Afghan Taliban, Hezb-e-Islami, clerical leaders and government officials meeting in the Maldives have taken part in the second day of unofficial talks aimed at resolving decades-old conflicts Afghanistan. Khalid Dod, a chief cleric of three Afghan provinces who is attending the convention, told Al Jazeera he will be giving advice to Taliban leaders in Afghanistan after the meeting. He has said he promotes “political” jihad over its “ideologic or armed” forms. Gullbadsha Majdidi, an Afghan MP attending the meeting as well, emphasised the importance of the involvement of women in the peace process. Al Jazeera’s Dan Nolan reports from the Maldives. [May 21, 2010]

For thousands of people who survived the devastating tsunami in 2004, coping with its devastating effects meant relocating to a new island in the Maldives to avoid the risk of another disaster. As part of our series five years on from the tsunami, Chan Tau Chou reports from the island of Dhuvaafaru.

The fragile marine environment of the Indian Ocean is under serious threat from the effects of climate change. In the Maldives, some of the giants of the open seas are becoming endangered because their food supply is dying out. Stephen Cole reports from the Maldives.

Reporter Juliana Ruhfus travels to the tourist paradise of the Maldives to assess the pace of democratic reform. She encounters a rise in religious parties, a drug epidemic, meets President Gayoom and finds a people who are impatient for change.

Reporter Juliana Ruhfus travels to the tourist paradise of the Maldives to assess the pace of democratic reform. She encounters a rise in religious parties, a drug epidemic