11 January 2011, Male'; The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of the Maldives today issued the following response to recent press releases from Amnesty International regarding the arrest, detention and release of Mr. Ismail Khilath Rasheed:

"Mr. Ismail Khilath Rasheed, a Maldivian national, was released from police custody on January 6th 2012.

08 January 2012, Male'; Minister of Foreign Affairs H. E. Mr. Ahmed Naseem has met his Lebanese counterpart H. E. Mr. Adnan Mansour in Beirut. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Home Affairs H. E. Mr. Hassan Afeef, who is accompanying Minister Naseem during his official visit to Lebanon.

5 January 2012, Male';The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Naseem, today said that the Government's decision to reopen the spas operating in the country, as announced by H. E. President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday, reflect the emerging national consensus that the Maldives should continue to follow the moderate and tolerant religious path it has pursued ever since the introduction of Islam 800 years ago. In a press conference held in Kurumba Maldives, President Nasheed ordered the authorities to lift the ban on spas with immediate effect, while the country awaits the Supreme Court's verdict on whether spas being legal under the Maldives Constitution.

29 December 2011, New York; The Republic of Maldives and Burkina Faso have established diplomatic relations today at a ceremony that was held in New York. The Joint Communiqué formalizing diplomatic relations between the two countries was signed on behalf of the Government of Maldives by H.E. Mr. Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations, and by H.E. Mr. Der Kogda, Permanent Representative of Burkina Faso to the United Nations, on behalf of the Government of Burkina Faso.

22 December 2011, Male'; Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Ahmed Naseem today expressed concern over the increase in extremist rhetoric affecting the Maldives' international image.

22 December 2011, Kuala Lumpur;High Commissioner of Maldives toMalaysia H.E Mr. Mohamad Zaki received the Darjah Indera MahkotaPahang (DIMP) which carries the title vDato' at a ceremony held inconjunction of The 81st Anniversary of Sultan of Pahang. His RoyalHighness the Crown Prince of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Al-Haj IbniSultan Haji Ahmed Shah Al-Musta'in Billah consent to confer the StateMedal Honorary Title and Award in the ceremony held at Istana AbuBakar.

President Mohamed Nasheed has appointed Mr. Mohamed Naseer as Foreign Secretary. The appointment was made at the level of State Minister.

17 December 2011, Geneva;Ambassador of Maldives to WTO, H. E. Ms. Iruthisham Adam today addressed the Plenary Session of WTO Ministerial Conference, Geneva, 15-17 December 2011.

16 December 2011, New York;The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations, H. E. Mr. Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, participated in a panel discussion hosted by the United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration to launch the latest report from the Foresight Programme on migration and global environmental change.

15 December 2011, New York;The PermanentRepresentative of Maldives to the United Nations H. E. Mr. Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, speaking at the plenary meeting of the Tenth Session of the Assembly of State Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC),reaffirmed the full commitmentof the Maldives to promote the universality andfull implementation of the Rome Statute. He said that the Maldives is "proud to be among the group of countries who have committed themselves to combat impunity, in respect of international law and to provide justice to those victims who have often been forgotten in the labyrinths of diplomacy."

12 December 2011, Male';A joint press conference was held today by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Indian High Commission in Male' to inform the public about the technical change that have been brought to dependant visa. At the press conference held at the MNBC One studio, information was shared to the media by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H. E. Mr. Aslam Mohamed Shakir and the First Secretary at the Indian High Commission in Male', Mr. S. C. Agarwaal.

12 December 2011, Male'; President Mohamed Nasheed has appointed Dr. Aishath Shehenaz Adam as the Non-Resident Ambassador of the Maldives to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

9th December 2011, Male'; The Ambassador of Maldives to Belgium and the EU, H.E. Mr Ali Hussain Didi attended the Freedom Online Conference at The Hague, Netherlands.

9 December 2011 - The High Commission of Maldives in London today hosted an orientation event for the teacher volunteers travelling to the Maldives on the International Volunteer Programme 2012 at the University of Westminster.

6th December 2011, H.E. Mr Ali Hussain Didi, Ambassador of Maldives to Belgium and the EU attended a welcoming ceremony for the Republic of Maldives as a new State Party, at the International Criminal Court based in The Hague, Netherlands.

5th December 2011 New York- The Maldives led resolution on the "Review of United Nations support for small island developing States" was adopted today by consensus at the resumed session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN, with the support of over 40 co-sponsors.The resolution, which had been originally tabled during the Council's substantive session held in July in Geneva, had been deferred at the request of Maldives due to differences of opinion arising on its budgetary implications.

5th December 2011, Geneva; The Maldives was today admitted as a member of the InternationalOrganisation for Migration (IOM), continuing the Government's effortsto work with key international organisations to improve the welfare ofpeople in the Maldives. With the admission of the Maldives and others,the IOM now has 146 members from all regions of the world. IOM expertshave already begun work with the Maldives Government to help with thebetter management of migration in the country - especially in thecontext of the large numbers of migrant workers in the Maldives.

2nd December 2011;The Maldives today joined the EU, US and Arab League in convening a UN Emergency Session on the human rights situation in Syria. The meeting, at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, heard the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria which uncovered widespread evidence of gross and systematic human rights violations in the country. The conclusion of the Commission of Inquiry is that these violations amount to crimes against humanity, and thus necessitate referral to the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court.

2nd December 2011: New York: The Republic of Maldives and Saint Lucia have established diplomatic relations today at a ceremony that was held in New York. The Joint Communiqué formalising diplomatic relations between the two countries was signed on behalf of the Government of Maldives, by H.E. Mr Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations and by H.E. Mr Donatus Keith St. Aimee, Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the United Nations, on behalf of the Government of Saint Lucia.

1st December 2011 - Having completed 60 days following the deposit of the Instrument of Ratification, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court comes into force for the Maldives today. Maldives became the 118thState Party to the International Criminal Court, during the UN Treaty Event in September this year.