DAILY NEWS Stream – April 25, 2026

Food additives help improve taste, texture, and shelf life, but some “natural” ones aren’t vegan. Common examples include: 1. Cochineal, a red dye made from crushed insects; 2. Shellac, a glossy coating from lac beetles; 3. Beeswax; 4. Lactitol, a sugar alcohol from dairy milk, 5. Edible bone phosphate, sourced from animal-people bones; 6. Lanolin from sheep’s wool; and 7. Lysozyme from eggs (VegNews)

US President Trump urges Iran to release eight women reportedly facing execution, calling it a necessary goodwill step ahead of planned ceasefire negotiations in Islamabad [Pakistan]. He later states that Iran agrees to release four of the women, and the other four will be freed after serving a one-month jail term (WIONews, AP News)

Brazil passes a new law allowing judges to assign shared custody of pet-folks when couples separate, applying only to animal-individuals that lived most of their lives with the pair and excluding any cases involving domestic-violence risk or criminal records, while also letting courts set living arrangements and divide maintenance costs in line with a broader global shift toward recognizing animal-people welfare in family law (The Portugal News)

Myanmar releases 78 trafficked Filipinos rescued from scam hubs, with the Philippine Embassy now arranging their repatriation after authorities freed them from immigration-related detention during the Thingyan New Year period (Asia News Network)

Taiwan (Formosa)’s pet cat-people have surpassed pet dog-people for the first time, with 1.74 million cat-folk compared to 1.46 million dog-folk, driven by rising multi-cat-individual households, urban living constraints, and shifting companionship trends (Taipei Times)

US President Trump announces on April 21 that the US ceasefire with Iran — originally set to expire after two weeks — has been extended indefinitely. The decision, made at the request of Pakistani mediators, gives Iran time to submit a unified peace proposal. The US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains fully in effect, and American forces stay on high alert. Peace talks in Pakistan are currently on hold after Iran failed to respond fully. Tensions persist after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seized two cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz on the morning of April 22, while firing upon a third vessel. Iran described the actions as a response to the ongoing US blockade, citing maritime violations; no crew injuries were reported (AP News)

The British Royal Family marks the 100th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s birth on April 21 with exhibitions, memorial events, a new commemorative garden, and a Buckingham Palace reception, as His Majesty King Charles III releases a personal message honoring His mother’s life, service, and legacy (Royal.uk)

Ukraine (Ureign) accelerates the development of an AI [artificial intelligence]-driven defense ecosystem, with hundreds of companies building battlefield AI systems, new military tech centers focused on robotics and long-range strike capabilities, and expanded international partnerships to train and test combat-data-based AI models (Báo Tin tức)

Burundian health officials investigate a mysterious illness that kills five people and sickens 35 in Mpanda. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, abdominal pain, and blood in urine. Ruling out Ebola, Marburg and other severe viruses, experts continue to analyze samples to identify the cause and prevent further household transmission (SciTech Daily)

Twenty-two-year-old Kayley Boda of the UK faces terminal lung cancer after seven years of heavy vaping. Following lung surgery and the disease spreading to her lymph nodes, she now warns others to quit e-cigarettes immediately (Fox News)

Walnuts emerge as a powerful superfood for heart health. Experts say a small daily handful delivers omega-3, fiber, and antioxidants that lower bad cholesterol, support brain function, and curb cravings. Research links regular intake to improved lipid levels and longer-lasting fullness that helps manage weight. However, doctors advise moderation due to high calories and potential allergies or drug interactions for some people (Daily Mail)

Torrential rainfall batters Wellington, New Zealand, triggering severe floods and landslides. The storm forces evacuations across multiple suburbs, disrupts transport networks, and leaves one person missing. Authorities declare a state of emergency as saturated ground and further rainfall elevate landslide risks (The Watchers)

An unusual heatwave grips Spain and Brazil, bringing temperatures well above late-April averages. Seville [Spain] anticipates 34°C as warm African air moves north, while parts of Brazil could hit the high 30s (The Guardian)

Fast-moving Florida [US] wildfires force national rail service Amtrak to suspend multiple trains in Putnam and Clay counties. Burning roughly 1,200 hectares with minimal containment, the flames threaten tracks and reduce visibility. Authorities cancel services and deploy limited buses as high winds worsen fire conditions (The Watchers)

Six women from around the world have been named recipients of the Goldman Environmental Prize – the first all-female lineup in the prize’s 37-year history. British campaigner Sarah Finch was honored for her landmark UK Supreme Court victory, which set a legal precedent requiring any new fossil fuel project to assess downstream emissions from burning the extracted coal, oil or gas. The ruling has already blocked thousands of metric tons of greenhouse gases and been cited in decisions halting new North Sea oil concessions, the UK’s first deep coal mine in 30 years, and new large-scale intensive animal-people raising facilities.

The other winners are: Iroro Tanshi (Nigeria), a conservation ecologist who led a successful community campaign to protect endangered bat-people from human-induced wildfires.

Borim Kim (vegetarian) (South Korea), a youth activist who won the continent’s first successful youth-led climate litigation, with the court ruling her government’s climate policy violated the rights of future generations.

Alannah Acaq Hurley (Alaska [US]), a leader of the Yup’ik First Nation people who stopped what would have been North America’s largest open-pit mine in the Bristol Bay region.

Yuvelis Morales Blanco (Colombia), a youth activist who mobilized her Afro-descendant community in Puerto Wilches against two drilling projects, successfully preventing the introduction of commercial fracking in her nation

Theonila Roka Matbob (Papua New Guinea), whose campaign forced mining giant Rio Tinto to sign a binding agreement addressing the environmental devastation caused by the Panguna mine (The Guardian)

South Africans participate in the global “1 Million Tables” campaign this Earth Month. The initiative encourages sharing plant-based meals across 170 countries to reduce emissions and conserve water and land (Good Things Guy)

Burcon NutraScience reports a record-breaking production milestone, with a 40% average daily output increase for Quarter 1 to meet soaring global demand. The company now supplies high-purity pea, fava, and canola proteins to over 20 international food and beverage leaders (Nutrition Insight)

Lê Thị Lý sold her home in 2024 to fund the Thiện Tâm Facility in Đà Nẵng [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)], caring for 30 disabled children with conditions like cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and quadriplegia. Despite financial strain, she provides free specialized therapy and support for impoverished families (VnExpress)

Animal-people shelter Son Reus Center [Palma, Mallorca, Spain] hosts a free “Dog Adoption Parade” to find permanent homes for dozens of rescues. Organizers aim to reduce overcrowding and raise community awareness through direct interaction with the canine-citizens (EuroWeekly News)

A flight transforms into a celebration as the crew announces 2-year-old Cruz Anguiano is officially cancer-free. He was heading home to San Diego [California, US] after final treatments. Fellow passengers erupt in cheers, showering the young hero with 160 heartfelt messages scrawled on napkins (VnExpress)

Enlightening quote of the day: “Beauty of soul is more precious than beauty of outward form.” – Venerated Enlightened Master and Prophetess Diotima (vegetarian) (Symposium)

In part 1 of 2 of Cara Van Der Bauwede’s near-death experience, American writer, artist, and visionary guide Cara shares how, at 16, a soccer ball to the temple stopped her heart — and sent her soaring above her own body, witnessing a scene of pure Light and love.

Cara grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, US, a popular, athletic teenager who wore her smile like armor. She was homecoming queen, a dedicated soccer player, and, by her own account, deeply lost. But I vividly had this moment in my bed as a teenager. Just, maybe a week before this event. I wanted to die. And I remember laying on my bed and looking up to the sky, and looking up to God, to the Universe, and saying, “Take me out. Like, this is not what I signed up for. I don’t want to be in this life anymore.” She didn’t think she truly meant it — until what happened next made her wonder.

I was a soccer player growing up. I played from, like, age seven until 16 with the same group of girls. And we were on our way to state playoffs. It was right before halftime. It was raining, like a very dramatic scenery. And then our best kicker kicked the ball straight into my left temple, and it instantly stopped my heart. And my heart was stopped for 7 minutes.

So, instantly, I was above everyone, and I was watching, looking down at my teammates, who hovered all around me. I could see them. And I saw them like, as a candle flame, actually. I saw them as this Light, so these beautiful, amazing Lights around me. And then my body in the middle was like a wick — like, no Light. So I saw everyone around me with this Light. Each person had this Light that went up and over them, as high as the trees. And the trees — they had this Light that just went over, I mean, so high. I would say as high as the mountains, and it just moved and swayed. And I was just in awe. I could not stop watching them. It was so beautiful. It was pure bliss. It was pure love.

And then I focus in on my parents — because, actually, inside of my body, I was very upset. I was a 16-year-old, very, very, very angry 16-year-old at this point. I was very angry at my parents. Outside of my body — oh my God — they were just so extremely beautiful. I mean, like the flame of a light, just swaying and swaying and swaying. The time, I think it was around 7 minutes, but for me it felt like a whole lifetime, I was there, just watching them and watching their beauty. And I didn’t have any thoughts. My only thought I can remember was like, “Oh my gosh, they love me.” I was watching my teammates and my parents, and I felt how much they loved me.

Cara also saw the Earth itself — trees, plants, everything alive — radiating enormous Light. She was overwhelmed by the beauty of the world she had previously wanted to leave. So, I saw the Lights. I spent a lot of time focused on that. People have asked me if I saw a Light somewhere else, but the Light that I saw was the Earth. So I saw Lights around the plants, the trees, I mean, I was just fascinated. Their Lights were so big and so extreme, kind of hovering over us. I guess what science now can prove — the way that they take in oxygen and protect us in this way — I saw the energy of the trees, and I saw that the Earth is a paradise. Like, this Earth, it’s so beautiful. I was just overtaken by the love and the beauty of this planet.

But the peace and beauty Cara experienced above her body did not last. In Part 2, she describes the cold shock of returning — and the voice of her little brother that called her back for good. “Sissy, sissy, please come back.” Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of 2 of Cara Van Der Bauwede’s near-death experience. (Round Trip Death)