DAILY NEWS Stream – August 20, 2025

Ukraine and Russia exchange 84 prisoners each, mediated by the United Arab Emirates (France 24)

European leaders praise President Trump for offering US military support for a future peace force in Ukraine. No US troops will join, but the assistance of American airpower and equipment is key (AP)

US President Trump says Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China will not invade Taiwan (Formosa) during Mr. Trump’s presidency (New York Post)

US President Trump says He does not immediately need to impose retaliatory tariffs on countries such as China for buying Russian oil but might have to in two or three weeks. He had already imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods over its continued Russian oil imports but had not taken similar action against China (Reuters)

The US military is deploying forces to the southern Caribbean Sea to address threats from Latin American drug cartels (The Straits Times)

Washington DC [US] woman goes viral after sharing she feels “more safe than ever” in the capital after President Trump’s crackdown on crime (New York Post)

Twenty percent US tariffs threaten Âu Lạc (Vietnam)’s agriculture industry, pushing the country to seek new export markets (KHỎE TỰ NHIÊN)

Nine dead in a massive blast at a Brazilian explosives factory. Officials are investigating (France 24)

Denmark train crash: Passenger train collides with a farm tanker, injuring at least two people (Euro Weekly)

US poll shows only 54% of American adults drink alcohol, the lowest level since 1939 and down 13 points from three years ago. Experts say this reflects growing recognition that no amount of alcohol is safe (VnExpress)

Argentina reports that over 100 people have died from hospital pain relief drugs contaminated with bacteria (The Straits Times)

Magnitude 4.9 earthquake strikes Australia’s east coast, causing widespread power outage in about 11,000 households (baotintuc.vn)

Heavy rain flooded Mexico City’s airport, halting operations and affecting 20,000 passengers (KHỎE TỰ NHIÊN)

A heavy downpour floods central Đà Lạt [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)], with water up to 80 centimeters deep on major streets. Overloaded drains worsened the damage, causing traffic jams and crop losses (Hoài Phan Rang)

Heavy flooding hit the Âu Lạc (Vietnam)- Cambodia border, submerging fields and destroying corn and sesame crops. Farmers couldn’t harvest in time. Pests worsened losses, devouring 80–90% of the corn, leaving communities facing severe agricultural and economic hardship (Cao Tùng Vlog)

Hundreds of homes are damaged by floods in northeastern Nigeria (baotintuc.vn)

Hurricane Erin rapidly intensifies in the Caribbean Sea, reaching Category 4 level with 155 mile/hour [249 kilometer/hour] winds, bringing rain and strong gusts to several islands (CNN)

India: Incessant rains paralyze Mumbai and parts of Maharashtra state; at least six are dead, including two in a landslide (Newson Air)

Parts of Malta are drenched in rain after a freak hailstorm (Malta Today)

The Greek government offers aid to citizens as devastating wildfires persist (Euro Weekly)

Scientists find a giant planet orbiting in reverse around one star in a close binary system— an arrangement previously thought impossible, challenging traditional models of planet formation (Science Daily)

US space agency NASA’s Parker Solar Probe confirms the Sun has a hidden layer called the “helicity barrier,” helping explain why the solar corona gets so hot and the solar wind accelerates (Science Daily)

Several Bollywood movie stars like Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, and Sonam Kapoor are adopting vegetarian lifestyles to boost their fitness, beauty, and support environmental causes (DNA India)

South Korea: 70% of dog-people raising operations shut down in the first year of the country’s dog-person meat ban. Starting in 2027, violators of the law will face a maximum sentence of two years in prison or a fine of up to US$21,753 (Yonhap News Agency)

Harris County [Texas, US] first responders help a mother duck and her ducklings cross a busy road. Not long after, deputies and the Klein Fire Department rescued more ducklings trapped in a drainage system and caringly reunited them with their mother (KHOU11)

Chicago [US]: 26 dog-people are rescued from a house following an animal cruelty complaint. Some of the canine individuals were injured. Local adoption fees are waived for August to encourage their adoption (Hoodline)

Karimnagar [India] forest officials rescue five illegally captured parakeet-people near the Kondagattu Anjaneya Swamy Temple and arrest five individuals following a complaint by the Stray Animal Foundation of India (Deccan Chronicle)

Maricopa County [Arizona, US] officials rescue over 50 exotic animal-people— including horse-, camel-, peacock-, goat-, a zebra-, a bull-, and a cockatoo-person— from a Rio Verde raising facility, where they suffered from no water or shade in 114°F [45.5ºC] heat. Authorities are preparing criminal charges against those responsible (12 News)

A 3-week-old puppy in Ohio [US] is rescued by firefighters after getting trapped inside a home ventilation system. The adorable pup was named “Cinco” in honor of the quick-thinking Station 5 team of the Parma Fire Department (People)

Scott Drummond shares his life-changing near-death experience: At 28, Scott injured his thumb while skiing in Utah [US] after colliding with a woman. Though he skied all day, he later saw the thumb hanging limp, dislocated, and required surgery. During the procedure, an inexperienced nurse mishandled a tourniquet. A surge rushed from his arm into his heart, and Scott’s spirit suddenly rose above his body, watching the operation.

Beside him was a familiar but unseen Presence. Scott observed every stitch in his thumb and the nurse’s panic as she fled, thinking she had killed him. Communicating telepathically with the Presence, he was told not to look back. Instantly, Scott was transported to a radiant field. To his left stood unusual tall trees with leaves high above and waist-deep wildflowers of brilliant colors; to his right, endless tall grass. The Presence vanished, leaving Scott in profound peace.

Ahead, a white cloud appeared. Within it, his life review unfolded, showing every moment from birth to age 28— both good and bad— without judgment. At the time, Scott worked for the postal service in Jackpot [Nevada, US] and realized he had lived selfishly, putting personal gain above family.

As he approached the cloud, a strong working man’s arm reached out, like in a handshake. Scott reached toward his hand, but the unseen figure said, “It is not yet your time. You have more things yet to do.” The arm withdrew, and Scott returned to his body, resisting because he didn’t want to leave the peace. On the table, his body thrashed violently. The doctor later described a “war” inside him. A paper declared him dead for 20 minutes. For three hospital days, he felt unmatched peace, with his wife Connie by his side, unaware of his ordeal.

The experience transformed Scott’s life. It deepened his love for his family and his wife of 45 years. It also strengthened his faith and confirmed his belief in GOD and a peaceful afterlife. He no longer fears death and now treasures both his “bionic thumb” and his renewed priorities (Prioritize Your Life)

Insightful quote of the day: “All existing things are really one. We regard those that are beautiful and rare as valuable, and those that are ugly as foul and rotten. But the foul and rotten may come to be transformed into what is rare and valuable, and the rare and valuable into what is foul and rotten.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Chuang Tzu (vegan)