Topic Reading-Vol.5037-2/7/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

When something goes wrong at 186 mph: Inside the fast-reaction world of high-speed train drivers

High-speed rail (HSR) is a rail transport network that runs trains at speeds of over 200 km/h on upgraded tracks and 250 km/h or faster on dedicated tracks. The first HSR, the Shinkansen, appeared in Japan in 1964. Now, China has the world’s longest operational network of 50,000 km, followed by Spain’s 4,000 km, France’s 3,500 km, Germany’s 3,300 km, and Japan's 3,000 km network, all at a top speed of 300 km/h or faster. Despite their punishingly fast speeds, HSEs are safer than any other mass transport. For example, Japan’s 62-year-old Shinkansen network has had no operational derailment accident but two, both of which were caused by major earthquakes. However, accidents will happen. Last month, a Madrid-bound high-speed train derailed in Spain, killing 45 and injuring nearly 300. Then what is it like to design, build, operate, maintain, and drive such high-speed mass transport trains? 

Read the article and learn about the world of HSR.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/26/travel/what-its-like-to-drive-high-speed-train

Topic Reading-Vol.5036-2/6/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

US officially leaves World Health Organization

Under the first Trump administration, the U.S. withdrew from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in October 2017 and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in June 2018. It also announced its intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). After the next presidential election, these withdrawals were reversed by the new administration under Joe Biden. However, after his reelection, the second Trump administration initiated the withdrawal from the WHO, UNESCO, and dozens of other international organizations and institutions. After the one-year notice period, the USA formally exited from the WHO on January 22, leaving unpaid dues of $260 million for 2024-2025.

A UN research report shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic under the first Trump administration, the US response was so slow and mismanaged that the US recorded one of the highest death rates in the world. Now, the administration said it would work with other countries bilaterally for disease surveillance and information sharing without specifying which countries. Will the threat-and-deal tactic work to prevent, prepare for, and respond to health crises?

Read the article and learn about another isolating initiative by the US administration.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9zznx8qdno

Topic Reading-Vol.5035-2/5/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Climber Alex Honnold scales 101-floor skyscraper without safety gear

Taipei 101 is an iconic 508-meter-tall, 101-story skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. It had been the world’s tallest building from 2004 until Burj Khalifa was built in 2009. On January 25, a 40-year-old American rock climber, Alex Honnold, climbed the skyscraper without ropes, safety nets, or other equipment. The 91-minute nail-biting climb was streamed live on Netflix with a few seconds' delay just in case of an accident. After completing the climb, Hannold said he hoped people watching could be inspired by his climb to pursue their own challenges or goals, and added, “It’s so great. What a nice day.”

Read the article and watch the video of his amazing climb in the heart of Taipei.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gl0njzxjdo

Topic Reading-Vol.5034-2/4/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Why is Germany trying to build ‘Europe’s strongest conventional army’?

After Trump’s aggressive campaign to annex Greenland, Europeans seem to have lost confidence in the long-term ally. Those who value NATO and the EU are now seriously supporting the formation of a European NATO. Germany has already started reinforcing its military force, the Bundeswehr. It is going to spend over 100 billion euros on the defense budget, twice the 2021 spending, equivalent to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year. Also, starting from this year, all German men turning 18 are required to fill out a digital survey about their personal details, physical fitness, education, and willingness to serve in the Bundeswehr, and also to attend a mandatory medical examination to check their fitness for military service. The country pledged to increase its active duty personnel to 260,000 within a decade from the 184,000 troops it has now. Germany is situated in the center of Europe, and was the hot spot in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. It is now strengthening its armed forces to cope with a new threat from the east.

Read the article and learn why and how Germany is reinforcing its military forces.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/19/why-is-germany-trying-to-build-europes-strongest-conventional-army

Topic Reading-Vol.5033-2/3/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Like digging ‘your own professional grave’: The translators grappling with losing work to AI

Interpreters translate spoken language, such as speeches, phone calls, or conversations, in real-time. Their skills include public speaking, short-term memory, quick comprehension, and, of course, translation. They often work in conferences, hospitals, courtrooms, and business meetings, and are usually paid by the time. Translators work with written text, converting documents from one language to another. They need to be linguistically competent in writing and grammar, and also specialized in industry knowledge, terms, and situations. They can work anywhere and are usually paid per word or page, or sometimes by the hour.

In 2016, Google launched neural machine translation. It is now used by more than 500 million people daily across over 200 languages. Then in November 2022, the first generative AI for public use was released: ChatGPT. It added voice translation and a standalone translation tool in the following years. Now, if you travel abroad or encounter a foreign language speaker, you can simply speak to your smartphone for instant translation. As for meeting, Zoom and Microsoft Teams offer live translation and interpretation features to break language barriers in meetings.

So, what is the situation and future of interpreters and translators?

Read the article and learn how these language professionals are struggling to survive in the era of machine translation.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/23/tech/translation-language-jobs-ai-automation-intl

Topic Reading-Vol.5032-2/2/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Oldest cave painting of red claw hand could rewrite human creativity timeline

Homo sapiens, modern humans, moved from Africa into Europe and Asia, and overlapped and interbred with Neanderthals, extinct sister species, until 45,000 years ago. Early humans lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers until around 10,000 years ago, when they started domesticating plants, such as wheat, barley, or rice, and animals, like sheep, goats, cattle, or pigs.

Recently, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, a stencilled outline of a hand made with red pigment was found on the wall of a cave. The painting is estimated to be as old as 67,800 years, about 1,100 years older than a stencil found in Spain. The faded hand stencil, along with other spectacular cave paintings, is believed to be the world’s oldest rock art that has been found so far. Also, the finding indicates that Homo sapiens had reached Australia and New Guinea about 15,000 years earlier than previously thought. Only recently, the earliest Homo sapiens was found to have been around 700,000 years ago, 300,000 years earlier than the previous estimate. The history of humans is being rewritten both backward and forward.

Read the article and learn about the recent discovery of the oldest art.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx1pnlzer5o

Topic Reading-Vol.5031-2/1/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How cocoa substitutes could tackle ‘chocflation’

If you like chocolate, you probably are aware that the same chocolate product has become much more expensive than it was a few years ago. That is because cocoa prices have experienced an unprecedented surge due to a massive global supply shortage caused by drier weather conditions, the spread of diseases, and higher production costs. Chocolate brands, producers, and patissiers are struggling to maintain the taste, flavor, and affordability of their products with the precious ingredient, but there is only so much that they can do. Now, help might be on the way. A Singapore-based startup has developed a new cocoa-free cocoa powder called PreferChoc. The powder is produced by fermenting and roasting seeds and grains, whose cost and carbon footprints are significantly lower than those of real cocoa. The company has also developed coffee bean-free coffee substitutes, another commodity in short supply. Just like margarine and soy milk, chocolate and coffee substitutes might become popular substitutes soon.

Read the article and learn about chocolate and coffee substitutes from Singapore.

https://edition.cnn.com/world/singapore-prefer-cocoa-free-spc