Critical Minerals & Niue: A Reuters report says the U.S. has moved Cook Islands seabed minerals higher on its Pacific agenda, with Ambassador Jared Novelly calling critical minerals a top priority and warning Niue and other small states about the risks of China’s growing influence—an angle that matters for Niue’s own resource and clean-energy ambitions. Regional Security & Sovereignty: Pacific Elders urged that regional security stay under Pacific control, stressing sovereignty, transparency, and equal decision-making as geopolitical competition reshapes the region. Health & Food Systems: A global obesity roundup spotlights Nauru’s extreme obesity rate (70.7% of adults), linking the shift to imported foods and past phosphate-mine-driven economic changes—useful context for Pacific nutrition policy discussions. Tourism & Local Operators: South Pacific Pocket Guide launched VanuatuPocketGuide.com, built from a five-week field research trip, with hundreds of articles and photos—good news for the wider Pacific tourism ecosystem and a reminder that Niue’s service sector can benefit from similar practical, operator-friendly digital tools.