Maldives

• Maldivian authorities are investigating multiple possible factors behind the deaths of five Italian divers in a deepwater cave last week, a government spokesperson told Reuters. • Officials are examining whether the group descended far deeper than expected as part of the ongoing inquiry into the tragedy. • The case matters because it raises questions about diving safety oversight in a popular tourism destination.

Spokesperson for Indian Ocean island nation says they will try and recover explorers in next couple of daysRescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, four days after they were reported missing.Searches had resumed after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them. Continue reading...

Authorities previously suspended recovery operation for bodies of four divers believed to have died while exploring Vaavu Atoll caveDivers in the Maldives have resumed their search for the bodies of four Italian scuba divers who drowned while exploring a deep underwater cave.Due to rough weather on Friday, Maldivian authorities had temporarily suspended the high-risk operation to recover the bodies of the divers who, according to Italy’s foreign ministry, had “apparently died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 metres (165ft). Continue reading...

Anna Turley questions Reform UK leader’s revised £25,000 figure for failed attempt to reach Chagos Islands on plane linked to billionaire donorLabour has queried Nigel Farage’s claim that a return trip to the Maldives on a private jet linked to a billionaire donor cost as little as £25,000 as the Reform leader attempted to reach the Chagos Islands.Farage initially recorded his two-day trip to the Maldives as costing £12,500 funded by Thailand-based Reform megadonor Christopher Harborne, before upgrading this to £25,000 in the latest register of interests. Continue reading...