Maritime Safety & Trade: Life Flight (Fiji) Trust is pushing for wider use of emergency locator beacons (EPIRBs/PLBs), saying they can cut search times by sending GPS coordinates straight to rescue centres—citing Kiribati and Tuvalu as examples where better beacon coverage improved sea rescue outcomes. Fisheries Finance: The US-Pacific Tuna Treaty remains a key economic lifeline for Pacific Island fisheries, with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency reporting a second 2026 distribution worth US$50.42m after a US$60m US government payment—money that supports management inside 200-mile zones. Deep-Sea Minerals Governance: A US company’s application to explore deep-sea minerals in an Eastern High Seas Pocket involving Kiribati, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia is open for public comment, while Pacific groups urge submissions and question a unilateral licensing approach before International Seabed Authority rules are finalised. Regional Waste & Environment: SPREP’s SWAP2 project is moving into its next phase after a review meeting in Apia, with funding supporting cleaner waste management across Kiribati and other Pacific states and reporting progress like thousands of marine-litter items audited. Pacific Diplomacy & Aid: Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map highlights China’s large grant to Fiji’s Vanua Levu Bridges and Roads Project and notes Chinese lending has shifted toward smaller deals even as Chinese state firms remain prominent in infrastructure contracting. Local Business Risk: A regional snapshot of fraud shows scam reports continue to drive real losses, with BBB Scam Tracker reporting ongoing online purchase and impersonation schemes and the FTC citing rising national fraud losses.