Online Fraud Alert: Palau’s Office of the Special Prosecutor and Financial Intelligence Unit warn that social media scams are rising fast, using AI, deepfakes, and fake accounts to target people of all ages—residents are urged to protect personal and financial details and report suspicious activity. Renewables & Energy: Palau is taking an early step toward wave power, with a Taiwanese survey team scouring seabed sites off the east and south coasts for a gravity-based wave-energy system, aiming to test using real Palau wave data before any build. Ocean Finance: Experts say the Pacific’s marine solutions are held back less by ideas or capital and more by missing financial and institutional “deal-making” mechanisms—an issue expected to feature ahead of COP31. US–Pacific Economic Shift: The U.S. says it will deepen Pacific engagement with more commercial diplomacy and private-sector-led growth, including energy security and digital connectivity, while also flagging concerns about China’s “malign activities” such as illegal fishing and economic coercion. Taiwan in Regional Forums: Taiwan says it welcomes Washington’s backing for its continued Pacific Islands Forum role, as the U.S. argues Taiwan’s participation should follow established precedents set by member states. Aviation & Logistics Tech: Textron and Merlin Labs unveiled an unmanned Cessna SkyCourier concept for automated aerial logistics, pitching it as a practical resupply option for remote island operations. Regional Policy & Skills: Australia announced lower specialist-skills visa application fees for citizens of Palau and 12 other Pacific nations and Timor-Leste, starting July 2026. ADB on Results: ADB President Masato Kanda says development success should be judged by tangible on-the-ground benefits, not just financing volumes, in remarks made during the PIF Leaders Meeting in Palau.