Rasmalé has dominated the headlines for six weeks. Campaigners rally on Friday, the MDP has set a 15 November deadline for a referendum, and President Muizzu wants the Eagle Hills deal signed before 17 November. Our explainer covers what is being sold, to whom, and what we still don’t know. It draws on our two-part series, the second with OCCRP, and on reporting since. That includes what the infrastructure minister told religious scholars behind closed doors, why estimates of the land’s worth run from US$2.9 billion to US$24 billion, and three different official counts of investor visas. Our right to information requests found that the economic ministry has no record of any visa issued for a real estate investment and has never published the quarterly figures its own rules require. The tourism ministry won’t release its list of resort villa leases. Read the full explainer: https://maldivesindependent.com/explainer/residency-for-sale-what-we-know-about-rasmal-ayla-and-the-pearl-visa-fa40 Facebook

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News in Brief Tuesday, November 3 Facebook

Yaana* is happily married. But since moving back home, she has found herself missing the close circle of girlfriends she had wherever she lived. “Romantic companionship and friendship fulfil different parts of our lives, and one cannot necessarily replace the other,” she said. She’s not alone. A consultant psychiatrist at Hulhumalé Hospital says his adult patients, especially women, are struggling to find connections. Older patients complain their children don’t visit and teenagers find themselves shut out of friend groups without knowing why. There’s no national data on loneliness in the Maldives. But the dozen people we spoke to described what gets in the way: friendships that fade after school, marriage and children, moving between islands, strict rules for women and few free places to meet. Read the full story: https://maldivesindependent.com/society/easier-said-than-done-making-friends-as-an-adult-in-the-maldives-3a22 *Name changed Facebook

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News in Brief Monday, November 2 Facebook

Finance Minister Hassan Zareer says keeping spending within this year’s budget was among the government’s “most notable achievements”. The budget documents show what it took: fuel subsidies running at more than three times their allocation, while public investment was cut. Next year’s budget is MVR59.7 billion, MVR4.5 billion smaller now that the US$500 million sukuk has been repaid. But spending rises 6.6 per cent, the deficit widens to 7.3 per cent of GDP, and most of the MVR18.9 billion the government must raise will come from home. We break down the key numbers, alongside what Moody’s and the World Bank expect. https://maldivesindependent.com/economy/after-the-sukuk-the-2027-budget-in-numbers-507e Facebook

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News in Brief Sunday, November 1 Facebook

OPINION | President Muizzu came to power on “India Out”. He has now signed defence and maritime security agreements with Pakistan. Former defence minister Mariya Ahmed Didi argues that the two moves together risk unsettling relations with our closest neighbour. She calls on the government to tell Parliament what the agreements commit the Maldives to. “Maintaining constructive relations with India is not a concession of sovereignty; it is essential to our national interest.” Read the full piece: https://maldivesindependent.com/opinion/strategic-autonomy-or-strategic-exposure-caf8 All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the Maldives Independent. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]. Facebook