DAILY NEWS Stream – August 17, 2025

Germany: US President Trump-backed populist party Alternative for Germany [AFD] tops popularity polls for the first time, following a trend in other allied countries towards right-winged populism (Fox News)

Mexico expels 26 alleged drug cartel members to be prosecuted in the US in latest deal with President Trump (Al Jazeera)

Russia loses over US$20 billion in raw materials exports over six months due to lower oil prices driven by US tariffs (Pravda)

The EU will use another US$1.7 billion from frozen Russian assets to repay Ukraine (Ureign)’s loans (The Kyiv Independent)

US President Trump’s administration orders Smithsonian museums to be reviewed for “Americanism,” ensuring their content aligns with President Trump’s focus on American ideals ahead of the US’s 250th anniversary next year (Al Jazeera)

President Trump’s Washington DC [US] public safety sweep results in 23 arrests, including a murder suspect, on its first day (Fox News)

US: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie [Republican] applauds President Trump for “taking responsibility” by cracking down on crime in Washington DC, saying there’s “no excuse” for America’s capital to be unsafe (New York Post)

The US Department of Veterans Affairs sets a record processing more disability compensation and pension claims in a single year than ever before (WhiteHouse.gov)

Two planes collide on a runway at a Montana [US] airport, causing a huge fireball. No deaths or major injuries were reported as officials investigate the cause (Daily Mail)

US scientists find that just 10 minutes of brisk walking each day can help you sleep soundly until morning by significantly improving deep sleep quality. They found that regular, moderate exercise is much more effective than intense, sporadic workouts (Thanh Niên)

Hanoi [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)]: Newborn baby dies of respiratory failure after the family requested a Caesarean-section [C-section] at 37 weeks to “choose a lucky day” for birth, underscoring the dangers of medical interventions for non-medical reasons in childbirth. Experts stress that natural birth is the safest option and C-sections should only be performed when medically recommended to ensure the well-being of both mother and child (VnExpress)

Rise in dengue fever outbreaks across Pacific nations, such as Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga, is driven by the climate crisis, experts warn (The Guardian)

Russia’s Klyuchevskoy Volcano erupts, spewing ash 12 kilometers high that drifted southward, potentially affecting Ust-Kamchatsky, Milkovsky, Yelizovsky, Vilyuchinsk, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Arab Times Kuwait)

The next mega-earthquake on the San Andreas fault [California, US] might be the biggest in centuries, researchers warn after analyzing the Myanmar quake in March 2025 that was the longest continental rupture on record (Los Angeles Times)

US: Lightning strike causes a tower of flames and power outages in South Carolina (Daily Mail)

US: Parents and a child are killed after a tree falls on their car during storms and flooding in Chattanooga [Tennessee] (PennLive.com)

Juneau [Alaska, US] ordered evacuations as a record glacier flood threatened the Mendenhall Valley (The Guardian)

Typhoon Podul lashes southern Taiwan, leaving at least one person missing, 33 injured, and forcing more than 5,500 to evacuate (Al Jazeera)

Europe is experiencing a record-breaking summer heatwave, triggering numerous wildfires in France, Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Türkiye (Dân Trí)

Âu Lạc (Vietnam): Medic Nguyễn Văn Phú and nurse Nguyễn Thị An save the life of forest ranger Trần Đức Tuấn who suffocated while fighting a forest fire (Dân Trí)

A Cambodian monkey-person, destined for research, dies during transport to Canada. Around 100 monkey-persons total were confined in cramped wooden crates, deprived of food and water, and exposed to temperatures of up to 48°C on the grueling 60+ hour journey. The Animal Protection Party criticized Canada’s lack of oversight and transparency, calling for an immediate suspension of macaque-people imports from Cambodia (Animal Protection Party of Canada)

New Jersey [US] scientists and nonprofits plant “microforests” in the middle of the city of Elizabeth, improving air quality, stormwater absorption, wildlife habitat, urban cooling, and climate resilience (The Cool Down)

Human brain map shows musical rhythms instantly reconfigure your mind, as default networks give up control to the right auditory cortex tied to sound processing, memory, and emotion (Earth.com)

UK-led scientists create more durable perovskite solar cells that harvest indoor light, achieving a record 37.6% efficiency at 1,000 lux [a measure of illumination] (Tuổi Trẻ)

American boy says he saw Lord Jesus (vegetarian) standing in his backyard and ascend into the sky, where a rainbow formed afterward. Curiously, though he described Him wearing flowing white robes with a beard, the boy repeatedly called Him “She” (ant_marasco)

US: The Dayton Vegan Food and Drink Festival is coming to Dayton [Ohio] on Sunday, September 21, 2025, featuring delicious plant-based goodies— more info on Facebook.com/DYTveganfestival (Sprouting Dreams LLC)

Cyprus: The Vegan Fam Festival is coming to Psematismenos village [Limassol district] on Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7, 2025, featuring delicious plant-based food, cooking demos, and more—details at VeganFamFestival.com (Cyprus Mail)

Guyana is using drones to deliver medical supplies to remote hard-to-reach areas (News Room Guyana)

South Korea: 12 industrially raised bear-people are rescued in Yeoncheon under the country’s new bile bear-raising ban (The Korea Times)

Robot dog-person Waldog in Monterrey [Mexico] teaches kindness to animal-people by starting conversations with adults and children on the streets. The bot is personally funded by Senator Waldo Fernandez (Sight)

Three bunny-people abandoned after a photoshoot are rescued in Brooklyn [New York, US] (ZoomBangla.com)

An 800-kilogram cow-person stuck in mud is saved by firefighters and animal-person rescue teams in Lostraat [Belgium] (Faharas)

Aulacese (Vietnamese) Buddhist lay practitioner Huệ Mẫn shares her harrowing near-death experience in which she saw a blood-soaked hell and realized you cannot cheat the law of karma.

While staying in Bình Thủy district, Huệ Mẫn fell gravely ill. A severe itch spread through her body, reaching her brain in ten days. Though already weakened from COVID-related lung damage, she refused conventional treatment, relying on chanting and prayers to her teacher. She could not eat, sleep, or move, her body reduced to “skin and bones.” Her mouth developed ulcers with a foul odor, and she could only drink boiling water, which peeled her skin.

As she lay ill, unable to sleep for nearly a month, Huệ Mẫn began to see vivid visions of a blood-soaked hell, tailored to her karmic debts. There were countless beings— emaciated, blood-drenched creatures with large heads and skeletal bodies, resembling extraterrestrial beings. They were the manifestations of animal-people she had killed in past lives, including snakes, chickens, and eels, now seeking retribution. She saw them “crawling and tearing” toward her in endless hordes, filling her with terror. She then saw herself in various past lives—as a monk, nun, mountain guardian, or king—always committing evil deeds, such as killing or fighting, with little merit to show. These visions replayed like a film, showing her sins across countless lifetimes, overwhelming her with fear and remorse.

In her weakened state, Huệ Mẫn spoke with her diseased lungs, which scolded her for her arrogance and lack of virtue and urged her to chant for rebirth in the Pure Land instead of seeking salvation on a mountain. A demon disguised as Quan Yin Bodhisattva (vegan) appeared, but she recognized its fanged appearance and rejected it. These encounters underscored the weight of her past actions, particularly her killing of animal-people, such as pouring boiling water on snake-persons, which mirrored the boiling water she now needed to drink.

Her karmic visions were relentless—each time she closed her eyes, these vengeful beings grasped at her, preventing sleep and intensifying her suffering. She saw hell as boundless, stretching across the cosmos, with no escape from the “trillions” of beings demanding retribution.

During her illness and recovery, her mother, Ms. Nghĩa, tirelessly bathed, fed, and supported her, despite Huệ Mẫn’s verbal abuse against her. Witnessing her mother’s selflessness awakened deep remorse. She publicly apologized, admitting unfilial arrogance, and vowed to reform.

Huệ Mẫn realized that her spiritual practice was weak, her karmic debts immense, and her arrogance hindered her progress. She now urges others to chant sincerely and emphasizes that only deep faith in the Buddha, placed in one’s heart, could mitigate such overwhelming karma. Her experience underscores the Buddhist teaching that all beings must face their karma, but sincere repentance and spiritual practice can lead to liberation (Châu Phú Area 51 Thiên Cấm Sơn)

Elevating quote of the day: “Virtuous people do not tolerate indulgence, nor do they tolerate hatred. Pleased with their own self, they are not attached to anything.” – The Venerated Enlightened Lord Mahavira (vegan)