Maldives decides to amend laws to ban Israeli passport holders
Male, Jun 2: The Maldivian government on Sunday decided to amend laws to ban Israeli passport holders from entering the Indian Ocean archipelago, amid mounting public anger in the country over the devastating attacks by Israeli forces on Gaza.
The decision was announced by Home Minister Ali Ihusan at an emergency press briefing at the President's Office, news portal Sun.mv reported.
"The cabinet decided today to make the legal amendments necessary to ban entry into the Maldives on Israeli passports as soon as possible,” he said.
The cabinet has set up a special committee of ministers to expedite the process, the news portal added.
Maldives receives more than one million tourists each year. This includes around 15,000 tourists from Israel.
The cabinet also decided to appoint a special presidential envoy to identify the areas in which Palestine requires support from Maldives and organise fundraising events to assist Palestinians through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
While the cabinet decided to ban Israeli passports, the actual implementation of the decision will require legal reforms, the news portal reported.
The Gaza conflict began on October 7 after Hamas initiated an attack on Israel, killing over 800 and capturing 240 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel launched a massive counter-offensive against the Palestinian Hamas group that has ruled Gaza since 2007. More than 36,000 people, including women and children, have been killed in Gaza in Israeli action, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
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Himanta resigns as Assam CM, paving way for formation of new govt
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4.
"Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
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The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11.
“As it was a historic win, we have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grace the occasion," he said.
The new Assam chief minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in presence of central observers, Sarma said.
