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• Club Med has launched the second edition of the Club Med Padel Cup 2026, which began on August 21, 2026, in Singapore. • The tournament will run through November 2026 across eight Asian and Pacific markets, including Australia, India, Japan, and Thailand. • This year's event has doubled in scale compared to the previous edition, reflecting the growing popularity and competitive interest in padel within the region.

• The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has announced a "Special Program in Focus" featuring a six-film tribute to honor the late Korean cinema legend Ahn Sung-ki. • Simultaneously, the festival's market arm has designated Thailand as the inaugural recipient of a newly established top-tier country partnership. • These initiatives highlight BIFF's commitment to celebrating regional cinematic heritage while strengthening strategic industry ties across Asia.

• The Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) has designated Japan as the 2026 Focus Country for its Producer Hub. • As part of this initiative, 10 Japanese producers will travel to Busan to participate in pitching sessions, case studies, and speed meetings. • This partnership aims to strengthen international co-productions and expand networking opportunities between Japanese creators and the global film industry.

• Karoline Leavitt is departing her role as White House press secretary, and the Trump administration may delay naming a successor until after the midterm elections. • In separate political developments, Tuesday's primaries have highlighted ongoing divisions within the Democratic party. • House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Representative Jamie Raskin discussed various strategic options for the party while calling for the overturning of the Citizens United decision to limit outside election spending.

• The White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy has accused over 40 nations, including India, of facilitating a "Great Transhipment Scam" to help Chinese exporters evade US tariffs. • The crackdown targets practices such as relabelling goods or falsely claiming non-Chinese origin to bypass trade restrictions. • India is categorized in Tier 1 ("Diversified Scale Leaders") alongside the EU, Japan, and Mexico, where transhipment risks are seen as embedded within large, legitimate industrial bases.

• The Kennedy Center board voted on Thursday, August 13, 2026, to add President Donald Trump’s name to the building's facade. • The board also approved a two-year closure of the facility to facilitate substantial renovation work. • This decision marks a significant symbolic shift in the branding of the national performing arts center.

The center has until next week to present plan to judge who had blocked earlier rehab and name changeUS politics live – latest updatesThe board of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington is said to have voted once again to move forward with Donald Trump’s controversial plan to temporarily shutter the building for substantial renovations, as well as to inscribe the US president’s name on the facade of its building, despite a federal order for his name to be removed from the signage.The board – mostly handpicked, staunch allies of the president – voted “to close the Kennedy Center’s main building, while keeping a newer addition to the campus, known as the Reach, open for limited programming and to operate as an active memorial to John F Kennedy”, according to the New York Times, which was first to report the results. Continue reading...