The former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, has been granted refugee status in the UK, according to his lawyer.

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declares a state of emergency on giving sweeping powers to security forces to arrest suspects ahead of a major anti-government protest rally, his spokesman said.

Supporters of jailed former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed hold an underwater protest to push for the release of the tropical archipelago's first democratically elected leader.

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed is jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of terrorism for ordering arrest of a judge when he was in power in 2012