This has all the makings of a great TV story: Maldives wins the South Asian Football Federation Cup, the cinderella team defeating India and setting off wild celebrations in the capital. The goverment decides to send the cup on a tour of all the atolls so the entire country can celebrate. However, people on some atolls have protested the cup tour as a waste of money during a time of economic hardship. The auditor general has just reported a 4 billion rufiyaa shortfall ($342 million USD) in the nation's 12 billion rufiyaa budget. Many people here are still recovering from the 2004 tsunami and they say they need schools, medical clinics and new harbors, not a PR visit from the SAFF cup. Political opposition parties have been quick to pile on, saying the tour is just publicity for Gayoom's re-election.
TVM has various reporters traveling with the cup, and there have been protests on three separate islands in the past three days. However, we have been unable to get this video on the air! Some reporters were stuck on the boat and couldn't get to an internet connection to file the video or even still pictures. Finally some video arrived. But the avid memory was full and couldn't accept the video. So the most visual story in the country at the moment is not on TVM news. 
The newscast devoted to atoll news comes on at 10 am and we did the best we could, showing file video of the cup as morning anchor Shifla Ibrahim did a phone interview with an atoll reporter who was stuck on the boat. Senior producer Shajna Zareer is checking the phone line and sports reporter Hafsey also helped.
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