Diplomacy & Water Security: India’s MEA signalled it will “factor all related developments” into the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing push, after China’s pledge to fund Bangladesh’s Teesta river management project—raising the stakes for West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s veto. Digital Heritage: The Maldives is nearing completion of a nationwide digital archive of historical and archaeological sites, with 400+ sites already catalogued and a free online database planned to support conservation and research. Public Safety & Cybercrime: Maldives Police priorities were sharpened as Minister Ali Ihusaan warned drugs remain the biggest national security threat, urging officers to keep up with tech-enabled cyber fraud and digital-currency money laundering. Health Tech Roadmap: The Maldives unveiled a five-year digital health blueprint (2026–2030) to unify island-wide systems under one framework with WHO, ADB and partners’ support. Finance Innovation: Bank of Maldives won MMA awards for digital finance innovation and green/sustainable finance. AI in Governance: India’s Jitendra Singh urged governments to use AI intelligently in e-governance, not replace human judgement. Tourism Tech & Payments: Visa highlighted “Click to Pay” as a simpler, more secure checkout approach for digital commerce in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Ocean Economy: A new study estimates manta ray watching could add US$8.6bn to Maldives tourism over lifetimes, with US$311m annual direct and related benefits. Connectivity Infrastructure: Google plans “connectivity hubs” in Africa, including Eastern Cape, and says it will connect via subsea routes to support cloud resilience. Regional Telecom Cooperation: PTA hosted a South Asia telecom regulators meeting including Maldives to coordinate policy and services. Hospitality AI Event: eMarketingEye announced “AI Hospitality Connect Sri Lanka 2026” with Maldives participation to boost AI-driven marketing and direct bookings. Women in Diving: Nova Maldives marks Women’s Dive Day (17–19 July) with Maldivian PADI Course Director Zoona Naseem and marine biologist Jenna Lehocki.