Topic Reading-Vol.4450-6/30/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Booking.com warns of up to 900% increase in travel scams

You “thought” you found a good deal at a hotel in your travel destination, booked a room for a few nights, and gave your credit card information. A few days before checking in the hotel, you tried to confirm the reservation and found no room was booked under your name even though a full amount of the booking had already been withdrawn from your credit card. It was a phishing, where internet users are deceived into handing over their financial information. As AI becomes more useful and reliable in creating authentic documents and realistic images, internet fraudsters are taking advantage of the technology. Their fake sites look more authentic and convincing than the pre-AI era. They can create realistic images and flawless texts that are hard to distinguish from real ones. Booking.com, one of the world's leading online travel platforms, said there had been a significant increase in travel scams in the last 18 months. It is advised that travelers check contact details including the phone number of the service provider. Also, two-factor authentification such as inputting a code that was sent to your phone will help you protect from phishing. As AI becomes handier, we ought to be more careful about fake images and texts on the Internet.

Read the article and learn about the increasing number of online travel scams.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8003dd8jzeo

Topic Reading-Vol.4449-6/29/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,  

Why an exam has sparked national outrage in India

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET),  formerly the All India Pre-Medical Test is an Indian nationwide entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to undergraduate medical programs. Being a mandatory exam for admission to medical programs, it is the biggest exam in India in terms of the number of applicants. A total of 180 questions are asked in the 200-minute exams from Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology evenly, and the maximum mark is 720. Since colleges and universities aren’t allowed to conduct their own medical entrance exam, getting a high score on this national exam is the only way to be admitted to medical schools. A record-high 2.33 million candidates took the exam on May 5 this year, about 300,000 more than last year for just 110,000 admissions. Ever since the results were announced on June 4, the exam has come under scrutiny for reasons ranging from errors in the question paper, compensatory marks, paper leaks, and fraud because there were too many candidates who scored extremely high scores, including 67 who marked full scores. Usually, only a few or no exam takers achieve the perfect score of 720 marks. The issue was brought up to the Supreme Court and several suspects have been investigated by the police. Just like China’s Gaokao, India’s NEET is a once-a-year high-stakes exam that is taken by millions of candidates.

Read the article and learn about what India’s entrance exam for medical school is like.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv22wl82yldo

Topic Reading-Vol.4448-6/28/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Inside India’s first emergency room to fight heat crisis

Delhi usually experiences the summer heat from May to July. During this season the temperatures rise to a maximum of 39°C or higher around the end of May. This year, the capital of India recorded the highest-ever temperature of over 50°C on May 26, and the prolonged heatwave has been pushing daily temperatures over 40C ever since. While many people still think a heatwave is just an enduring act of nature, the temperatures are way beyond the range that humans can live in, especially with high humidity and in a congested area. In Dehli, a third of the residents live in substandard and congested housing or slums where adequate cooling is rare. Also, so many workers spend most of the day outside, like construction workers, rickshaw drivers, and street vendors. As a result, so many people have suffered from heatstroke, which occurs when the body can no longer control its temperature and the body's temperature rises rapidly to over 40C, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. At that point, the body needs to be cooled ASAP and in an emergency, the patient might be put into icy water. This year, hospitals have accepted more heatstroke patients than ever before.

Read the article and learn about how severe Delhi’s heatwave has been this season.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn00nkzdvkjo

Topic Reading-Vol.4447-6/27/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,
New Zealand prime minister hitches ride on commercial plane after jet breaks down
The Boeing 757 is a two-engine narrow-body aircraft that went into service four decades ago. A little over a thousand were produced but the production of the aircraft ended two decades ago. One of them has been used by the Royal New Zealand Force for years to carry personnel and equipment, including the PM and other VIPs. Despite the intensive maintenance, the old aircraft left then-PM in Antarctica stranded in 2022 due to mechanical trouble. Earlier this month, after refueling in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea en route to Japan, the aircraft became unable to continue the journey because of a fuse problem. On board the aircraft were the Prime Minister and 50-some business leaders who were scheduled to have executive meetings in Tokyo. Fortunately, one of the business leaders was the CEO of Air New Zealand. He had his commercial flight to Tokyo to stop by and pick up some of the passengers, including the PM, who also had served as the CEO of the airline for seven years before he entered politics. It was an embarrassing event for New Zealand’s leaders and the Royal New Zealand Force. It was also a surprising experience for both the crew members and the passengers on board the Air New Zealand flight. What will New Zealand do with the old, troublesome aircraft?
Read the article and learn about how smartly New Zealand’s leaders and flag carrier dealt with the trouble during an executive air travel.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/18/travel/christopher-luxon-air-new-zealand-plane-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4446-6/26/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

New high-speed sleeper train service connects Hong Kong with Beijing and Shanghai

China is a nation of electric traveling. Around 8 million new electric cars were sold last year and is projected to grow to 10 million this year. It also has the world’s longest and most extensively covered high-speed rail network of over 45,000 km. For example, Hong Kong to Beijing bullet trains run for a travel time of about 8.5 hours for the 2,439 km distance, and the Hong Kong to Shanghai service takes around eight hours for the 1,649 km distance. If you fly, it takes 3.5 hours and 2 hours and 45 minutes respectively, plus the time to get to and from the airports, checking in, security clearance, and waiting time for boarding. All in all, train services are more convenient if you can bear the long hours, nearly all day long. Now, new high-speed sleeper train services began on June 15 between Hong Kong and the two major cities. Leaving in the evening, travelers arrive at Beijing or Shanghai station before 7 am the next morning. Return trips leave Beijing and Shanghai at around 8 pm and arrive in Hong Kong the next morning at 8:47 am and 7:29 am respectively. If you want to arrive in these three cities early in the morning, this new high-speed sleeper train service might be a good option. Indeed, the convenience of a sleeper train is not so much about how fast or how long it runs but what time to leave and arrive at your destination.

Read the article and learn about China’s brand-new high-speed railway service.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/16/travel/high-speed-sleeper-train-hong-kong-beijing-shanghai-intl-hnk/index.html

Topic Reading-Vol.4445-6/25/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers, 

Africa's internet vulnerability and how to fix it

Underwater internet cables carry telecommunication signals across the ocean floor.  They are made of fiberoptic and are the backbone of the internet, carrying the vast majority of the world's internet traffic, including emails and social media posts to financial transactions and video calls. A disruption to a major submarine cable can cause a significant impact on internet traffic in the affected region. Last month, a serious internet outage occurred and severed internet connections in several African countries. It was the third disruption in just four months this year in Africa. Recently, damage to undersea internet cables has occurred more frequently. The only dedicated repair ship in Africa used to repair damaged cables a few times a year but did nine repairs last year. The most common cause of those cable damages is an anchor dragging from ships, which occurs when a ship drags its anchor across the seabed. Also, underwater rockfalls and seismic activities could damage undersea cables. Unlike Europe and North America where high-capacity cables are placed on land and underwater, internet connections in African countries rely heavily on a limited number of undersea cables. Africa seems to need more diverse internet connectivity to meet the growing use of the Internet.

Read the article and learn about how vulnerable Africa’s internet connectivity is.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr77zj8lj4o

Topic Reading-Vol.4444-6/24/2024

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Taylor Swift grabs royal selfie at London gig

What selfies! Taylor Swift at her London venue, Prince William at his 42^nd birthday with his 10-year-old Prince George and nine-year-old Princess Charlotte! Also joined was Travis Kelce, her boyfriend and one of the most prominent American football players. The photos were taken by herself on June 21 in the backstage of the Wembley Stadium, which was packed with 90,000 fans for her gig. Everyone in the photos is smiling, very happily.

See the photos and guess who the happiest of all was.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgee8qgey2eo