Coral Reef Research in Auckland: A week-long reef symposium in Tāmaki Makaurau will bring researchers and Pacific Islander knowledge together to tackle threats to coral reefs, with speakers highlighting an inter-generational “Being a Good Ancestor” approach to reef management. Fossil Fuel Phaseout Push: With COP talks stalled, a growing “Santa Marta process” is building a parallel push focused on transitioning away from fossil fuels—treating extraction and consumption as the root problem. Methane Cuts for Near-Term Warming: Tuvalu and the Federated States of Micronesia backed UN calls for stronger methane action, urging measurable reductions beyond voluntary pledges to protect low-lying islands from sea-level rise, erosion, and warming oceans. Tuvalu Security Policy Moves Forward: Tuvalu is nearing its first National Security Policy, taking a whole-of-government view that includes climate change, cyber security, maritime security, migration, energy security, and economic resilience. Nanumea Lagoon Render Safe Survey: Tuvalu welcomed an Australian Navy minehunter to survey Nanumea Lagoon under Operation Render Safe, aiming to reduce risks from World War II unexploded ordnance to communities and marine ecosystems. Plastic-to-Fuel Pilot in Tuvalu: Tuvalu launched its first pyrolysis machine turning plastic waste and used engine oil into alternative fuels, with testing showing use in generators and household stoves. El Niño Warning for the Region: Pacific communities are bracing for cyclone-season impacts as El Niño develops, with forecasters warning storms may intensify and shift patterns. Pacific Security Shock from China Missile Test: Leaders across the region condemned China’s submarine-launched missile test, with Tuvalu and others expressing grave concern as the “blue continent” is pulled into wider security tensions.