By Bryan Manabat HAGATNA/SAIPAN, 06 JULY 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES) — When a tropical storm forms somewhere in the vast stretch of ocean between Guam, Japan, and Vietnam, the first question island residents often ask is simple: What’s its name? For decades, those names — Pamela, Omar, Karen— felt familiar, almost local. But around the […]
Category: In Focus
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Children are turning to AI for homework – and life advice
GENEVA, 01 JULY 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) — Millions of children across the globe are already using artificial intelligence to learn, solve problems and even seek advice about personal worries, while safeguards are failing to keep pace with the technology’s rapid adoption. Based on new data from 10 countries, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates […]
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Tiny Pacific Nation Applies for Global Nicotine Ban. Who’s Behind It?
Kiran Sidhu June 24, 2026 https://filtermag.org/palau-global-nicotine-ban-who/amp One of the smallest countries in the world has set its sights on radically restricting—effectively banning—the global community’s access to nicotine. On June 10, the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Western Pacific with a population of 18,000, formally applied for a World Health Organization review of […]
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BBNJ Agreement is not about competition, but collective nurturing
Op-ed by the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, Dr Filimon Manoni KOROR, 15 JUNE 202 (OPOC) — In New York early this year, the global community witnessed the completion of the third and final Preparatory Commission (PrepCom3) to lay the platform for the first Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Biological Diversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) […]
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Jennifer Sugiyama’s thoughts on being targeted in an AI DeepFake video.
Mesulang for reaching out and giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts. To be honest, I was both surprised and concerned when I learned that AI-generated content had been created using my image, voice, and likeness without my knowledge or consent. It was a strange feeling and a reminder that AI is no longer something […]
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Experts say ‘bare bones’ U.S laws are unfit to regulate nascent deep-sea mining industry
By Elizabeth Claire Alberts WASHINGTON, 11 JUNE 2026 (MONGABAY) — The deep-sea mining industry could launch in the near future in U.S federal waters. Yet legal experts and former government officials warn that the regulations that would govern this industry are outdated and lack important oversight provisions. In April 2025, the Trump administration signaled its […]