Topic Reading-Vol.5275-10/3/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Quiet on set. How AI transformed China’s microdrama scene

Originating and exploding in popularity in China, micro-dramas are short, serialized video series designed for smartphone viewing. Microdramas became popular during the pandemic when people stayed home, spending most of their time with smartphones. Each story is made of dozens of 90-second episodes and is mostly produced and acted by young talents. These dramas are released on online platforms like Douyin, Hongguo, and Kuaishou as they are produced. If the first few episodes aren’t viewed, the rest of the episodes won’t be seen. It’s a shotgun approach; the more, the better.

Hengdian in Zhejiang province had been a hot spot in the microdrama industry for the last few years until early this year. Soon after Seedance 2.0, an advanced cinematic AI video generation model created by ByteDance, the owner of Douyin and Hongguo, was released early this year, the microdrama industry faced existential challenges. Production crew, actors, and extras have far fewer job opportunities, and if any, the pay is significantly lower than before. Studios and film sets in the town are no longer used. Short-lived opportunities in the fast-moving microdrama industry.

Read the article and learn about China’s microdrama production.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/22/style/short-drama-ai-china-intl-hnk

Topic Reading-Vol.5274-10/2/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

McDonald’s is spending billions to make major changes

Founded as a drive-in restaurant near Los Angeles in 1940, McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast-food restaurant chain with over 46,000 locations in more than 100 countries. McDonald’s is famous for its hamburgers, fries, and drinks, but its menu varies by market, such as Teriyaki McBurger in Japan, McBaguette in France, and Chikien Maharaja Mac in India. Although most of its restaurants are operated by franchisees, independent owner-operators, its service and operating systems are standardized, which makes customers feel safe and assured at any of its restaurants. However, like any other business, size itself doesn’t ensure success. In fact, the largest operator always faces fierce competition from existing and emerging competitors, and McDonald’s is no exception. So, the mega fast-food chain has been continuously inventing new menus, renovating restaurants, updating operational systems, and launching marketing campaigns. Recently, the chain announced a multi-billion-dollar investment in remodeling, menus, and operations to beat the competition and please more customers. Will we get tastier, cheaper, and healthier food in a cleaner, safer environment, with faster, better service?

Read the article and learn about McDonald’s initiatives in the coming years.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/24/food/mcdonalds-franchises-billions-spending

Topic Reading-Vol.5273-10/1/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Indians are discovering the thrill of shopping without paying

Many people like shopping or ordering food delivery, and some people enjoy just window shopping or surfing food menus online. Indeed, searching for something you like online gives you mental pleasure even if you don’t actually buy or order it. If you want to go one step further than just surfing, there is a popular virtual space in India where you can search for and order your desired items, but without actually paying for them. Your order will be shown on the screen, and a fake call from a delivery person will appear, but it will never arrive. You don’t have to worry about your wallet or stomach. The slogan of this website is “The food never comes, but the *dopamine does.” It’s like chasing something without intending to catch it, or the pleasure of anticipation rather than ownership. In addition to this virtual food delivery site, there is a new site that offers users the chance to plan trips, called “TripNeverLeaves”, where users can book a trip without leaving their home or paying the bill.

Read the article and think about whether searching for and ordering food delivery excites you.

*dopamine: a crucial neurotransmitter and hormone that acts as the brain's primary driver for motivation, pleasure, and movement.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwn741v5rdpxo

Topic Reading-Vol.5272-9/30/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Japan is famous for its spotless streets. So why are public rubbish bins so hard to find?

If you visit a popular tourist destination or walk down a street in a Chinese city, you’ll find countless trash bins, but hardly any in Japan. Still, most places in Japan are no less clean than those in China. But after consuming sandwiches and drinks bought at a convenience store or McDonald’s, where do people discard the trash? In Japanese cities, trash bins are only found at convenience stores, train stations, and service areas on toll highways, but not at public places or facilities, such as parks or museums, where signs asking visitors to take their trash home are put up. So, tourists end up hanging on the trash until they find trash bins. Once they find trash bins, they need to sort out which garbage to put into which bins, because proper waste management is a key part of daily life and culture in Japan. Waste is generally divided into several categories, such as burnable, plastic, PET bottles, cans, and glass bottles. Though you may feel it is a little inconvenient, garbage sorting is the first step to keep the societies and the environment clean.

Read the article and learn why trash bins are so rare in Japan.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260921-why-are-there-so-few-rubbish-bins-in-japan

Topic Reading-Vol.5271-9/29/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

US to build two military bases in Greenland under new deal with Denmark

Lying between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark. The world’s largest island is icy, cold, and sparsely populated by about 57 thousand residents, 20,000 of whom live in Nuuk, the capital. Recently, the US showed renewed interest in this icy island because of its strategic importance for Arctic military defense, missile warning systems, critical mineral supply chains, and control over emerging polar shipping lanes. After escalating threats to take or annex the territory, the US reached an agreement with both Denmark and Greenland that allows it to build two new military bases and to modernize the operating space base on the northwestern coast of the island. Even though Greenland appears to shrink on the new Equal Earth world map, its strategic importance seems to have become more significant to world security.

Read the article and learn what has been agreed on the icy island.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9dr74g32g8go

Topic Reading-Vol.5270-9/28/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How to minimise the amount of polluted air you inhale while exercising

Regular outdoor exercise helps you strengthen your body, refresh your mind, and improve daily well-being. When we jog or ride a bike, we breathe faster and more deeply to inhale more air. But how healthy is exercising along a busy street or in a heavily polluted city like Delhi? Invisible micro-particles like PM 2.5 released from traffic can penetrate into our lungs, body, and brain. You are also exposed to other pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and even ground-level ozone, which are linked to respiratory disease,  cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cognitive function, and even reproductive impacts. Should you then wear a facemask while running, as you did during the pandemic, or stop exercising outdoors at all? There are other ways to reduce exposure to polluted air in a busy place.

Read the article and learn how to mitigate the impact of polluted air when you exercise outdoors in a busy city.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260917-how-to-minimise-the-amount-of-polluted-air-you-inhale-while-exercising

Topic Reading-Vol.5269-9/27/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

AI programs can interfere with key lessons of childhood. Here’s what parents can do

Anyone who has access to the Internet is now being answered, assisted, or taught by AI, including Google Gemini, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Apple’s Siri. They make our work, studies, and lives much more efficient. Teenagers and school children also use them to help with their studies and video editing, maybe more naturally and fluently than adults. Then what about pre-schoolers? They are still developing key social, emotional, and physical skills before starting their social lives or education. As younger children start using smartphones, they unknowingly get answers and responses from AI. But before jumping to answers or conclusions, kids should learn by guessing, making mistakes, or arguing with adults. It is not just a matter of efficiency but a practice of reasoning and learning. How should parents guide young children to use AI properly?

Read the article and think about how young children should be taught to grow with AI.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/21/health/kids-are-using-ai-wellness

Topic Reading-Vol.5268-9/26/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Qantas is retiring its A380s. Is it time to say goodbye to the superjumbo?

In general, the larger the aircraft, the more space and comfort for passengers. Debuted in 2003 and last produced in 2021, the Airbus A380 is a fully double-decked, wide-body passenger aircraft. The four-engine superjumbo can carry as many as 500 to 800 passengers, depending on the seat configuration, for over 17 hours to cover a 14,000 km leg, such as Dubai to Auckland, New Zealand, and Dallas/Fort Worth to Sydney. The superjumbo offers a stabler, quieter, and spacier cabin, providing comfort for long-haul flights to passengers. Of the 171 planes still in service today, Emirates, UAE’s flag carrier, owns 116. Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier, operates 10 but has announced that it will start retiring them from 2028, four years earlier than the original schedule, and other airlines with small A380 fleets are also planning earlier retirements of the aircraft when they receive replacements, Boeing’s 777X and Airbus A350. Why? 

Read the article and learn why the superjumbo is going to be replaced by smaller aircraft.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/13/travel/qantas-a380-superjumbo-retirement-goodby

Topic Reading-Vol.5267-9/25/2026

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Asia’s fruit wars: The secretive world of plant invention and seed smuggling

Japanese premium, branded fruits grown in open fields, such as grapes, peaches, and pears, are vulnerable to theft. They are stolen right before harvest when their market value peaks. It is devastating to farmers who have put in hard work and considerable expenses to grow the fruits. Another kind of fruit theft is seed smuggling and unauthorized overseas cultivation. Dozens of premium Japanese fruits, such as high-end grapes, strawberries, and citrus fruits, have had their seeds or saplings smuggled and cultivated unlawfully in other countries, such as China and South Korea, whose climates are similar and suitable for growing these premium fruits. What can Japanese farmers do to protect the business opportunities of their premium fruits? There is an intergovernmental organization that helps protect new plant varieties, but it is not an enforcement agency. So, even if a plant is legally registered, once its saplings are smuggled and cultivated overseas, it is difficult to track it down, stop the cultivation, and get compensated. Legal protection is the first step to prevent proprietary technologies from being copied illegally. But scale, efficiency, and economy of production and distribution are essential to stay competitive in the same product category. Premium fruits may not be excluded from competition.

Read the article and learn how highly-valued fruits are being invented and copied in East Asia.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/19/asia/asia-fruit-smuggling-seed-espionage-intl-hnk

Topic Reading-Vol.5266-9/24/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Why caffeine makes some people buzz - and others barely notice

Regular coffee, Nescafé, espresso, Starbucks latte, energy drink, Coke, black tea, green tea, and chocolate all contain some caffeine. It doesn’t give you extra energy itself but boosts alertness, helps you stay awake and focus, and improves your mood and reaction times. While some people can slumber shortly after drinking coffee, others have difficulty sleeping even hours after their last cup. Why so? Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that blocks sleep-promoting chemicals in the brain and triggers a wave of alert energy, but how long it stays in the body varies by person. Ancestry seems to affect it to some extent, and smokers and regular coffee drinkers are found to be less sensitive to caffeine. Other factors also affect caffeine tolerance, such as medicines, pregnancy, and DNA. Knowing how caffeine-tolerant you are and how much your favorite drinks or snacks contain caffeine is one thing. Controlling the timing and amount of caffeinated food/drink consumption is another thing to manage your caffeine and sleep balance.

Read the article and learn what caffeine is and does to your body and mind.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gkd4zw564o

Topic Reading-Vol.5265-9/23/2026

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The humans are rejecting the machines that were supposed to help them

Nowadays, most fast-food restaurants and coffee shops have touch kiosk screens or  QR codes to take orders and process payments. At many supermarkets and convenience stores, shoppers pick up merchandise, scan the items, put them in bags, and make payments all by themselves. Customers are rarely greeted or thanked by humans. Fast food and retail businesses have automated these processes to improve efficiency, believing that customers would be pleased by machines. However, these touch screens and QR codes don’t seem to have made these processes any faster or the shopping experience any better. Actually, customers have missed the chance to be greeted, supported, or appreciated by human staff, and businesses have realized that customer engagement is valuable to customers’ experience. Indeed, good employees are not just labor costs but a valuable resource and asset for businesses. Then will smiling humanoids provide better customer experiences than kiosks?

Read the article and think about what you expect and get when you shop at a fast-food restaurant or supermarket.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/17/business/technology-retail-food-economy

Topic Reading-Vol.5264-9/22/2026

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To curb 'killer' machines in the age of AI

These days, voices calling for regulations on AI usage have increased. Public infrastructure disruptions, social service shutdowns, and business blackouts caused by AI attacks are all catastrophic to our modern lives. What about warfare and weapons? Modern warfare has been reshaped by the broader use of AI, operating unmanned vehicles like drones, identifying targets, analyzing intelligence, controlling weapons, and supporting decision-making. In warfare with AI, the time to verify information and exercise judgment is compressed, which could make commanders or operators misjudge or overreact to potential threats without verifying the underlying rationale or logic. Also, AI is vulnerable to changes in the situation, deepfakes, data poisoning, and network interruptions. For example, it could misjudge its own troops as enemies, or civilian vehicles as military ones. Such misjudgments are more critical when it comes to nuclear weapons. As AI evolution outpaces guidance and regulations, the risk of using AI in warfare increases. Furthermore, if AI-powered weapons are used in the wrong hands, like terrorists, the consequences could be disastrous.

Read the article and learn how disruptive the wrong use of AI in warfare could be.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202609/16/WS6aa9ecb3e4b06d4aa055e3e2.html

Topic Reading-Vol.5263-9/21/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

More than 100,000 people in Japan are now aged 100 or older

Each year on the third Monday of September, Japan commemorates Respect for the Aged Day to honor elderly citizens and celebrate longevity, and announces the number of people aged 100 or older. The first centenarian survey found there were  153 centenarians in 1963, and the figure increased to 1,000 in 1981 and 10,000 by 1998. This year, the fast-aging nation recorded over 100,000 people whose ages are 100 or older for the first time, up almost 8,000 from the previous year. About 88% of them are women, as their average life expectancy is over 88, ranking among the highest globally, while that of men is about 82. The country’s longevity is attributed to wholesome diets and a well-covered healthcare system. However, Japan’s population is aging and shrinking rapidly. Last year, only 671,000 babies were born, while 1,589,000 died, losing 918,000 people. With the total fertility rate below 1.2, the population will decline from the current 123 million to fewer than 100 million by 2050, nearly 40% of whom will be aged 65 or older. How many centenarians will there be then? Who will care for them then, their also-aged children, foreign care workers, or AI-empowered humanoids?

Read the article and learn about Japan’s century-old population.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmzezj5e18xxo

Topic Reading-Vol.5262-9/20/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Here's how to catch up on sleep, the right way

Sleep is one of the most important functions in our lives. Adults should get at least seven hours of good sleep each night to allow the body to repair tissues, regulate vital hormones, and maintain cardiovascular and immune health. A good night's sleep also clears toxic waste, consolidates memories, and repairs neural connections, so that you’ll regain energy, feel refreshed, focus better, and become more productive. When you didn’t sleep enough during the week, you may try to catch up on the sleep deficit by going to bed too early or sleeping in too much on the weekend. While extra weekend sleep helps you repay some of the sleep deficit, it confuses your body clock and makes it more difficult to have a sound sleep that night. Indeed, waking up and getting light exposure at a different time confuses your circadian rhythm like jet lag. To help you recover from the sleep deficit, you may try getting up a little later in the morning or taking a short nap during the day on the weekend.

Read the article and learn the tips to recover from a sleep deficit.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260911-should-you-try-to-catch-up-on-sleep-at-the-weekend

Topic Reading-Vol.5261-9/19/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

What are the five pros and cons of artificial intelligence?

AI is so helpful and convenient. If you ask a question, AI searches for relevant information and finds you the answer right away. If you assign a task, AI generates a document, chart, or summary in a matter of seconds. It boosts productivity and helps complete tasks faster and more easily. In the meantime, workers’ roles change, and new skills are required to work with AI. In the world with AI, young graduates are facing difficulty getting entry-level jobs, and existing workers are required to keep upskilling. Also, generative AI can create fake text, voices, images, and videos to deceive people or security systems. As recently reported, AI can hack other systems and steal or destroy information or operations. Environmentally, AI is very costly. It requires a large amount of electricity to run and water to cool the servers. AI data centers also create noise pollution as they emit a constant hum 24/7/365. AI is reshaping workplaces, our lives, and the environment, and just like smartphones, we cannot live without it anymore.

Read the article and learn what AI does to and for humans.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/13/what-are-the-five-pros-and-cons-of-artificial-intelligence

Topic Reading-Vol.5260-9/18/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Karaoke for one: China’s $1 trillion ‘loneliness economy’ gives a glimpse of the world’s future

Singlehood has been treated as a bridge stage between independence and marriage for young people. However, more people are now choosing to live by themselves longer and enjoy lonely lifestyles. Thanks to smartphones, they can spend time on video games, video clips, micro dramas, and SNSs as long as they want and never feel lonely. If they feel like talking or chatting with someone, AI companions are there 24/7. And businesses are becoming more accommodating to singledom, especially in Japan, South Korea, and China. Individual food packages at convenience stores and even supermarkets, smaller dishes and hotpot for solo diners at restaurants, and phone-box-sized karaoke booths for lone singers, to name a few. The so-called “solo economy” is attracting businesses because singles tend to have bigger wallets for themselves. Also, since the populations are fast shrinking and more people choose not to form families in these countries, single-person households have become an important market for businesses.

Read the article and learn about the increasing economy in Eastern Asia.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/12/business/asia-loneliness-economy-intl-hnk-dst

Topic Reading-Vol.5259-9/17/2026

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Drinking very hot beverages could triple cancer risk, large study finds

The esophagus is a muscular tube that carries food and liquid from your throat to your stomach. Like any other internal organ, this 25-centimeter-long food and beverage pipe isn’t cancer-free. In the UK, esophageal cancer makes up about 2% of cancer cases. Smoking, alcohol consumption, and indoor air pollution are known causes of this cancer, but a recent large-scale study in the UK added another risk factor, hot beverages. The risk of developing esophageal cancer increases when the beverage temperature is higher. It was found that those who regularly drink hot beverages have twice the cancer risk, and those who prefer very hot drinks, like 65 degrees or higher, have triple the risk. You may not have to check the drink’s temperature or stop sipping hot drinks altogether, but you can easily cool it down while checking and texting a few messages to reduce the cancer risk.

Read the article and learn what a very hot beverage could do to your esophagus.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/10/health/hot-beverages-cancer-study-scli-intl

Topic Reading-Vol.5258-9/16/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Faster homework, poor exam results: What AI is doing to students’ learning

New York City, the US’s largest school district, is banning the use of generative artificial intelligence for public school students from 2K through 8th grade to protect students’ critical thinking abilities as well as the relationships between students and teachers. But students can still use AI to do their assignments or study at home. How do they use AI, and how does AI help them learn? According to a study that tracked 27,000 junior and senior high school students in China, 56% used AI to get information, 45% had AI explain terms and concepts, and 31% used it to get complete solutions to tasks. Also, students improved their homework scores with AI while spending 30% less time on it. However, their monthly exam scores fell by 20% within six months. AI certainly helps students get their studies done faster and even better, but it doesn’t seem to help them learn much better. Does banning or restricting the use of interactive technology for youth, like SNS, help students learn any better? It may be time for teachers and educators to calibrate or develop tasks and assignments that are suitable for the AI era.

Read the article and learn how AI is affecting students’ learning.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/2/faster-homework-poor-exam-results-what-ai-is-doing-to-students-learning

Topic Reading-Vol.5257-9/15/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Mount Fuji pics, life-changing ramen and a weak yen - why young Brits are going to Japan

Last year, nearly half a million tourists from Britain visited Japan, up 25% on the previous year and a 40% increase from 2019, the pre-pandemic peak. It’s a long way to fly, about 9,600 kilometers, and lasting over 13 hours for a non-stop flight and around 16 to 19 hours for a one-stop flight through China, a more economical choice. But once you get to Japan, travelers can enjoy completely different nature, cityscapes, buildings, foods, and cultures from Europe. First-timers often follow the Golden Route, consisting of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and nearby Nara and Hiroshima. But nowadays, young people in particular are tempted by the places, things, and foods that are shown on TikTok or Instagram, such as Mt Fuji photo spots or Ramen noodles. Japan is also budget-friendly for young Brits. Thanks to the well-established public transport, visitors can travel around the country quite easily, inexpensively, and safely. Also, you do not have to pay high admission fees to visit World Heritage sites like Shiretoko. And thanks to the weak yen and long-term deflation, traveling around Japan is quite affordable, including transport, food, and accommodation, compared with European or North American destinations. And the British were among the record 43 million foreign visitors to Japan last year. 

Read the article and learn why more British people are visiting Japan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7704l1ypjgo

Topic Reading-Vol.5256-9/14/2026

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

How one of the 'most powerful hacks' to control stress actually works

We feel nervous or stressed from time to time, like before a job interview or big presentation, or when a loved one is in trouble or danger. One technique to ease such mental stress is box breathing, a deep-breathing method that can help calm and regulate your autonomic nervous system, including blood pressure, sense of calm, and stress. Box breathing consists of four equal-period steps: inhale slowly through your nose to a slow count of four, hold the breath and count four, breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of four, and hold your lungs empty for another four count. Then restart the cycle as many times as you want. This practice trains you to get used to various levels of carbon dioxide in the blood and brain, and helps you to improve your stress resilience. It takes only about 16 seconds to practice one box breathing cycle, and you can do it almost anytime, anywhere, and as many times as you want. If you still wonder if it works for you, try counting to four while inhaling through your nose.

Read the article and learn about the four-step, four-count box breathing.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y5jqly153o#google_vignette