Topic Reading-Vol.3794-8/31/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Hungary's weather chief sacked over wrong forecast
The art of weather forecasting began with early civilizations. Forecasters used reoccurring astronomical and meteorological events to help them monitor seasonal changes in the weather. The Babylonians tried to predict short-term weather changes based on the appearance of clouds and optical phenomena such as haloes as early as 650 B.C. Chinese astronomers had developed a calendar that divided the year into 24 festivals, each festival associated with a different type of weather by 300 B.C. In fact, weather forecasting was critical for farmers, fishermen, and sailors and even crucial for kings, generals, and priests, for religious or ceremonial events and battles. If a forecaster gave the wrong forecast that affected the consequence of a military operation, he might have been killed.
St. Stephen's Day, or Foundation Day, is celebrated in Hungary on August 20th each year. The highlight of the state holiday celebration is Europe’s biggest fireworks display on the bank of the Danube in the evening. This year, the fireworks display was postponed only seven hours before the scheduled event because of an extreme weather warning issued by the National Meteorological Service. However, the rainstorm changed direction and hit eastern Hungary instead. The government was so upset that they fired the top two weather experts. If the forecasters had given an OK forecast but had rained heavily, what would the government have done?
Enjoy reading the article and think about how responsible weather forecasters are for weather conditions.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62640051

Topic Reading-Vol.3793-8/30/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
South Korea records world's lowest fertility rate again
The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime. The total fertility rate needed to maintain the population is around 2.1 per woman, and the world’s average is around 2.4. South Korea, whose population now is a little over 50 million, is facing a rapid population decline as the nation’s fertility rate has been the lowest in the world for the last several years. In fact, the fertility rate in 2021 fell again to 0.81 from 0.84 the previous year, keeping the rate under 1.0 for four straight years. There were only about 260,000 newborns last year, a sharp drop from one million in the 1970s, and a little over 400,000 in 2018. The population decline began in 2020 as the number of deaths outpaced that of newborns. An earthquake-like demographic shock from a decline in population and rapid aging is predicted to start in the 2030s. Why don’t the people in the developed country produce offspring? Analysts say high economic inequality, cost of living especially in Seoul, lack of stable job opportunities, education costs, and housing costs are to blame. But there also seem to be social inequalities for women at home and at work. As a result, young women, especially those who are educated, choose not to get married.
Read the article and learn about how serious South Korea’s fertility rate decline is.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62670717

Topic Reading-Vol.3792-8/29/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Rohingya: ‘Kill us, but don’t deport us to Myanmar’
The Rohingya people are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, most of whom are Muslims and had lived in Rakhine State in Myanmar until the genocide took place in 2017. Myanmar’s military brutally cracked down and forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. After the Myanmar junta took control of the country in a military coup, the figure increased to over a million, half of whom are children. Most of them live in refugee camps with food rations from charities in barracks but without jobs or hope. They are now the world’s largest stateless population. The Bangladesh government wants them to go back to Myanmar, which means death for them and put them on a remote island. No other country welcomes these refugees either. Some even fled to India, where Muslims are a minority and have not been treated fairly. There are both children and newly born children among the refugees whose present and future outlooks are dim at best. Some even wish to be killed rather than be sent back to their homeland. Who else chooses death over homeland?
Read the article and learn about the life and outlook of the Rohingya people.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-62658647

Topic Reading-Vol.3791-8/28/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Joy and concerns as Philippines schools reopen
Millions of students in the Philippines had been attending school only online for over two years until just recently because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was one of the world’s longest lockdowns imposed on schools. Now, the government allowed schools to resume classes at school. For some students, it was their first time wearing a school uniform, going to school, and meeting their classmates and teachers face-to-face even with their masks on. Online classrooms indeed helped prevent the coronavirus from spreading, but the class hours were limited only to a few hours a day. Also, it was still difficult for young students to pay attention to classes by themselves. There are students in rural areas who don’t have good internet connections. After two years of absence from face-to-face learning, teachers found that many students miss some of the expected competencies. Now, both students and teachers have to make a good transition to ordinary school life and curriculum.
Enjoy reading the article about the joy and challenge that students in the Philippines have.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62629047

Topic Reading-Vol.3790-8/27/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Europe's drought the worst in 500 years – report
Climate change is no doubt becoming more noticeable every year. This summer, most parts of Europe have been suffering from severe drought, and it’s getting worse in summer. In fact, nearly all of the rivers in Europe have dried up to some extent. Hydroelectric power is down by nearly 20%, wildfires have been raging in many parts, and crop yields are expected to drop significantly. The drought observatory of the EU Commission warns that the current drought seems to be the worst in 500 years. Because of the record-low water level, the Danube River revealed an old German warship that sunk during WWII. And such revelation isn’t limited only to Europe. In Texas, dinosaur tracks from around 113 million years ago have been revealed at Dinosaur Valley State Park. In China, plunging water levels of the Yangtze River have revealed a trio of Buddhist statues on it that are believed to be 600 years old. However, we certainly want relief from the drought, not such revelations by the drought.
Read the article and learn about how severe the drought is in Europe and in other parts of the world.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62648912

Topic Reading-Vol.3789-8/26/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Dogs' eyes well up with tears of joy when reunited with their owners
Are our pet dogs as expressive as human beings? We humans well up with tears when we are emotionally moved. While dogs show their emotions by wagging, licking, or jumping to show their happiness, they aren’t seen crying or in tears. Recently, research by Japanese scientists found that dogs’ eyes seem to well up with tears when they are reunited with their owners after a while. They found that the amount of tears increased only after reunions with their owners but not with other people who are familiar with the dogs. Even though the amount of tears increased might not be substantial enough to be recognized by us, dogs seem to have another way to express their emotion.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how close pet dogs are to their owners.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/22/world/dogs-tears-emotions-scn-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3788-8/25/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Lakes are drying up everywhere. Israel will pump water from the Med as a solution
Europe, the USA, and China are all experiencing extreme heat and severe drought (Vol.3787). As global warming accelerates and extreme weather conditions become more frequent, water security is becoming a critical issue in many parts of the world. Water resource is scarce, especially in the Middle East and Israel is no exception. So, the country has been desalinating seawater from the Mediterranean Sea to make it drinkable. In fact, there are five such desalination plants that are capable of providing almost all the tap water for the nation’s nine million population. They are mainly used to fill the freshwater lake when the water level is low. Also, Israel exports drinkable water to its neighbor Jordan. In return, Jordan is developing more solar power plants to generate electricity to run Israel’s desalination plants more cleanly. Sounds like a green deal between the two neighboring countries.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about Israel’s forward-looking approach to securing water resources.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/19/middleeast/israel-water-desalination-climate-cmd-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3787-8/24/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Extreme heat is slamming the world's three biggest economies all at once

Water is essential for humans, animals, plants, and crops, especially in summer. But this year, Europe, the USA, and China are experiencing scorching heat and severe drought. Water levels in the Danube and Rhine are so low that boats can’t cruise any longer, halting the transportation of goods and materials. The Colorado river is drying up and causing water supply shortages for lives and farming in the South West. Along the Yangtze River, drought is so severe that hydropower plants are unable to generate enough electricity for business. In Sichuan province, all factories have been ordered to close for over a week. All of these areas are critical for the global economy and food supply. As energy, food, and materials prices have been already rising sharply along with wages, inflation is getting worse. Now, further product shortages are being caused by the extreme heat and drought conditions. At last, global warming seems to be affecting the economy directly.

Read the article and learn about the urgency and severity of the impacts of global warming.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/18/business/heatwave-global-economy/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3786-8/23/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
A pizza topping that divides the world
Pizza is an Italian-origin dish consisting of a flattened disk of bread dough topped with cheese, olive oil, and/or sauce. It is usually topped with other ingredients, such as tomatoes, olives, anchovies, meat, or ham. In North America, just like sandwiches, unique toppings have become popular, such as spicy chicken, ground beef, bacon, chorizo, and pineapple. Why pineapple? It is distinctly sweet and sour. Interestingly, the sweetness of pineapple seems to go well with salty ham, just like salted caramel. Also, the characteristic of pineapple’s sweetness changes depending on how hot and how long it is baked. Some say such sweetness spoils the taste and flavor of the pizza crust and cheese. Others say it makes the pizza tastier. It seems that there are two kinds of pizza in North America. One is the Italian style that is made with Italian standards. The other is the American style that uses any popular foods for topping.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about this magic topping on pizza.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220818-why-is-ham-and-pineapple-pizza-so-controversial

Topic Reading-Vol.3785-8/22/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Japan urges its young people to drink more to boost economy
If the government wants to increase tax revenues, there are several options they can take. One way is to raise the tax rate, such as sales tax or income tax. This is the least favored way by anyone. Another way is to levy new taxes on things, activities, or usages. For example, a sugar tax for healthier lives, a fossil fuel tax for the environment, or a smartphone tax for wellbeing. Again, any new tax is unpopular. So, when Japanese alcohol tax revenues declined too much, the national tax agency came up with a campaign to encourage alcohol consumption. Indeed, stimulating consumption is one way to increase tax revenues without causing a backlash. However, as the Japanese population is aging and shrinking, alcohol consumption declines accordingly. Also, the Covid pandemic significantly hit the business of restaurants and bars. Under any circumstance, is encouraging people to drink more alcohol a sensible way to increase tax revenues?  What does the health ministry think or say? Is Japan’s alcohol industry behind this campaign?
Enjoy reading the article about Japan’s new initiative to increase its tax revenues.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62585809

Topic Reading-Vol.3784-8/21/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
China inducing rainfall to combat severe drought
Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals that form when water vapor in the atmosphere cools and condenses around a tiny particle of dust or salt floating in the atmosphere.
Cloud seeding aims to improve a cloud's ability to produce rain or snow by introducing tiny ice nuclei into certain types of subfreezing clouds. After cloud seeding takes place, the newly formed snowflakes quickly grow and fall from the clouds back to the surface of the Earth, increasing snowpack and streamflow.  It is often used to enhance snowfall in winter or increase water supply when there is not enough rain even though the effectiveness of the technique is still being debated. Having experienced record heat and drought in many parts of China, water-scarce provinces are trying cloud seeding operations to induce rainfall. Indeed, no clouds, no rain or snow. Will technology save us from heat and drought now or in the long run?
Read the article and learn about another impact of extreme weather conditions.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-62573547

Topic Reading-Vol.3783-8/20/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
‘Attack on a dream’: Muslims in fear as Indian democracy turns 75
On 15 August 1947, India became independent from the United Kingdom, which ended the British ruling that had lasted since 1858. The independence split the subcontinent along religious lines, Hindu-majority India and mainly Muslim Pakistan. The separation not only killed around two million people but also displaced over 15 million on both sides of the border. The nation’s iconic leader for independence, Mahatma Gandhi, who aimed to establish a secular democratic nation, was assassinated only four months later by a Hindu supremacist. Currently, India has been ruled since 2014 by the BJP under Narendra Modi, which is aligned with right-wing politics and Hindu nationalism. It is now the largest political party both in the national parliament and state legislatures. Even though about 80% of India’s population practices Hinduism and around 14% are Muslims, there is no Muslim parliamentarian in the governing party. It seems that Hindu majoritarianism has been developing as the voices of Hindu supremacists become louder. For example, in a southern state, the BJP government banned the hijab in educational institutions.
As Al Jazeera is a Qatari media based in Doha, you may learn about how Muslims in India feel about this situation.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/15/attack-on-a-dream-muslims-in-fear-as-india-democracy-turns-75

Topic Reading-Vol.3782-8/19/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Green, cheap, fun, easy ... e-bikes fly
Last year, China recorded the strongest growth in the electric vehicle market with around 3.2 million EVs sold, an increase of 2 million EV units from 2020. In the meantime, China’s e-bike market is growing rapidly as well and the industry produced about four million units last year. It has already formed a solid network of research and development, production, supply chain, logistics, sales, and services. The e-bike market is expected to grow further as people have learned the benefits of economy, convenience, and eco-friendliness. In fact, there are over 300 million e-bikes running on the roads in China. With a huge domestic market, an already-established supply chain, and accumulating know-how, China’s e-bike industry may someday take over the market where Japanese motorcycle manufacturers like Honda or Yamaha are dominating now.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how hot China’s e-bike market is.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202208/15/WS62f98b02a310fd2b29e721a1.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3781-8/18/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
High and low-tech ways to tackle India's water crisis
India is a water-scarce country. While nearly 17% of the world's population lives in the subcontinent, only about 4% of the world’s freshwater resources are available there. Also, large areas of western and central India receive over 90% of their total annual precipitation and southern and northwestern India get 50%-75% of their total annual rainfall during the monsoon period, between June and September. You can imagine how difficult to manage water reserves. Furthermore, about half of rural households don’t have a tap water connection and people in rural villages, mostly girls and women, have to walk for hours only to carry water every day. In the meanwhile, many people and businesses still discharge untreated water into rivers and water channels, making the scarce water more polluted. How will they manage the water supply and distribution when more food production is needed to feed the increasing population while more extreme weather conditions have been experienced around the world? They cannot count on underground water as it is already being over-exploited.
Read the article and learn about the water scarcity in the world’s most populous country.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61965419

Topic Reading-Vol.3780-8/17/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
In pictures: Heatwaves, drought and wildfires
More extreme and frequent heatwaves and droughts have been seen this summer, especially in Europe. Massive wildfires near Bordeaux, a famous region for wine, 40-degree-level heatwaves and severe droughts in many parts of England, and the continuing drought in continental Europe only to name a few. As a result, the green has turned yellow and brown, the water levels of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs have gone down to the lowest on record, apples have dried up in trees, and crops have shriveled before harvest.
If such extreme weather conditions have already become normal, what the world will be like when the average temperature exceeds 1.5 degrees over pre-industrial averages?
See the photos of traces of extreme weather conditions in Europe to learn what we’ve done to our mother planet.
https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-62497772

Topic Reading-Vol.3779-8/16/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Highlights of white paper on national reunification
A week after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and met its president Tsai Ing-wen on Aug 3, China published a white paper titled "The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era.” In summary, peaceful reunification based on the one-China principle can be achieved on conditions whilst force could be used if necessary. Once unified, Taiwan will be classified as a special administrative region and given a high degree of autonomy (like Hong Kong). Foreign countries will be allowed to continue economic and cultural relations with Taiwan as they have now on an approved basis.
This white paper shows no new news but clarifies the mainland’s position on Taiwan. People in Taiwan need to take these conditions into consideration when it comes to deciding on their future position.
Read the article and think about the difference between democracy and autonomy.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202208/11/WS62f4a15ca310fd2b29e71a80_1.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3778-8/15/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Nearly half of all teens say they use the internet 'almost constantly,' survey finds
Almost half of US teenagers stay connected to the Internet almost all the time, a new search found. It is a substantial hike as about one in every four teenagers gave the same answer seven years ago. The survey also found that video platforms like YouTube and TikTok are now the most used sites followed by Instagram and Snapchat. The once-dominant SNS Facebook is now used only by a third of teenagers. What will happen in the next seven years when metaverse is expected to attract new space to interact with others and provide 3D/VR/AR experiences?
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how US teenagers are spending their time nowadays.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/11/tech/facebook-teen-usage-pew/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3777-8/14/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Domino's tried to sell pizza to Italians. It failed
Pizza is loved by many around the world. Modern pizza became popular in Naples, Italy in the 18^th or 19^th century. In particular, pizza Margherita, one of the most widely served pizzas was invented in 1889. There are about 63,000 pizzerias in Italy, nearly every town and corner, employing as many as 100,000 pizza makers. It is an influential industry for Italy, whose population is just around 60 million.
Established in Michigan in 1960, Domino’s Pizza is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain, operating over 15,000 stores in about 5,700 cities in over 80 countries. In the US, the Philly steak pizza, Buffalo chicken pizza, and cheeseburger pizza are some of the most popular Domino’s pizzas. The ambitious international pizza giant wanted to challenge the home ground of pizza, signed a franchise agreement, and opened its first restaurant in Milano in 2015. The pizza delivery service business seems to have been doing well and added twenty-some stores. However, as food delivery services became popular, Domino’s delivery service model lost its competitive edge and filed for bankruptcy recently. But why didn’t the American pizza brand go well in Italy, the menu, taste, price, service, delivery service, or pandemic?
Enjoy reading the article and thinking about the challenges to sell pizza in Italy.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/10/business-food/dominos-exits-italy/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3776-8/13/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Is there anything green about plastic grass?
Artificial turf, or plastic grass, is made of synthetic fibers that look like natural grass. It has been used in sports arenas for decades. Recently, plastic green is being used on residential and commercial lawns by taking part in natural grass because it doesn’t require trimming or water. Indeed, you can enjoy natural-like green throughout the year without mowing. Nowadays, artificial turf offers infills that are mixtures of sand and granules of recycled rubber, which makes it look and feel more like real grass. However, it is still made of plastic after all. When it is produced, it leaves a quite substantial carbon footprint. In summer, its surface temperature goes so high that it cannot be walked on with bare feet. Also, microplastic particles are washed off into the surrounding area and eventually into rivers and seas. And what will happen when it is disposed of? Can it be recycled? In any case, more sustainable and greener plastic green is coming as aging societies need green without care.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about artificial green on the ground and yard.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61552315

Topic Reading-Vol.3775-8/12/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Komodo dragons: Indonesians strike over entry price hike
The Komodo dragon is a lizard that lives only in a few of the Indonesian islands. They grow as long as three meters and weigh up to 70 kilograms. Because of their size and razor-sharp teeth, Komodo dragons are top predators and dominate the ecosystems that they live in. The distinct appearance attracted over 200,000 tourists to Komodo National Park in 2019 alone, which the local government thinks too many to protect the endangered species. So, they decided to raise the ticket price to visit the National Park to see the Komodo dragons to $250 from $13! This nearly 20-fold price hike could significantly reduce the number of visitors as intended. It was bad news not only for visitors but also for local workers who make their living by tourism. Indeed, they cannot raise the price of the goods, foods, or services they sell to tourists by 20 times or increase the business by 20 times. So they went on strike, which didn’t seem to have made the governor change the decision. By the way, a two-day ticket for Angkor Wat, one of the most visited world heritage sites, costs $62. What would the Komodo dragon say?
Enjoy reading the article and think if you would pay $250 only to see the rare lizard alive.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-62396230

Topic Reading-Vol.3774-8/11/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Space debris Australia: Piece of SpaceX capsule crashes to Earth in field
On July 30, Chinese rocket debris of the Long March 5, the largest rocket China had ever launched, reentered over the Indian Ocean and then crashed into the Sulu Sea - east of the Philippine island of Palawan in the north Pacific. Although China's space agency said most remains of the Long March 5 burnt in the atmosphere, space agencies of other nations did not deny the chance of a possible crash on populated areas. In this case, the remains of the giant rocket were too huge that they had been well tracked and predicted their reentry timing and location. However, when a large black object from a SpaceX capsule landed on a remote farm in New South Wales, Australia, it hadn’t been known until the farmer happened to find it weeks later. The farmer was quite excited to see space debris like that so close. Didn’t he worry about the chance of his house might have been hit by the debris? In fact, dozens more SpaceX satellites are feared to fall as the Sun is moving into a cycle of being more active. There seems to be another thing we need to worry about; the space environment.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about what could happen unexpectedly from the sky.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-62414438

Topic Reading-Vol.3773-8/10/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why 99% of sea turtle babies are now born female, according to scientists
Seat turtles are losing the genetic diversity to produce offspring because of the heat. Unlike most other oviparous animals, the gender of sea turtles and alligators depends on the temperature of developing eggs, not during fertilization. And if a turtle’s eggs incubate over 31 degrees Celsius in the sand, they will be female. In fact, Florida has had the hottest summers in the last four years and researchers found almost all the sea turtles born were female. So, those fertilized eggs have been produced by existing males, whose population is decreasing over time. Unless the temperatures on the beaches cool down, those female turtles out there must find their mate somehow, or they fertilize by themselves like some reptiles or dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Another serious and significant impact on biodiversity by global warming. Is the declining birthrate in developed countries also caused by global warming?
Read the article and learn about what temperature increase could affect the gender rate.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/03/us/florida-turtles-born-female-climate-change/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3772-8/9/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Can North America's downtowns reverse their downturns?
While the Covid pandemic hasn’t ended yet, its side effects and aftershocks have already been seen in downtowns in North America. Many businesses that used to or still have downtown office space found that they no longer need that much space as more employees can or choose to work from home. In fact, Toronto, Canada’s largest town, saw passenger numbers on the city's public transport system are still only 60% of pre-Covid levels. Also, as more people now choose to work from home instead of living or commuting downtown, the hospitality industry is struggling to find workers to serve customers, especially in restaurants and bars even though visitors are coming back. Some restaurants have no choice but to operate in a smaller capacity because of the workforce shortage. Is this part of the changes happening in the downtown business paradigm?
Enjoy reading the article and learning about the changes occurring in downtowns.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62390097

Topic Reading-Vol.3771-8/8/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Passenger fined $1,874 after two undeclared McMuffins found in luggage
Biosecurity is the prevention of disease-causing agents entering or leaving any place where they can pose a risk to farm animals, other animals, humans, or the safety and quality of a food product. In agriculture, these measures are aimed at protecting food crops and livestock from pests, invasive species, and other organisms not conducive to the welfare of the human population. Though it is harmless to humans, Foot and Mouth disease, FMD, causes serious health problems or even deaths to cloven-hooved animals like cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats.  Since the disease could be carried by meat, dairy products, or even contaminated clothing or luggage, strict biosecurity measures are implemented in Australia to prevent inbound or returning travelers from Indonesia where an FMD outbreak is spreading. Recently, a passenger traveling from Bali, a popular tourist destination in Indonesia, was fined over $1,800 for bringing in undeclared McMuffins and a ham croissant. Are McDonald’s restaurants in Bali offering different breakfast menus from the ones in Australia? Whatever the reason the passenger might have had, their expensive sandwiches were detected by a biosecurity detector dog called Zinta.
Read the article and learn about another border security measure taken place in Australia.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/passenger-fined-after-undeclared-mcmuffins-found-in-luggage/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3770-8/7/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Japan is open to travel. So why aren't tourists coming back?
While Covid doesn’t choose the nationality to infect, Japan had isolated itself from foreigners until recently. It allowed only its citizens to return home during the midst of the pandemic but not foreigners. Now, the country opened its doors to foreign visitors but only to those who come in organized tour groups. Why tour groups are welcomed but not individual travelers? What sort of science or rationale for the restrictions Japan is imposing? Certainly, it is not inviting for foreign tourists who can choose to visit more welcoming destinations in Asia, like Singapore, South Korea, or Thailand, all of which had strict restrictions before but are wide open now to any tourists. Furthermore, once you arrive at the airport in Tokyo, you’ll be tested again. Even if you pass the immigration and customs, you’re required to wear a mask in public places. Even in restaurants, guests are asked to wear a mask until they start eating or drinking. If you don’t, you’ll be looked at with critical eyes by other mask wearers. As Chinese tourists, the largest customer segment for Japan’s foreign tourism, haven’t resumed their foreign travels yet, there won’t be so many foreign tourists visiting the restrictive county at least for a while. By the way, Japan’s daily covid cases have been over a hundred thousand since July, one of the highest in the world.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how exclusive Japan’s tourism policy is.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-travel-reopening-challenges-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3769-8/6/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The public relations and ad firms refusing fossil fuel clients
For PR and ad agencies, clients are the absolute source of revenue. They work for clients’ aims and interests to promote their products, services, or messages. Naturally, companies with deep pockets, such as oil and gas companies are their preferred clients. However, the United Nations states that the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal is by far the largest contributor to climate change, accounting for almost 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions. As more people, especially the young are becoming more conscious about the environment, some ad and PR firms are turning their back on those environmentally unfriendly clients. Critics say they can still play some role to protect the environment by working with fossil-fuel giants, but the young talent seems to prefer working for greener employers. Difficult decisions to make for business leaders.
Enjoy reading the article about the new positioning PR and ad agencies are taking.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62303026

Topic Reading-Vol.3768-8/5/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Spain heatwave: PM tells workers to stop wearing ties to save energy
Over the past few weeks, Europe and many other parts of the world have experienced record-high temperatures. People have been encouraged to take off unnecessary jackets or ties to stay cooler. Indeed, heatwaves have been becoming more frequent and intense in the last few years across the world, including Greenland and Antarctica. Furthermore, the summer period is getting longer. There is no doubt that global warming is the main cause of extreme weather conditions or climate change. Recently, Spanish PM called on workers to stop wearing ties to save energy. At the press conference, he wasn’t wearing a tie but with a jacket on. How about changing the dress code entirely? We can do more not just to save energy but to save the world.
Enjoy reading the article about one small action the Spanish government has announced.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62350019

Topic Reading-Vol.3767-8/4/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The strange reason America's economy is shrinking
The U.S. Federal Reserve Bank raised interest rates by a staggering 0.75 percentage points on July 27 for the second consecutive time to fight inflation, taking its benchmark rate to a range of 2.25%-2.5%. While the fed funds rate most directly impacts what banks charge each other for short-term loans, it feeds into a multitude of consumer products such as adjustable mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards. The FRB believes that job gains have been robust in recent months and the unemployment rate has remained low. They think higher prices for food and energy especially are causing broader price pressures on businesses and consumers. In the meantime, the US gross domestic product for the second quarter fell at an annual rate of 0.9% after a 1.6% fall in the previous quarter. You may wonder if the US is under both inflation and recession. Some analysts say that the business inventory level is too high for healthy economic growth. Indeed, when there are too many unsold goods and materials, new orders are going to be withheld or they are sold at discounted prices, which would slash their profits. Also, a rate hike leads to higher mortgage payments, which would reduce consumer spending.
It seems that the current US economy is in a very difficult situation to manage. Can the central bank navigate under this heavy storm safely?
Enjoy reading the article and learning about the US economy and inflation.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/29/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3766-8/3/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Cost of living: ‘Blood, sweat’ for a Seoul food delivery driver
To endure this record-setting summer, many South Koreans choose to eat in their air-conditioned home instead of going out to eat. Thanks to the food-delivery services, they can still enjoy professionally cooked meals delivered to the front door by someone, food delivery drivers and riders. They are usually paid per delivery, whose amount is carefully calculated by algorithms that take various factors into calculation, such as the distance, time of the day, weather conditions, and road congestion. However, as fuel prices have skyrocketed all over the world, these independent divers and riders have to manage their income, that is the remaining earnings after expenditures. Also, as the overall cost of living is increasing, they need to bring more money home, which means more deliveries. So, they are working harder and faster, which could increase the risk of accidents. Since these delivery drivers and other gig workers are classified as independent contractors, they need to earn and protect themselves. In South Korea’s overly polarized society, elite workers who earn global-standard salaries and the others who are much less compensated or protected, these food delivery drivers are struggling to survive and improve their working conditions under the rising temperatures and cost of living.
Enjoy reading the story of a food delivery driver in South Korea.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/7/21/cost-of-living-blood-sweat-for-a-seoul-food-delivery-driver

Topic Reading-Vol.3765-8/2/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Climate change killing elephants, says Kenya
Kenya is home to over 36,000 elephants, which are important to the country's economic development and conservation efforts. Elephants need to take over 200 litters of water and 300 kilograms of food each day but now they can find much less. But in the last few years, consecutive seasons of poor rains dried up rivers and water pans and created dry carcasses of wild elephants in protected wildlife reserves. Researchers say they are clear indicators of drought-related deaths. In fact, climate change is now killing more elephants than poaching. In fact, nearly 180 elephants died just in the first half of this year while the number of victims of poaching was less than 10. So, the wildlife service is shifting its conservation efforts to biodiversity and ecosystem that are sustainable under global warming.  Unfortunately, global warming has been accelerating and extreme weather conditions are sweeping large parts of the world. Can we catch up?
Watch the video to learn about another trace of global warming.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-62323058

Topic Reading-Vol.3764-8/1/2022

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Music industry as tough as it has always been, watchdog says
Music is art, entertainment, fun, and even meditation for some people. But creators and performers of music need to make their living and be given the chance to enjoy financial success. That’s why the music industry exists. In the last century, album sales like records and CDs were the major sources of revenue for musicians and record companies in addition to the ticket sales of the concerts. Nowadays, streaming has taken the place. It allows the audience to listen to music song by song or through subscription services like Spotify or Apple Music. For artists, they can create a mega-hit title without making a whole album that needs to be promoted and distributed by a record company. For listeners, they can enjoy any music they like anywhere anytime without a CD. But are musicians being paid fairly in the era of music subscription? Are they making enough money to continue creating and performing good music?
Enjoy reading the article about what the music industry is like in the UK now.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62305395