India–Maldives Diplomacy: On the sidelines of BRICS talks in Delhi, India’s EAM S. Jaishankar met Maldives FM Iruthisham Adam, reaffirming “Neighbourhood First”–“Maldives First” alignment and reviewing cooperation on grants, line-of-credit projects, and people-to-people ties. BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Push: Jaishankar also met Indonesia’s FM Sugiono and Russia’s Lavrov, with discussions spanning trade, energy, connectivity, science and mobility of skills. Trade Ambition: India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal set a $1 trillion exports goal after record $863bn exports, pointing to regulatory easing and new FTAs—including talks that include Maldives. Maldives Pilgrims Update: Maldives Hajj Corporation announced 4 flights for 1,000-pilgrim quota holders, splitting between Saudia and Maldivian, with Mina arrangements being upgraded. Digital & SME Momentum: Addu is set to gain a Google cable landing via Hithadhoo, while BML and MINDCO opened Collab 26 hackathon registration and SME Digital launched its SME360 campaign. Tourism Tech Spotlight: Asia Media Summit 2026 opened in the Maldives, focusing on AI and digital transformation in media.