Search & Safety: Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute plan a five-day expedition from Tarawa to Nikumaroro to investigate the “Taraia Object,” a lagoon anomaly linked to Amelia Earhart’s missing plane—an effort that will require on-island solar power, Starlink and a weather station. Health & Wellbeing at Sea: A medical ship rescued 11 people after 19 hours adrift following an engine failure, providing checks, food, water, clean clothing and blankets before handing them to families; a separate case reported three more people rescued after 70 days missing. Life Expectancy Watch: A new analysis says Pacific life expectancy gains have been uneven, with Naoero falling furthest behind—dropping from above the upper-middle-income average in 1960 to the lowest in 2023. Water, Gender & Climate: Pacific advocates ahead of COP31 say women are being excluded from water decision-making, leaving household needs unheard; research highlights this as a root cause of wider climate and water harms. Kiribati Climate Action: Kiribati’s UNGA message stresses that sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion and extreme weather are already pressuring communities, calling for stronger international climate finance and ocean protection.