AGP Executive Report

Asian Games logistics: India’s Chef de Mission Sahdev Yadav admits a “definitely a shortage of accommodation” and long accreditation delays for athletes in Nagoya, saying SAI has booked extra rooms and arranged transport. Sports + books crossover: Sri Lanka’s javelin star Rumesh Tharanga launches a biographical book, aiming to beat Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic record at Paris 2028. Publishing expansion: Japan’s Poplar Publishing sets up in India to sell and translate children’s titles like Kaiketsu Zorori in English and Hindi starting January. Literary controversy: Lambeth Palace withdraws an interfaith award from a Pakistani cleric after backlash over past praise for Osama bin Laden. AI + media: India’s ad market tips further digital—60% of spend now online, with connected TV and retail media driving growth. Regional security narrative: Former Afghan adviser Hamdullah Mohib accuses Zalmay Khalilzad of “great betrayal” in a new Bloomsbury book on Afghanistan’s republic collapse.

Cuba–South Korea Diplomacy: Half of Cuba’s embassy staff in Seoul has reportedly returned home, leaving just Ambassador Claudio Monzón and Counselor Patricia Flechilla Prometa, with Havana offering no explanation—raising questions about the state of restored ties. Courtroom Publishing Clash (India): Telangana High Court dismissed pleas to block a controversial Ambedkar book after police arrested the author and seized copies, with digital sales to be investigated. China Book Culture: Beijing’s Ditan Book Fair opened as its biggest edition yet, with 500+ booths and about 80% devoted to books—new releases, foreign titles, and specialist presses drawing readers back to physical browsing. Digital Crime Policy (Thailand): Thailand is pushing ahead with a National Anti-Fraud Master Plan, coordinating agencies to curb technology crimes and improve public awareness. Korean Reading & Nightlife: Jongno 3-ga in Seoul topped Time Out’s “world’s coolest neighbourhood” list for 2026, celebrated for hanok lanes, craft shops, and late-night pojangmacha stalls. Webtoon Expansion (Korea/US): Naver Ventures invested in Baobab Studios to build a multi-platform IP spanning WEBTOON, graphic novels, and screen/streaming rights. AI Debate (Global): Anthropic-linked resignations and warnings renewed calls to slow AI development, while OpenAI CFO discussions highlighted how safety-driven pauses could ripple through AI infrastructure spending.

NSE IPO: India’s National Stock Exchange launched its IPO via an offer-for-sale, with anchor shares worth about $703m allotted at the top of the price band; LIC was the biggest buyer as the public subscription opens. Publishing & culture: Seoul turns Chuseok into a four-day cultural push with late-opening libraries, free museum access, and folk performances. Games & screen media: Tokyo Game Show’s 30th edition opens with a record overseas exhibitor lineup, while Netmarble’s Solo Leveling: Karma Game unveiled gameplay and a cinematic story trailer at the show. K-content adaptation: Disney+ and Hulu released the main trailer and key visual for live-action The Remarried Empress, debuting Nov 4. Tech for makers: Aliencell and CHITUBOX introduced the E1, aiming to bring digital design into physical creation with laser engraving/cutting. AI & video: HiDream launched HiDream-O1-Video-1.0, a native omnimodal video model targeting physical consistency and 1080p output. Cross-border business: South Africa’s Ramaphosa called for a “new era” in India ties at BRICS, pushing policy into investable projects. Heritage books: A study says an Henry VIII enforcer secretly saved a Catholic manuscript fragment now matched to a Yale-held text.

Rare-Book Spotlight: Peter Harrington will bring a late-1890s miniature photolithographed Holy Quran by David Bryce to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, a tiny 26×19mm edition originally sold with a metal locket and magnifier for readers across Europe and beyond. AI Policy Watch: A new review of APAC AI regulation finds diverging approaches—South Korea and Vietnam using binding risk-based rules, China leaning toward targeted controls, and Japan/Singapore/Australia relying more on voluntary principles. Tech & Media Business: Amazon Music expands video podcast partnerships with major hosting providers and publishers, rolling out video podcasts beyond the US to Canada, the UK, Mexico, Brazil and Japan. Undersea Power: A new geopolitics book, Sub War, argues the undersea domain is driving a modern arms race, with the US, China and Russia competing over submarines, unmanned underwater systems and seabed infrastructure. Publishing Industry Move: Kodansha USA names Beth Kawasaki VP of Brand and Marketing, aiming to grow manga reach across English-language platforms. Courtroom & Books: A Kashmir-focused piece highlights how courts have rejected detention tied to book titles, underscoring the legal friction around reading and public expression.

AI & Publishing Ethics: India’s D.B. Corp is using AI to turn its own reported news into micro-dramas, but it hasn’t clarified who verifies facts or whether viewers are told visuals are synthetic—raising fresh questions for media trust. Real Estate Marketing: Gujarat’s housing boom is colliding with unsold inventory, with developers blamed less for product and more for weak storytelling and conversion. Gaming & Manga Distribution: Crunchyroll buys a 7.03% stake in Japan’s Link-U to expand manga distribution beyond Japan, betting on localization and platform growth. Design & AI Tools: South Korea’s typographer Yu Jiwon argues AI should be limited to proofreading, not shaping design decisions—she’ll debate the boundary at Herald Design Lounge 2026. Cultural Diplomacy in Books: A translated literature longlist for South Korea’s National Book Award highlights ongoing cross-border reading momentum. Regional Power Grid Finance: Singapore’s SSFA backs a new paper on making Asean Power Grid cross-border projects bankable through commercial and legal foundations. Gaza Humanitarian Risk: A damaged building collapse in Gaza killed at least 12, underscoring ongoing safety hazards amid war.

AI & Publishing: Trump’s push for faster AI with fewer guardrails is raising alarms for publishers trying to secure payment and protections as “AI agents” increasingly handle real-world purchases. AI Agents & Payments: Visa/Mastercard-backed agent payments are emerging, but a TRM Labs read on $52.7m in settlements suggests genuine commerce from agents is still small. India Inflation & Reading Culture: India’s retail inflation hit 7-month highs at 4.82% in August, with food driving the jump—while a separate report flags falling reading-for-pleasure among teens amid screens and school pressure. Nepal–Japan Sports Ties: Sports journalist Nabin Aryal will launch a book in Japan tracing how Nepal-Japan relations grew through sport before formal diplomacy. Tamil Literature Goes Global: Modi used BRICS to gift a Russian Thirukkural translation, spotlighting Tamil wisdom’s international push. Goa Archives for Readers: A new English translation of Goa’s 1526 Foral revisits early Portuguese-era governance through land, taxation and village administration. Book Industry Watch: Penguin Random House India is set to publish a new title on ideas shaping India’s economy.

Global Governance: Xi Jinping’s five-day Central Asia and Middle East trip, including the 2026 SCO summit, pushed a “more equal and orderly multipolar world” and a stronger UN role, with observers reading it as a bid to reset global governance norms. Media Partnerships: Kazakhstan’s President’s TV and Radio Complex signed a cooperation deal with Korea’s Aju News Corporation to expand content exchange and joint TV/digital projects. Travel Tech: China Eastern Airlines rolled out an international app 2.0 with streamlined flight search/booking, clearer seat selection, and a redesigned Trip Hub for itinerary management. Online Platforms: US lawmakers introduced a bill to repeal Section 230, aiming to change how platforms handle third-party content liability. India Travel & Policy: Air India faced show-cause action after an immigration-process lapse involving three Italian passengers; separately, India’s online platforms face new rules targeting “dark patterns” from January 2027. Publishing/Books: A new children’s poetry anthology, My Father’s House and Other Poems, spotlights children’s everyday worlds and moral/emotional education. Tech for Print: OnPrintShop launched Version 13.1, adding AI design automation and workflow upgrades for web-to-print businesses. Shipping: Tanker rates surged to record levels as war risk reshaped earnings across VLCCs and other classes.

Aviation Oversight: India’s civil aviation ministry issued a show-cause notice to Air India after three Italian passengers allegedly flew onward from Delhi without completing immigration checks, prompting a stakeholder meeting with home and aviation officials. AI on Phones: ByteDance launched a consumer version of its Doubao smartphone assistant, pushing deeper AI integration via interaction, local memory and agent-style task execution—another step in China’s handset race. Sci-Fi & Awards: China’s Galaxy Awards crowned Chen Qiufan for Ocean Break and highlighted a more open, younger sci-fi scene as new voices and mainstream pop culture cross over. Geopolitics & Books: A review of Edward Fishman’s Chokepoints argues economic warfare is reshaping global markets, with control of networks becoming strategic leverage. Publishing/Media: Lycoris Recoil’s manga adaptation ends in two chapters, while Look Back’s live-action film won a student jury UNIMED award at Venice. Security/Finance: Pakistan raised Masood Azhar’s bounty to PKR 70 lakh ahead of FATF talks, keeping him in the FIA “Red Book.”

Webtoon Publishing: Ize Press is expanding its manga/manhwa slate: it will publish a print edition of Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid (Korea, 1926) and roll out Spanish editions of Solo Leveling (U.S./Canada print; audiobook worldwide), plus Solo Leveling: Ragnarok as a prose novel. Anime & Light Novels: Japan’s The World’s Strongest Witch light novel ends with Volume 6 shipping Oct 7, while You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 pauses and returns Sept 27. Tech & Semiconductors: ASML says AI demand is driving customers to snap up EUV machines through 2027 and commit to High NA tools, with TSMC, Samsung and SK Hynix lining up production dates. Air Travel Connectivity: PIA and Afghanistan’s Kam Air launch an interline transit route via Islamabad (starting Kabul–Islamabad–Dammam) to simplify bookings and baggage transfers. Policy & Procurement (Vietnam): Decree 349/2026/ND-CP updates contractor selection rules, pushing more digital steps and transparency in bidding. Local Economy (India): India’s wholesale inflation rose 9.92% y/y in August, led by fuel and power. Quick-Commerce Reset (India): India’s dark-store race is shifting from growth-at-any-cost to profitability, with Blinkit the only major player reported EBITDA-positive.

Women’s Cricket (Asia Cup): India won the toss and batted first in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final vs Sri Lanka in Dubai, posting 183/5 with Shafali Verma 68 (39) and Smriti Mandhana 59 (39), setting Sri Lanka a 184 chase. Capital Markets (Sri Lanka): CFA Society Sri Lanka held its 2026 Capital Market Awards in Colombo, spotlighting excellence amid AI, shifting information flows, and geopolitical change. AI Governance (US): Concerns over AI catastrophe and “frontier” development oversight grew louder after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman backed calls to slow down and add stronger external evaluation. Literary/Publishing (Pakistan): Lahore’s Young Exporters Association chair Shoaib Ayub Bataalvi received an export-promotion award and highlighted a “School of Exports” plus a specialised exports book. Tech Funding (China/HK): Z.ai (Zhipu) raised about $5bn in Hong Kong via new shares and zero-coupon convertible bonds, earmarking funds for research and compute expansion. Civic Freedom (Sri Lanka): Advocata Institute presented its inaugural Freedom Award to Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu for advancing transparency, elections, and anti-corruption work.

Publishing & Books in India: Lucknow’s Gomti Book Festival 2026 opens at Lucknow University with CM Yogi Adityanath, featuring 250+ stalls from 120+ publishers, author sessions, a children’s pavilion, and e-library access over nine days. Manga Industry: Kodansha says Kei Urana’s Gachiakuta will stay on hiatus for research, while J-Novel Club’s The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power manga adaptation ends in the next volume. Book Events: Third Place Books hosts mystery novelist Margaret Mizushima with J.A. Jance on Sept 30 for a public signing and Q&A. Media & Reputation: The Hindu apologises after backlash over a front-page ad defending convicted rapist Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Games & IP: Konami and Netmarble reveal Tokyo Game Show 2026 lineups, including playable demos for Castlevania, Silent Hill, and Suikoden, plus Netmarble’s Shangri-La Frontier demo. Culture & Identity: A new Jewish-focused runway during New York Fashion Week spotlights how fashion can claim space without explanation.

BRICS Culture Diplomacy: India used the 18th BRICS Summit to spotlight craft and publishing-adjacent soft power via the BRICS Bazaar at the National Crafts Museum, with artisans and traditions from across the expanded bloc (textiles, embroidery, leatherwork and more) running Sept 10–15. Reparations Debate in Media: UK director Nikkhil Advani’s Amazon Prime drama The Revolutionaries renews calls for Britain to pay India trillions, tying on-screen brutality to a reparations argument. Digital Payments Book Launch: RBI ex-governor D. Subbarao helped release Cashless Nation: How UPI Changed Everything, framing UPI as an open payment ecosystem that reshaped financial inclusion. Literary Festival in Lucknow: Lucknow’s Gomti Book Festival (Sept 12–20) opens with ~250 stalls and 121 publishers, pushing Hindi and multilingual reading culture. Tech & Publishing Ecosystem: Apple’s Siri AI rollout comes with region and usage limits, while Apple Intelligence expands language support—another reminder that platform rules shape what readers and creators can access. Philippines Literary Memory: Cebu historian Resil Mojares is remembered for scholarship and the Cebuano Studies Center, after being named National Artist for Literature.

AI Safety & Misuse: Anthropic says bad actors used Claude for state-style surveillance, propaganda and weapons-adjacent work, including a SIM-snooping system in Mali and drone software in Russia. Health Innovation: A Madhya Pradesh doctor couple’s low-cost sickle-cell screening and genetic counselling card has been featured in a Harvard University Press book, spotlighting grassroots care for tribal communities. Markets & Regulation: SEBI proposes changes to derivatives expiry settlement and closing auction timing, aiming to reduce abrupt price swings after pushback on the new framework. Banking & FX: India’s forex reserves hit a record $785.7B as RBI measures boosted dollar inflows, extending a tenth straight week of gains. Publishing & Culture: India’s Gomti Book Festival in Lucknow draws 120+ publishers and highlights the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya digital library. Tech/Consumer Electronics: Apple published multiple iPhone 18 Pro and foldable iPhone Duo launch dates but left many markets unnamed, complicating what buyers see locally. Sports: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to reach the Women’s Asia Cup final against India.

AI Misuse Exposed: Anthropic says bad actors used Claude for state surveillance, drone software, and weapons-related work, adding fresh pressure on AI safety as Asia’s tech race accelerates. Lunar Data Rivalry: NASA’s Artemis workshop gave 71 signatories a shared lunar data setup, but the approach sidelines China and Russia—setting up a split in how moon science gets shared. Market Jolt: South Korea’s KOSPI slid below 7,000 amid a broad Asia selloff tied to oil, inflation worries, and Fed rate-hike expectations. Digital Rights Slip-Up: Reporting says Google’s transparency pipeline for sex-crime takedown requests exposed victims’ identifying details, including in Korea and beyond. Publishing & Media: VIZ will release an English manga adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None; Winsing Animation heads to MIPCOM with Into the Mortal World and new GG Bond titles. Sports & Culture: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to reach the Women’s Asia Cup final; India’s Asian Games 2026 contingent and schedules were also published.

AI & Biosecurity: Anthropic says it blocked attempts to use Claude for biological weapons, plus other misuse like espionage and surveillance, detailing cases from Dec 2025–Aug 2026. Publishing & Copyright: India’s Copyright Office rejected an AI system as author for a work, saying only a human can be the statutory author. Books & Memoirs: HarperCollins launched Arundhati Bhattacharya’s Hindi memoir Aparajita at the Bombay Stock Exchange. Literary Spotlight: Jiangsu Writers Association’s short-story collection Sounds and Faces spotlights seven young Jiangsu authors. Trade & Markets: NSE set its IPO price band at Rs 1,700–1,785 (OFS) to raise up to Rs 22,562 crore. Sports (Asia Cup): Pakistan and Sri Lanka meet in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-final, with the winner to face India. Stationery Retail: Kokuyo opened its first Singapore store, bringing Campus notebooks and Harinacs staplers to local shelves. Regional Politics (Book): Dennis Hardy’s War or Peace? The Indo-Pacific on the Cusp argues US–China rivalry is reshaping the region.

Women’s Asia Cup: India beat Bangladesh by 40 runs in the semi-final in Dubai, with Shafali Verma’s 64 and Deepti Sharma’s three wickets sealing a 149/5 total and restricting Bangladesh to 109/7. AI Safety & Biosecurity: Anthropic says it blocked potential misuse of its AI models by researchers who may have been exploring biological weapons, citing the hard line between legitimate science and dangerous pathogen engineering. Fintech Regulation: RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra urged fintechs to treat user data as a fiduciary duty, not a monetizable asset, warning that trust erodes when consent and protection fail. Publishing/Media & Rights: A Hong Kong court convicted the Wall Street Journal publisher for trying to deter a reporter from taking a union role, underscoring pressure on press freedom. Tech & Cybersecurity: A roundup highlights malicious browser extensions and phishing tactics targeting financial users, with attackers exploiting trust and weak edges. Books & Culture: Korea kicks off a 10-day literature festival with a global writer lineup, while K-Book Week in Paris marks 140 years of Korea–France ties.