Topic Reading-Vol.4724-3/31/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Why are a growing number of airlines banning power banks on flights?

The world of inflight entertainment has been changing from airline-provided services like featured movies and music to individual passengers’ devices such as smartphones and tablets. Even for long-haul transcontinental or transoceanic flights, more passengers nowadays are enjoying themselves with downloaded or streaming content on their devices powered by lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly used not only for mobile devices but also for drones, e-bikes, and EVs, and some passengers use portable power banks to charge their mobile devices during flights. The problem with lithium batteries is that they can overheat and even cause fire or explosion because they are made with highly reactive and flammable materials. It is suspected that a lithium battery was the cause of the fire on an Airbus plane in South Korea earlier this year. Now, more airlines in Asia are tightening rules on lithium power banks on their flights. As more aircraft are equipped with power outlets like USB ports and AC outlets, passengers might check the airline’s regulations and services before packing. 

Read the article and learn how lithium-ion batteries are being regulated by airlines. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/26/travel/airline-power-bank-rules-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4723-3/30/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

A simple illustrated guide to zakat, answers to 7 common questions

These practices are referred to as the Five pillars of Islam because they form the foundation of Muslim life; the declaration of faith (shahada, lifetime), prayer (salah, five times a day), alms-giving (zakat, after Ramadan or any time), fasting (sawm, a month in Ramadan), and pilgrimage (hajj, once in a life). After a month of annual fasting (Ramadan), many eligible Muslims fulfill another pillar of their faith-giving Zakat, which means to purify wealth, promote social justice, and help those in need. It is mandatory for Muslims whose wealth exceeds a certain amount throughout the year. The Zakar rate is 2.5% of the wealth, which includes money, valuables, investments, and assets, but not the house they live in. Zakat is given directly or indirectly to those who need financial support but not to the immediate family members of the giver. Zakat is tax-deductible like donations in most Islamic states. 

Read the article and learn about Zakad, one of the five pillars of Islam.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/23/a-simple-illustrated-guide-to-zakat-answers-to-7-common-questions

Topic Reading-Vol.4722-3/29/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Chinese tourists redefine bucket list

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, domestic tourism saw nearly a 15% increase in 2024 with over 5.6 billion visits. Accordingly, travelers spent 17% more than the previous year. In general, Chinese people tend to travel extensively during the Lunar New Year (Spring Festival) in Jan/Feb, the National Day holiday (Golden Week) in May, and the summer months. Yes, there still are a lot of tourist groups being led by tour guides with flags in popular tourist destinations. However, instead of just visiting travel destinations and seeing popular things, people are now more interested in diverse activities and immersive experiences, such as local dining, unique accommodations, and leisure activities. These things and activities are introduced not by travel guidebooks or websites but more likely by short video platforms. Also, some travelers prefer visiting lesser-known destinations (reverse tourism) and others seek budget-friendly substitutes (alternative tourism). With a nearly 50,000 km high-speed rail network, more than 250 civil airports, and over 180,000 km highway length, People in China are more mobile both physically and digitally. 

Read the article and learn how people in China enjoy traveling these days.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202503/24/WS67e09caba310c240449dc63c_1.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4721-3/28/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Amazon forest felled to build road for climate summit

Belém ([beˈlẽj], Portuguese for Bethlehem) is a northern Brazilian city that lies about 100 km upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. It is the gateway to the Amazon River with a population of a little over two million and is known as the city of the Metropolis of the Brazilian Amazon region.  This is where the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference, the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 30) will convene in November this year. The Brazilian president expects the COP30 in Belém to be a historic summit because it is "a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon" as the conference will focus on the needs of the Amazon and present what the Brazilian government has done to protect it. In order to host over 50,000 people at the climate summit, a new four-lane highway is being constructed through the protected Amazon rainforest. Also, the airport capacity is being expanded from seven million to 14 million even though it has been used by fewer than four million passengers a year. The COP summit is surely going to have impacts on the Amazon’s climate, biodiversity, and the lives of inhabitants. 

Read the article and learn about how the COP 30 climate summit is being prepared in Brazil.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vy191rgn1o

Topic Reading-Vol.4720-3/27/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

What’s ‘sleepmaxxing’? Experts weigh in on the social media trend

Goodnight’s sleep is essential for your health and daytime performance (Vol.4719). There are tips and tricks to improve sleep quality and quantity, called “sleepmaxxing” on the web. Some of them are basic and proven practices for better sleep, such as sleeping in a dark, and quiet room at a cool temperature between 15 and 19 degrees. Also, limiting screen time, and avoiding bright lights, alcohol, or caffeine helps you fall asleep easily and have sound sleep. For some people, weighted blankets might make them feel cocooned during sleep, while others find eating kiwi before bedtime helps their sleep. However, mouth taping to avoid mouth breathing or nostril expanders to prevent nasal congestion or snoring might be harmful to health. After all, the very basics for a good night’s sleep seem simple; keeping regular hours, doing exercises, and sleeping in a sound environment. Checking sleepmaxxing videos on your smartphone at midnight certainly won’t help you sleep any better or longer.

Read the article and learn how to maximize your sleep.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/09/health/sleepmaxxing-benefits-risks-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4719-3/26/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Seven ways to improve your sleep

Do you usually get a good night’s sleep? We are supposed to sleep about one-third of each day, between seven and nine hours. But around the world, many people today don’t sleep well or long enough because they are busy working or having fun and suffer from sleep impairment. One study found those who slept for only six hours a night for two weeks had as many naps as those who hadn’t slept a whole night. 

Sleep is essential to your brain. When you sleep, your brain clears out accumulated debris and toxins. Also when you’re in deep sleep, your body repairs muscles and tissues. But you don’t have to sleep for eight hours straight. If you cannot sleep that long at a time, you could take a catnap for not longer than 15 minutes, or sleep in two shifts. If you have difficulty falling asleep, having a sleeping companion might help. Of course, a comfortable bed, a dark and noiseless room, and daytime exercises all help you sleep better, if not longer. The key to healthy sleep is not just how long you sleep but how well you sleep.

Read the article and learn tips to sleep better.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240315-the-ultimate-guide-to-optimising-your-sleep

Topic Reading-Vol.4718-3/25/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Iran using drones and apps to enforce women's dress code

The hijab, head coverings worn by Muslim women, has been a mandatory dress code for all women in Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The head covering is a sign of piety before God and modesty in front of men outside their families. Morality police enforce the law by monitoring, arresting, and even punishing women who don’t comply with the law. Now, Iranian women and girls face increased fines, prison terms of up to 15 years, and possible death sentences for failing to wear a hijab in both physical and online spaces through a new strict law on religious dress and behavior that took effect last December. To monitor hijab compliance, Iran’s security officials are using security cameras, facial recognition software, and drones. They also encourage people to use mobile phone apps to report women’s dress code violations. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, modern technologies are being used to enforce ancient traditions and customs.

Read the article and learn about reinforced women’s dress code in Iran.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0kg15jkpdeo

Topic Reading-Vol.4717-3/24/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Who's doing the dishes? Bollywood film and government data have the same answer

“Mrs.” is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language drama film that explores a newly wed woman’s struggles with patriarchal traditions. When an aspiring dancer enters an arranged marriage, she finds herself navigating the expectations and demands of her new household, particularly the endless cycle of kitchen duties. It mirrors the reality in modern India, where women are expected to take on most unpaid domestic and caregiving work. Though such disproportion is common in many patriarchal societies, Indian women spend nearly four hours on domestic work more than men, compared with a global average of 2.8 hours. While more women are educated, and their participation in the workforce is increasing, their burdens at home, including household chores and caregiving, remain nearly unchanged in India. That is one of the main reasons many young women in South Korea and China choose not to get married. Dishwashers don’t seem to help women so much with their household burdens.

Read the article and learn about a movie that mirrors what women are expected to do at home.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlye6yvrgzo

Topic Reading-Vol.4716-3/23/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

The Arctic is in trouble. The consequences will be felt around the world

The Arctic is the northernmost region on Earth. It is dominated by the Arctic Ocean basin and the icy reaches of Scandinavia, Russia, the U.S. state of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. The areas north of the Arctic Circle (66 ° 33'N) have at least one day without daylight in the winter and at least one nightless night in the summer. Arctic sea ice typically reaches its annual maximum levels in March. This year, the estimated amount of ice in the Arctic is the lowest on record, indicating a minimum level of sea ice in the coming months. This is partly because the region has been warming almost four times faster than the global average. Scientists are very much concerned as Arctic sea ice has already been at the lowest levels in the last 18 years. White ice in polar regions reflects the heat from the Sun back to space, but if it melts, the dark seawater absorbs the sun’s energy and accelerates global warming, increases sea level rise, and causes more extreme weather conditions, like drought, storms, and heat waves. Unfortunately, the Arctic ice is predicted to disappear in summer in or by the middle of the century even if we stop releasing climate polluting gasses immediately. But if we act now, the situation will certainly become worse in the future.

Read the article and learn what is happening in the Arctic. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/12/climate/arctic-sea-ice-heat-downward-spiral/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4715-3/22/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

From chatbots to intelligent toys: How AI is booming in China

The world seems to be at the dawn of the artificial intelligence (AI) age. A Chinese tech leader says AI technologies have evolved into fundamental infrastructure and a core capability that fully enables economic and social transformation. And China is trying to apply AI on a vast scale. In order to be technologically independent, China is heavily investing in artificial intelligence, robots, and advanced technologies. As millions of students graduate each year with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) degrees, China has substantial talents and human resources to be competitive with the US, and DeepSeek has recently proved the potential. Also, AI has already been used to help engineers design products and manufacturing processes. For example, an AI-powered game robot that plays board games is sold at an $800 price tag. The more restrictive the US becomes on core intelligence and technologies, the more resilient and competitive China seems to become.

Read the article and learn how China is gaining an edge in AI.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg8jqj393eo

Topic Reading-Vol.4714-3/21/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

America is the world’s biggest arms exporter. Europe should know

The US exported over 40% of global weapons between 2020 and 2024, up from 35% in the previous four years, according to a report by a think tank. European states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance between countries in Europe and North America, in particular, increased weapons import from the US from just over half to nearly two-thirds during those two periods, which includes Rossia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Now, having been pressured by the US, those European countries are set to increase defense spending to improve readiness against Russia’s aggression. More defence spending among European countries is likely to increase more weapons import from the USA. Then, the US can sustain or even grow its arms industry without increasing its defense budget. The USA seems to remain the world’s largest arms exporter, at least for a while.

Read the article and learn about weapons export by the USA.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/10/business/us-weapons-exports-europe-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4713-3/20/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

What happens when an air passenger dies

Safety is the number one priority for airlines. In aviation, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training is a legal requirement and safety standard to be prepared to respond to medical emergencies. When there is a medical emergency during a flight and no medical expert is on board, crew members might perform CPR to save the passenger, and the captain might decide to divert the flight to get medical assistance. Though it’s quite rare, there is a chance that a passenger dies on a flight. Then what will the crew members do to the dead passenger? The body can be moved to an empty seat or aisle and covered by curtains and/or blankets. But if the flight is full, the body may have to remain seated, only covered by a blanket, because the emergency exits and galleries need to be accessible in case of an emergency. Though such an incident is quite rare, the longer the flight is and the more passengers are on board, the higher the chance is.

Read the article and learn about crew members’ experience dealing with a dead passenger.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9nj075yggo

Topic Reading-Vol.4712-3/19/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Data, waves and wind to be counted in the economy

The size of the economies of each country is going to increase in 2030 when wind and waves are included in the calculations. They are to be considered valuable resources that could generate wealth like oilfields. Also, data itself will be regarded as an asset like servers and cables. Indeed, they all have the potential to add economic value to the respective nation’s economy, like minerals and oil, if they are ever utilized. Even though they don’t generate any money for the country’s economy by themselves, there will be impacts on the budgets that are committed to a certain percentage of the economy, such as defence and aid programs. This is problematic when European countries are set to increase the percentages of their defence spending to cope with the increasing military threats by Russia. In any case, assets should be utilized to generate tangible economic value and keep the balance sheet in good shape. Moreover, wind, waves, and data can be used for a cleaner and more sustainable world. 

Read the article and learn about new assets to be added to the world economy.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czedpnen168o

Topic Reading-Vol.4711-3/18/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

A guide to mastering small talk with just about anyone, according to experts

Small talk is an informal conversation between known or unknown people about unimportant issues, such as the weather, surroundings, or situations around them. Though it has little useful or practical purpose, small talk can help manage interpersonal distance, share feelings with others, or ease the atmosphere. Nowadays, we can spend a day or days without interacting with anyone. Small talk with someone, like neighbors or even strangers, helps you feel connected and keep a sense of belonging. According to psychologists, small talk helps boost one’s mood and can have benefits for health and well-being. Even though initiating a talk might need courage, especially to a stranger, the person you’re speaking to may enjoy having a light talk anyway. Also, responding to a stranger often makes you nervous, but there is no need to hit the ball back immediately like a tennis match. After all, small talk helps ease the situation, initiate a dialogue, and make people feel more connected.

Read the article and learn about the benefits of having small talk. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/03/health/small-talk-conversation-stranger-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4710-3/17/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Mexico’s Supreme Court orders zoo to improve conditions for Ely the elephant

The capture and taming of elephants began in the Indus Valley more than 4,000 years ago, and people have continued to capture, train, and work them ever since. Nowadays, elephants can be found in various captive facilities such as zoos, sanctuaries, circuses, or camps and are often used for educational, entertainment, or work purposes. However, such elephants in captivity tend to face significant welfare concerns due to unnatural social groupings, lack of stimulation, and potential for inhumane handling, leading to reduced lifespans and health problems. Elephants are highly social animals, and in captivity, they are often kept in unnatural groups or even alone, which can lead to stress and behavioral problems. Also, lack of natural foraging opportunities, environmental enrichment, and space can lead to abnormal behaviors like repetitive head-bobbing, weaving, and pacing. 

A 40-some-year-old female elephant in a zoo in Mexico City has suffered from depression and lost weight since she lost her inhabitant in 2016. The zoo tried to improve her living conditions by expanding the enclosure and adding two more elephants in recent years, but earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Mexico said that the zoo should do more. Will there be more such court interventions in improving animal welfare? 

Read the article and learn about a depressed elephant in a zoo in Mexico.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/27/americas/mexico-supreme-court-elephant-ruling-scli-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4709-3/16/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Colonising Africa: What happened at the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885?

Before European occupation, Africa boasted diverse, rich cultures and societies, including powerful kingdoms and empires, with established political, economic, and social systems and a wide range of religions and philosophies. However, with the European discoveries of a sea route around Africa’s southern coast in 1488 and America in 1492, the age of modern colonization began. When the Industrial Revolution progressed in the 19th century, European powers struggled to get natural and human resources in Africa, which was called the “Scramble for Africa”. In order to establish rules for colonization and trade in Africa, a meeting was convened by European powers in 1884-1885, called the Berlin Conference, without any African representative. Seven colonial rulers, France, Britain, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Belgium, drew borders artificially without historical, racial, or cultural considerations and started ruling most of the African continent. Only Liberia and Ethiopia managed to keep their independence. The colonization continued until African leaders fought for independence after the middle of the 20th century. Now, there are 54 fully recognized sovereign states in Africa.

Read the article and learn about the conference that determined the fate of Africa in modern history

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/26/colonising-africa-what-happened-at-the-berlin-conference-of-1884-1885

Topic Reading-Vol.4708-3/15/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

This boba chain you’ve never heard of has more outlets than McDonald’s

There are only three fast-food restaurant chains that operate over 40,000 outlets in the world: McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Founded in 1997, Mixue is a Chinese multinational fast-food chain specializing in ice cream & tea-based drinks. It is operating over 46,000 franchised stores across Mainland China, Southasian countries, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. The business model is very simple: the affordability for both customers and business partners. The main menu of Mixue includes fresh ice cream, real fruit tea, milk tea, and fresh tea, most of which are priced between 2 to 8 yuan (30 cents to $1.20), so affordable to anyone who wants a cold drink or ice cream. Also, startup costs for franchisees are very low to welcome new business partners as the company’s revenue mainly comes from selling food materials, equipment, and packaging to its franchisees. When it debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange earlier this month, the price soared even though it wasn’t as affordable as their drinks. Soon, you may find Mixue outlets near your house or office.

Read the article and learn about the ice cream nd tea chain that has more outlets than any other food chain.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/03/business/china-mixue-bingcheng-ipo-expansion-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4707-3/14/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Nine things about Lesotho - the country 'nobody has ever heard of'

 At a joint session of Congress on March 4, US President Donald Trump mocked Lesotho while criticizing some U.S. foreign aid contracts as a waste of money, saying, “… the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.” What is Lesotho, and where is it? The Kingdom of Lesotho is a small, landlocked country surrounded by South Africa with a population of around two million. The lowest point of Lesotho is 1,400 meters, and most of the country lies above 1,800 meters. It became independent from the UK in 1966. The majority of households subsist on farming. The formal sector employment consists mainly of female workers in the apparel sector and male migrant labourers, primarily in South Africa. The country has the world's highest suicide rate and one of the highest rates of HIV prevalence, with 240,000 people currently on antiretroviral treatment. The US government has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to help the country deal with HIV since 2006, including for prevention, care, and treatment services. However, the Trump administration suspended the US-funded health programs, which would affect 1,500 health workers, including doctors and nurses, affecting HIV/AIDS treatment, TB prevention, and maternal health services. Now, the name and the situation of the landlocked African nation are heard by many around the world.

Read the article and learn about a small African state that was mentioned by the US President before Congress.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czdnv6gpezjo

Topic Reading-Vol.4706-3/13/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Over 50% of adults worldwide predicted to be obese or overweight by 2050

If you weigh more than what is considered healthy for your height, age, and build, you are considered overweight, which could increase the risk of suffering chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. A new study of data from over 200 countries predicts that over half of all adults will be overweight or even obese by 2050. Also, rates of obesity in children and younger teenagers, and those under 25 years old, have both doubled to around 20% in the last two decades. The rates could reach one in three young people in the next 15 years. As more people exercise less but consume more highly processed foods like prepared meals and snacks and sugared beverages, their weight increases quickly and easily. Also, more people are becoming overweight from their early years. Since these weight-increasing foods and beverages are becoming more easily available and economically affordable not only in developed but also in developing countries where the most of population increase will come from, overweight and obesity might become a global epidemic. Medication is just a countermeasure. Educating children and families to raise awareness might work better to prevent global overweight problems. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87d2g81yxo

Topic Reading-Vol.4705-3/12/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Visualizing how Ukraine has changed in the 3 years since Russia’s full-scale invasion

The Russia-Ukrainian War broke out in February 2014 when Russia occupied and annexed Crimea from Ukraine and supported pro-Russian separatists in Donbas in eastern Ukraine. The war in Donbas continued until Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022 in an attempt to take full control of Ukraine. Although the Russian president had expected to seize Ukraine in a matter of days, Russian troops met strong and determined resistance by Ukrainians. Three years after the invasion, Russia is now occupying 18% of Ukraine, including Donbas, Crimea, and some other eastern regions. As many as 70,000 Ukrainian troops and 12,000 civilians have been killed so far. Also, more than 20 million Ukrainians are still displaced, and over six million Ukrainian refugees are now living in Europe. The main supporters of Ukraine are the US and European countries, which have provided billions of dollars in military, humanitarian, and financial help. On February 28, US president Donald Trump and Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the White House to sign a rare minerals deal to ensure US support but disputed fiercely over Zelenskyy’s lack of appreciation for US support instead. What is going to happen in Ukraine?

Read the article and learn how much Ukraine has lost since Russia’s invasion. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/23/world/charts-ukraine-war-status-dg/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4704-3/11/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Trump makes English official language of US

An official language is set by a country, state, or other jurisdiction. It is typically used for government functions, including legislation, administration, court proceedings, and public documents, as well as for communication between the government and its citizens. Of the 178 countries that recognize an official language, 101 recognize more than one. For example, France recognizes only French, and Canada has two official languages, English and French. Since the EU supports multilingualism in its programmes, it has 24 official languages, including Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish. In the USA, 29 of the 50 states have just one official language, English. Now, the US administration has recently made English the sole official language of the country for the first time since its foundation in 1776. What does this mean in a country where nearly 20% of the population speaks a language other than English? Also, there were nearly 80 million international visitors to the US last year. Will there be only English signs, documents, and assistance for foreign visitors?

Read the article and learn why the USA has set English as its only official language.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kgq5pzpllo

Topic Reading-Vol.4703-3/10/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

It’s America’s fastest-growing job – thanks to ChatGPT

IT jobs of any kind were highly demanded and well-paid until AI started repainting the IT landscape. Now, thanks to the fastest-growing IT field, AI, not all IT jobs are equal, at least in the USA. According to a university research in the US, AI tools can do around two-thirds of the coding, which means three or four people can do the job of 10. As labor costs increase rapidly along with inflation, companies want to do more with less to be competitive and have become more selective in hiring, especially in the IT sector. But this could also mean a good opportunity if you reskill or upskill yourself for a job in more demand. As things are changing more rapidly and drastically, there seem to be no safe jobs, even for government workers.

Read the article and learn about the changing job market in the US.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/27/business/chatgpt-ai-jobs-surge/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4702-3/9/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

A half-century insurgency in the Middle East may be ending. Here’s why

The Kurds are an ethnic group of people who primarily live in the mountainous regions of Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. They speak the Kurdish languages and are one of the world's largest ethnic groups without a universally recognized independent state. The estimated population of Kurds is around 40 million, as many as half of whom live in Turkey. Formed in 1978, the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq. It initially sought an independent Kurdish state, but after the 1990s, it has been seeking autonomy and political rights within Turkey. It engaged in armed conflicts with the Turkish government and military and is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the USA, the EU, and some other countries. Now, the PKK’s leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, has called on its members to disarm and dissolve the group. Why now? Last December, Syria was finally liberated, which is going to affect the regional power balance. Also, the Turkish president seems to be seeking another re-election in 2028 by amending the constitution, which requires support from other political parties, including the pro-Kurdish party. Will there be any agreeable compromise between the Kurdish and Turkish people?

Read the article and learn about Kurdish people and their movements in the Middle East.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/28/middleeast/turkey-pkk-insurgency-middle-east-explainer-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4701-3/8/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How often should you poo?

Is pooing a few times a day too often, or a few times a week too few? It varies by individual, but in general, neither is too frequent nor too infrequent. However, normal bowel movement doesn’t guarantee health. Researchers found those who poo normal stools, like sausage or banana, seven times a week had more good bacteria in their guts while those who poo fewer times had more toxins in their blood. That’s because the longer digested food stays in your intestines, the more it ferments and rots, causing toxicity. Another health indicator is the gut transit time, which is how long it takes for food to travel through your digestive system. It varied by individual, ranging from a half day to a few days. Now, you can tell the stool frequency and gut transit time are relevant. That’s why you want to exercise regularly and consume fruits, vegetables, and fiber to poo more frequently to be healthier, certainly not ultraprocessed foods (Vol.4700). Last but not least, you also want to check the color and shape of your poo because it also shows the health of your gut system.

Read the article and learn what your poo cycle and poo mean to your health.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250225-what-your-poo-can-reveal-about-your-health

Topic Reading-Vol.4700-3/7/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Ultraprocessed foods make up to 70% of the US food supply. How to reduce your intake

Do you know what UPFs are or have any idea how much ultra-processed foods (UPFs) you eat daily? In general, foods that are processed highly and contain ingredients that aren’t normally found in the kitchen, such as certain individual nutrients, flavor enhancers, colors, additives, and stabilizers are considered UPFs. They tend to contain some ingredients excessively, such as sugar, salt, fat, and carbohydrates. They are tasty and convenient but are also calorie-dense. A study found that those who eat UPFs mainly for their diet take 500 more calories daily than those who don’t. Although fat, sugar, sodium, and starchy carbohydrates aren’t usually found together in nature, ultra-processed foods often contain these magic ingredients together to entice your taste buds. So, if you regularly eat ultra-processed foods, such as breakfast cereals, margarine, chips, packaged cakes and biscuits, sweet chocolate, and prepared foods, you get more calories, fat, sugar, and salt than you recognize. Since such highly processed foods are linked to illnesses, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, cognitive decline, and stroke, you may want to be aware of which foods are highly processed and how to avoid them.

Read the article and learn what Ultra-processed Foods are and do to your health.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/26/health/ultraprocessed-hyperpalatable-foods-wellness/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4699-3/6/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Myanmar villagers reveal 'desperate' illegal kidney sales

An organ transplant is a surgical procedure that replaces a damaged organ with a healthy organ from a donor. Organs that have been successfully transplanted include the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, intestine, thymus and uterus. Organ donors may be living, brain dead, or dead via circulatory death. Although the demand for organ transplants has been increasing, the supply meets only about 10% of the needs, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). So where there is unfilled demand, smuggling would emerge. The kidneys are a pair of fist-sized organs located near the middle of the back on either side of the spine, which perform many vital functions, including filtering blood, regulating blood pressure, and producing hormones. Although most people who live with just one of their kidneys can live normal lives, there are health risks such as developing high blood pressure, protein in the urine, chronic kidney diseases, and damage to other organs. Buying or selling human organs is illegal in both Myanmar and India, and documents are needed to perform an organ transplant. However, agents find potential donors who are desperate to make money by any means, forge documents, and arrange for a doctor and hospital to perform a transplant. The problem is that the donors are often not advised of risks to their health and legal liabilities. The scientific fiction “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro is an extreme version of such organ transplantations and donors.

Read the article and learn how illegal kidney transplants are arranged. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgy8p3pe71o

Topic Reading-Vol.4698-3/5/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

These cities have big rat problems, and there’s one thing to blame

While we don’t know how many, most of us live with more rats than we imagine. They find shelter in various urban spaces like sewers, abandoned buildings, cracks in walls, under sidewalks, and within dense vegetation and eat discarded food scraps from humans, accessing them through trash cans, dumpsters, and food spills on the ground, which are often abundant in urban environments. Though rats live only for a few years, they are very fertile. Females can become pregnant when they are only a few months old and can produce six to 12 offspring up to a dozen times a year. If they live in a warm environment where food is plenty like in cities, the number of rats could increase easily. According to the data collected from 13 US cities, Toronto, Tokyo, and Amsterdam, the number of sightings and trappings has increased over the last 12 years or so. As warmer climates and environments could help rats grow and reproduce for a longer time, we may be bothered by more rats in the future, which is a problem as they gnaw and damage wires and cables and transmit diseases like leptospirosis, hantavirus, and plague to humans. Another impact of global warming and urbanization.

Read the article and learn about rats that are dwelling in cities. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/31/climate/rats-cities-temperature-increase/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4697-3/4/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Is it time to change how we buy travel souvenirs?

What are souvenirs? Some of the most popular souvenirs are magnets or mug cups with a logo or image of the place. Also, shawls made of local fabric and artworks handcrafted by Indigenous peoples are in high demand. But where are they actually produced and by who? It was found that as much as 75% of souvenirs marketed as "Indigenous" in Australia were counterfeit and over 70% of Thailand’s elephant pants were made overseas. Also, most fabrics sold as pashmina, cashmere wool of a special kind, in a Kashmir market in India are not genuine. As many people travel to distant places, most souvenirs are now just locally sold affordable and portable commodities that were mass-produced somewhere else. While traveling, extraordinary experiences, including food, scenery, atmosphere, people, activities, and even difficulties are often more memorable than materials, most travelers still buy souvenirs to remember the trip or share the event with someone. In the end, the money that travelers spend helps the local economy in some way or other. 

Read the article and learn about what popular souvenirs are like these days.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250217-is-it-time-to-change-how-we-buy-travel-souvenirs

Topic Reading-Vol.4696-3/3/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

What do countries call themselves? The stories behind their original names

A little over 8.2 billion people live in 200 or so states in the world. English and Chinese are the only languages that are spoken by more than one billion people while as many as 7,000 other languages are spoken across the world. However, most countries are called by English names, such as Japan, China, and India even though they are locally called Nihon or Nippon, Zhongguo, and Bharat respectively in their languages. In Africa, many names of the 54 countries are rooted in colonial history or European or Arabian traders. But locally, South Africa is called Mzans and Egypt calls itself Masr in Arabic. In Europe, Germany is called Deutschland, Spain is Espana, and Finland is Suomi in their languages. In 2021, Turkey changed its identification to Turkiye to better represent its culture, civilization, and values of the nation, and also to avoid being confused with the bird turkey. Will there be a rename movement to reflect historical and cultural identities?

Read the article and learn what some countries are called locally.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/21/what-do-countries-call-themselves-the-stories-behind-their-original-names

Topic Reading-Vol.4695-3/2/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How much protein do you really need to get strong?

Protein has many functions in the body. For example, eating enough protein helps maintain muscle mass and grow muscle when you exercise. Also, protein helps the body build and repair tissues, which is especially important after an injury. In addition, it supports the immune system, helps maintain bone health, and boosts metabolism. Interestingly, it helps with weight control as well since the body burns more calories digesting protein than carbohydrates. Then how much protein should we take each day? It is recommended that an adult should take about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So if you weigh 70 kg, you should take 56 grams of protein a day. But if you are very active or exercise a lot, you’ll need 1 gram of protein per kg each day. Also, older people need to take more protein as they tend to lose more muscle mass than when they were younger. To take sufficient protein, you don’t have to eat a lot of red meat or eggs every day as there are many different kinds of protein-rich foods like soybeans, lentils, nuts, and yogurt. You can also take protein supplements to help increase protein intake, but only to supplement your diet. The best way to achieve a healthy diet is to plan meals with protein-rich food and try to eat protein at every meal.

Read the article and learn how to take protein for your health.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250212-how-much-protein-do-you-really-need-to-get-strong

Topic Reading-Vol.4694-3/1/2025

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

World's glaciers melting faster than ever recorded

A glacier is a mass of ice that is constantly moving downhill. The estimated volume of glaciers, not including the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland is around 170,000 km3. Glaciers’ ice is the largest freshwater reservoir, accounting for nearly 70% of the world’s freshwater. Hundreds of millions of people are relying on seasonal meltwater from glaciers to some extent. However, glaciers melt faster as the climate warms. Global sea levels have risen about 20 centimeters on average since 1900, and the rate of increase has been accelerating in recent decades, nearly 30% of which is estimated to have been contributed by melting glaciers. If all the 200,000 or so glaciers melted, we would lose the precious freshwater reservoirs while facing accelerated sea level rise. Also, if that happened, ice sheets in polar regions would have melted. Combined, the global sea level would rise by approximately 70 meters. Recent studies found that glaciers outside the polar regions have lost 270 billion tonnes of ice a year between 2000 and 2023, enough mass to supply three liters of fresh water to everyone on Earth every day. And they are melting faster and faster. 

Read the article and learn what melting glaciers mean to us and the planet.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4ly8vde85o