India-Maldives Diplomatic Row: 3 ministers suspended, EaseMyTrip stops bookings, Lakshadweep in focus | Top 10 Updates

livemint.com:

been suspended from their post effective immediately". Earlier, one of the suspended deputy ministers of the Maldives cabinet, Hassan Zihan, had quoted a local media tweet on microblogging platform X and had called the news “Fake". A row erupted on social media last week when a minister and some other leaders in the Maldives used derogatory remarks against PM Modi after he posted a video of him on a beach in Lakshadweep.

The post by Mariyam Shiuna – which has now been deleted – featured the pictures of PM Modi from his recent visit to Lakshadweep. The Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, referred to the Indian prime minister as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’. In a statement on Sunday, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said they were aware of the “derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals", adding that “these opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives." 1.

EaseMyTrip announces suspension of flight bookings: EaseMyTrip CEO Nishant Pitti announced the suspension of all flight bookings to the Maldives. He took to social media to state, "@EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings." The company has also joined the 'Visit Lakshadweep' campaign, aiming to promote the domestic destination. Pitti highlighted the beauty of Lakshadweep's water and beaches, likening them to Maldives and Seychelles, and assured special offers to promote the locale.

2. 8,000 hotels, 2,500 flights cancelled: Over 8,000 hotel bookings, as well as 2,500 flight tickets, have been cancelled by Indian tourists following the incident. The largest number of tourists who visited the Maldives were from India (2,09,198), followed by