DAILY NEWS Stream – February 5, 2026

US President Trump says the US has arranged for India to start buying Venezuelan oil to replace some of its Russian imports, signaling easing sanctions on Venezuela and a warming in US–India relations (Reuters)

With the Milan Cortina [Italy] Winter Olympics just days away, the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee are jointly urging a 52-day global pause in fighting, reviving the ancient Olympic Truce in hopes of creating even brief openings for peace and dialogue amid ongoing conflicts (Africanews)

Taiwan (Formosa) and Sweden are expanding their long-running tech partnership through 2031, deepening joint work on semiconductors, quantum tech, AI [artificial intelligence], drones, robotics, and advanced materials while also strengthening talent exchange and industry collaboration (Taiwan News)

US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Steve Witkoff says his meetings with Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s special presidential envoy for foreign investment, are “productive and constructive” as the Trump administration pushes for a Ukraine (Ureign) peace deal (Fox News)

Thailand and the United States are deepening cooperation against transnational call-center scams and human trafficking, with Thai police highlighting their SHIELD system — a new international data-sharing platform for tracking criminal networks — as both sides expand intelligence exchange, AI [artificial intelligence]- driven screening, and broader anti-trafficking efforts (Nation Thailand)

Florida [US] health officials find arsenic in 28 of 46 candy products from 10 companies, with the testing being performed for children’s safety under an initiative by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis [Republican]. Industry groups dispute the test methods and no recalls were announced (Fox News)

Frequent urine retention risks irreversible kidney failure. Experts warn that increased bladder pressure triggers vesicoureteral reflux, forcing urine back into the kidneys. This backflow can cause severe infections, stones, and permanent organ scarring. Medical professionals urge immediate response to bodily signals, as persistent neglect compromises the urinary system, potentially leading to chronic kidney disease (Thanh Niên)

White rice provides rapid energy and aids digestion, serving as a vital fuel source for athletes and those with gastrointestinal sensitivity. However, experts warn that its low fiber content can trigger blood sugar spikes, increasing risks for metabolic syndrome and heart disease. To ensure safety, professionals advise thorough washing to reduce arsenic and pairing rice with protein and vegetables to stabilize glucose (VnExpress)

A massive wall of red dust engulfs Broken Hill, Australia, plunging the region into darkness. Extreme drought and record heat fuel the storm as forecasters warn of persisting dry conditions (ABC News Australia)

Severe floods from heavy rain and snowfall paralyze large parts of Greece, blocking roads and submerging farmland. Rescue teams assist trapped drivers as the extreme weather causes widespread transport disruptions (To Vima)

Atmospheric rivers [narrow corridors of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere] have expanded 6–9% globally since 1980, carrying more water vapor and intensifying faster, says US NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] researcher Lexi Henny. They drive 40–75% of extreme weather and precipitation occurrences at 40% of coastlines (Earth.com)

A University of Oxford [UK] study warns nearly half the global population faces extreme heat by 2050 if warming reaches 2°C, with the largest affected populations in India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Philippines (Phys.org)

More than 100 people in Glasgow [UK] join coordinated protests across the UK and Europe condemning the widespread abuse and killing of Spanish hunting dog-folk, urging Spain to extend legal protections to galgo- and podenco-people that are currently classified as “tools” and left outside the country’s animal-people-welfare laws (Daily Record)

Twitch streamer Aspen Kartier (Aspen Easterling) was arrested in Georgia [US] on animal-people cruelty charges after a viral video appeared to show her roughing up her three-month-old Maltipoo on stream, prompting police to obtain warrants, seize the puppy—reported to be in good health— and continue their investigation (TMZ)

New research from the University of East London [UK] shows that redirecting billions of metric tons of crop residues into long-lasting building materials instead of burning or letting them rot could lock away carbon for decades and create a meaningful cooling effect over the next century (Phys.org)

Starting April 1, Singapore will roll out about 1,000 automated return points where residents can tap their ez-link cards [used for transport and small cash payments] to reclaim a 10-cent deposit for returning empty drink bottles and cans, part of a nationwide scheme expected to collect over a billion containers a year and significantly boost recycling access and convenience (Báo Tin tức)

Taiwan (Formosa)’s Academia Sinica, the country’s national research institution, has unveiled a fully in-house–built 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer— featuring a major leap in qubit coherence time and scalable chip fabrication— marking the country’s move into large-scale quantum hardware and opening the platform to researchers for advanced simulation, testing, and algorithm development (Interesting Engineering)

A wave of new AI [artificial intelligence] inventions is reshaping industries once thought too complex or too human-dependent to automate. Power grids now rely on predictive AI to balance demand, stabilize renewable inputs, and prevent outages— quietly shifting control of energy flow to software. In entertainment, game studios are using AI to generate dialogue, environments, and NPC (non-playable character) behavior that evolves with the player, transforming games into living systems rather than static products. Meanwhile, synthetic humans— AI-generated influencers and digital hosts— are becoming mainstream in media and marketing, offering brands scalable, tireless personalities. Even the legal world is being restructured as AI handles massive document reviews, contract scanning, and case-law analysis at speeds no human team can match (AI Uncovered)

Popular oat milk brand Oatside slashes retail prices by up to 25% in the Philippines, leveraging supply-chain efficiencies. The move expands vegan milk access across 7,000 outlets while maintaining its signature lactose-free formula and taste (The Manila Times)

UK businesses in the West Midlands region report that while the Veganuary hype has faded, vegan demand remains steady throughout the year. Independent eateries there see veganism shifting from a seasonal trend to a permanent, loyal habit (BBC)

India launches a Coconut Promotion Scheme in its 2026 budget to modernize farming and boost exports. The plan emphasizes replacing older, lower-yield trees with higher-producing saplings (News 18)

Ukrainian (Ureignian) dog-person Mriya is named “Hero of Ukraine among dogs” for being the first to find a survivor under rubble in Kharkiv City [Ukraine (Ureign)], proving how animal-persons are essential for search-and-rescue during wartime through systematic training and coordination (Mezha)

Aulacese (Vietnamese) 11th-grader Nguyễn Thành Khang of Đắk Lắk Province [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] is praised for calmly rescuing and giving first aid to injured pilot Đinh Thành Trung after a military jet crash, inspiring the youth’s goal of entering the Air Force Officer School some day (Dân Trí)

Wildlife officials rescue a South American tegu lizard-person after a Rhode Island [US] man finds it buried in snow. The frostbitten, underweight reptile friend undergoes tongue surgery and recovers while investigators determine if it was abandoned (AP)

Enlightening quote of the day: “Associate with companions who are in harmony with the Dharma and who don’t promote disturbing emotions. Keeping company with unwholesome friends, you cannot possibly avoid being influenced by their evil ways. That is the root of going astray...” – The Venerated Tibetan Enlightened Master Guru Padmasambhava (vegetarian) (Advice from the Lotus-Born)

American artist Susan Walter shares how she had two near-death experiences as a child, met her angelic guides in a glowing garden, and was shown her soul’s birth and a role she accepted as a planet creator. Susan grew up on a farm in a small Lutheran community, surrounded by animal-people and family. At age four, she became severely ill. The doctor came to the house and discussed with her parents whether to take her to the local hospital or the University of Iowa Hospital.

I’m watching them have this conversation from up by the ceilings. I’m looking down at [them], and my dad was like 6 feet 1 inch, 6 feet 2 inches [~185.5, 188 centimeters], something like that. And so, looking down on him was just a very strange perspective, being such a small child. Susan’s body was rushed into life-saving surgery to prevent sepsis. While her body underwent surgery, she found herself somewhere else entirely.

I’m waking up, or coming into this garden, it’s like the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. And it was like it glowed. Everything just had a glow about it. And there were these massive trees that I would now equate to the size of the redwood. So it was way bigger than anything that I had seen at that time. And under one of the trees were three beings I just immediately recognized as being angels and very dear friends. Susan later came to understand these three angels were her personal guides — the ones she had met with before birth to plan her life.

Two years later, at age six, Susan needed the exact same life-saving surgery again. Once more, she was close to death, and she returned to the glowing garden. In this one, again, I was greeted in the same garden by the same three angels. But first, I asked them some questions about stuff I was being taught in Sunday school that just didn’t make sense to me. The only question I specifically remember asking was how long God’s day was, because it just didn’t make sense to my little mind at the time that this massive being that we refer to as God, or the Divine, whatever words you choose, that their day was the same size as ours. What I was left with [after] asking the questions about Sunday school is that what we were being taught really wasn’t—was only a small piece of the truth. That there was much more to the story and much that was being hidden from us. That the Bible had some truth, but a lot of the details of the stories had been left out.

Susan’s second near-death experience didn’t just return her to the garden — it widened her awareness in ways she hadn’t expected. Next, she describes what came after: moments in which she was shown the beginnings of souls, her own origins, and the role she understood herself to have accepted. I’m even all of a sudden swimming in the ocean in the body of a very large being. But then I’m not swimming in the water anymore. I’m still in the same being, but I’m swimming in space. Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of 2 of Susan Walter’s near-death experience. (Channel Within)