Food & Transport Inflation: Maldives Bureau of Statistics reports August prices rose 0.76% year-on-year, driven by an 8.06% jump in transport (notably international airfare) and a 5.69% rise in food & beverage, with vegetables and tuna among the biggest movers. Emergency Financing Talks: Finance Minister Hassan Zareer met OPEC Fund president Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa in Doha to discuss an emergency line of credit, alongside future water, sanitation, and port development. Rasmale’ Waterfront Legal Position: Attorney General Ahmed Usham says the proposed USD 20b Ras Malé waterfront and marina will be governed under new real estate legislation being drafted, not existing tourism laws, responding to opposition concerns over lease terms. Tourism Safety Conference: The Maldives Safety and Security Conference 2026 opened in Malé with 150–200 participants, focusing on risk management for tourism, emergency preparedness, and cybersecurity, with Gage named main partner. AI for Dhivehi Voices: Thaana AI launched voice cloning and new text-to-speech models for natural Dhivehi and English audio, including Dhinglish support and adjustable delivery. AI in Justice, Shared Globally: Maldives will offer its AI governance framework for criminal prosecution to other jurisdictions free of charge, keeping prosecution decisions under human control. Hospitality & Investment Moves: Atmosphere Core appointed Neeraj Seth as Assistant VP–Communication; Cora Cora Maldives reopened after island rehabilitation. Politics & Compliance: Parliament published annual gift disclosures for three MPs totaling nearly MVR 1m, while former President Yameen’s Aarah retrial resumed.