DAILY NEWS Stream – August 9, 2026

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz were progressing well and that an agreement with Iran could be reached soon (Fox News)

On August 5, a senior US official described the US-brokered peace talks between Israel and Lebanon in Rome [Italy] as “extremely productive,” saying technical teams made progress on key details for implementing the June framework agreement (Fox News)

Iran says an agreement with Oman on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz is in its final stages, with the route’s geographical coordinates already agreed (BBC News)

Eight people were killed while waiting for a delayed train at a station in Brovary [Ukraine (Ureign)] during a major Russian drone and missile attack on August 5. The strike hit trees behind the platform, sending the blast across the area where passengers were standing, while other attacks destroyed homes, warehouses, and logistics facilities in Kyiv [Ukraine (Ureign)] and the surrounding region. At least 17 people were killed overall and dozens were injured, as Russia fired 24 ballistic and four hypersonic missiles alongside waves of drones (Kyiv Independent)

US FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] Director Kash Patel says the bureau has established new, limited law-enforcement partnerships with China and Russia to combat crimes including fentanyl trafficking, cyber fraud, child sexual exploitation, and fugitive cases (Reuters)

Taiwan (Formosa) began its 10-day annual Han Kuang military exercise on August 5, testing how commanders respond when enemy movements and battlefield conditions differ from planned scenarios. The drills include fighter jet dispersals, emergency naval deployments, the relocation of military supplies, civilian factory mobilization, and exercises aimed at protecting command centers, ports, logistics networks, and supply routes. For the first time, Taiwan (Formosa) will deliberately slow mobile internet speeds to test civilian communication during wartime. More than 20,000 reservists will participate (Channel News Asia)

A study tracking more than 5,200 students in northern Italy found that children who began using social media in sixth grade, around ages 11 to 12, had lower math and Italian reading-comprehension scores by their early to mid-teens than those who waited until at least ninth grade, around age 14 (Tuổi Trẻ)

A Stanford University [US] study finds that a child’s speech style may predict future anxiety and depression better than content alone. Using artificial intelligence language analysis on children describing stressful experiences, researchers link use of absolute words like “always” and “never” and complex sentence structures with higher mental health risks, possibly offering an inexpensive, accessible tool for early risk identification (euronews)

A Swedish study reveals that mentally engaging sitting habits, such as reading, office work, and knitting, lower dementia risk. Conversely, mentally passive sedentary activities like watching television or listening to music increase risk. Researchers suggest people do not need to avoid TV entirely if they balance it daily with equal amounts of mentally stimulating activities (Xinhua)

HCM CT [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] health officials warn residents of rising infectious disease risks during the rainy season. Dengue fever cases spike sharply alongside ongoing hand, foot, and mouth disease activity. Authorities urge the public to eliminate mosquito breeding sites, maintain personal hygiene, and wear masks in public spaces (Báo Tin tức)

Monsoon floods and landslides have killed more than 100 people across India since July. In Assam, the worst-hit state, the toll reaches 95 on August 5, with Sivasagar district the worst affected. Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says over 74,000 people are sheltering in relief camps (PTI, AFP)

Torrential rain triggers landslides at nearly 40 points across Lào Cai Province in Âu Lạc (Vietnam) on August 5, damaging homes, roads and farmland. One person is missing after a hillside collapse at the Mý Háng Tầu hydropower site in Chế Tạo Commune. Authorities evacuate residents, close unsafe roads and approve emergency aid for those displaced (VietnamPlus)

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes off the island town of Sarangani in Davao Occidental province [the Philippines] on August 5. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issues no tsunami warning and expects no damage, calling it an aftershock of June’s magnitude 7.8 quake (The Philippine Star, Manila Standard)

Astronomers have captured the highest-resolution images yet of the Sun’s visible surface, revealing swirling patterns of superheated plasma ranging from about 19 to 170 kilometers across. Researchers say these twisting motions may help explain how magnetic energy builds in the Sun and contributes to solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and the extreme heat of its outer atmosphere (Channel News Asia)

A multi-university study finds recreational college athletes maintain endurance and strength after switching to a largely vegan diet from an omnivore diet, supporting the viability of vegan nutrition for athletic performance (EurekAlert)

The UK’s 2026 Great Taste Awards [blind taste test evaluation for food and drink] recognize a growing lineup of vegan products, highlighting how ongoing taste and quality innovations are establishing vegan foods as mainstream staples (Planet Food News)

Vegan art supplies allow artists to avoid hidden animal-people ingredients— such as carmine, shellac, beeswax, and animal-individual hair— without sacrificing quality. Shoppers can choose cruelty-free brands like Derwent [charcoal pencils], Elmer’s [glue sticks], and Azafran [organic crayons]. Experts advise checking product labels carefully, noting that pigments like Ivory Black and PBk9 are often derived from animal-people bones (VegNews)

Sanitation workers in Bitonto [Italy], recover a lost €1 million lottery ticket after a woman mistakenly throws it away. The local sanitation company traces the garbage truck, searches through its contents for hours and finds the ticket intact. The woman later promises to cover all costs of the search (Dân Trí)

Japanese pediatrician Dr. Masahiko Sakamoto empowers anxious parents in Japan through his free educational project, “Oshiete! Doctor.” His popular illustrated guides and mobile app teach families proper at-home child care, giving caregivers peace of mind while significantly reducing unnecessary hospital emergency room visits (Live Science)

The state of Gujarat [India], bans the manufacture, sale, and use of glue traps to prevent animal-people cruelty. Officials cite the severe suffering and slow deaths these devices cause trapped animal-folk. Authorities mandate their removal from procurement platforms while encouraging humane, non-lethal pest control alternatives (Social News XYZ)

Enlightening quote of the day: “Possession of material riches, without inner peace, is like dying of thirst while bathing in a lake. If material poverty is to be avoided, spiritual poverty is to be abhorred. For it is spiritual poverty, not material lack, that lies at the core of all human suffering.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Paramahansa Yogananda (vegetarian) (AZ Quotes)

Previously in this multipart series, six-year-old Zhan Meneev drowned after jumping into a river near his grandparents’ home. After leaving his body, he saw his body floating in the water and tried desperately to get his twin sister, Zhanina, to call for help, but he could not speak to her. I was telling her, and, of course, she wouldn’t hear me. And, of course, she wouldn’t be able to help me either because she couldn’t swim. Until today, she can’t swim. What happens next is I feel her feelings. I start hearing her thoughts. I was connected to her. I felt like I was her.

Zhan watched his sister run home for help, and as he stood there, something shifted in his sense of self.

I felt like I was not 6 years old. I think that’s how I felt: no beginning, no end. I always existed. I loved. I came from love. I am Energy. We’re all connected. We’re part of the beautiful consciousness, Energy, the Universe, all those things. It was such a beautiful experience. I will never forget I’m loved. No one can take that away from me. Even though we go through hardship, difficult times, it doesn’t matter. Every person on Earth, every human being – Asian, White people, Black people, Mexican, or Latino – doesn’t matter. Everybody is loved. We all come from Love. That’s how I felt. We’re all connected to each other. It’s what connects us; it’s just the Love.

Zhan then turned his attention back to the children swimming in the river. So, I went over there again, instantly, and I was also feeling the same way I felt with my sister. So, I could also feel their emotions, their feelings, and everything.

I remember this beautiful Light appeared on the side. It was like energy, this beautiful energy, living beautiful energy, and I, myself, felt like I was also energy, like this bulb, beautiful white. So, this white Light was telepathically talking to me. I could feel the Love that [it was] sharing with me, and I felt like I knew that Light, or the Light knew me. And then the Light was telepathically saying, “Come to me.” And so, I said, “Yeah.” And the Love was just so loving, so much Love, and it didn’t scare me at all. And then the Light and I, we just became one. So, we connected to each other. It was such a beautiful feeling.

And then I remember I ended up being in a beautiful place where, as I remember, it was like a cloud, so bright. It’s like I was standing on the cloud or something like that, and then I had a body. I looked at myself. I was wearing white clothes, and the body I had was not like a physical body. It felt like an energy body, and then my body was shining, white, shining like this. And I was so beautiful. That’s how I saw myself.

And then I remember hearing a very masculine voice, demanding, and it said to me, [it] asked me, “What are you doing here?” And then he said, “You’re not supposed to be here.” Although the voice overwhelmed him at first, Zhan also sensed something loving in it.

I remember [a] man, [an] ancient man, appeared in front of me, like a mile or two miles [1.6–3.2 kilometers] away from me, and I was there instantly. And then I was looking up like this. He was so tall, taller than me. I felt like I knew that person, and that person, he called me son. [He was] like, “My son, you’re not supposed to be here. It’s not your time yet. You need to go back. Your mission is not completed yet.”

In Part 3, the ancient man reveals what still lies ahead in Zhan’s life. I think we plan things before… That’s what I was shown. I was told I have to complete my mission because I already agreed to it. Join us tomorrow for Part 3 of this multipart series on Zhan Meneev’s near-death experience. (NDE Mystery Diaries)