West rebukes Maldives over defamation bill

The Maldives yesterday brushed off warnings from Western governments that a new defamation bill risked undermining basic freedoms on the troubled honeymoon islands, accusing its critics of hypocrisy. After a joint statement from Western missions urging President Abdulla Yameen's administration to "return to the path of democracy", the government countered that the same countries had their own legislation which limited freedom of expression.