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Maldives: President Yameen may face impeachment

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Maldives: President Yameen may face impeachment

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Supreme Court may ask for president’s impeachment

The political crisis in Maldives, just 600 km south-west of Indian shores, is deepening with President Abdulla Yameen not complying with the Supreme Court’s order for getting the jailed opposition leaders including former president Mohamed Nasheed released.

Different media outlets in Male, the country’s capital, indicate that Supreme Court has hit back President Yameen’s refusal to free his jailed opponents amid security forces sealing off the parliament and arresting two opposition lawmakers.

Judges at the Supreme Court have said that there should be “no legal barrier” to releasing the nine opposition leaders, whose terrorism and corruption convictions were overturned last week.

Supreme Court statement came after Attorney General Mohamed Anil raised concerns about freeing convicted people for their involvement in terrorism, corruption, embezzlement and fraud.

The recent rulings of Supreme Court has plunged Maldives into a political crisis, considered to be a blow to President Yameen who is criticised for alleged corruption, misrule and human rights abuse.

Earlier, President Yameen wrote a letter to Supreme Court asking to revoke its decision to terminate the arrest warrant for Hassan Saeed, the judicial administrator of Department of Judicial Administration (DJA).

In one of his tweets on Saturday former President Mohamed Nasheed said that disobeying Supreme Court is tantamount to a coup.

[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Meanwhile Mihaaru, english daily based in Male reports that country’s ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) leader and Member of Parliament Ahmed Nihan, responding to late Sunday rumours of the SC preparing to issue an order to impeach President Abdulla Yameen.

While addressing PPM’s parliamentary group, he said that an attempt to impeach a democratically elected President would be a “declaration of war on the Maldives”. He said that such an act, whether domestic or not, would never be accepted by Maldivians, he said.

Supreme Court had earlier sided with President Abdulla Yameen. However the current SC verdict has exerted unprecedented pressure on the president to free his opponents before country goes ahead for presidential election scheduled later this year.

On Sunday, the attorney general, flanked by the Chiefs of army and police, while appearing on state TV  said the government has received news of an imminent order by the Supreme Court to impeach Yameen.  “I have informed all law enforcement agencies they must not obey such an illegal order,” Mohamed Anil said.

The army chief Ahmed Shiyam  said the security forces would follow the attorney-general’s advice and “will not wait and watch as the Maldives descends into crisis”.

PPM leader Ahmed Nihan said that while police and military would naturally join forces to defend the nation, the people themselves would take the initiative to march ahead as the first line of defence against impeachment of their elected president.

Maldives: President Yameen may face impeachment

PPM’s deputy leader Abdul Raheen Abdulla also censured SC judges saying that top court cannot sieze and hoard a power that does not belong to them. He was quoted saying, “Impeaching the president is not a power accorded to the Supreme Court. To force a power you do not own is to violate the Constitution.”

On late Thursday SC issued its verdict ordering the immediate release of nine political leaders, reinstated 12 suspended lawmakers and lifted its previous ban on floor-crossing.

The opposition now have a majority in the 85-member house as the SC ruling has reinstated the suspended 12 members of parliament who were stripped of their seats last year.

Meanwhile, two of the 12 reinstated lawmakers were arrested at the Male airport on Sunday, shortly after they returned to the Maldives after spending several months in exile.

Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, an opposition parliamentarian, condemned their arrest saying, “We call on the police to release the MPs immediately, and to stop following unlawful orders, to stop obstructing the lawful mandate of parliamentarians.”

“In a desperate attempt to cling onto power, President Yameen has illegally overrun the state. His attorney-general has illegally assumed the powers of the apex court, while the military has overrun the legislature,” he added.

On Sunday, former president Mohamed Nasheed, while speaking to a private television channel from neighbouring Sri Lanka,  has called for protests and urged rank-and-file members of the security forces to arrest the attorney-general as well as the chiefs of the army and police.

Parliament’s secretariat head Ahmed Mohamed has resigned after the speaker, a Yameen ally, canceled the opening of the parliament, scheduled for Tuesday, over unspecified “security concerns”.   The heads of the Maldives’ main high-security prison and the elections commission have also resigned in recent days.

Several countries and world bodied including, UN, EU, US and India have urged incumbent President Yameen to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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India envoy Dinesh Trivedi meets PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman 

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman amid diplomatic tensions.

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India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.

According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Trivedi sought PM Modi’s guidance on further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh through a constructive and people-centric approach.

The meeting came a day after Trivedi held discussions with Tarique Rahman on matters of mutual interest and ways to advance ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Dinesh Trivedi Meets Bangladesh PM

During his meeting with Tarique Rahman on Monday, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to working with the Bangladeshi administration and its people in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening India-Bangladesh relations with a people-centric approach.

The engagement took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Trivedi also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the previous two months.

Sheikh Hasina Extradition Request

The meeting assumed significance as Bangladesh has expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following a student-led uprising in 2024.

According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office, Dhaka also reiterated its request for India to return individuals it alleges were involved in the killing of Shahid Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with the July uprising who was shot on December 12, 2025.

Tarique Rahman stressed the need to create a suitable environment to take forward relations between Bangladesh and India.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials attended the meeting.

India-Bangladesh Ties Amid Diplomatic Friction

The latest high-level engagements come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries following a virtual press interaction by Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.

The event, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompted strong objections from Dhaka.

During the interaction, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and restore democracy, while acknowledging the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently registered a strong protest and said the development had affected public sentiment and complicated efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

India has said the government had no involvement in the event. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was organised by a private media entity and clarified that New Delhi did not endorse views expressed at the forum.

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Trump, PM Modi will resolve tariff issue over Russian oil trade, says US official

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue over US tariff threats linked to India’s Russian oil trade.

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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue surrounding the threat of US tariffs linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday.

Navarro’s remarks came days after the US Senate passed a bill authorising the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil. The measure argues that such purchases directly contribute to financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Navarro comments on India’s Russian oil trade

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro said India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia before the Ukraine war began in 2022.

He alleged that India became heavily involved in the trade after Russia’s invasion and sold refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped support the Russian war effort.

“Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved,” Navarro said.

The White House adviser also claimed that the issue had since been resolved and attributed some of the shift in India’s Russian oil trade to an opinion article he recently wrote in the Financial Times.

Trump and Modi will resolve issue, Navarro says

Navarro said the relationship between Trump and Modi would help address the tariff-related issue.

“The president and your prime minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves,” he said, adding that it was not his place to intervene.

His comments come amid US concerns over countries purchasing Russian oil and proposed measures aimed at imposing additional tariffs on major buyers.

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US Senate passes Russia sanctions bill, India-China face 100% tariff risk

The US Senate has passed a Russia sanctions bill that could allow 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China.

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Donald Trump

The US Senate has approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.

The legislation was passed by an 86-11 vote and will now move to the US House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.

The bill is named in honour of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11. Graham had pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

India and China among major Russian energy buyers

The legislation gives the US president the power to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.

India and China are among those countries, along with Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.

The bill also contains an exception for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.

What does the Russia sanctions bill contain?

Apart from the proposed tariffs, the legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects.

The bill would also expand US sanctions to older and reflagged oil tankers allegedly used by Moscow to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

At the same time, the White House would have the option to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.

Bill also extends Iran sanctions law

The legislation also contains a provision related to Iran. It would extend the expiration date of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031.

The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill’s passage in the Senate marks the next step in the US legislative process, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it can move forward.

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