ASEAN momentum in focus: Timor-Leste’s trade and regional push stayed front and center after the Council of Ministers approved a first amendment to the 2026 state budget, adding about US$101.1m (to roughly US$2.39b) to cushion rising international fuel costs and cover new regional commitments, including CPLP Pro Tempore responsibilities and Oe-Cússe expenses. Regional diplomacy: Timor-Leste also continues to deepen ties across the neighborhood, with PNG and Timor-Leste agreeing to open reciprocal embassies after Port Moresby talks. Business and integration: The Trade and Industry Minister used the ADB–World Bank Trade Forum to underline Timor-Leste’s WTO accession (2024) and full ASEAN membership (2025), stressing policy alignment, trade facilitation, and diversification. Tech links: A Timor-Leste entrepreneur is set to join a New Zealand visit for ASEAN Young Business Leaders, aiming to bring climate and disaster-risk ideas back home. Energy pressure: A Pacific-wide World Bank warning highlighted how imported fuel dependence is leaving island economies more exposed as shocks become “structural.”