Publishing & Culture Loss: Marra PL. Lanot, a multi-awarded titan of Philippine literature and an MTRCB board member, died Aug. 16 at 82, remembered for Palanca-winning poetry and essays and for championing gender sensitivity and responsible media. AI & Books: New Zealand booksellers report suspicious overseas bulk orders for older non-fiction, raising fears they’re being used to train AI by ingesting book content. Tech for Agriculture: Chinese researchers unveiled “Fengshu 2.0,” a soybean-focused AI model that blends genomic data and both domestic and international literature to support data-assisted breeding. Rights & Expression: JSMM leader Shafi Burfat condemned the alleged arrest and enforced disappearance of Sindhi activist Arzoo Sindhi over India Independence Day greetings. Global Book Fairs: Qatar’s Ministry of Culture is taking part in the Istanbul International Arabic Book Fair, with Syria as guest of honour under “The Story Continues.” Language Preservation: UNESCO and IBBY launched an initiative to protect endangered languages through selected books for education and culture. Industry Moves: Olivier Nora, formerly Grasset chief at Hachette Livre, has launched his own publishing house in France. Book Trade & Access: A Supreme Court petition asks for action against social media “distortion” of what judges actually say in court.