Topic Reading-Vol.5285-10/13/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

New York has a food waste problem. South Korea has already solved it

When organic waste is buried in a landfill, it breaks down without oxygen and releases methane, a greenhouse gas that traps much more heat than CO2, and leachate, a noxious liquid that contaminates soil and groundwater. In a circular economy, organic waste should be separated, recycled, and reused as energy. In 1997, food waste separation became mandatory in South Korea. Now, over 95% of residential organic waste is collected and recycled, and over 340 bioenergy centers produce electricity from food waste across the country. They are funded by fees residents pay each time they dispose of food waste into smart bins and also by government subsidies.

Following South Korea’s food waste recycling initiative, New York mandated that residents separate food waste and put it into a designated bin in 2024. A year later, the city collected about 9% of household food waste. Not a bad start, but still a long way to go. The government and municipalities can collect designated trash bins, such as garbage, cans, bottles, PET bottles, and plastic waste. But it is the residents who sort their trash and put it out separately. Indeed, food waste recycling is a collective responsibility that might be cultivated over time.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260916-new-york-has-a-food-waste-problem-south-korea-has-already-solved-it

Topic Reading-Vol.5284-10/12/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Russian search engine Yandex struggles after Ukrainian strikes on data centres

A data center is a physical space, building, or facility that houses computers, servers, storage hardware, and networking gear to store, process, and distribute digital information 24/7. It consists of servers, cooling systems, power backups with diesel generators, and security controls. Data centers are being built around the world to meet the expanding demand for AI. When a major data center becomes dysfunctional or goes offline, disruptions spread across digital services, business operations, and infrastructure, including streaming services, card payments, databases, search engines, government services, and military operations. To mitigate such impacts, major data center operators use multi-site replication and reroute data traffic and processing, but disruptions of some degree are inevitable. Also, it takes resources, equipment, manpower, and time to recover from the damage. Data centers are essential infrastructure for today’s lives, businesses, services, and operations, just like power plants. However, unlike military facilities, they are highly vulnerable to military or terrorist attacks, and they have become military targets in the Russia-Ukraine war. Data centers, undersea cables, and communication satellites are essential yet vulnerable social infrastructure.  

Read the article and learn how critical data center disruptions are to today’s lives and war.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c68xzqqn4ekro

Topic Reading-Vol.5283-10/11/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

US unveils sanctions on ICC in move court condemns as 'assault on rule of law'

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent, treaty-based international court established to prosecute individuals for the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Unlike the International Court of Justice, the ICC prosecutes individuals, including political leaders and military commanders. For example, Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, is awaiting trial, and Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been issued an arrest warrant. 125 countries, including the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Japan, are member states and are reaffirming their continued support, but not Israel, Russia, India, China, or the USA. Hours after Navi Pillay, who sat on the ICC's Appeals ​Chamber from 2003-2008, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law, the US announced sanctions on the ICC, which will stop US companies from providing goods and services to the court. The US has already sanctioned 17 of the ICC's judges and officials, including the President of the court from Japan. The prize committee emphasized that the award was intended to support justice under political attack.

Read the article and think about what the ICC, the US sanctions, and the Nobel Peace Prize mean to the world.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj20vkkx3rdvo

Topic Reading-Vol.5282-10/10/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Over 90% of common household items contain hazardous plastic chemicals

How much do you think we are exposed to plastic? Most of the produce and food we buy at supermarkets or convenience stores are packed or wrapped in single-use plastics unless they are bottled or canned. At home, kitchens are filled with plastics, including pots, utensils, and containers, and toys children put into their mouths are also made of plastic. According to a recently published database by scientists, about one in every four chemicals they identified in plastics were hazardous to our health and the environment. Those chemicals are also persistent, bioaccumulative, and mobile, so they spread easily, stay long, and build up over time in the body or the environment. It is still unknown which specific chemicals are more harmful than others, or how much of these chemicals are contained in certain plastic products. We’ve been using more and more plastic wraps and containers for the sake of economy, hygiene, and convenience. However, even though plastics look clean and free from germs and bacteria, they are full of invisible chemicals.

Read the article and learn what plastic chemicals are and what they do to us.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/30/health/hazardous-household-plastics-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.5281-10/9/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Scientists deliver ‘starkest warning yet’ of profound changes sweeping the planet’s oceans

Ocean temperatures shape global climate by absorbing, storing, and moving vast amounts of heat and moisture around the planet. The oceans absorb over 90% of the excess heat trapped in Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases. In the last few years, the rate of ocean warming has been accelerating and breaking previous records. Warmer surface waters pump more heat and moisture into the air, fueling heavier rainfall, severe flooding, and more powerful storms. Also, the oceans have become more acidic, which severely affects underwater ecosystems. And as water warms, it expands and raises global sea level alongside melting ice sheets. Both polar regions are affected the most by global ocean warming. Sea surface temperatures in the Arctic region have risen by over four degrees Celsius over the past four decades. Antarctica is experiencing rapid ice loss and ocean warming, too. The newly released Copernicus Ocean State Report warns that the world's oceans are undergoing rapid, interconnected, and long-term transformation driven by climate change.

Read the article and learn what is behind the scenes of recent extreme weather events.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/30/climate/ocean-report-copernicus-warming-sea-level-rise

Topic Reading-Vol.5280-10/8/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

What are the US midterms? A simple guide

On November 3, US voters will cast their ballots in midterm elections. The general elections are held every four years at the midpoint of a president’s four-year term. All 435 seats of the House of Representatives are up for election as they serve two-year terms, and about one-third of the 100 seats of the Senate will be elected or reelected. Voters will also elect state- and local-level leaders and representatives, including 39 governors this time. The results of the elections will show how voters approve or disapprove of the incumbent president and Congress, as both houses have been outnumbered by Republicans. Also, the forthcoming elections will redraw the landscape of US politics as the attention of both people and politicians will shift to the next presidential elections in 2028. Inflation, tariffs, war, fuel, immigration, and AI, along with Greenland, Canada, White House ballroom, and countless executive orders, will all be judged by voters. A recent online poll shows over 60% disapprove of Trump, but election outcomes are hard to predict. In any case, the upcoming elections are pivotal not only to US politics but also to the world’s economy and peace.

Read the article and learn about the upcoming US midterm elections.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6wyz223j19po

Topic Reading-Vol.5279-10/7/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Cattle to feed: Why a global meat crisis is looming

Recently, cattle herds of the world’s top three beef-producing countries, Brazil, China, and the US, have been shrinking, and the price of beef is soaring. Raising cattle to beaf takes time, water, grass and/or feed, and thus money. Producing one kilogram of edible beef requires 25 kg of dry-matter feed, and it takes nearly a year for a cow to produce a calf and over a year to raise cattle for beef. What about chicken, whose demand is increasing as an alternative to more expensive beef or pork? Producing poultry meat takes much less time and money, but when the cost of key feed, soya meal, rises, rearers are discouraged from raising chickens. All in all, meat prices are rising around the world due to increasing demand, rising costs, climate change, and trade barriers.

Read the article and learn about the demand and supply of the global meat market.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/28/cattle-to-feed-why-a-global-meat-crisis-is-looming