What’s Good Wednesdays™, August 6, 2025

Read:The Mercy of Gods.” The first installment in a thrilling new sci-fi trilogy from James S.A. Corey (the author of “The Expanse” series). It delivers a gripping and darkly atmospheric tale of authoritarian alien domination: humanity is subsumed under the terrifying Carryx empire and forced into a brutal contest with extinction as the stakes. In other words, some nice bedtime reading. – Alex G

Watch:“Couples Therapy.” Dr. Orna Gurlanik is a genius. As the therapist at the center of this hit Showtime docu-series, Gurlanik tries to walk couples back to happiness, getting to the core of their issues and understanding how their past experiences affect their behavior. The show can be a little bit haunting, but, whether you’re in a couple or not, Gurlanik delivers great insights about the challenging aspects of long-term relationships. – Zac

Read: The Booker backlists. Last week, the nominees for the 2025 Booker Prize were announced. If your library is anything like mine, every book now has a months-long waitlist. So why not read the nominees’ earlier works – which, turns out, tend to be pretty award-winning in their own right? High on my list: The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, a brilliant novel about joy and despair set in the Himalayas and New York City; Intimacies by Katie Kitamura, the story of an interpreter at the International Court exploring language, love, and identity; and Trust Exercise by Susan Choi, a metafiction novel about a 1980s performing arts high school with an unexpected twist. – Molly

More from GZERO Media

People celebrate the one year anniversary since student-led protests ousted Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 5, 2025.
REUTERS

Earlier this week, thousands of people flooded the streets in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka to mark the one-year anniversary of a student-led protest movement that brought an end to 15 years of rule under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Activists of All India National Congress burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi during a protest in Kolkata, India, after the Trump administration announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods, on August 1, 2025.
Samir Jana/Hindustan Times/Sipa USA

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump upped the ante further, announcing he would double India’s tariff rate to 50% later this month. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has so far refused to back down.

Last month, as part of its European Digital Commitments, Microsoft introduced new initiatives to support the development of multilingual AI models and to help safeguard Europe’s cultural heritage. To help close the AI language gap, the company is working with partners across Europe to expand access to multilingual data and to advance open-source models that reflect the region’s linguistic diversity. Microsoft is also launching a new call for proposals to increase digital content for ten underrepresented European languages and is expanding its Culture AI initiative. Building on successful projects in Greece and Italy, the company is partnering with the Ministère de la Culture and Iconem to digitally recreate Notre-Dame. This work aims to ensure that Europe’s iconic landmarks are preserved for future generations through immersive, AI-powered experiences. Read more here.