Good Morning, it’s Wednesday, 8 January. You can live in Taiwan if you work remotely, Zendaya is now engaged, and we’re making you think differently about bubble baths for Bubble Bath Day. Also, if you're trying to make reading a habit in 2025, we’re spotlighting books and communities you need to know 📚

  • Upgrading Africa’s Richest City: South Africa’s Johannesburg, which has been named Africa’s richest city, is looking to fix its deteriorating infrastructure on a budget of $12 billion.

  • Digital Nomads in Taiwan: Remote workers are now eligible to live in the Hualie, Taitung and Tainan areas of Taiwan through the digital nomad visa.

  • World Art Summit: The 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture is set to take place in Seoul in May 2025.

  • Access to Menstrual Hygiene: Sejal Budholiya is the 24-year-old engineer founder of Gaia, a portable solution for storing sanitary products for underserved communities.

  • AI Update:

    • Helping the Visually Impaired: Florence Chan is the founder of AI Guided whose flagship product, The Guidi, uses distinct vibration patterns and haptic devices to guide visually impaired people.

    • Growing Concerns: Digital activist Dr. Joy Buolamwini is sharing her concerns around deepfake technology. And in Singapore, writers are criticizing the National Library Board’s inclusion of AI-generated literature.

  • Ayo Edebiri’s Look: The actress pulled up in a Loewe suit that paid homage to Julia Roberts’ classic 1990 look and won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Comedy.

  • Viola Davis Repeated an Iconic Outfit: The EGOT winner rewore her all-black classic LACMA Gala Gucci look, but with a spin: a rainbow cape while sporting her textured hair. 

  • Zendaya’s soft-launch: She announced her engagement to with a tattoo, ring and these strawberry milk nails. 

  • Asian Actors Shone Brightly: From Shogun’s Tadanobu Asano and Michelle Yeoh’s presenting to Squid Game’s Lee Jung Jae, Asian stars represented.

  • Attieke is the New Cous-Cous: Now a living heritage object by UNESCO, Attieke, or Ivorian couscous, is the national dish of the Ivory Coast, and has been hailed a gluten-free alternative to regular couscous. 

  • Fine Dining in Singapore: From the extensive wine cellar to the mirror-clad ceiling, Le Pristine Singapore is Chef Herman’s latest dining establishment within the newly renovated Gran Hyatt, and the menu is as deliciously extensive as the interiors. 

  • Japanese-Peruvian Cuisine in Mumbai: Amaru, a new restaurant is known for its Nikkei menu, which is the combination of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine.

  • Indo-Chinese Meals in Bangalore: Dolphins Bar and Kitchen serves up the finest Indonesian-Chinese delicacies and has remained a constant in the neighborhood.   

  • Anita Desai’s Rosarita: In this hauntingly beautiful novella by three-time Booker-shortlisted author Anita Desai, the themes of family, hope, and grief are explored through Bonita, a young Indian woman who journeys through Mexico to learn about her mother.

  • Rogba Payne’s The Dance of Shadows: In this West African high fantasy novel, Rogba Payne details Rumi, a young musician whose family’s tragic end sets him on the path to enact vengeance and become a shadow wielder. 

  • Bookstore for Marginalized Authors: JustBookish is a recently opened independent bookstore owned by poet Porsha Olayiwola. The bookstore is intent on selling books by authors who challenge conventional political paradigms while creating a safe gathering space for readers.

  • Kolkata’s Unconventional Book Fair: Starting January 9, Science City Seminary Hall in Kolkata, India is hosting a book fair where you pay for boxes (StoryBox) and fill them up with as many books as you get in.