Topic Reading-Vol.5241-8/30/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Why Rohingya refugees are protesting in Cox’s Bazar, 9 years after genocide

The Rohingya are a mostly Muslim ethnic group who live in the western coastal state of Rakhine, one of the poorest states in Myanmar. After Buddhist-majority Myanmar launched a military crackdown in Rakhine following an attack by an armed group in 2017, many of the Rohingya escaped and crossed the border to Muslim-majority Bangladesh in a mass exodus. Since then, more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees have been living in about 30 camps in Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh, forming the world’s largest refugee settlement. As the Rohingya aren’t officially recognized by Myanmar’s government, they are the world’s largest homeless and stateless ethnic group. To mark nine years since the military crackdown, tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in the camps held mass protests and rallied on August 25, calling for justice, accountability for the 2017 atrocities, safe and dignified repatriation to Rakhine State in Myanmar, and full citizenship rights. The Secretary-General of the UN also called for renewed global attention & action to the plight of the Rohingya, and for the international community to provide humanitarian assistance, alongside livelihood opportunities & self-reliance support.

Read the article and learn about the hardship and suffering of the Rohingya refugees.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/25/why-rohingya-refugees-are-protesting-in-coxs-bazar-9-years-after-genocide

Topic Reading-Vol.5240-8/29/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

World's oceans hit highest temperature on record as El Niño grows

Oceans cover about 80% of the Southern Hemisphere and 60% of the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, average worldwide sea temperatures usually reach their annual peak in March to April when the summer ends in the Southern Hemisphere. The highest average ocean surface temperatures were recorded in March 2024. This year, a very strong El Niño weather phenomenon is warming the surface of the eastern and central tropical Pacific Oceans and is predicted to develop towards the end of the year, which will make the ocean surface temperatures hotter than now. According to the EU’s Earth Observation Program, the average ocean surface temperature outside the polar regions on August 22 was 21.1C, hotter than the previous record. This year, the world is experiencing more severe weather conditions and events than ever, including heatwaves, droughts, storms, and wildfires. As global warming accelerates and the strong El Niño develops, how hot will the ocean temperatures be in March or April next year?  

Read the article and learn how catastrophically the planet is warming.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62m4gpnp78o

Topic Reading-Vol.5239-8/28/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Iranian women defy efforts by hardliners to enforce wearing of hijab

The 1979 Iranian Revolution overthrew the pro-Western monarchy and established an Islamic Republic led by cleric Khomeini. Immediately, the authorities started urging women to wear the hijab, a headscarf many Muslim women wear as a sign of faith, privacy, and modesty. Iran’s penal code criminalizes women in public without a hijab, but it does not define what it means clearly and has not been enforced consistently. Prayer leaders and hardliners claim the hijab is essential for cultural identity and have been pressing the authorities to enforce the code more strictly to remove what they call “public nudity.” However, Iran now has other priorities to deal with, including water scarcity, economic sanctions, and war against the USA and Israel. Indeed, Iran desperately needs unity among men and women, the old and the young. So, when women without hijab take part in government-supportive gatherings, the authorities have very little to say or do, at least for now. Is the US giving Iranian women the chance to show themselves more openly?

Read the article and learn about the change in Iran’s headscarf requirement.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/22/middleeast/iran-hijab-women-defy-hardliners-intl

Topic Reading-Vol.5238-8/27/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Anti-social: It's fads, not friends, which now dominate our feeds

SNS stands for Social Networking Service. It refers to online platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok, where people create personal profiles, connect with friends or strangers, and share content. But nowadays, these platforms are mainly used for entertainment and discovery, whereas WhatsApp and WeChat are used for social purposes. More people post interesting videos or photos to entertain others who enjoy seeing them passively, like TV. Since such videos are shown according to the viewers’ interests and tastes, advertisers are trying to take advantage of AI-powered digital ad targeting with ever more creative and entertaining content. Indeed, people tend to just choose from recommendations rather than browsing the Internet. Facebook was launched in 2004, YouTube in 2005, Instagram in 2010, and TikTok in 2016. As people’s interests and behaviors change, they are transforming themselves from SNS to not-so-social platforms.

Read the article and learn about how SNSs have changed over the years.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20260520-how-social-media-ceased-to-be-social

Topic Reading-Vol.5237-8/26/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Afghan women tell the BBC their lives are unrecognisable after five years of Taliban rule

The Islamic Movement of Taliban is a religious and militant organization that took control of Afghanistan when the US withdrew its troops after a 20-year conflict. The Taliban is the sole legal political force that governs the country through an absolute fusion of political authority and strict interpretation of Sharia law, a religious and moral code for Muslims. Under Taliban rule, women and girls face severe, systemic oppression, described as gender apartheid. For example, girls aren’t allowed to receive secondary or higher education. Women are forbidden from visiting public places, including parks and gyms. Also, they cannot leave their homes unless accompanied by a male guardian. Even for healthcare, rules restrict male doctors from treating women. Since there are only 6,000 midwives for 24 million women, roughly one midwife per 4,000 women, Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. What are women’s lives like in Afghanistan?

Read the article and learn how ill-treated girls and women are in Afghanistan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyje43dz4eo

Topic Reading-Vol.5236-8/25/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Robots are asking for tips. But who actually gets the money?

In the US, it is standard practice to leave the server a tip, which typically ranges from 15% to 25% of the tab before sales tax. Those servers live mainly on tips because the federal minimum wage for tipped workers is only $2.13 per hour, less than one-third of the standard minimum wage. You may calculate the tip amount yourself and write it down on the tab, or choose a percentage shown on the tip screen. Also, many people give a small tip to a barista or bartender when they get their drink, especially for a drink that requires some work or skill to make. Now, more robots are serving dishes and drinks. Should you leave a tip for a robot server as you do for a human? You may do so if you are entertained or satisfied by the robot, but you may wonder where the money goes. As style and technology change how drinks and meals are served, the practice of tipping seems to change accordingly.

Read the article to learn about the changes in tipping practice in the USA.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260818-do-you-have-to-tip-the-robots

Topic Reading-Vol.5235-8/24/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, Why travellers are obsessed with foreign supermarkets

When you visit a historic monument or museum in a foreign place, you’ll see and feel the culture and legacy of the past. If you walk around a supermarket, convenience store, or grocery shop, you’ll find today’s life. The variety of food, spices, and packaging on the shelves may be very different from what you have where you live. Even if you feel little interest in your grocery shopping at home, you’ll find it so lively and exotic in a supermarket, as if you’re walking around a present-day museum in the local atmosphere, environment, and people. Also, at a local supermarket, you don’t have to pay a hefty admission fee for foreigners or a rip-off price for souvenirs. You can walk around free of charge and buy day-to-day items at a local price. What’s more, you don’t need to join a tour or hire a car for hours to visit a supermarket or convenience store. You can just drop by or walk in your spare time. All in all, local shops may provide you with a more exotic experience than souvenir shops.

Read the article and learn what you can find and experience in local supermarkets

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260811-the-supermarket-is-becoming-a-tourist-attraction