DAILY NEWS Stream – March 25, 2026

An Iranian military spokesman warns that the country may target tourist sites abroad in response to escalating conflict, prompting heightened US security alerts as the US deploys additional naval forces to the region (New York Post)

The UK allows the US to use British bases for operations aimed at clearing Iranian threats in the Strait of Hormuz, reversing its earlier limits on US access as regional tensions escalate and global fuel prices surge (New York Post)

South Korea is developing a five-year plan to improve inter-Korean relations under South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung, shifting the government’s focus toward peaceful coexistence and renewed dialogue with North Korea (Thời báo VTV)

China welcomes the Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire and praises Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar for helping broker it, urging Pakistan and Afghanistan to resume talks and work toward a lasting halt to cross-border clashes that have recently caused heavy military and civilian casualties (Anadolu Agency)

UN Women, the UN [United Nations] agency focused on gender equality and women’s rights, says it will continue operating in Afghanistan despite severe gender-based restrictions and ongoing conflict, urging Afghan authorities to protect women’s rights under international law as the agency faces a major funding gap (JURIST)

Iran fires two long-range ballistic missiles toward the US-UK base on the island of Diego Garcia in the central Indian Ocean in a major escalation of the conflict, though neither hit the target— one failed in flight and the other was intercepted— with analysts saying the launch demonstrates missile ranges far beyond Tehran’s previous claims and heightens concerns that Iranian missiles could reach Europe (Fox News)

The US Department of Labor launches a new Center for Faith website created under US President Trump’s executive order, offering resources on workplace religious discrimination protections and guidance for faith organizations seeking grants and retirement plan support (Department of Labor)

The UK abolishes the two-child limit on Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit, a change the government says will lift 450,000 children out of poverty next year and form a central part of its wider child poverty strategy (Gov.uk)

Experts warn that improper posture during phone and computer use compresses the median nerve, causing carpal tunnel syndrome. Left untreated, this leads to muscle atrophy. They recommend ergonomic adjustments and frequent breaks to protect hand health (VnExpress)

Dr. Arpit Srivastava, a nephrologist in India, emphasizes that a citrate-rich diet with fruits like watermelon and citrus is crucial for preventing kidney stone crystallization. Conversely, experts strictly warn kidney patients to avoid starfruit due to its dangerous neurotoxin, caramboxin. Managing oxalate and sugar intake while maintaining high hydration remains essential for stable kidney function and long-term stone prevention (Lao Động)

Pears are highly nutritious, providing fiber and potassium, but their seeds contain amygdalin, which converts to toxic hydrogen cyanide if crushed. While accidental ingestion of a few seeds is rarely harmful to adults, blending cores into smoothies poses a higher risk, especially for children (Phụ Nữ Today)

Severe floods and mudslides sweep across Malawi, killing 13 people and displacing thousands. Emergency teams scramble to deliver essential relief as destroyed infrastructure leaves multiple communities completely isolated (The Watchers)

Ice loss in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya region has doubled since 2000, threatening water supplies for nearly 2 billion people. Rising temperatures— twice the global average— are rapidly shrinking the region’s 54,000 glaciers (Tuổi Trẻ)

A slow-moving Kona low [low-pressure weather system] dumps extreme rainfall on Oʻahu, Hawaii [US], triggering life-threatening flash floods. The deluge damages homes, strands vehicles, and forces emergency evacuations across Haleiwa and Waialua communities (The Watchers)

A new analysis finds over 3,000 Spanish municipalities exceeding a proposed 6 milligrams/liter nitrate limit for tap water, with farming regions like Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia showing the highest concentrations as scientists warn that long-term exposure at lower levels may pose risks for infants and pregnant women (EuroWeekly News)

A University of Osaka [Japan] researcher has modeled a gyroscopic wave energy converter to capture power from a wide range of ocean-wave conditions, showing through simulations that the system can reach the theoretical maximum energy-absorption efficiency when properly tuned (SciTech Daily)

Astronomers identify 4 new moons orbiting Jupiter and 11 new moons circling Saturn—bringing the planets’ total moon count to 101 and 285 respectively—with the tiny, faint objects confirmed by the Minor Planet Center after being detected using some of the world’s largest ground-based telescopes (Thanh Niên)

The Melksham Vegan Market [Melksham, UK] draws large crowds to the town center as 20 stalls showcase vegan food and ethical goods. The annual event highlights growing regional demand for sustainable independent businesses (Wiltshire Times)

Vegan queso offers a dairy-free twist on the classic Tex-Mex dip, utilizing cashews and nutritional yeast. Brands like Kite Hill now provide creamy, compassionate alternatives to the historic staple (VegNews)

Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren credits his vegan lifestyle for boosting performance and energy on tour. The musician maintains an animal-free diet to support his physical health and ethical commitment (Rock Celebrities)

Madrid [Spain] firefighters now rescue roughly 300 animal-people annually, ranging from trapped pet-citizens to complex wildlife operations. Growing demand drives specialized training and veterinary coordination to ensure the safety of both responders and animal-folk in distress (EuroWeekly News)

Two doctors save a 64-year-young man who collapses from a stroke during volleyball in Âu Lạc (Vietnam) Their rapid cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] and on-site coordination restore his pulse and breathing, highlighting the lifesaving power of immediate first aid (Thanh Niên)

Viral TikTok footage from Tennessee [US] shows Cash the donkey-person comforting Oscar, a blind rescue donkey-individual. By quietly standing nearby, Cash helps the anxious newcomer adjust, sparking widespread praise for the animal-citizens’ deep empathy (Newsweek)

Enlightening quote of the day: “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master and Philosopher Plato (vegetarian) (Quotes Explained)

American television producer Stephanie Arnold shares how she became convinced, months before giving birth, that she would die in childbirth— and how flatlining for 37 seconds convinced her that consciousness survives beyond the body.

Stephanie had built a successful career in reality television in Chicago, alongside her husband Jonathan, a PhD economist and former Air Force pilot. After seven grueling rounds of IVF (in vitro fertilization), she was finally pregnant with their second child, a boy named Jacob. Their first daughter Adina, had been born via C [Cesarean]-section, with no complications beyond her size. The first half of Stephanie’s second pregnancy proceeded smoothly until the 20-week ultrasound revealed she had placenta previa— a condition where the placenta grows over the cervix.

I looked at my husband, and I said, “I have a bad feeling about this.” I’m very research-oriented. So, I get back to the apartment and I’m typing on “Placenta previa. What’s that?” — if it happens to turn into a placenta accreta, where the placenta marries itself to the uterus, if that happens, you might bleed. If that happens, as I keep reading, you might hemorrhage. If that happens, you might need a hysterectomy. And if that happens, during the hemorrhage, you and the baby could lose your lives. And I sat back, and I looked at the computer, and I told my husband, I said, “This is going to happen to us. The only difference is the baby’s going to be fine.” I said, “But, I’m going to be dead on the operating table.”

There are certain things, men and women have it. I hear more women than men have this more instinct, and especially maternal instinct. They have this feeling, and I call it a knowing. You don’t know how. I just knew this was going to happen. I talked to everybody. I talked to nurses, doctors. Every visit I had, I told the doctors this was going to happen, this was going to happen. They’re like, Stephanie, there’s no indication that this can happen, and in their defense, the tests were negative.

Refusing to let the matter drop, Stephanie made an appointment with the head of gynecological oncology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital—a teaching facility delivering 12,000 babies annually. It was nearly impossible to secure such an appointment as a healthy pregnant woman with no cancer diagnosis.

So, we go in, we meet the head of gyno [gynecology]. He’s like, “Mrs. Arnold, how can I help you?” The resident is taking notes. And I explain, “My placenta previa is going to turn into an accreta. I’m going to need a hysterectomy.” So, he sits back; the resident stops talking. And he’s like, “Mrs. Arnold, have you been on the internet?” I was like, “Why, yes, I have, doctor. But this is going to happen.” And he’s like, “OK, what I’d like you to do is, I would like you to have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) If the MRI is positive for an accreta, then I will schedule myself at your mandatory C-section at 37 weeks. And then, we will take care of it then.”

The MRI came back negative. Stephanie felt worse— she was running out of people to tell. In a final phone consultation with the anesthesiologist, she again explained what she believed was going to happen. The anesthesiologist reassured her they were prepared for emergencies and said she hoped the conversation had put her at ease.

I was racing against the clock. If you imagine being buried alive, and you imagine you’re sitting there, and you’re just waiting, and people are tossing the dirt on top of you. And, by the way, when somebody gives you an expiration date and says, “OK, this is the day you’re going to die.” And they say, “Spend the time with your family, enjoy those moments. Have those fun times.” I failed all of that. I didn’t do any of that.

At 36 weeks exactly, while her husband Jonathan was away on business, Stephanie began bleeding at home. She texted him: We’re delivering today. He stopped his meeting, boarded a plane, and Skyped with her as she was being triaged at the hospital.

And then I’m Skype chatting with my husband. And I told him, he’s made me the happiest woman in the world. And I love him. And please don’t blame this child. And please take care of our children. And it was more like my goodbye letter to him, and he still wasn’t getting it. So he said, “Where do I meet you?” And I said, “The eighth-floor recovery, hopefully.” And that was the last conversation I had. And, they’re wheeling me into the room that’s going to give life to my son, and I am 100% convinced that this is the room that’s going to take my life. They administered an epidural and began the C-section. Jacob was delivered healthy. Seconds later, Stephanie flatlined.

I ended up having a very rare pregnancy complication called an amniotic fluid embolism, and it’s a one in 40,000 risk, where amniotic cells get into the mother’s bloodstream. And if you happen to be allergic to it, your body goes into anaphylactic shock, and in most cases, you don’t make it. Just to give you perspective, Northwestern delivers 12,000 babies a year. At the time when I delivered, they had 10 amniotic fluid embolisms, 10, in their entire history; they’ve been around for almost 30 years. I am the first to have survived, at that time, from full-blown AFE (amniotic fluid embolism)

Stephanie survived— but what she experienced during those 37 seconds would challenge everything doctors thought they understood about consciousness. And then I start explaining what I saw with a complete out-of-body experience, which nurse hit the button for the code, which nurse jumped on my chest to give me CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), what my doctor was doing down by my feet, what the anesthesiologist was doing down by the feet, what my daughter was doing down the hall in the labor and delivery room, what my husband was wearing when he got off the plane, what my mother was doing when I was [in] the third day of my coma. Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of 2 of Stephanie Arnold’s near-death experience. (Next Level Soul Podcast)