Effective date: 23 September 2024
Last updated: 3 October 2026
Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully before you use Sababu.
1. Introduction and acceptance
1.1 These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of sababu.mv, en.sababu.mv, their RSS feeds and any other website or service that Sababu operates and that links to these Terms (together, the "Services").
1.2 The Services are operated by PHOENIX TRADE LLP, Registration No. P02312019, of H. Leema, Malé, Republic of Maldives ("Sababu", "we", "us", "our"). Sababu was registered as a newspaper in the Maldives on 23 September 2024 (registration number 2374/2024).
1.3 By using the Services you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy and our Editorial Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.
2. Using the Services
2.1 You may read, view and share Sababu content for your own personal, non-commercial use, in line with these Terms.
2.2 You are responsible for the device, software and internet connection you use to access the Services.
2.3 You must use the Services only for lawful purposes and in a way that does not infringe the rights of anyone else.
3. Prohibited uses
You must not use the Services to:
- break any law of the Maldives or any other applicable law;
- post or send material that is defamatory, obscene, threatening, harassing or abusive, or that incites hatred or violence;
- post material that is contrary to the tenets of Islam, or that could endanger national security or public order, as defined in the laws of the Maldives;
- harm, exploit or expose children to inappropriate material, or identify a child in a way that could harm them;
- publish another person's private or personal information (such as a phone number, address or ID card number) without their consent;
- impersonate any person or organisation, including Sababu or a member of our staff, or misrepresent your connection with them;
- spread information you know or suspect to be false;
- send spam, chain messages, unauthorised advertising or other unsolicited commercial material; or
- infringe copyright, trademarks or other rights of any person.
4. Technical restrictions
You must not:
- use robots, scrapers or other automated tools to copy, collect or monitor content from the Services, except for normal search engine indexing and the use of our published RSS feeds in a feed reader for personal use;
- systematically download content to build a database or archive, or republish our content in bulk, without our written permission;
- attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Services, our servers or our systems;
- introduce viruses or other harmful code, or overload, disrupt or attack the Services (including by denial-of-service attacks);
- interfere with our advertising, reaction or comment systems, including by generating false views, clicks or reactions; or
- frame our websites, or present our content in a way that suggests a connection with Sababu that does not exist.
5. Comments and reactions
5.1 You can comment on many of our articles and react to them. When you comment, you remain responsible for what you post.
5.2 Comment rules. Comments must:
- be relevant to the article;
- be respectful, even when you disagree. Criticise ideas, not people;
- not contain abuse, hate speech, threats, obscenity or vulgar language;
- not make allegations of crime or misconduct against identifiable people that you cannot support with facts;
- not contain anyone's personal information, or identify children or victims of sexual offences;
- not be insulting towards any race, nationality, religion, gender or disability;
- not contain advertising, spam, or repeated or copied posts;
- not impersonate another person; and
- not contain links to harmful or illegal material.
5.3 Moderation. We may review, edit for length or legal reasons, decline to publish, or remove any comment at our discretion and without giving a reason. We may block anyone who repeatedly breaks these rules. We are not obliged to monitor every comment, but we will act on comments that are reported to us.
5.4 Your name. The name you enter with a comment will be published. You may use a reasonable pseudonym, but you must not use the name of another real person or organisation, or a name that is offensive.
5.5 Views. Comments show the views of the people who post them, not the views of Sababu.
5.6 Reporting a comment. To report a comment, email info@sababu.mv with a link to the article and the text of the comment.
5.7 Reactions. Reactions are a simple way to show how you feel about an article. You must not try to manipulate reaction counts.
6. News tips and reader submissions
6.1 You can send us news tips, photographs, videos, letters, articles and other material ("Submissions") by email, WhatsApp or our hotline.
6.2 By sending a Submission, you confirm that you created it or have the right to send it to us, and that it does not break any law or infringe anyone's rights.
6.3 You keep ownership of your Submission. However, you give Sababu a free, non-exclusive, worldwide, permanent licence to use, edit, publish and share it on our websites, social media and other platforms in connection with our journalism. We will credit you where appropriate, unless you ask to remain anonymous. Sababu does not pay for Submissions, including photographs and videos, unless we have agreed to do so with you in advance.
6.4 We are not obliged to publish any Submission. We verify Submissions before using them in our reporting.
7. Our content and intellectual property
7.1 Unless stated otherwise, all content on the Services, including articles, photographs, videos, graphics, the Sababu name and logo, and the design of our websites, is owned by Sababu or used with permission. It is protected under the Copyright and Related Rights Act (Act No. 23/2010) and other laws.
7.2 You may:
- share links to our articles, including through the share buttons on our websites; and
- quote a short extract from an article with clear credit to Sababu and a link to the original article.
7.3 You may not, without our written permission:
- republish, copy or distribute our articles, photographs or videos in full or in substantial part, on any website, social media page or other platform;
- use our content for commercial purposes; or
- remove or change any credit, watermark or copyright notice.
7.4 You may not use the Sababu name or logo in any way that suggests we endorse you or your products, or that could mislead or confuse people.
7.5 To request permission to use our content, email info@sababu.mv.
8. Copyright complaints
We respect the rights of others. If you believe that material on the Services infringes your copyright, email info@sababu.mv with the subject line "Copyright complaint" and include:
- your name and contact details;
- a description of the work you believe has been infringed;
- the link to the material on our Services; and
- a statement that the information you provide is accurate and that you are the owner of the rights or are authorised to act for the owner.
We will review the complaint and, where appropriate, remove the material or add correct credit.
9. Accuracy, corrections and complaints about our journalism
9.1 We work to make our reporting accurate, but news develops quickly and content may become out of date or contain errors.
9.2 If you believe something we have published is inaccurate or unfair, please follow the corrections and complaints process in our Editorial Policy, or email news@sababu.mv.
9.3 You may also complain to the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission under the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Act.
10. Advertising
10.1 Advertisements on our websites are labelled "Advertisement". Sponsored content is clearly marked.
10.2 Advertisers are responsible for their advertisements and for the products and services they offer. Showing an advertisement does not mean that Sababu endorses the advertiser, product or service.
10.3 Your dealings with any advertiser are between you and that advertiser.
11. Links to other websites and social media
11.1 The Services may contain links to websites and services that Sababu does not own or control, including social media platforms. We are not responsible for their content, privacy practices or availability.
11.2 Sababu's official accounts include Facebook (facebook.com/SababuNews), X (x.com/Sababumv), Instagram (instagram.com/sababumv), and WhatsApp (9393535). Use of those platforms is governed by their own terms.
12. Disclaimer
12.1 The Services and their content are provided "as is" and "as available". To the extent permitted by law, we make no promises that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free or free from viruses, or that content is complete or up to date at all times.
12.2 Content on the Services is for general information. It is not professional, legal, financial, medical or other advice. You should check information independently before relying on it for important decisions.
13. Limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by the laws of the Maldives, Sababu and its owners, staff and contributors will not be liable for any loss or damage, whether direct or indirect, arising from:
- your use of, or inability to use, the Services;
- reliance on any content on the Services;
- comments or Submissions posted by other users;
- advertisements or the products and services of advertisers; or
- interruptions, delays, technical failures or security incidents affecting the Services.
Nothing in these Terms excludes any liability that cannot be excluded under Maldivian law.
14. Indemnity
You agree to compensate Sababu for any claims, losses and reasonable costs (including legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, or from any comment or Submission you provide.
15. Suspension and termination
We may block or restrict your ability to comment, react or otherwise use the Services, without notice, if we reasonably believe you have broken these Terms or the law, if required for technical or security reasons, or if a competent authority lawfully requires us to do so. Sections 6 to 8 and 12 to 17 continue to apply after your use of the Services ends.
16. Changes to the Services and to these Terms
16.1 We may change, suspend or withdraw any part of the Services at any time.
16.2 We may update these Terms from time to time. The updated Terms will be posted on this page with a new "Last updated" date. If you continue to use the Services after changes are posted, you accept the updated Terms.
17. Governing law and jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Maldives. The courts of the Maldives have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Services.
18. General
18.1 Severability. If any part of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the rest of the Terms will remain in force.
18.2 No waiver. If we do not enforce a right under these Terms straight away, that does not mean we have given up that right.
18.3 Entire agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Editorial Policy, form the entire agreement between you and Sababu about your use of the Services.
18.4 Language. These Terms are published in English. If they are also published in another language, the English version prevails in case of conflict.
19. Contact us
- General enquiries: info@sababu.mv
- Newsroom and corrections: news@sababu.mv
- Hotline / WhatsApp: 9393535 (+960 939 3535)
- Address: H. Leema, Malé, Republic of Maldives