Education & Debt: A new guide breaks down how to apply for U.S. federal student loans, comparing loan types, limits, and why federal options can offer lower rates and protections. Pacific Diplomacy: At the 55th Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, leaders pushed back on outside pressure tied to China-Taiwan tensions and tightened positions on oceans, fisheries, deep-sea minerals, and marine pollution. Climate Emergency: Marshall Islands envoy Tina Stege and other Pacific leaders highlighted UNEP findings that the world is missing the 1.5°C goal, warning overshoot will hit water, food, tuna stocks, and island survival hardest. Regional Tech & Infrastructure: The U.S. announced $150M+ for Pacific partners, including energy storage/grid support, anti–illegal fishing tech training, and a Tonga data-centre modernization plus secure cloud migration. Public Health Watch: Hawaiʻi’s health department reported dengue detected in Hilo wastewater, with no active cases tracked, underscoring ongoing travel-linked risk across the Pacific. Local Innovation: A Marshall Islands-linked boatbuilding effort is expanding modern plywood techniques and training, including a push to help women build future fishing boats. Space Science: NASA results from a sounding rocket mapped unexpected turbulence inside radio-disrupting sporadic E layers, improving understanding of how these high-altitude conditions affect communications. Tech Finance (Majuro): Remittix, a Marshall Islands crypto PayFi project, reported $31.75M raised toward a $36M presale, nearing a milestone tied to its RTX listing date.