President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom appeared headed for a runoff against a former political prisoner who leads the main opposition in the Maldives’ first democratic presidential election, according to poll results announced Thursday.

Islanders in the cramped city of Male and scores of far-flung atolls began voting Wednesday in the first democratic presidential election in their tiny nation’s history.

To supporters, President Mamoun Abdul Gayoom is a hero who turned a poor nation of fishermen into a tourist paradise and the economic success story of South Asia.

Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom signed and adopted a new constitution Thursday that allows multiparty elections and other democratic reforms after decades of authoritarian rule.

Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom signed and adopted a new constitution Thursday that allows multiparty elections and a number of other key democratic reforms after decades of authoritarian rule.

Two photo agencies have agreed to pay $113,000 to Hugh Grant, his ex-girlfriend Liz Hurley and her husband for taking photos of them while they were vacationing in the Maldives.Britain’s High Court says The Big Pictures and Eliot Press Sarl agencies...

A look at the world’s longest-serving leaders, excluding monarchies:_President Fidel Castro of Cuba rose to power Jan. 1, 1959. Aged 81 and suffering health problems, Castro says he will not accept a new term when parliament meets Sunday._Omar Bongo...

The president of Maldives was saved from assassination Tuesday when a boy scout grabbed the knife of an attacker who had jumped out of a crowd greeting the leader, an official said.President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was not hurt, but his shirt was ripped...

The Maldives president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, survived an assassination attempt Tuesday when a boy scout grabbed the knife of an attacker who jumped out of a crowd of people greeting the president, a government spokesman said.”This fellow in the crowd...

While vacationing tycoons and bikini-clad Hollywood superstars blissfully sipped drinks on the Maldives’ secluded white beaches, an Islamic revolution fueled by preachers trained in Pakistan and the Middle East was brewing.On Sept. 29, the two faces of...