Sharjah Book Awards: Nominations are open for the AED 625,000 Sharjah International Book Fair Awards 2026, spanning novels, studies, poetry and international publishing, with winners set to be announced at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair opening ceremony. Kashmir School Book Crackdown: Kashmir’s Directorate of School Education ordered a review of all books in government and private schools and coaching centres, demanding reports on any “objectionable or inappropriate” material. Union Push in Publishing: University of Chicago Press workers voted overwhelmingly to unionize, joining a broader wave that also includes Hachette Book Group employees. AI and the Publishing Creative Process: A romance cover illustrator who lost his sight after brain surgery says AI helped him create again, while another report traces how an “AI winter” tied to poor machine translation nearly derailed the technology. Local Publishing & Community Reading: A new exhibit, “Read All About It!”, marks 200 years of newspapers in Jamestown through artifacts and stories; meanwhile, TLDR News says print magazine and merchandise now drive most of its revenue. Royal Courtroom Fallout: Prince Harry’s privacy case against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers ended in defeat, keeping tabloid-and-press issues in the spotlight. New Books & Deals: HarperCollins acquired worldwide rights to Rajiv Bakshi’s executive-success debut, and a new memoir from ESPN’s play-by-play creator turns a long-running dream into print.