom, the election was the first one held democratically in the history of the Maldives. The election was planned to be held on October 4. The incumbent, President Gayoom, in power since 1978, ran for another five-year term, according to the new Constitution, which came into effect on August 7,2008, Gayoom had served the maximum number of terms allowed. He argued that since the election was held under a new constitution, the Supreme Court agreed that the limited terms were to be served under this Constitution and that Gayoom was therefore eligible to run in the election. On August 25,2008, the Maldives National Congress and the Adhaalath Party announced that they would support Republican Party candidate Qasim Ibrahim, on September 3,2008, the six candidates participated in a televised debate. There were 208,252 eligible voters in the Maldives in the first round, there were a total 396 polling stations throughout the country. Additionally, registered Maldivians living in Colombo, Thiruvananthapuram, Kuala Lumpur, voters went to the polls on October 8,2008 starting at 09,00 local time, and expecting to end at 20,00. The elections were peaceful, though voting irregularities prevented some voters from voting, lines to polling stations were long on some islands, with waits sometimes exceeding six hours. Later, the committee said that anyone could vote, as long as he or she showed an ID card that was valid. A handful of police were deployed after 300 protesters gathered around the central vote-counting location. Ahmed Shaheed, the independent vice-presidential nominee said, Its a disaster, I think there is deliberate tampering. In the second round,209,294 people were eligible to vote, there was a total of 403 polling stations across the Maldives. Registered voters were able to cast ballots at Maldivian embassies and diplomatic missions in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka. Voting progressed fairly peacefully, though there were problems, such as people not being registered. Six candidates competed in the first multi party election held in the Maldives. Those results stayed the same, and the four candidates were eliminated
32.
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party
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The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party is a political party of the Maldives. On 2 June 2005, the nation’s 50-member parliament voted unanimously to allow, DRP subsequently submitted its registration on 21 July 2005 and was the second registered political party in the second Republic of the Maldives. DRP has the third largest number of members among all parties in the Maldives. On 2 June 2005, the nation’s 50-member parliament voted unanimously to allow, DRP subsequently submitted its registration on 21 July 2005 and was the second registered political party in the second Republic of the Maldives. At the first multi-party parliamentary elections in the Maldives on 9 May 2009, however, DRP gained the second most number of votes with 27. 5% of the votes compared with the 35. He formed a new party called Progressive Party of Maldives. It was a point where DRP had a huge debt following the defeat in the 2008 Presidential Elections with Ahmed Thasmeen Ali as the mate of Gayyoom. Once Gayyoom left, the party was led by Ahmed Thasmeen Ali who had to face the inherited debt of 32 Million Rufiyaa and this was the biggest challenge for him as the leader of the party. MDP was defeated in the round by PPM. Taking up the leadership, Mohamed Nasheed promised reform and recovery in many aspects of the party and he had stated that the party was in ICU at the moment, as audited and unaudited debt of the party would round up to a figure as big as 10 Million Rufiyaa. The current leader of DRP is Mohamed Nasheed and he became the leader of the Party on 18 November 2013, after receiving majority of the votes at the 142nd council meeting. Soon after taking up the leadership, Mohamed Nasheed, as a leader, announced a logo contest open for all. It was part of the re-branding and reforming of DRP, the logo to win the 1st place was “Rising Star” designed by Modern Arts. The logo was inspired from a verse of a poem by Muhammad Jameel Didi who was a famous poet, currently, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party does not hold any seats in the parliament. Party congress was scheduled to be held in August this year, according to the partys literature, The objectives of DRP are, Strengthening and protecting the existing bonds of Islamic unity. Grooming a new generation of well-disciplined and talented youths who will carry the mantle of national progress, modeling the Maldivian society to reflect the aspirations of the people. Protecting the Maldives from detrimental external influences, facilitating easy access to basic services such as housing, education and healthcare for every citizen. Introducing a new generation of leaders with the vision to fashion domestic affairs in an atmosphere of peace
33.
Vice President of the Maldives
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Vice President of the Maldives is the holder of a public office created by the Constitution of the Maldives. The current office-holder is Abdulla Jihad, since June 2016, Ibrahim Muhammad Didi was the first Vice President, and was an appointee, while Mohammed Waheed Hassan was the second Vice President. Mohammed Waheed Deen was the third Vice President, and also an appointee, the Vice President is the first in the line of succession to the Presidency in the event of the Presidents death, resignation, or removal from office. The qualifications of office for the Vice President shall be the same as those for the President, if the office of the President becomes vacant for any reason, the Vice President shall succeed to the office of the President. Articles 117 and 122 then goes on to describe the Responsibilities of the Vice President, the Vice President shall exercise such responsibilities and powers of the President as are delegated to him by the President. The Vice President shall perform the responsibilities of the President if the President is absent or temporarily unable to perform the responsibilities of office, the appointment shall be approved by the People’s Majlis. As a result of these responsibilities, the Office of the Vice President, the first Vice President of the Maldives was Ibrahim Muhammad Didi of Rayyithunge Muthagaddim Party, who was appointed to the position by President Mohamed Amin Didi. From 1954 onwards, the Maldives would not have another appointed Vice President, which included the rule of Muhammad Fareed Didi and the Presidencies of Ibrahim Nasir and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Under the new constitution created the assembly and ratified by President Gayoom on 7 August 2008. Under the new constitution, Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan of the Gaumee Itthihaad Party became the first elected Vice President of Maldives and was sworn into office on November 11,2008. Mohamed Nasheed was elected into office as the President of the Maldives, Dr. Waheed was the senior most Maldivian in the United Nations when he retired from it in June 2008, in order to return to the Maldives and become politically active. While in the UN, Dr. Waheed was the head of UNICEF for South Asia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Macedonia, Montenegro, Dr. Waheed was the Third Maldivian to receive a PhD having done so from the prestigious Stanford University, having specialized in International Development. He has been involved in politics in Maldives since 1989 when we won a Parliamentary seat with the highest number of votes recorded up to that point. However, he was forced out of the country after having pursued a bill on human rights that was not looked favored upon by the administration at the time, Dr. Waheed then spent 16 years working for UNICEF. Dr. Waheed is currently married to Ilham Hussain and has three children and their eldest daughter Widhadh is an architect and owns an IT firm in California. The oath of office of the Vice President is described verbtim in the Maldives constitution, Presidents Office, Vice President Official Website of Dr. Waheed
34.
Qasim Ibrahim
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Qasim Ibrahim is an Maldivian business magnate, philanthropist and politician. In 1986, Ibrahim founded Villa Shipping and Trading Company Pvt, ltd, the Maldives largest private conglomerate company. Ibrahim is the chairman, and largest shareholder of Villa Group and he ran as the presidential candidate of the Jumhooree Party in the 2013 elections, losing in the first round. Ibrahim began his career in 1969 as a clerk at the government hospital in Malé, in 1973 he left the hospital to work as manager at M/S Alia Furniture Mart. Subsequently, he worked for Crescent, an organisation of the Government. In 1974 he joined an outlet of the Maldivian governments Bodu Store, two years later, he set up his own trading business in commodities such as rice, tobacco, diesel and kerosene, which proved to be profitable and the business experienced rapid growth. He later expanded his business with a loan of US$2,000 from State Bank of India. After four years, Ibrahim was able to purchase his first shipping vessel, by April 14,1986, Ibrahims business was registered under the name of Villa Shipping and Trading Company Limited. Shell and Agfa are among the names represented by Villa in the Maldives. The shareholders of the company, Villa Shipping & Trading Company Private Limited are Qasim Ibrahim and one of his wives, Rabia Hussain. For strategic reasons, Villa Shipping Pte Limited was incorporated in Singapore on December 19,1991, the paid up capital by Villa Shipping now stands at S$500,000. On 23 July 1997, with the objective of promoting Villa resorts. Villa Holidays Touristik GmbH opened in Frankfurt, Germany and was incorporated with a capital of DM500,000. It has since become a subsidiary to promote the Groups own resorts, Fun Island, Paradise Island, Sun Island, Holiday Island. Villa Hotels, Tokyo and Villa Hotels, Hong Kong were established in 2001 and 2002 respectively, Ibrahim has also funded many infrastructure projects in several islands across the archipelago, most notably in developing harbours, construction of schools and mosques. He is currently working on setting up of a full-fledge General Hospital in Maamigili Island, Ibrahim was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1989. In addition, he has held and still holds various other posts in a number of government committees and he also resigned from his position as the Deputy Leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party on the same day. He since became an opposition to Mr. Ibrahim has been imprisoned on politically motivated cases during Gayooms regime as well as during Nasheeds brief reign
35.
Adhaalath Party
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The Adhaalath Party is a political party in the Maldives. The AP was registered as a party in August 2005. Being an Islamist political party, the party stands for establishment of justice in all spheres of the nation, the Islamic extremist elements as well as the secular minded in Maldives shunned Adhaalath Party due to its moderate Islamic leaning. The party is noted for its Islamic scholars who travel to the islands to disseminate Islamic awareness. Sheikh Ilyas Hussain, the most popular orator of Maldives heads the scholars council, Adhaalath has been active in the political arena and has been instrumental in all the recent government changes. The partys first president was Sheikh Hussain Rasheed Ahmed, after the tenure of Sheikh Hussain Rasheed Ahmed, Sheikh Imran Abdullah became the second president of Adhaalath Party. Dr. Mauroof Hussain, a noted E. N. T specialist trained in India has been the president of the party since the beginning. Women & Higher Positions Adhaalath Party Website Adhaalath Party Website
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