Cultural Tech & Publishing: Malaysia’s Penang ASEAN Book Fair and Unity Calligraphy Festival 2026 pushed AI and digital tools to help younger audiences learn calligraphy, pairing digitisation and virtual exhibitions with artist-tech collaboration to keep the tradition “relevant” without losing its core values. Transitional Justice (Books & Policy): A new analysis revisits how Ukraine has applied transitional justice pillars—truth, justice, compensation, and guarantees—pointing to early post-Soviet laws such as the Chornobyl framework as a precedent for memorialisation and rights. Defense Tech & Markets: The Pentagon’s fiscal 2026 budget carves out a dedicated line for autonomy, signaling a shift toward drones and autonomous systems that could reshape demand for defense electronics suppliers. Pakistan–India Water Diplomacy: Pakistan’s IWT seminar in Islamabad aims to reframe the Indus Waters Treaty as a binding international obligation, pushing the dispute back into global diplomatic focus. India’s J&K School Book Crackdown: Jammu & Kashmir’s school-book controversy keeps escalating, with FIRs and political pressure targeting “separatist” content and approvals. AI & Creative Futures: UN envoy Amandeep Singh Gill at Shared Futures 2026 argued AI is a powerful “loom” for patterns, but humans still decide what stories matter. Arts & Media: Venice’s Gap-Financing Market selected 66 projects across fiction, documentary, and immersive work for final financing via one-to-one meetings.