Looking for music from people that looked like him or grew up like him, Ginger Root (AKA Cameron Lew) fell in love with Japanese pop music. When he started making music,he would perform to audiences of 8 people–max. Today, he’s sold out Tokyo Liquidroom and hit milestones he didn’t even know existed. A reminder that music doesn't have borders, this Chinese kid from Huntington Beach, California plays music inspired by Japan that was inspired by America. Also a filmmaker, Ginger Root’s visuals are as good as his music.

Violent protests are unfolding in Pakistan on the heels of former PM Imran Khan’s arrest. Khan, a controversial figure, has been arrested before but even non-Khan supporters are condemning how paramilitary troops arrested him. Here’s how it’s affecting the rest of the country. Imran Khan has a long history of activism and opposition to the government, both as a politician and as a social activist. When he was ousted from government in 2022, mass protests and unrest took place. Today, Khan supporters have stormed military bases and officials’ homes, leading to violence between civilians and police. Khan claims his arrest is politically motivated to keep him from re-election. Many fear this will delay elections, or worse prompt a military coup and martial law. Schools have been closed indefinitely, with major nationwide exams also put on hold. Access to social media platforms are being banned, with some regions facing total internet shutdown.

South Asian and Mexican foods aren’t typically perceived as valuable, or worth more than ‘cheap eats’. That’s why Saqib Keval and Norma Listman created Masala y Maiz: to bring food back to community, where it’s valued. But there are complexities–Mexico City is undergoing a gentrification crisis, rising rent and erasing Spanish in some areas, and many customers are seeking out hotspot restaurants like Masala y Maiz. Mexico City is so fed up with gentrifying Americans that flyers are popping up: “New to the city? Working remotely? You’re a f—ing plague and the locals f—ing hate you. Leave.” Masala y Maiz is countering this by completely reimagining how their restaurant runs: they employ a collective leadership model in the restaurant, and everything from their wine to corn is sourced ethically and specifically – often from female owned and indigenous companies. Gentrification is just one of many challenges Masala y Maiz has risen to meet and overcome over the years: from attempted extortions by government agencies, being shut down, and ongoing corruption and bureaucracy in the food industry. Not only have they refused to pay the bribes, they’re bringing community back to the industry and to Mexico City.

A city in Japan is allowing government employees to use ChatGPT for admin tasks, and there's more. The hope is that AI will solve Japan’s problem of limited human resources, as the country has a steadily declining birth rate and population. Even their PM is testing it out. The CEO of OpenAI, ChatGPT’s parent company, just visited Japanese officials to discuss expansion in the country. Unlike Japan, countries like Italy and Canada are concerned about the data security and biases that may come with using it. For their part, the Japanese city government says its employees will be forbidden from entering any confidential or personal information into ChatGPT. Do you think a government can be run by AI? The thumbnail for this story was made using StarryAI, an AI image generator.

Between the pandemic and political changes in Hong Kong, many places are being demolished without people even knowing. These explorers are trying to hold on to some of the city’s past with their photo book ‘Spatial Cemetery’. Abandonment and development come hand in hand, and naturally some cities have more abandoned spaces than others. Hong Kong has a particularly high concentration of these areas because of the rapid development post-handover in 1997. Echo and Ghost co-founded HK Urbex a decade ago, in hopes to find unique spots around Hong Kong. They say exploring an abandoned environment is exciting, anxiety-inducing and even surreal. Outside of just exploring, HK Urbex is documenting these spaces through photography in hopes to immortalize them. But they are disappearing fast.

The creator and stars of the Netflix sensation BEEF have responded to the David Choe rape controversy. Even still, many are specifically calling out Steven Yeun and Ali Wong for their initial silence, as they responded saying he’s done work to better himself. Did Choe’s presence ruin the show for you? David Choe is controversial beyond his 2014 incident where he was accused of sexually assaulting a masseuse. In 2012, he was also paid millions in stock options by Facebook though he expressed negative views about the company and founder. Viewers are angry about him being hired by A24 and skeptical about his growth. What is needed for Choe to be forgiven? How can he take further accountability? And is there an opportunity for him to learn from his mistakes and make amends?