Topic Reading-Vol.3217-1/31/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Indian court rules that groping without removing clothes is not sexual assault

According to Cambridge Dictionary, groping is an act to touch someone's body for sexual pleasure, usually when the person does not like it. Recently, Bombay High Court ruled that grouping a 12-year-old girl through her clothing does NOT constitute sexual assault even though the accused man brought the girl to his house and tried to remove her underwear. The 39-year-old defendant was convicted of molestation and sentenced to one year in prison. The judge stated that the punishment for an offense shall be proportionate to the seriousness of the crime. Are there clear guidelines for the seriousness of sexual assaults by the situation, degree, and age? Since sexual assault is a serious problem in India, where there are huge numbers of reported and unreported sexual crimes every hour. Activists are blaming the justice system is inadequate to deal with and reduce sexual crimes against women and girls. Is it just the judicial to blame for this deep-rooted Indi’s sexual violence?  

Read the article and think about what the seriousness of the crime means to a 12-year-old girl.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/26/asia/india-sexual-assault-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3216-1/30/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
China is rehearsing for when it overtakes America

While all the other major economies, such as the US, European nations, and Japan, are still struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic, China is moving ahead and fast. In fact, China’s economy grew around 2% last year despite the novel virus outbreak that locked down a major city Wuhan and imposed strict travel restrictions for months. As China seems to have learned how to manage the outbreak, its economy is expected to grow again this year and in coming years powered by the growing middle class and continuing government investment. Furthermore, China also seems to have managed to cope with the US’s sanctions and restrictions against Chinese firms. Even though there are concerns about the heavy government investment and subsidies as well as mounting debts at state-run firms, money is circulating faster and more within the country.

China’s economy overtook the world’s #2 position from Japan about a decade ago. When will they become the number one economy in the world? With more forward-looking strategies and actions that the current administration is initiating, it may be earlier than previously predicted.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about the growing economy in China.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/26/economy/china-xi-economy-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3215-1/29/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Vladimir Putin: Russian palace in Navalny video not mine

Residence at Cape Idokopas is located on the Black Sea coast in Krai, Russia. The gorgeous, massive structure looks like a palace but it is not clear who built, owns, or lives in it. It has been speculated that the palace and the surrounding space are a dacha that was built by oligarchs for the personal use of President Putin. There are heliports and secretive structures on the property. Also, the surrounding land of 70sq km is owned by Russia's Federal Security Service. If it is not a state-owned guest house or museum of some kind, it is hard to believe that the palace-like compound is just a private dacha or corporate property. Recently, a video, which shows the palace and claims it is for Putin, went viral on Russian social media, which Mr. Putin denied any link or ownership of the property. But who else in Russia has such money or influence to build a palace? Unfortunately, the leader of the group that released the video has been detained since he returned from Berlin where he was hospitalized after he was poisoned with a nerve agent during his travel back to Moscow last August. He is Alexi Navalny, one of the harshest critics of the president and his oligarchs.

Enjoy reading the article about this mysterious palace on the coast of the Black Sea.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55799143

Topic Reading-Vol.3214-1/28/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

How Africa's largest city is staying afloat

Lagos is the capital of Nigeria and the most populous city in the African continent with a population of over 23 million. Just like any other growing cities, the rapid growth has caused an unbearable level of traffic in the city. Also, Lagos consists of the Island and the Mainland areas both of which sit at sea level. Though it is not expected to rain more in the foreseeable future because of climate change, rainfall is intensifying recently and causes floods. Furthermore, the rising sea level is making the city more vulnerable to floods. So, how will Africa’s largest city manage the growth and safety in the coming decades? Building a barrier of concrete blocks is one way to defend the city. There are some unique ideas and attempts to live with the changes. Instead of fighting the water, they can live on the water in floating houses. Instead of adding more roads, they can add more water transport. Also, giving earlier warnings via smartphone app could give people, especially farmers, more time to prepare for storms and heavy rains.

As Lagos is one of the most prospective cities in Africa, more new approaches are going to be tried to make the city stay afloat.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about the challenges Africa’s largest city is facing.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210121-lagos-nigeria-how-africas-largest-city-is-staying-afloat

Topic Reading-Vol.3213-1/27/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Loyal dog waits for six days outside hospital for her sick owner

There are quite a few stories about loyal dogs. One of the most famous stories is about a Japanese Akita dog called Hachi, whose story became a movie. The dog continued to wait for his master for over nine years after his death at the usual station where his master used to return from work. Now, a dog in northeastern Turkey had been waiting for his master for six days at the entrance of the hospital where the master was transferred from his house. Though there are other family members in the apartment, the dog somehow managed to escape the apartment every morning and came to the hospital. The hospital staff felt sympathy for the dog and took care of him until the patient was discharged. When the master came out of the building, you can tell how happy the dog was. A very heartwarming story.

Enjoy watching the video and learn about an emotional reunion between different species.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/22/world/dog-hospital-scli-intl/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3212-1/26/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Farewell, Donald Trump!

Farewell, not just a goodbye, from China (China Daily) to Trump, to the former President of the US. Though this article is contributed by a research fellow, and China Daily claims it doesn’t represent the ruling-party-owned newspaper, it clearly expresses China’s view on US politics. It seems that China desperately had wanted to end Trump’s hostile comments and actions against China while warning the new administration not to take the same stance on China. The article even mentions specific examples like political turmoil, polarization, unemployment, and bankruptcies. Indeed, even though Trump did not initiate wars, the US miserably lost the war against coronavirus and the confidence and respect from its key allies.

Enjoy reading the article and think about what messages are implied in the farewell.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202101/22/WS600aa47fa31024ad0baa4803.html

Topic Reading-Vol.3211-1/25/2021

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

These innovations are helping combat Covid-19 across Africa

The population of Africa is over 1.2billion in 54 countries, nearly as many as the one of China and India. The top three economies are Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa and the bottom three are São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, and Comoros, none of which you probably have ever heard of. Only a handful of countries have a decent middle class, and the rest of the countries are distinctly divided between very rich and very poor. In fact, about 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are still living without electricity. You can assume it is quite difficult to find who is infected by the coronavirus accurately, distribute vaccines to vaccination sites timely, and vaccinate people properly. In short, there are challenges in logistics, patients monitoring devices, and implementation of vaccination in African countries should vaccines become available for their people. To overcome these hurdles, new technologies have emerged that that may help contain Covid-19, such as rapid test kits, solar-powered refrigerators, and temperature-screening robots.

As always, the last mile is the hardest part.

Enjoy reading the article and learn about the new technologies that help contain the coronavirus pandemic in Africa.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/14/africa/gallery/coronavirus-innovations-africa-spc-intl/index.html