Male, Ramadan 10, 1438, Jun 5, 2017, SPA -- The Republic of Maldives announced today the severing of its diplomatic relations with Qatar. The Maldivian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the decision to sever relations was due to its strong opposition to activities that encourage terrorism and extremism, stressing Maldives' commitment to work with countries that promote peace and stability, affirming its solidarity in the war on terrorism." --SPA 15:02 LOCAL TIME 12:02 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w421451