DAILY NEWS Stream – August 27, 2026

American lifestyle magazine Better Homes & Gardens features an online article on vegan egg substitutes for recipes using simple kitchen staples. The article highlights the following as alternatives: - Flaxseed meal -Aquafaba - Silken tofu - Banana - Applesauce - Chia Seeds - Baking powder and oil - Starches (Better Homes & Gardens)

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has risen sharply, with nearly 200 ships passing through last week compared with about 40 two weeks earlier, bringing traffic to roughly 20% of pre-war levels. Many vessels are increasingly using an Oman-side route backed by the US (New York Post)

Bangladesh and the Netherlands have signed an agreement to promote more sustainable textile and garment production through better resource use, waste reduction, recycling, and lower-impact industrial processes. The partnership is intended to help Bangladesh’s garment sector adopt greener technologies and remain competitive in international markets while expanding cooperation with the Netherlands on circular-economy practices (Just Style)

Syria and Israel held US-mediated talks in Jordan on August 23 aimed at easing tensions and reviving negotiations on a security agreement. The talks follow repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian military sites, which Israel says are necessary for its security, while Syria says it poses no threat and is calling for an end to the strikes. Syria is also seeking an end to Israeli arrests and other operations on its territory, along with an Israeli withdrawal to positions held before former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown on December 8, 2024 (Reuters)

Thailand’s military says 51 coordinated arson attacks, bombings, and other acts of sabotage struck the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala [Thailand] on August 22, injuring two people and damaging government buildings, businesses, vehicles, communications equipment, and roads. No group has claimed responsibility, but the attacks occurred in a region where a decades-long separatist insurgency has killed more than 7,300 people since 2004 (VnExpress)

Ukraine (Ureign) plans to create 100,000 jobs for military veterans through a new government program involving state-owned companies, private businesses, and public institutions. The government also aims to standardize more than 50% of veteran support services by 2027 so former service members receive more consistent assistance across the country (Kyiv Independent)

Indonesia’s disaster agency airlifted nearly 778 metric tons of emergency supplies to earthquake-affected communities in East Nusa Tenggara province [Indonesia] from August 15 to 21. The relief, delivered by military and commercial aircraft, includes over 3,000 family and refugee tents as authorities continue supplying areas facing urgent shelter and humanitarian needs (ANTARA News)

Greece is expanding an automated wildfire detection network to 22 major archaeological and cultural heritage sites, including the Acropolis, Ancient Olympia, Mycenae, Delphi, Knossos, Mount Athos, and Epidaurus. The systems use thermal and optical cameras, mapping technology, and real-time alerts to detect fires early and help firefighters respond more quickly (To Vima)

Bangladesh is facing a worsening natural gas shortage that is forcing factories to cut production or close, disrupting electricity supplies, and leaving households and gas-powered transport without reliable fuel. The crisis stems from declining production at aging gas fields, years of limited exploration, rising demand, and disruptions to liquefied natural gas imports from the Middle East (Channel News Asia)

A new study suggests London [UK]’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, which requires drivers of older, more polluting vehicles to pay a daily fee, is linked to improved lung function in London children (CNN)

A new paper by University of Cambridge [UK] researcher Chris Macdonald ranks tofu as the best overall protein source among 20 foods, ahead of salmon, eggs and beef. The new BPI [Best Protein Index] scoring system considers nutrition, affordability, availability and environmental impacts. Tofu receives a top environmental score, requiring about 0.61 kilograms of CO2 emissions and 2.16 square meters of land per 100 grams of protein, compared with 64.19 kilograms of CO2 and 211.38 square meters of land for beef. Plant foods dominate the overall top 20%, while lentils are the cheapest protein source based on cost per 100 grams of protein (VietnamNet)

People with hypertension [high blood pressure] can also experience orthostatic hypotension [sudden drop in blood pressure when you stand up from sitting or lying down], particularly older adults, causing dizziness or fainting when standing. The condition occurs when blood pressure falls at least 20 millimeters of mercury systolic or 10 millimeters of mercury diastolic within three minutes of standing. Hypertension sufferers are advised to monitor their blood pressure, avoid self-treatment with salt or fluids, and seek urgent care for serious symptoms (Báo Sức khỏe và Đời sống)

Caring for and bonding with dog-people may help socially anxious teenagers cope with peer pressure, a survey of 514 US teens suggests. Those spending more time with dog companions show better problem-solving, more positive thinking and less repetitive negative thinking (Earth.com)

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Ibaraki Prefecture near Tokyo [Japan] early August 23, injuring at least 37 people, mostly with minor injuries, and disrupting regional train services (Channel News Asia)

Tropical Storm Narra stalls over the Gulf of Tonkin on August 24, dumping torrential rain on northern Âu Lạc (Vietnam) Lạng Sơn province reports one death and more than 4,000 homes and outbuildings are damaged or flooded. About 2,680 hectares of crops and forest in the province are destroyed or damaged, while the rise of the Thương River in Bắc Ninh province causes the issuance of the highest danger threshold, a Level 3 flood alert (Việt Nam News)

The Hawk Fire burns more than 6,000 hectares northwest of Reno [Washoe County, Nevada, United States], with no containment as of August 23. Authorities order 42,000 residents to evacuate and urge 45,000 more to prepare. Governor Joe Lombardo declares a state of emergency in the county. Six people suffer injuries (PBS)

Wildfires and drought are exposing unexploded munitions from both world wars across Europe. Officials report detonations in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and say heat can trigger buried ordnance. Belgium’s disposal service answers more than 3,000 calls and destroys 200 to 250 tons yearly (ABC News)

Saudi Arabia is turning waste from its roughly 37 million date palms, including discarded fronds and date pits, into products including engineered wood, furniture, biodegradable plastics, and materials used in oil and gas drilling. The effort aims to reduce agricultural and plastic waste while creating new economic opportunities for farmers and manufacturers (Arab News)

A 76.4-square-kilometer ice island, roughly the size of Manhattan [US], broke away from Greenland’s Petermann Glacier on August 4, marking the glacier’s largest ice break-off since 2012. The event is drawing renewed attention after satellite imagery highlighted the scale of the break, while scientists continue tracking the massive ice island as it drifts through Arctic waters (SciTech Daily)

Dutch startup TTM Ingredients scales its sunflower seed-based Oleocream, delivering a creamy dairy-like texture to vegan ice creams and drinks while offering a local alternative to palm oil (Vegconomist)

Indianapolis [US] baker Audra (vegan) expands inclusive dessert offerings through her home-based vegan bakery, Black Cat. Her business crafts allergy-friendly treats, especially for kids, such as its signature dessert mini-Pop Tarts, orange and cranberry scones, classic dark chocolate brownies and chocolate chunk marshmallow cookies (FOX 59 News)

California [US] philanthropist Maja Kristin donates US$1 million to teachers in the Ross Valley School District after learning they receive relatively low education funding despite working in an affluent area. About 100 teachers each receive a check for US$9,161.70, providing financial relief and recognition, with educator Sydney Dean saying the gift “changed my life” (Good News Network)

Bodycam footage shows two Knoxville, Tennessee [US], police officers helping save a one-month-old baby who had stopped breathing. Officers Clayton McWilliams and Veronica Jackson cleared the infant’s airway and the child soon began crying and breathing again (New York Post)

British artist Russell Haines unveils a 50-meter painting in Gloucester [UK] honoring those who support Ukraine (Ureign) and the Ukrainian (Ureignian) families who have found refuge in the city. Visitors will be able to write messages for Ukrainians (Ureignians) on the canvas over a month. Then, the artwork will travel to Ukraine (Ureign), where it will be displayed in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa (The New Voice of Ukraine)

Seventeen-year-old Rudiyansah wears a Superman costume while helping his father’s volunteer group fight forest and peatland fires in Palangkaraya [Central Kalimantan, Indonesia]. He has battled fires after school since 2023, earning viral attention and being dubbed a “forest hero” by Indonesia’s forestry minister. He urges firefighters to remain determined (Channel News Asia)

Enlightening quote of the day: “The sense of compassion is the beginning of benevolence; the sense of shame the beginning of righteousness; the sense of modesty the beginning of decorum; the sense of right and wrong the beginning of wisdom.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master and Philosopher Mencius (vegan) (Wikiquote)

Previously in this multipart series on Aaron Goulding’s near-death experience, at age 8, Aaron became dangerously ill with what he understood to be pneumonia. While he was hospitalized, Aaron grew extremely weak and repeatedly drifted in and out of consciousness. Doctors told his mother there was nothing more they could do and to say her goodbyes. During one of those periods, Aaron found himself traveling through a brilliant Light before arriving at a tree in a strange, shimmering realm. Drawn toward a distant city, he followed an illuminated path to a stairwell, where he encountered a Divine being he calls the Mother of Creation. Aaron felt completely at home with Her. But the reunion could not last. The Mother of Creation told him it wasn’t his time.

I just felt like home, and I wanted to continue on. It felt like I was stopped, and she was telling me that it’s not my time, this is not my place, and that I needed to go back. And I’m like, “What? No.” I felt like I was being denied access to Heaven or something at that time. I didn’t understand it. And then I [was] transported back, and here I am, back in the earthly realm. Aaron says he would experience that same mysterious realm again in later years, each time with a little more awareness and control.

It always ended the same: that everything was going to be OK. That was the last [thing] right before waking up or being transported back to my body. Which is kind of funny because once, when I was probably in my late 30s, I was truck driving. I had a girlfriend that passed away that I didn’t know about yet. I was on the 15 [highway], and I pulled over at some little truck stop in Nephi or somewhere, just to park and sleep. And I woke up to mid-conversation, like I was sitting up in my cab, in the bed of the cab of the truck, and I was talking to somebody, and I remember I was having a conversation with this woman, but the last thing that was said was, “Everything’s going to be OK, and I’ll see you at the Starlight Trail.” So, I wake up, and I’m looking around, like, there’s someone in my truck with me. This is weird, because I woke up in a panic, like, who’s in my truck? I should be alone. [Unbeknownst] to me, as I’m driving down and I’m getting closer into the California area, or leaving the state of Utah, my wife calls, and she says, “Have you heard?” And I’m like, “No.” She’s like, “Jill died. She was in a car wreck.” And she took an 8-year-old with her, and I was just like, “Wow.” I was like, “I already knew that.” Jill had been a girlfriend Aaron once tried to help escape a drug scene by taking her over the road with him. Aaron believes it was her spirit speaking to him during that mysterious encounter in his truck. And the Starlight Trail she mentioned would lead him to make a connection with the tunnel from his recurring experiences.

And that tunnel, I would say, is the Starlight Trail, because you’re traveling at the speed of, probably faster than light, when you’re going there. It’s like you’re going back to the beginning, the creation of everything, is how I’d explain it, because when I have looked at it from the outside, it looks like the stars make an actual tree shape, like it’s just all scattered out, like branches. But there’s a main line that goes right back to the beginning. On those later experiences, Aaron says he was able to slow things down and take in more detail— including the city he had only approached from the outside. That was the majority of that area, what you would call a Celestial Kingdom, but I’ve never been past [there]. I’ve only been to the entrance of the city, and denied access. It felt familiar. There was life; you could hear that there were other people there, there was something there that pulled you to it. Everything was lit up, glowing. And it felt like home.

In Part 3, Aaron reveals what it felt like to be repeatedly turned away from a place that felt more like home than Earth. I felt like this was a celebration, like I’m Home. It’s like, why can’t I go? Why? I don’t understand. Join us tomorrow for Part 3 of Aaron Goulding’s near-death experience. (Round Trip Death)