WorldThe Maldives angrily quit the Commonwealth on Thursday after years of wrangling over its human rights record since the toppling of its first democratically-elected leader four years ago. “The decision to leave the Commonwealth was difficult, but inevitable,” said a statement from the foreign ministry. In its statement the Maldives, which had previously threatened to pull out of the bloc, accused the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat of interfering in its affairs. “The Commonwealth has sought to become an active participant in the domestic political discourse in the Maldives, which is contrary to the principles of the charters of the UN and the Commonwealth,” it said. The country becomes the latest to leave the Commonwealth after Gambia which quit in October 2013.

Source: Sunday Times October 13, 2016 13:30 UTC