Topic Reading-Vol.5263-9/21/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

More than 100,000 people in Japan are now aged 100 or older

Each year on the third Monday of September, Japan commemorates Respect for the Aged Day to honor elderly citizens and celebrate longevity, and announces the number of people aged 100 or older. The first centenarian survey found there were  153 centenarians in 1963, and the figure increased to 1,000 in 1981 and 10,000 by 1998. This year, the fast-aging nation recorded over 100,000 people whose ages are 100 or older for the first time, up almost 8,000 from the previous year. About 88% of them are women, as their average life expectancy is over 88, ranking among the highest globally, while that of men is about 82. The country’s longevity is attributed to wholesome diets and a well-covered healthcare system. However, Japan’s population is aging and shrinking rapidly. Last year, only 671,000 babies were born, while 1,589,000 died, losing 918,000 people. With the total fertility rate below 1.2, the population will decline from the current 123 million to fewer than 100 million by 2050, nearly 40% of whom will be aged 65 or older. How many centenarians will there be then? Who will care for them then, their also-aged children, foreign care workers, or AI-empowered humanoids?

Read the article and learn about Japan’s century-old population.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmzezj5e18xxo

Topic Reading-Vol.5262-9/20/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Here's how to catch up on sleep, the right way

Sleep is one of the most important functions in our lives. Adults should get at least seven hours of good sleep each night to allow the body to repair tissues, regulate vital hormones, and maintain cardiovascular and immune health. A good night's sleep also clears toxic waste, consolidates memories, and repairs neural connections, so that you’ll regain energy, feel refreshed, focus better, and become more productive. When you didn’t sleep enough during the week, you may try to catch up on the sleep deficit by going to bed too early or sleeping in too much on the weekend. While extra weekend sleep helps you repay some of the sleep deficit, it confuses your body clock and makes it more difficult to have a sound sleep that night. Indeed, waking up and getting light exposure at a different time confuses your circadian rhythm like jet lag. To help you recover from the sleep deficit, you may try getting up a little later in the morning or taking a short nap during the day on the weekend.

Read the article and learn the tips to recover from a sleep deficit.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260911-should-you-try-to-catch-up-on-sleep-at-the-weekend

Topic Reading-Vol.5261-9/19/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

What are the five pros and cons of artificial intelligence?

AI is so helpful and convenient. If you ask a question, AI searches for relevant information and finds you the answer right away. If you assign a task, AI generates a document, chart, or summary in a matter of seconds. It boosts productivity and helps complete tasks faster and more easily. In the meantime, workers’ roles change, and new skills are required to work with AI. In the world with AI, young graduates are facing difficulty getting entry-level jobs, and existing workers are required to keep upskilling. Also, generative AI can create fake text, voices, images, and videos to deceive people or security systems. As recently reported, AI can hack other systems and steal or destroy information or operations. Environmentally, AI is very costly. It requires a large amount of electricity to run and water to cool the servers. AI data centers also create noise pollution as they emit a constant hum 24/7/365. AI is reshaping workplaces, our lives, and the environment, and just like smartphones, we cannot live without it anymore.

Read the article and learn what AI does to and for humans.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/13/what-are-the-five-pros-and-cons-of-artificial-intelligence

Topic Reading-Vol.5260-9/18/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Karaoke for one: China’s $1 trillion ‘loneliness economy’ gives a glimpse of the world’s future

Singlehood has been treated as a bridge stage between independence and marriage for young people. However, more people are now choosing to live by themselves longer and enjoy lonely lifestyles. Thanks to smartphones, they can spend time on video games, video clips, micro dramas, and SNSs as long as they want and never feel lonely. If they feel like talking or chatting with someone, AI companions are there 24/7. And businesses are becoming more accommodating to singledom, especially in Japan, South Korea, and China. Individual food packages at convenience stores and even supermarkets, smaller dishes and hotpot for solo diners at restaurants, and phone-box-sized karaoke booths for lone singers, to name a few. The so-called “solo economy” is attracting businesses because singles tend to have bigger wallets for themselves. Also, since the populations are fast shrinking and more people choose not to form families in these countries, single-person households have become an important market for businesses.

Read the article and learn about the increasing economy in Eastern Asia.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/12/business/asia-loneliness-economy-intl-hnk-dst

Topic Reading-Vol.5259-9/17/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Drinking very hot beverages could triple cancer risk, large study finds

The esophagus is a muscular tube that carries food and liquid from your throat to your stomach. Like any other internal organ, this 25-centimeter-long food and beverage pipe isn’t cancer-free. In the UK, esophageal cancer makes up about 2% of cancer cases. Smoking, alcohol consumption, and indoor air pollution are known causes of this cancer, but a recent large-scale study in the UK added another risk factor, hot beverages. The risk of developing esophageal cancer increases when the beverage temperature is higher. It was found that those who regularly drink hot beverages have twice the cancer risk, and those who prefer very hot drinks, like 65 degrees or higher, have triple the risk. You may not have to check the drink’s temperature or stop sipping hot drinks altogether, but you can easily cool it down while checking and texting a few messages to reduce the cancer risk.

Read the article and learn what a very hot beverage could do to your esophagus.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/10/health/hot-beverages-cancer-study-scli-intl

Topic Reading-Vol.5258-9/16/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Faster homework, poor exam results: What AI is doing to students’ learning

New York City, the US’s largest school district, is banning the use of generative artificial intelligence for public school students from 2K through 8th grade to protect students’ critical thinking abilities as well as the relationships between students and teachers. But students can still use AI to do their assignments or study at home. How do they use AI, and how does AI help them learn? According to a study that tracked 27,000 junior and senior high school students in China, 56% used AI to get information, 45% had AI explain terms and concepts, and 31% used it to get complete solutions to tasks. Also, students improved their homework scores with AI while spending 30% less time on it. However, their monthly exam scores fell by 20% within six months. AI certainly helps students get their studies done faster and even better, but it doesn’t seem to help them learn much better. Does banning or restricting the use of interactive technology for youth, like SNS, help students learn any better? It may be time for teachers and educators to calibrate or develop tasks and assignments that are suitable for the AI era.

Read the article and learn how AI is affecting students’ learning.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/2/faster-homework-poor-exam-results-what-ai-is-doing-to-students-learning

Topic Reading-Vol.5257-9/15/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Mount Fuji pics, life-changing ramen and a weak yen - why young Brits are going to Japan

Last year, nearly half a million tourists from Britain visited Japan, up 25% on the previous year and a 40% increase from 2019, the pre-pandemic peak. It’s a long way to fly, about 9,600 kilometers, and lasting over 13 hours for a non-stop flight and around 16 to 19 hours for a one-stop flight through China, a more economical choice. But once you get to Japan, travelers can enjoy completely different nature, cityscapes, buildings, foods, and cultures from Europe. First-timers often follow the Golden Route, consisting of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and nearby Nara and Hiroshima. But nowadays, young people in particular are tempted by the places, things, and foods that are shown on TikTok or Instagram, such as Mt Fuji photo spots or Ramen noodles. Japan is also budget-friendly for young Brits. Thanks to the well-established public transport, visitors can travel around the country quite easily, inexpensively, and safely. Also, you do not have to pay high admission fees to visit World Heritage sites like Shiretoko. And thanks to the weak yen and long-term deflation, traveling around Japan is quite affordable, including transport, food, and accommodation, compared with European or North American destinations. And the British were among the record 43 million foreign visitors to Japan last year. 

Read the article and learn why more British people are visiting Japan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7704l1ypjgo

Topic Reading-Vol.5256-9/14/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How one of the 'most powerful hacks' to control stress actually works

We feel nervous or stressed from time to time, like before a job interview or big presentation, or when a loved one is in trouble or danger. One technique to ease such mental stress is box breathing, a deep-breathing method that can help calm and regulate your autonomic nervous system, including blood pressure, sense of calm, and stress. Box breathing consists of four equal-period steps: inhale slowly through your nose to a slow count of four, hold the breath and count four, breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of four, and hold your lungs empty for another four count. Then restart the cycle as many times as you want. This practice trains you to get used to various levels of carbon dioxide in the blood and brain, and helps you to improve your stress resilience. It takes only about 16 seconds to practice one box breathing cycle, and you can do it almost anytime, anywhere, and as many times as you want. If you still wonder if it works for you, try counting to four while inhaling through your nose.

Read the article and learn about the four-step, four-count box breathing.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y5jqly153o#google_vignette

Topic Reading-Vol.5255-9/13/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

They bought a house in LA. The neighbours are bears - and they won't stay out of the pool

Of the estimated 60,000 black bears living in California, around 1,600 live in Los Angeles County. Monrovia is a suburban city in LA, located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, about 30 kilometers from downtown LA. Soon after a pair bought a house there and moved in, they were visited by uninvited guests, black bears. The wild animals visit the couple’s house not just occasionally but several times a week, regularly. On warm days, a mother bear, named Maddie, and her cubs enjoy bathing in the swimming pool. Another bear, they call Nappy, loves taking long siestas while floating in the pool. The couple allows them to spend time on their property by keeping a healthy distance from the furry wild animals and staying inside the house during their visit. Also, they never leave trash cans or any food outdoors. Indeed. Even though black bear attacks are very rare in California, they are wild animals and could pose a risk to public safety. In the meantime, black bears are the indigenous residents in the mountains, and humans entered and developed the foothills to inhabit them.

Read the article and see the images of black bears enjoying themselves in a human’s swimming pool.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260828-the-bears-cooling-off-in-a-california-swimming-pool

Topic Reading-Vol.5254-9/12/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

9/11: What happened and how many people died in September 11 attacks?

Yesterday, the US marked the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was early morning on September 11, 2001, when 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger planes: two departed from Boston, one from DC, and another from New Jersey, all of which were loaded with fuel for their transcontinental flights to California. Shortly after their departures, they were all hijacked and controlled by Islamist extremists for their suicidal missions. Two airplanes hit and destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, one crashed into the Pentagon, the US military’s headquarters in DC, and another crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. A total of nearly 3,000 people were killed, including all those on board the four planes, more than 2,700 on the ground, including 343 firefighters in the Twin Towers helping with the evacuation. Shortly after the attacks, the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan to eradicate Al-Qaeda and hunt down the masterminds. Around the world, flight safety measures were tightened to prevent hijackings. Yesterday, a memorial service was held at each crash site.

Read the article and learn about the terrorist attacks that took place 25 years ago.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98elnpr0kzo

Topic Reading-Vol.5253-9/11/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How Cubans are navigating the US oil blockade with rechargeable fans and solar-powered Chinese tricycles
In addition to the decades-long trade sanctions, the US administration launched a fuel blockade to Cuba, targeting oil tankers heading to Cuba and threatening tariffs on supplier nations, including Mexico and Venezuela. This has added more severity to the already suffering in the Cuban economy and everyday life. Such are widespread and continual blackouts, clean water shortages due to disabled water treatment and pumping facilities, and an increase in diseases because of failing water systems and food refrigeration. Also, cars and buses don’t have enough fuel to serve their purposes. However, Cubans have overcome whatever obstacles are placed in their way for decades to live without daily essentials through creativity and resilience. For example, farmers pasteurize milk over charcoal fires, commuters ride Chinese-made solar-powered e-tricycles, and restaurants grind coffee by hand if they ever have a diner. Cuba has very little fuel supply, but it seems abundant in vitality and ingenuity for survival.  
Read the article and learn how resilient Cubans are.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/05/americas/cuba-us-oil-blockade-electricity-creativity-intl-latam

Topic Reading-Vol.5252-9/10/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size

Drawing an accurate two-dimensional flat map of a three-dimensional sphere is mathematically impossible because flattening a globe always introduces distortion. In the 18th century during the colonial era, the Mercator projection became the standard for navigation because it preserves angles and shapes. Even today, it is the most commonly used map projection, including Google Maps. However, it inflates the landmasses the farther they are from the equator. For example, Greenland appears the same size as Africa, but its real size is comparable to the DR Congo alone. Also, Africa appears the same size as South America, but it is actually one and a half times as large. On September 5, sponsored by Togo and supported by the African Union (AU), the “Correct the Map” resolution was adopted at the UN General Assembly. It aims to correct a centuries-old visual bias that makes Africa appear smaller in education, media, and global policy, and to present Africa’s true size. Since the resolution is not binding, Africa might be shown in different proportions on world maps, at least for a while. The USA was the only state that voted against the “Make Africa Greater Resolution”. It seems that the current administration wants to redraw the world map to make America look greater.

Read the article and learn what world maps mean to Africa.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce30vp55dnlo

Topic Reading-Vol.5251-9/9/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

It’s a top guest complaint but many hotels can’t fix it

For a hotel room in the same district, the higher the price you pay, the cleaner and fancier the room you can expect, including cleanliness, furniture, linens, bathroom, and bed. However, until you get into the room or lie in the bed, you may not know how much noise is coming from outside your room, including noise from the street, hall, elevator, icebox, swimming pool, or adjacent rooms, especially when your neighboring guests enter the room late at night and start talking or turn on the TV.  Newly constructed luxury hotels usually have thicker walls and windows that reduce the noise from outside or adjacent rooms. Also, some hotel booking sites show a soundproof sign on the property or rooms. But when other guests talk in the hallway or elevator hall, your sound sleep might be disturbed. One thing you could do is to request a room on a higher floor, in a quieter part of the building, or away from the elevator when you book or check in at the hotel. Another way, budget permitting, is to stay in a suite whose bedroom is separated by at least two doors from the hall. But probably the surest and cheapest tool that helps mitigate a noise problem in your hotel room is to bring earplugs.

Read the article and learn about the noise problem in hotels.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/03/travel/noise-hotels-complaints-solutions

Topic Reading-Vol.5250-9/8/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Netherlands moves billions in gold to London in 'crisis preparedness' move

Gold is precious because of its unique physical properties, rarity, and historical admiration. It never rusts or loses its shine even after thousands of years. Also, it is easy to melt and shape, ideal for accessories, and it allows electricity to pass through with very little energy loss, suitable for electronics. About 226,600 tonnes of gold have been mined so far, and nearly 3,600 tonnes are newly mined each year.

Central banks keep gold to diversify their foreign exchange reserves and protect against economic and political risks. Recently, the Dutch central bank (DNB) moved 86 tonnes of gold stock from the USA and Canada to the Bank of England to strengthen its resilience and preparedness under increasing geopolitical unrest. The share of its gold stock in the US was reduced from 31% to 18.5%, while the share in London was increased from 18% to 32%. Does this move reflect the recent ambiguity and unpredictability of US foreign policies? Also, how were the 86 tonnes of gold bars moved across the Atlantic Ocean?

Read the article and learn about the recent Dutch central bank’s $12 billion golden move.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgy51xlz39o

Topic Reading-Vol.5249-9/7/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Health crisis looming as Gaza heads towards rainy season, warns WHO

Located about 76km southwest of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean coast, Gaza is a city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. It was the most populous city in Palestine with a population of a little over two million. In October 2023, the Gaza war broke out, and the 3-year war has killed over 80,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. It has also brought out a high humanitarian crisis as Israel destroyed most of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools, and essential services, including water, electricity, and sanitation. Though the fourth peace plan was agreed, Israel’s blockade has still been cutting off daily necessities, including water, food, and medical supplies. Around two million Palestinians still live in Gaza, most of whom are internally displaced, across hundreds of temporary camps and shelters. There, water quality has deteriorated, microbiological contamination skyrocketed, and cases of acute diarrhea have doubled since March. As the rainy season approaches, flooding will occur and then send sewage, waste, and contaminated water into places where displaced people live, which could cause a public health disaster. In addition to supplying daily essentials, building water and sanitation infrastructure is urgently needed for people in Gaza.

Read the article and learn about the health crisis in Gaza.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/1/health-crisis-looming-as-gaza-heads-towards-rainy-season-warns-who

Topic Reading-Vol.5248-9/6/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Forget Starbucks coffee - Gen Z like their drinks ice cold

What drink did you buy at Starbucks last time? Founded in 1971, Starbucks is a global coffeehouse chain that operates more than 40,000 locations in 87 countries. It offers a wide variety of coffee, tea, and other cold drinks, such as iced coffees and teas, cold-brew coffees, and a variety of Frappuccinos. In the US, cold drinks now make up over 70% of Starbucks’s beverage sales. Their Gen Z customers, those who were born between 1997 and 2012, especially like cold drinks, and over 60% of their purchases are cold drinks. They seem to enjoy customizing cold drinks themselves as a form of self-expression and identity, like clothing or hair color. This is good for the coffee chain’s business because the prices of popular Frappuccinos are twice as high as regular coffee. Also, more than 70% of their customers now buy cold drinks year-round, and other fast-food and drinks chains are following suit. Driven by young customers, competition for cold drinks is heating up these days.

Read the article and learn what young people buy at Starbucks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2r9n2mrp8o

Topic Reading-Vol.5247-9/5/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ in US searches

The Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario - are a group of five large interconnected lakes in North America that provide drinking water for more than 40 million people in Canada and the USA. Four of the lakes, Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, sit along the border between Canada and the United States while Lake Michigan lies entirely within the US. Lake Ontario is the smallest and easternmost of the five lakes, and the Canada-United States border spans the center of the lake. Ontario is the most populous province of Canada and is the home to Ottawa, Canada’s capital, and Toronto, the largest city. Though called by different names during the French colonial era, Lake Ontario has been the common name on both sides of the border. On January 20, 2025, US President Trump directed US federal agencies to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America to promote national pride. Likewise, after failing to reach a trade deal with Canada, he issued an executive order on August 27, renaming "Lake Ontario" to “Lake America.” Now, if you look at Google Maps in the US, you’ll find “Lake America” instead of “Lake Ontario”, while it remains “Lake Ontario” in Canada and other countries. After a few days, Apple followed suit. Will other apps, maps, globes, and publications follow suit, or wait until the midterm elections in November?

Read the article and learn what the name change of a lake could mean to the US and Canada.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/30/politics/google-maps-changes-lake-ontario-to-lake-america

Topic Reading-Vol.5246-9/4/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

There's something unique about eating together that's good for us

Today, many diners happily eat their meals with a smartphone in one hand and a fork, spoon, or chopsticks in the other. They don’t necessarily feel lonely eating by themselves because they are busy interacting with others online or watching videos of their interests. In the modern world, we tend to be more isolated than ever before because of technology, business, and lifestyle choices. In the meantime, we are missing opportunities to connect with family, friends, and the community when we eat alone. But commensality, the practice of eating with others, plays an important role in our health, nutrition, and well-being. For example, when we eat alone, we often eat the same or similar foods with fewer ingredients. Studies also find that eating together slows the brain’s aging because the brain becomes more activated to interact with others. Furthermore, when you enjoy eating with others, they also enjoy eating together. Therefore, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask someone to have a meal together because most of the time, people are more receptive to such invitations than you think. Read the article and learn the benefits of commensality.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260825-why-eating-in-company-is-good-for-your-brain

Topic Reading-Vol.5245-9/3/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

France relaxes strict cheese-making rules after prolonged drought

Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) rules are European Union regulations that protect regional foods, drinks, and agricultural products tied to a specific geographic area and traditional local expertise. Famous French mountain cheeses like Abondance, Beaufort, and Comté are protected by these strict AOP rules and specifications, including every step of production and processing, the local environment, and animal feed. However, because of the severe drought this summer, France has temporarily relaxed some of the AOP rules to produce these cheeses. Now, producers of these cheeses can temporarily supplement cow diets with fodder and grain from outside the designated geographical zones. The question is whether different animal feed makes a noticeable difference to the flavor and taste of these cheeses, and if it does, how much. Also, no one knows if farmers will find enough local feed for their cows in the future. Another impact of the changing climate.

Read the article and learn how the quality and authenticity of premium cheeses are maintained.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c980e36dd5do

Topic Reading-Vol.5244-9/2/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Scottish Highlands benefiting from 'coolcation' trend

Greek islands, Italian coasts, and Spanish beaches are Europe’s popular destinations for summer vacationers, along with cities like Paris, London, and Barcelona. However, as wildfires, droughts, and heatwaves are making these popular destinations less comfortable in summer, more vacationers are looking at cooler places in northern Europe, such as Scotland, Iceland, and Scandinavian countries. Indeed. As summer gets hotter, coolcation in the Scottish Highlands and The Hague, a Dutch coastal city, have become new destinations for coolcation. Good news for local businesses and the economy. Also, increased tax revenues may fund the maintenance and upgrade of local infrastructure. In the meantime, prices rise, places become noisier, and roads and public transportation get too crowded. Also, once a place becomes an Instagram hotspot, too many people may come to further Instagram the spot, disrupting local lives. Is the other hemisphere too cold for summer vacation?

Read the article and learn how climate change is redrawing Europe’s summer tourism map.  

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9wp3p4301o

Topic Reading-Vol.5243-9/1/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Google, Microsoft and OpenAI among 100 firms calling for better cyber defences

On August 26, part of a massive glacier collapsed in the Himalayas, triggering a catastrophic landslide and deadly flooding along the Nepal and Tibet border. Hundreds were killed, and over a thousand are missing. None of the man-made defence structures, including dams, reservoirs, levees, dikes, and floodwalls, could stop the devastating flood from wiping away buildings, bridges, vehicles, and people.

Recently, OpenAI and Anthropic each reported incidents in which their autonomous agents escaped isolated testing environments and hacked platforms, the world’s first AI-enabled cyberattacks. They suggest that the existing protective measures, security systems, and defence mechanisms aren’t protective enough to ensure the safety and security of IT systems against AI hackers. On August 27, a group of more than 100 prominent tech and financial firms, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Google, VISA, and MasterCard, issued their joint open letter calling on organizations and businesses to upgrade their cyber defences to protect them from AI-powered cyberattacks. The letter warns that AI-driven cyberattacks will become exponentially more sophisticated and widespread in the coming months, and urges global organizations, utilities, and governments to act swiftly to protect critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, water treatment plants, and the internet grid. The video footage of the devastating Himalayan flood looked like a science fiction movie. AI-powered cyberattacks will be instant, widespread, and disruptive to lives, systems, and businesses around the world. And they will come without a warning.

Read the article and learn how vulnerable the world is to natural disasters and cyberattacks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyz11475l1o