DAILY NEWS Stream – August 18, 2025

US President Trump and Russia’s Putin meet in Anchorage [Alaska, US] to discuss peace in Ukraine (Fox News)

President Trump rates His summit with Putin a “10 out of 10” and touts “very good progress” toward peace. He urges Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy to “make a deal” and hopes to bring the two leaders together soon (Fox News; Sky News)

US advises citizens to avoid travel to several states of Mexico due to violence and drug cartel activity (VTV.vn)

China is expanding the Muara seaport in Brunei, as Chinese exports to Southeast Asia rise over 16% in July while exports to the US fall over 21% compared to the same period last year (Thanh Niên)

Haitian gang leader “Barbecue” is indicted for conspiracy to violate US sanctions (U.S. Department of Justice)

US State Department condemns South Africa over “extrajudicial killings” of White Afrikaner families, in its annual human rights report (Fox News)

The US sanctions Congolese armed group PARECO-FF and Hong Kong-based companies East Rise and Star Dragon linked to violence and illegal mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (U.S. Department of the Treasury)

US court allows President Trump to cut US$2 billion in foreign aid that His administration has identified as wasteful (New York Post)

The US sanctions Brazilian, African, and Grenadian health officials linked to Cuba’s overseas doctor program, calling it “forced labor” that enriches the Cuban regime and deprives the Cuban people of essential care (Al Jazeera)

President Trump says Washington DC [US] will be a “beacon” for other American cities after He cracks down on crime. He is seeking long-term authority over local police, beyond the 30 days currently granted, to make the capital city safe again (New York Post)

US Justice Department finds George Washington University is deliberately indifferent to anti-Jewish discrimination and warns there will be immediate legal consequences (U.S. Department of Justice)

US Departments of Labor, Commerce, and Education release the report “America’s Talent Strategy: Equipping American Workers for the Golden Age,” outlining a vision and concrete actions to transform federal workforce development (U.S. Department of Labor)

Spanish-led study finds the Neosonics ultrasound device can detect meningitis [inflammation of brain membranes] in newborn babies with 94% accuracy, promising a quick, non-invasive alternative to spinal taps (Good News Network)

23-year-old Aulacese (Vietnamese) woman suffers kidney failure due to her “night owl” lifestyle of regularly staying up late as well as smoking. Doctors warn the habit of living “against the biological clock” in young people today is silently damaging their kidneys, one of the most important organs in the body that filters blood, detoxifies, and regulates the internal environment (VnExpress)

New research confirms weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may increase the risk of sudden vision loss from NAION [non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy], a rare but serious condition caused by blocked blood flow to the optic nerve (Science Alert)

Experts warn of a potential new COVID-19 wave in Russia in late autumn due to new strains and decreasing immunity (VTV.vn)

US: Mysterious tick-borne illness alpha-gal syndrome makes people severely allergic to animal-people red meat and dairy, prompting many restaurants in Martha’s Vineyard— a popular vacation island— to go vegan to protect customers (Daily Mail)

Rare brain-eating amoeba infection Naegleria fowleri, possibly linked to water skiing, is confirmed in Missouri [US] (CBS)

Fort Collins [Colorado, US] sees a surge in rabbit-people with strange, black horn-like tumors on their faces caused by cottontail papilloma virus [CRPV]. Some call it a sign of the end times (Unilad; Charisma)

Cholera is spreading rapidly in Darfur [Sudan] in the worst outbreak in years, say charity Doctors Without Borders (AP)

“Flesh-eating” bacteria risk is increasing at sea as ocean temperatures rise, experts warn (CBS)

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes Indonesia’s West Papua region (Reuters)

India: 38 dead as a massive storm hits Jammu and Kashmir state’s Kishtwar district (The Tribune India)

Thousands were left stranded as rivers surged in northern Bangladesh (The Daily Star)

Heavy rain kills at least one in the Seoul [South Korea] region (The Star)

Heavy rains lash southeastern China after Tropical Storm Podul makes landfall (AP)

The Arctic experiences its hottest summer on record, with July 2025 temperatures 3ºC above average, reducing sea ice to the second-lowest extent in history (VTV.vn)

Israel bakes in record heat as temperatures of nearly 50ºC were forecast last week in the country’s interior (VTV.vn)

Serbia’s prolonged drought and scorching heat are harming villagers, animal-people, and crops (Reuters)

Pollution-fed aquatic weed overruns El Salvador’s largest reservoir, the El Cerron Grande Reservoir— threatening the country’s main hydroelectric supply, local wildlife, and communities (Reuters)

Extreme heat is threatening tropical birds, even in untouched forests, reducing populations by up to 38% between 1950 and 2020, scientists warn (CNN)

Experts warn dry storms— when lightning occurs but rain evaporates before reaching the ground— is increasing global wildfire risk as the planet warms (Euronews)

Natural England [UK] celebrates the recovery of 150 struggling species thanks to its £13 million recovery program (The Guardian)

Chinese social media platform TikTok launches a new safety feature for parents to remotely block inappropriate accounts for their children (Tuổi Trẻ)

The global vegan beverages market is expected to grow from around US$50 billion in 2024 to US$143 billion by 2034, driven by rising demand for healthy, sustainable, and animal-free products (Precedence Research)

Study concludes today’s vegan meat products shouldn’t be labeled as ultraprocessed foods [UPFs] because they contain lower sodium and fat and offer better nutritional value than other UPFs, including animal-people meat (Food Processing)

UK vegan luxury fashion brand Stella McCartney launches a limited-edition version of its iconic Elyse platform shoes made with mushroom-based “snakeskin” and apple-based “crocodile leather” (Footwear News)

Study finds that children who frequently show kindness such as helping, cooperating, and caring are more likely to have healthy plant-based diets rich in fruits and vegetables as teenagers (Earth.com)

Vietnam Red Cross Society launches a campaign to support Cuban people, aiming to mobilize at least US$2.5 million in donations (VOV2)

2025 World’s Ugliest Dog award goes to Petunia, a hairless bat-eared bulldog from Eugene [Oregon, US]. Her caregiver Lisel Wilhardt will utilize Petunia’s fame and the US$5,000 prize to help other rescue dog-people in need (LookOut)

Two Aulacese (Vietnamese) men—Phạm Quốc Đạt, 27, and Tống Mạnh Tuấn, 28— save two Japanese children swept away by waves at Gotemba beach [Japan] (VnExpress)

US: Volunteers work through rain and heat to rescue 18 dog-people from two alleged dogfighting operations in South Carolina (Humane World for Animals)

Exotic pet-person surrender event saves more than 100 animal-people in Prescott [Wisconsin, US] (Pierce County Journal)

Three women—Aimee Turpie, Britney Lawrence, and Abi Cox—save a drowning sheep-person in Cornwall [UK], diving into a lake without hesitation to bring the animal-individual back to shore (Cornwall Live)

Sri Lankan man Bala Amarasekaran has spent over 30 years rescuing and protecting orphaned chimpanzee-people in Sierra Leone. Despite challenges such as war, deforestation, and the Ebola outbreak, Bala persevered, making his Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary a key ecotourism site and a model of wildlife conservation in West Africa (The Star)

American mind-body-spirit coach Zach Tavcar (vegan) shares his near-death experience from which he realized illness serves a Divine purpose.

At 14, Zach was diagnosed with leukemia [blood cancer]. About three months later, medication weakened his bones, causing his lower spine to fracture. While being measured for a back brace in Reno [Nevada, US] with his father and four-year-old brother, he began feeling fuzzy and weak. As he walked toward his father’s truck after, his vision began to darken. Sitting on the tailgate, he called out, “Dad, I’m going to pass,” then blacked out.

Zach suddenly found himself in a glowing golden-silvery- white tunnel, surrounded by “liquid love,” a fluid-like energy flowing through him. He felt no attachment to his body, only peace and awe. About 20 yards [18 meters] ahead stood a shadowy figure in a trench coat— his grandfather, Grandpa Joe, who had died seven years earlier. They spoke telepathically; Zach remembered him saying, “Everything’s going to be okay. You’re going to get through everything. You just have to keep going.” Other details faded later, like a dream. The tunnel felt malleable, with faint, movable “curtains” of Light radiating expanding energy.

Without warning, Zach was pulled backward through darkness, as if by a vacuum, and re-entered his body. Unable to move at first, he heard his father’s panicked voice. After 30–60 seconds, tingling returned and he opened his eyes to see his frightened father and brother.

Days to weeks later, Zach told his father about seeing Grandpa Joe in a trench coat— something Zach had never known him to wear. Months later, his father showed him an old photo of Grandpa Joe in Prague wearing the exact same kind of coat, convincing Zach the experience was real.

Years afterward, during a past-life-hypnosis session, Zach had another supernatural vision. He found himself in a circular auditorium with a balcony of shadowy figures whose yellow-orange-red eyes gradually became clear. They appeared as Greek-god-like Beings in white tunics, identifying Themselves as Melchisedek, Josiah, Sophia, Michael, and others. They told Zach he had chosen his life’s challenges, including cancer, to fulfill his soul’s purpose. A call had gone out to the Universe for a soul to take on a specific task, and Zach was the first to respond. His illness was a very-high- probability event to redirect him towards this purpose: to embody and share love and Light, and to help others recognize It within themselves (Tales Of Resilience; Shaman Oaks)

Uplifting quote of the day: “Love means to love that which is unlovable; or it is no virtue at all.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton