DAILY NEWS Stream – May 29, 2026

On May 26, the US says it has carried out new self-defense strikes on southern Iran targeting missile sites and boats laying mines near the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas as Iran claims to have downed a US drone and fired on another aircraft, while both sides continue ceasefire-related negotiations over a possible deal involving a 60-day extension, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and handling of enriched uranium (BBC News)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concludes a four-day visit to India that included talks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (vegetarian) on expanding defense, technology, energy, and supply-chain cooperation, with Mr. Rubio highlighting plans for deeper energy ties and claiming India committed to buying US$500 billion in US goods over the next 5 years while trade tensions and India’s continued purchases of Russian oil remain underlying points of friction (VTV)

A Chinese ship carrying 15,000 metric tons of rice— the first installment of a 60,000-metric-ton aid package approved by China’s President Xi Jinping— arrives in Havana [Cuba] for nationwide distribution to roughly 9.6 million Cubans, as China frames the 2026 assistance, which now totals 90,000 metric tons including earlier commitments, as solidarity while criticizing US sanctions and urging Washington DC [US] to lift its blockade (Tuổi Trẻ)

His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia has pardoned opposition leader Kem Sokha, freeing him from his 27-year treason sentence that was being served under house arrest while keeping a five-year ban on leaving the country in place (VnExpress)

Tens of thousands of people march in Madrid [Spain] demanding Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s resignation after a series of corruption scandals linked to figures in the governing Socialist Party, with some protesters attempting to breach barriers near the Moncloa Palace and opposition leaders from the People’s Party and Vox party joining the largely peaceful demonstration, while crowd estimates ranged from 40,000 to 80,000 (The Irish Times)

Philippine rescuers are racing to find survivors after a condo-hotel under construction collapsed in Angeles City [the Philippines], where four people have been confirmed dead, 17 remain missing— mostly construction workers— and families express growing frustration as crews conduct slow, manual searches under extreme heat while investigators probe safety violations and an unauthorized 10th-floor addition noted in planning records (Reuters)

Contrary to long-held belief, dog- and cat-folks do not eat grass primarily to relieve an upset stomach, according to veterinary studies. Instead, the behavior may stem from an instinct to supplement missing nutrients in their diet — although both species lack the ability to digest grass effectively. It could also simply be an ingrained instinct passed down from their wild ancestors over millions of years of evolution. While eating small amounts of grass is generally not harmful, pet caregivers are advised to exercise caution. Grass can expose animal-individuals to pesticides, fertilizers, parasites, bacteria, and viruses (The Weather Channel)

A sharp rise in disposable vape use among Spanish teenagers drives a youth nicotine surge, prompting health experts to demand tighter advertising rules, stricter sales restrictions, and expanded smoke-free zones to protect developing brains (EuroWeekly News)

Consuming three daily servings of grapes for two weeks could reprogram skin genes to naturally shield against sun damage and lower ultraviolet radiation stress, a novel study reveals (SciTech Daily)

A sweeping investigation reveals common prescription medications — including antidepressants and blood pressure pills — may secretly alter gut health for years after use. Shockingly, a class of anti-anxiety drugs called benzodiazepines appear to disrupt the human microbiome as severely as powerful antibiotics. Because these lingering changes impact digestion and immunity, the study authors say doctors should evaluate a patient’s multi-year medication history to fully understand their health (SciTech Daily)

Hanoi [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] endures one of its most extreme late-May heatwaves, with surface temperatures on motorbike seats and concrete exceeding 70 degrees Celsius, forcing outdoor workers and small businesses to struggle through dangerous conditions, increasing heat-related illnesses among children, adults, and pet-folk, and prompting warnings to limit midday exposure as forecasts show continued severe heat (VTV)

Floods kill at least nine people in China’s city of Chongqing after sudden heavy rain hits Yongchuan district, triggering flash floods and landslides. Eleven people remain missing as authorities evacuate more than 2,000 residents and rescue crews continue searching (Reuters)

Britain swelters through its hottest May day on record, with temperatures hitting 34.8°C at Kew Gardens in west London, breaking an 82-year-old mark. Scientists say human-driven climate change sharply raises the odds of such extreme heat across the UK (Reuters)

Severe storms and a tornado hit Âu Lạc (Vietnam)’s Lâm Đồng Province, damaging homes, schools and farmland. A 12-year-old girl is missing after floodwaters sweep her away in Đà Lạt. Roofs are torn off of at least eight houses, and over 37 hectares of durian farms suffer losses (VOV)

University of California, Riverside [US] receives its third critical federal animal-people welfare citation in three years after a hummingbird-individual used in research dies without timely notification of the death or life-threatening conditions to the campus veterinarian, adding to earlier citations involving another hummingbird-person and nine vole-folks, as USDA [US Department of Agriculture] inspectors and animal-people advocacy groups point to repeated failures in reporting sick or dead animal-individuals (The Press-Enterprise)

A new study reports a sharp rise in recent sightings of Antarctic blue whale-people and fin whale-folks off Namibia and South Africa’s west coast, offering evidence that both species are slowly recovering from the massive population losses caused by 20th-century commercial whaling, even as researchers warn that ship strikes, entanglement, and ecosystem changes still threaten their long-term survival (Good News Network)

Ecologist Thomas Crowther argues that while technological climate interventions face major trade-offs, restoring natural ecosystems can harness powerful positive feedback loops that boost biodiversity, improve local livelihoods, and drive self-sustaining climate benefits, citing global examples where community-led restoration has revived degraded landscapes and created “restoration economies” (The Guardian)

Ecologists are using high-resolution satellite imagery and AI [artificial intelligence] to detect sudden, landscape-scale changes in animal-folk movement— such as rapid dispersal, clustering, or directional flight— that signal panic responses to disturbances like wildfires, storms, predators, or human activity, allowing researchers to study stress ecology, habitat vulnerability, and early-warning indicators of ecosystem disruption across entire regions (BBC Future)

Social enterprise VegEd expands low-cost plant-based cooking workshops across Wales and England, UK, teaching struggling communities to cook for 50 pence per person amid the UK’s cost-of-living crisis (Deeside.com)

Australia’s Nutritional Growth Solutions enters a binding agreement to acquire Sprout Organic and its organic vegan infant formula line, along with its vegan toddler drink and kids’ shake and snack bar range, for around US$5.7 million. The deal will expand Sprout’s distribution across Australasia, Asia, the United Arab Emirates, and other markets (Proactive)

South Korean cosmetics firm Power Player rapidly expands its vegan brand Ongradients globally. With a nearly ninefold surge in exports, annual sales skyrocket to around US$17.2 million in 2025, a tripling from 2024 (Maeil Business)

A Sơn La [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] resident voluntarily hands over a rare keeled box turtle-person to local forest rangers after finding it in a rice field, contributing to regional wildlife and biodiversity conservation. The turtle-citizen will be released in the wild after health checks (Lao Động)

In Beeville, Texas [US], heroic police officers and firefighters rescue a newborn baby trapped inside a vehicle, with a first responder bringing the infant to safety just in time (Daily Mail)

Researchers in Kenya reunite an exhausted four-month-old calf with its herd after it wanders into a tourist campsite. The elephant-person family, particularly two aunts, emotionally welcomes the baby back following its mother’s death (Daily Mail)

Enlightening quote of the day: “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.” – The Worshipped Shakyamuni (Gautama) Buddha (vegan) Venerated Enlightened Master (BrainyQuote)

Previously in Parts 1 and 2 of Trần Thái Văn’s near-death experience, Văn was alone in a rented studio apartment in Reims, France, struggling to breathe through severe COVID symptoms. After drifting out of her pain-filled body, she rose above the bed where she lay and entered a life review, seeing moments from conception to death. Then she rose further, seeing how every choice opened into branching possibilities before entering a place where every soul’s qualities, desires, and connections to others were woven together in an intelligent, living mesh. With all her questions answered and a feeling of complete clarity, the experience shifted again.

Now, a portal opens before her. As I step in, there would be scenes being shown to me. So, one of the scenes was this. So, I find myself inside a vehicle, so, I’m inside the vehicle, and I could see that this is a sphere, and it was very humble, very simple. Just right to my right, there’s a bed, a single bed. If I look back, there was, there’s a shower. I look forward, there’s a workstation. I look to the left, there’s a window. And immediately, I got it that I am in a spaceship, a vehicle, a spheric vehicle, but I was inside of it. And it was very quiet, very peaceful. At that time I didn’t even try to make any sense out of this because, in 2022, this was as alien as it gets to me. I’ve never seen Star Wars. OK. So, this kind of experience, it was like, this is totally left field for me. That’s what I thought. But also, I had this feeling of, I can get used to this because it felt like home, as though this would be my home. And I really thought to myself, like, I can get used to this. So, that was one thought. And then the second thought was, this is very doable. So, even though, for me personally, for Văn at that time, I knew nothing about space, zero, not at all. But I was telling myself, this is very doable because, I don’t know, like, it didn’t feel like, oh, there’s an alien spaceship, alien technology, any of that. It just felt like, this is something that we would achieve in our lifetime.

The next scene, another scene, is where I would have landed on Earth. It was very beautiful, very, very peaceful. It was like spring weather. Not too hot, not too cold. If I look to the left, I see a river or a small stream. I loved it. I was like, “Ah, river of water, life.” And then I look to the right, that’s the vehicle. And then I look down at my feet, and I see green grass. And then I could hear the birds chirping. And at that point, I just took a deep breath, and I told myself, “This is the most peaceful experience I’ve ever had in my entire existence.” And, as I had that thought, I find myself tunneling back into my body, into my physical body, and waking up. The return to her COVID-stricken body was a brutal contrast — but Văn knew immediately that the worst was over. She recovered with remarkable speed, left Reims on the sixth day, and carried the story entirely alone for years. She describes how the experience reshaped everything.

This NDE [near-death experience] changed my life for sure. It answered all the questions that I had, and even the questions that I didn’t think I had. It also showed me the future, but not only my little selfish future; it was our collective future. And I have to tell you that, coming back, it took me years to somehow finish my previous life, let’s say that, and at some point, I was still feeling all kinds of negative feelings, too. It’s not like, after [an] NDE, everything is like rainbows and sunshine. You still go through things. You still have things to finish. But life is really here. It’s not over there, though it is very magical. It’s very intelligent. It’s very beautiful. It’s ever loving. But here is where we make it come true. And all the things I was shown, and it is a little bit hard for me to share all of it, but what was shown to me, I really believe that that would happen in my lifetime, and in your lifetime, in all of our lifetimes. So, it’s nothing like the life on Earth as we see right now. And I have no clue, like, how do I participate in making this come true? And I’ve asked myself, too, is this my responsibility? Is this your responsibility? Is it, like, whose responsibility is this? Because it seems so far, but yet so close. So, I personally, this is what I’m doing. I share what I can share in the best way that I can. But I really think that life is here, and whatever it is that we want to achieve collectively, we have to make it come true by taking the actions towards that and really living here in the third dimension on Earth. (NDE Journey)