"The president of the Maldives resigned yesterday in what one aide described as a coup d'etat."

"President Mohamed Nasheed has been credited with bringing democracy to the archipelago and raising awareness of the impact of global warming, at one point holding a cabinet meeting subsea, in scuba gear.

But he has faced weeks of opposition protests and this week a police mutiny.

Mr Nasheed, the Indian Ocean islands' first democratically elected president, handed power to vice-president Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, explaining that continuing in office would result in his having to use force against the people."

The Scotsman had the story February 8, 2012. [2]