Fuel Shock Response: The Republic of the Marshall Islands declared a State of Emergency after sharp jumps in global fuel and commodity prices tied to the Iran conflict, with Finance Minister David Paul warning that energy, transport, and food costs expose the Pacific’s vulnerability to outside shocks. Coral Resilience Research (Marshall Islands): Scientists in the Marshall Islands are racing to understand “super reefs” that seem to resist or recover from extreme heat, using ocean-current modeling, lab testing, and a robotic survey vessel to map heat-tolerant coral hotspots and inform future reef protection networks. Space Tech Rescue (Kwajalein/Marshall Islands): A robotic servicing mission to save NASA’s Swift space telescope is moving toward launch, with the LINK spacecraft planned to lift Swift into a safer orbit using an air-launched Pegasus XL rocket from the Marshall Islands area. El Niño Prep Across the Pacific: SPREP urged Pacific communities to start preparing now that an El Niño event is underway, highlighting likely drought risk in parts of the Western Pacific while other areas may see wetter conditions. Cook Islands Ocean Monitoring: Climate Change Cook Islands and Earth Sciences New Zealand began an oceanographic survey using the Kaharoa II to build a baseline for future monitoring, including temperature, salinity, biology, and plastic pollution sampling. Youth in Governance: A Pacific youth and democracy forum heard that young people remain underrepresented in formal political structures due to cultural, economic, and social barriers, with participants including Marshall Islands representatives. Business & AI Skills (Palau/Regional): Palau’s SBDC led AI training for business advisors across the region, aiming to modernize how support reaches small entrepreneurs. Infrastructure Asset Management (Micronesia): Palau hosted a regional asset management seminar with JICA to help Micronesia better maintain roads, bridges, and heavy machinery as heat and sea impacts worsen.