Pacific Islands Forum in Palau: Leaders are arriving for the 55th Pacific Islands Forum, but Kiribati President Taneti Maamau will not attend in person, sending a senior foreign service official instead—an absence that’s already raising health-and-wellbeing concerns for the region’s priorities. Regional security and health risks: Coverage flags transnational drug crime and wider instability, alongside climate pressures that can quickly spill into water, food, and access to healthcare. Fuel crisis to hit health services: A ChildFund New Zealand warning puts Kiribati in the spotlight: remote islands rely on imported fuel and irregular shipping, so fuel shocks can delay safe water, food, and transport to clinics. Taiwan–China tensions with practical impacts: Taiwan’s participation continues despite Beijing’s pushback, including support for health-related work such as an AI system for Belau National Hospital—showing how geopolitics can shape health cooperation. Workforce welfare systems: A review of the PALM labour mobility welfare support finds it’s extensive on paper but poorly understood and weakly connected in practice, with implications for worker health and safety.