Topic Reading-Vol.5242-8/31/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Norway mourns King Harald as new era begins under Haakon VIII

The Kingdom of Norway is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy that lies on the Scandinavian Peninsula. After the Norwegian parliament declared the dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905, Prince Carl of Denmark was elected King of Norway and took the name Haakon VII. He reigned over the country until his death in 1957, and was then succeeded by Olav V. When he died in 1991, Harald V became King of Norway until his death on August 28. He was very popular and was often called the grandfather of the nation. Then his second child and only son, Haakon VIII, succeeded the monarch of Norway at the age of 53. His heir apparent is his firstborn daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, not his secondborn prince, because of the 1990 constitutional change that designates the eldest child, regardless of sex, as taking precedence in the line of succession. Though Norway’s king carries out mostly ceremonial, representative, and symbolic duties, long live the king.

Read the article and learn about royal succession in Norway.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/29/norway-mourns-king-harald-as-new-era-begins-under-haakon-viii

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

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

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

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

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Iranian women defy efforts by hardliners to enforce wearing of hijab

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

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

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

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

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

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

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

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

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Topic Reading-Vol.5234-8/23/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Don’t yell at your child over not wanting to go to school

Raising children is always a challenge. Many young kids don’t know what to do, and teenagers do only what they want to. When children are reluctant to go to school, which do you think works better, yelling at them to go to school or encouraging them to find something they like at school? However, there might be some obstacles for them to get out of their comfort zone and go to an uncomfortable place. They may not enjoy the classes, classmates, teachers, or environment. They may not be interested or motivated to take part in school activities or learn in classes. Whatever the reasons might be, scolding or yelling at them won’t help much. Also, going to school after a long summer vacation is another challenge for many children. They tend to spend as much time as they want on their smartphone, especially late at night, which makes it harder for them to get up early in the morning to go to school. Instead of just saying do or don’t do what to their children, parents may want to work with them to live healthier lives for their well-being; otherwise, their smartphone will become their regulator.

Read the article and learn how to deal with children when they have trouble going to school.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/03/health/school-avoidance-parent-strategies-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.5233-8/22/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Airline passengers hate middle seats. But that’s not why United is getting rid of some of them

For airlines, putting more seats and squeezing as many passengers as possible is a common practice for budget airlines. They are now trying to make money by charging more for baggage while keeping the airfare competitive with other airlines. Major airlines are adding upgraded seats and services to charge more for available seats, including extra legroom and seat selections in economy class, better seats and services in premium economy class, and doored suites in business class. Now, United Airlines, the world’s largest airline by fleet size, announced extra elbow room in two window and two aisle seats in the economy plus section of its upcoming new long-range, narrow-body aircraft. The arrangement will eliminate two not-so-happy economy-plus passengers in the blocked middle seats while enhancing a little more room and privacy for the surrounding four passengers, for an additional cost. Since the aircraft is designed for a long flight, the airline expects some passengers to pay more for a little more space. Full-service carriers are trying to charge more for seats, while budget airlines are charging more for baggage. The choice is yours.

Read the article and learn what’s behind the new seat arrangement by United Airlines.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/24/business/united-airlines-dropping-some-middle-seats

Topic Reading-Vol.5232-8/21/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

We're getting mealtimes wrong - here's the best time to have dinner

What matters for your diet is not just what and how much you eat, but also when to eat. Our internal body clock, or circadian rhythm, plays an important role in how our body processes food because it affects our hunger, digestion, and metabolism. A 20-week study found that people who ate lunch at an earlier time lost more weight and faster than those who took late lunches. As for dinner time, if you eat when your body prepares to sleep, your glucose control will be impaired, and your cells tend to store fat rather than digest it. From the same input, very different outcomes can be created depending on the time of day. Indeed, our bodies tend to be quite different between the morning and the evening.

Read the article and learn how influential the meal time is to your health.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260807-whats-the-best-time-of-day-to-have-dinner

Topic Reading-Vol.5231-8/20/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Spotify to add label for AI-generated artists and remove them from recommendations

Launched in 2008, Spotify is a Swedish audio streaming service platform that provides access to more than 100 million tracks, millions of podcasts, and thousands of audiobooks. More than 777 million users in 184 markets enjoy the service. In many songs and videos Spotify presents, AI is used to some extent, which seems to be a generally accepted, yet controversial, practice. Also, more AI-generated performers like Xania Monet are appearing, singing, and performing on music and video platforms. Although not all listeners mind if the music is sung by an AI-generated persona, some feel disappointed or deceived when they find out the performer’s identity. Recently, Spotify has introduced a feature that will show the AI identity in its artist profiles and playlists, though it won’t reveal how the music was created. Nowadays, a large number of short videos with unique characters and animals appear each day. Even though AI is a common feature for creating music and videos, the identity of the musicians and characters might help enhance their authenticity.

Read the article and think about how much the identity of artists matters to you.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgxzmgejd5o

Topic Reading-Vol.5230-8/19/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, ‘Brand-new everything’: How data centers transformed this small town’s economy

As the use of AI becomes the norm, more facilities are needed to store, process, share, and manage data and run applications. That’s why data centers are being built around the world. A data center facility houses networked computer servers, data storage devices, and network equipment. They consume a massive amount of energy to run their servers and to cool them from overheating. They are operated 24/7 remotely, so they need only a few people on site for maintenance. Therefore, data centers are built where space and electricity are economically available, but not much of a human workforce. Local residents fear their electricity bills will rise if a power-hungry data center is built. Also, they worry about heat exhaustion and noise pollution from the facility. Quinsy is a small farming town in the state of Washington with a population of around 8,500. Microsoft, Yahoo!, Dell and others have located large data centers since 2007, and there are around 30 of them now. What are the benefits and problems of data centers to the residents, community, and economy?

Read the article and learn about the impacts of data centers in a small town.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/11/business/data-centers-ai-economy

Topic Reading-Vol.5229-8/18/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

World's oceans hit record-high July temperatures

Oceans regulate the climate, absorb excess heat, and produce half of the planet’s oxygen. Ocean warming expands seawater and causes sea level rise, marine heatwaves that affect ocean biodiversity, and evaporates more heat and moisture into the air, which intensifies tropical storms. El Niño is an unusual warming of ocean surface waters in the tropical Pacific. Combined with global warming, it can cause temperature spikes and more extreme weather conditions, including heatwaves and drought. This year, the effects of El Niño are seen in many places. Western Europe experienced the hottest June-July period, about 2.8 degrees Celsius above average, and the US recorded the hottest-ever July. Record-high temperatures and heatwaves cause rapid evaporation, sucking moisture from soils, plants, and reservoirs, and severe droughts across Europe and the western US, triggering intense and widespread wildfires in Spain, France, and Canada. Global warming fuels El Niño, and El Niño intensifies extreme weather conditions. How hot and dry is this August going to be?

Read the article and learn why and how hot this summer is in the Northern Hemisphere.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvw8vmmgrwo

Topic Reading-Vol.5228-8/17/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

‘I’ve never been counted’: DR Congo’s first census in 42 years

A former colony of Belgium, the Democratic Republic of Congo became independent in 1960 as the Republic of Congo. The country was named Zaire between 1971 and 1997, but reverted to the former name. The UN estimates DR Congo’s population increased from around 50 million in 2000 to around 100 million in 2021, and now about 116 million, the second most populous in Africa after Nigeria. With a population of around 15 million, Kinshasa, the capital, is the largest city, and the second-largest has fewer than 3 million people. There are more than 250 ethnic groups without any dominant ethnic group, speaking their native languages, though French, the former colonial language, is most widely spoken. But these population and demographic figures are estimated without a census in the last four decades. Now, the government has just rolled out a nationwide census after identifying and geolocating inhabited places. By figuring out who and how many people live where, the government hopes to allocate its resources to build and run schools, hospitals, roads, water systems, and electricity projects. Citizens will then be registered and given ID cards, which make them feel officially recognized by their country.

Read and learn what a census could mean to DR Congo and its people.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/8/ive-never-been-counted-dr-congos-first-census-in-42-years

Topic Reading-Vol.5227-8/16/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

AI is booming on the West Coast. So why is unemployment so high there?

Washington, Oregon, and California make up the U.S. West Coast. They are known for their beautiful coastline, evergreen forests, and tech industries. Apple, Alphabet (Google), META, and NVIDIA are all headquartered in California’s Bay Area. Intel has its largest operation in Oregon. Microsoft and Amazon are the two largest employers in Washington. While they are heavily investing in AI and data centers, they aren’t hiring as many tech workers as they used to. Instead, many of these tech companies have been laying off thousands of employees in the name of efficiency, resource reallocation, and AI. AI-exposed jobs, such as data analysis, coding, and customer service, have been slashed the most. Job openings are rarely available for entry-level or experienced workers, even for advanced-degree holders. In the meantime, huge investments are being made into AI and data centers, and those who build, facilitate, and provide services for data centers are busy keeping up with demand. Who will benefit from AI the most, workers, management, investors, or vendors?

Read the article and learn how tech workers are affected by AI in the US.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/08/business/jobs-california-ai-unemployment

Topic Reading-Vol.5226-8/15/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Great Apes kiss and cuddle to keep the peace, says study

Our close relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, are both known for their aggressiveness. They compete for food, partners, and position within their group, and fight outsiders to protect their group and territory. In the meantime, they often touch, embrace, and kiss each other to show affection and friendliness as humans do. Interestingly, they also seem to use social touch to manage tension, competition, and cooperation. A recent observation of chimps and bonobos in African sanctuaries found that before they were given scheduled food, they engaged in close contact with each other. Researchers assume that they touched and hugged each other to mitigate the tension of food competition. A peaceful act before a stressful event. Indeed, social touch was part of communication exchanged before languages were developed. Even today, we often shake hands, hug, or kiss each other socially before meetings and events.

Read the article and learn how physical contact helps social bonds.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y045vprg5o

Topic Reading-Vol.5225-8/14/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Half of vaccines are binned - 'fridge-free' versions could change that

A vaccine is a medical treatment that helps our body's immune system recognize and fight disease. Vaccines are effective against many serious, life-threatening viral and bacterial diseases, including measles, chickenpox, rotavirus, polio, rabies, influenza, and COVID-19. To ensure their efficacy and safety, most vaccines require strict temperature control called “cold chain” from the moment they are shipped until the time they are injected into a recipient’s arm. Keeping vaccines at a certain temperature is quite difficult, especially in poor, remote, or conflict areas.WHO estimates failures in this cold chain requirement are a major factor in half of all vaccines being wasted or disposed of globally. Recently, scientists in the UK trialled a fridge-free version of the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine successfully. They kept it as a dry powder at room temperature for a year, mixed it with water, and injected it into volunteers’ arms. The dry-powdered version of the vaccine gave equivalent immune responses to the refrigerated vaccine. Since many other vaccines can be stored in the same way, this new approach might substantially reduce vaccine waste, allowing more people to receive injections while reducing transportation and storage costs.

Read the article and learn about this breakthrough approach for vaccine storage.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce85qe8j0nzo

Topic Reading-Vol.5224-8/13/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,　

What jet lag does to your body - and how to cope

If you fly eastbound or westbound crossing a few or more time zones, you’ll feel jet lag to some extent for a few days. Many claim jet lag is more severe when traveling eastbound because they have to go to bed and get up earlier than their body clocks. Some people feel fatigue, experience brain fog, or spend sleepless nights, while others suffer from digestive difficulties or irregular appetite. Also, some are affected more severely than others, depending on genetic makeup, regular medications, and lifestyle. Jet lag occurs when our body’s biological clock is disrupted. Our body clock runs on a 24.1-to-24.2-hour cycle, and it is adjusted by light entering our eyes each day. So, when the Sun starts shining hours earlier or later, our body functions need to be adjusted. Also affected in a different time zone is melatonin, a natural hormone that tells the body when to rest and lower body functions. Although jet lag is almost inevitable, you can mitigate symptoms by adjusting your watch in advance and eating and sleeping accordingly, or taking a melatonin supplement. Does frequent jet lag trigger or cause long-term health problems for those who frequently fly across time zones, like airline crew?

Read the article and learn how jet lag affects our body clock and health.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260731-what-jet-lag-does-to-your-body-and-how-to-cope

Topic Reading-Vol.5223-8/12/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

AI is giving hackers an edge. Here’s how to protect yourself from online scams

Either malicious or accidental, AI agents can access others’ data and devices faster and more easily. Deepfaked participants may be attending Teams and Zoom meetings like your colleagues or guests. AI-trained familiar voices may be asking you to donate or transmit money to an account that looks authentic. Nowadays, voice cloning can create an 85% voice match just with a few seconds of audio sample. AI can also detect patterns from leaked or stored passwords more easily and use the information to predict personalized passwords. Tricking people with fake messages or verifications is another threat caused by AI. It creates authentic-looking prompts and images to convince users to download malicious apps or change security settings. As we become more vulnerable to AI attacks, what should we do to protect our assets?

Read the article and learn the tips to protect us from AI hackers.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/04/tech/ai-online-scams-protection

Topic Reading-Vol.5222-8/11/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

New Zealand has a new official language — English

While a national language is a symbol of a nation’s history, culture, and identity, an official language is defined by law for use in parliament, courts, public administration, and official documents. Of the 178 countries that recognize an official language, about 100 recognize more than one language. For example, Bolivia has 37, South Africa has 12, Switzerland has four, India has two, and Brazil has one official language. The UK, Japan, and Mexico have no official language, but English, Japanese, and Spanish have de facto status respectively. In addition to Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, English has recently become New Zealand’s official language. As English is spoken by over 95% of the population and used in courts and parliament, it has had de facto status. So why has New Zealand officialized English while its English-speaking neighbor, Australia, hasn’t? Whatever the status is, English is a lingua franca, a shared language used for communication between different native tongues in global business and in the South Pacific region.

Read the article and learn what an official language status means to New Zealanders.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/03/asia/new-zealand-official-language-english-intl-scli

Topic Reading-Vol.5221-8/10/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

‘Marathon’ shines light on Gaza’s orphaned children and humanitarian crisis

Since October 2023, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s genocidal attack in the Gaza Strip. According to UNICEF, more than 58,000 children have lost either or both parents, and about 17,000 children are either unaccompanied or separated from their families. They have been repeatedly displaced and deprived not only of food, water, shelter, and clothing but also healthcare, education, and protection. Children who lost their parents also need to feel protected, cared for, and recognized. To raise awareness of the plight of these children in Gaza and also give them the chance to feel part of public activity and supported by their community, a running event was held earlier this month in Gaza. Despite the destruction along the course, the young runners were cheered and honored by their relatives and friends, including the children who were physically unable to participate. Children who are experiencing such an ordeal need not just daily essentials but also a feeling of being loved, cared for, recognized, and part of society.

Read the article and learn about an event that made young children in Gaza enjoy participating.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/1/marathon-shines-light-on-gazas-orphaned-children-and-humanitarian-crisis

Topic Reading-Vol.5220-8/9/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Satellite killers: What a war in space might look like

Missiles and drones are flying all over Ukraine, Western Russia, Iran, and the Gulf States. How are they guided to reach their targets? Most of them use satellite coordinates to fly autonomously along with inertial navigation systems. Then, how does military intelligence locate enemy ships at sea or tanks and aircraft on the ground? They detect and analyze movements of enemy assets from space. Indeed, space intelligence, navigation, and guidance all play significant roles in modern warfare. Today, jamming and cyberattacks against satellite systems have become an invisible part of war. Also, space is not free from kinetic attacks, such as missiles from Earth and killer satellites in space. That is problematic because such physical destruction in space would not only disrupt communication and intelligence but also create space debris that could collide with other debris and create more debris, which could hit other satellites. In fact, the USA, China, Russia, and India all have dedicated space military branches. The more we depend on space assets, the greater the risk of space warfare will be.

Read the article and learn why and how space could become a warzone.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260730-satellite-killers-what-a-war-in-space-might-look-like

Topic Reading-Vol.5219-8/8/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

4 out of 5 toddler foods are ultraprocessed. Nearly half fail to meet nutrition standards

Macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, flavored yogurt, crackers, and snack bars are some of the popular toddler foods in the USA. They are widely chosen by American parents for their convenience, palatability, and economy. These are highly processed foods, which are made from refined ingredients and chemical additives to make them palatable, or even addictive. Also, they tend to be high in sugar, sodium, and other chemical ingredients for enrichment. However, a healthy diet in the first few years is essential for children’s growth and the development of their brains, taste, and health. Parents and carers should avoid feeding young children such artificially processed and flavored foods from the shelves in the early stage of life, even though it takes time and effort to prepare and have them eat naturally nutritious foods like whole grains, beans, and vegetables. Would you like your children to grow up only with sugary drinks, snacks, pizzas, and smartphones?

Read the article and learn how highly processed toddler foods are and how they could affect their future.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/28/health/toddler-foods-ultraprocessed-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.5218-8/7/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

There is freedom: Why Asian women are leaving their husbands in their 50s and 60s

Grey divorce, or late-life divorce, is a term associated with couples who separate or divorce after 50 years old or later. Whereas younger couples often divorce because of infidelity, mismatch, financial issues, or lack of experience with long-term relationships, older couples tend to divorce for a wide variety of issues that add up or pile on over the years. The number of such divorces has been increasing each year as women become more independent financially and socially, particularly in Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China, where women are expected to do more household chores and care for children than men. Also, in these fast-aging societies, more women find that they have another phase in their lives after they have finished raising children or their husbands have retired. Since women usually outlive men by at least a few years or even a decade if they have an age gap, they see separating from their long-lived partners as an opportunity to become free from patience and take on a new life in their 50s or 60s. How shocking it could be for their male partners!

Read the article and learn about increasing grey divorces in Asia.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/26/asia/asia-gray-divorces-longevity-women-intl-hnk-dst

Topic Reading-Vol.5217-8/6/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

BTS say they won’t submit music for next year’s Grammys

Debuted in 2013, BTS is a seven-member K-pop band known globally for their music, energetic performances, and massive fanbase. Because of South Korea’s mandatory 18-month military service, they suspended their group activities between October 2022 and March 2026, when the reunion event drew a quarter-million fans at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul and kicked off their massive 82-show world tour. While fans of other languages can look up translated lyrics, they enjoy the group's vocal emotion and the Korean language’s phonetic appeal more. BTS has been nominated for Grammys before but has never been awarded yet. In June, the Grammy Awards added Best Asian Pop Music Performance for its 2027 awards and expected BTS to submit music for consideration. However, the group recently declined to send their music for consideration, citing that the music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. BTS stands for Bulletproof Boy Scout and also Beyond the Scene. The name seems to tell what it is. Then, what will other Asian musicians and bands do?

Read the article and learn about the seven bulletproof Korean boys.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/29/entertainment/bts-grammys-music-boycott-intl-scli

Topic Reading-Vol.5216-8/5/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Less booze, more moves: Inside Gen Z’s new social scene

The modern pub appeared in the early 19th century in Britain, where anyone is welcome for drinks and/or food. With drinks, people enjoy conversation and social interaction at ease. There were around 60,000 pubs in the UK in 2000, but the number decreased to below 45,000 in 2025, with one closure in every four pubs in the last 25 years. During this time, there were significant social and technological changes that affected young people, especially Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012. They have grown up with smartphones, SNS, and short videos. Many of them don’t think drinking is essential for social life, and they have other places, such as coffee shops, where they can spend time comfortably by themselves or with others. For example, the number of Starbucks outlets increased from 150 in 2000 to over 1,400 in 2025 in the UK. Also, they have other things to spend their time on, including sports and smartphoning. Indeed, the COVID pandemic in 2020 considerably affected how they enjoy their personal time. As technological, economic, and sociological environments change further, we may find it difficult to find pubs in the UK in the future.

Read the article and learn about the changes in young people’s behaviors and attitudes in the UK.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/25/travel/uk-pubs-closing-genz-running-scli-intl

Topic Reading-Vol.5215-8/4/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

A weeks-old Gen-Z protest group managed to get India’s Modi to blink. What’s next?

In India, Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been the ruling party since 2014. Though it lost the majority in parliament in the last election, it still holds a strong grip on India’s politics and governance. The day after the Chief Justice of India referred to certain activists and unemployed youth as “cockroaches” and “parasites of society” on May 15, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) was formed by young people and began protesting over leaked national medical entrance exams and systemic unemployment. Thousands of young Indians took to the streets of New Delhi and demanded the resignation of the education minister. Protesters filmed and shared videos and memes of their enthusiastic protests and the government's fierce crackdowns. Since the CJP’s movement was to correct the administrative failure, the administration had no choice but to accept the blame, and the education minister resigned on July 25. The number of candidates for the medical school examination was about two million, only a fraction of the 360 million people between the ages of 15 and 29. However, according to a recent report, nearly 40% of graduates aged 25 and under are unemployed. The lesson was learned by India’s and other countries' administrations about the swiftness and influence of social media used by young people.

Read the article and learn how India’s recent exam turmoil was resolved.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/27/india/india-cockroach-protests-what-next-intl-hnk

Topic Reading-Vol.5214-8/3/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Americans — including many Republicans — are losing faith in capitalism, polling shows

Capitalism and socialism are two distinct economic systems often defined by private ownership, free market, and government control. While capitalism emphasizes individual choice and private property, socialism prioritizes shared wealth and collective ownership. For example, prices are set by supply and demand in a free market under capitalism, whereas the government often sets prices or intervenes in supply and prices under socialism. Today, most countries are run by a mixture of both concepts, depending on their political scheme or ruling bodies. In the USA, republicans claim lower taxes, less regulation, and free enterprise while democrats prioritize fair taxation, government funding for social systems, and worker empowerment, and the difference is often dubbed big government vs small government. However, as inflation surges and the wealth gap widens, Republicans’ political ideology based on free market and pure capitalism seems to be losing public support. Accordingly, criticizing socialism or government interventions doesn’t appeal to their supporters. In the meantime, are Democrats gaining more supporters, or do they represent what most Americans want? To prepare for the midterm elections in November, both parties need to find what appeals to today’s Americans more than their traditional political discipline.

Read the article and learn about the challenges America’s economic and political systems are facing.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/23/politics/republicans-capitalism-socialism-poll

Topic Reading-Vol.5213-8/2/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How are AI models able to autonomously hack others?

Generative AI conveniently carries out tasks that human users prompt it to perform, such as creating text, images, and videos, and finding the most viable options for the user’s needs. AI agents, however, come up with recommendations, make decisions, and even take actions autonomously to achieve the given goal without human intervention or recognition. Then what could happen if an AI system is provided with invalid information? Last February, the US Central Command used AI tools to process surveillance data to recommend strike locations in Iran. Included was outdated information, and human commanders approved the attack on the site, which was then an elementary school. Over 160 people were killed, mostly students and teachers. Then last month, OpenAI’s most advanced AI models escaped an isolated testing environment, gained internet access, breached systems that had not been connected to OpenAI, obtained the necessary information, and returned home to complete their task. Could a kill switch shut down the AI system before causing catastrophic events? Remember the military AI defence system in the 1984 movie “The Terminator” went rogue in the blink of an eye, triggered a nuclear holocaust, and waged a war of extermination against humanity.

Read the article and learn what generative AI and agentic AI can do.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/29/how-are-ai-models-able-to-autonomously-hack-others

Topic Reading-Vol.5212-8/1/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

China’s humanoid robots have been taking over the global market. Now the US is banning them

Thanks to the world’s largest domestic market, China leads global electric vehicle production and sales by a large margin, supplying roughly 60% of all electric vehicles worldwide. When it comes to global humanoid production, China generated 90% of the global output last year, with industry giants such as Unitree Robotics, AgiBot, and UBTECH Robotics, which are leading innovation, production, and market development. The US administration is concerned about the extensive vulnerabilities and risks posed by these Chinese robots to national security, and has banned imports of new humanoid and four-legged robots from foreign manufacturers. Indeed, internet-connected robots could pose data privacy risks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, such as remote hijacking and surveillance. Imagine foreign-made security robots patrolling a high-tech laboratory send proprietary information to a foreign intelligence agency. In the meantime, the US cannot benefit from using the world’s most advanced, mass-produced Chinese robots. Can the US develop technologies and build a supply chain to produce competitive robots while China is already selling its robots to other markets?

Read the article and learn about another trade restriction by the US administration.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/29/tech/us-china-robot-ban-intl-hnk