DAILY NEWS Stream – December 25, 2025

Global travel providers overhaul menus as vegan dining hits the mainstream. Airlines and cruise lines now offer a variety of gourmet vegan options, enhancing sustainability and inclusivity for eco-conscious passengers worldwide:

Pro-Tips for Vegan Travelers Before You Fly

+ Book Early: Secure your vegan meals during the initial reservation process. + Pack Backups: Carry high-energy vegan snacks to stay fueled during unexpected travel delays.

In the Air

+ Inquire Early: Check with flight attendants about available gelatin-free or vegan-friendly snack boxes. + Milk Alternatives: Specifically request non-dairy milk options for your coffee or tea service. + Hydration Focus: Drink plenty of water to maintain energy levels and combat cabin dryness.

On Cruises

+ Early Introduction: Coordinate with the maître d’ or dining team on day one to confirm your dietary needs. + Off-Menu Specials: Regularly ask chefs about daily vegan creations that may not be listed (Travel and Tour Worldwide)

The United States urges an immediate ceasefire in Sudan as violence intensifies in Kordofan, killing civilians and displacing tens of thousands (Al Jazeera)

Kazakhstan and Japan sign over €3 billion in agreements during Kazakh President Tokayev’s visit to Tokyo, covering energy, digitalization, mining and transport (euronews)

The United States launches a multi-agency strike force to crack down on animal-people abuse, coordinating the Justice Department (DOJ), the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Attorney General Pam Bondi announces designated prosecutors in every state and expanded training to target dogfighting and large-scale neglect. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins intensifies enforcement against abusive puppy mills, while HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushes to end animal-people experimentation and reduce primate use in research (Fox News)

Guangzhou [China] customs bureau dismantles a major smuggling network that ships pregnant women’s blood samples overseas for illegal fetal-sex and genetic testing. Authorities arrest 26 suspects, seize over 100,000 samples, and uncover operations across 23 provinces (VTV)

Greece and Albania launch a joint initiative to revive the mountain villages of Demati [Greece] and Dardhë [Albania] through sustainable tourism (Travel And Tour World)

Australia launches a nationwide gun buyback to destroy hundreds of thousands of firearms after the Bondi Beach shooting (VNExpress)

Germany passes new legislation making activities that support smuggling migrants to the United Kingdom punishable by up to 10 years in jail. The law also strengthens UK-German cooperation by expanding joint powers, intelligence-sharing and enforcement against cross-border smuggling networks (GOV.UK)

Uganda’s Rising Uganda initiative reintegrates more than 110,000 out-of-school children. The program strengthens school systems, improves facilities, boosts retention, and restores community confidence (Monitor)

Greece rescues 545 migrants from a distressed boat near Gavdos and another 32 in a separate Frontex [European Union border and coast guard agency] operation, transferring all to Crete in good health (Greek Reporter)

Indonesia builds temporary housing for flood evacuees in Sumatra and begins preparing permanent homes (Kazinform)

Around 20,000 Mexican nationals living in the United States travel home for the holidays in a 4,000-vehicle caravan supported by Mexico’s federal, state, and municipal authorities (Mexico News Daily)

Starting January 1, 2026, Estonia will raise the minimum age from 16 to 18 for participating in lottery games (ERR)

Russian virologist Dr. Yelena Malinnikova warns that a future pandemic stemming from H3N2 (Hong Kong flu) or H5N1 influenza strains is inevitable. She emphasizes measures like wearing masks in public and personal hygiene are important for protection (Lao Động)

Starting April 18, Australia removes its requirement for international travelers to present a negative COVID-19 test before boarding a plane to the nation (Trí Thức VN)

Medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel warns of a dangerous new flu strain, a variant of H3N2 called Subclade K, which is driving a massive surge in hospitalizations in the US. Health officials express deep concern over the severity of symptoms compared to previous flu seasons (Fox News)

Nepal faces a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases, with two in five tests returning positive and hospitals overwhelmed. ICU (Intensive Care Unit) beds, ventilators and oxygen grow scarce (Trí Thức VN)

The WHO [World Health Organization] validates Brazil for eliminating mother-to-child HIV [Human Immunodeficiency Virus] transmission, making it the most populous nation in the Americas to reach the milestone. Success stems from universal healthcare, high testing rates, and strong political commitment (World Health Organization)

Hùng Vương Hospital [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] uses Cervicare AI (artificial intelligence) device to screen cervical cancer in five minutes at half the usual cost (VN Express)

Scientists warn that plastic pollution is outpacing ongoing Global Plastics Treaty talks to end the hazard, urging immediate national action. With health-related costs hitting US$1.5 trillion annually, experts label the crisis a public health emergency requiring urgent intervention (Phys.org)

The US NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] projects a 3-meter rise in sea levels sometime after 2100, threatening to submerge California’s coastline and potentially displacing millions. Experts urge immediate infrastructure investment, warning that areas like San Francisco and San Diego could face uninhabitable conditions from catastrophic flooding (Newsweek)

The Asian Development Bank approves a US$3 million grant for Tajikistan to modernize glacier monitoring, as rapid melt can trigger floods or avalanches. The project will use satellite data and artificial intelligence to forecast climate hazards, thus helping to protect water security and local communities (The Caspian Post)

Chile moves to establish Cape Froward National Park, protecting 150,000 hectares of forests, peatlands, glaciers and coastline at South America’s tip (Reuters)

Nepal launches its first five-year Mount Everest cleanup plan, introducing limits on climbers, stricter waste rules, and a study to relocate base camp (The Kathmandu Post)

Animal-people rights activists in Kremenishche [Ukraine (Ureign)] discover 51 dead animal-people and rescue 40 cat-individuals and a dog-person from a woman posing as a caretaker running a shelter (112.ua)

2025 Strictly Come Dancing winner Karen Carney credits her vegan lifestyle with boosting energy and recovery. The former British football star champions vegan nutrition, proving elite athletes thrive on beans, tofu, and leafy greens (Daily Mirror)

Vegan innovations dominate the Plant Based World Expo North America held in New York City [US] as brands debut 2026’s smarter, sustainable staples. From curated vegan snack subscription boxes and high-protein seitan burgers to allergen-free cheeses without dairy, new products are propelling vegan dining into the global mainstream, prioritizing health and convenience for all (Whole Foods Magazine)

Bethlehem launches its “Shine, Palestine” revival to reclaim Christmas traditions following years of conflict-driven economic paralysis. Despite massive losses, religious leaders unite for a joint tree lighting, signaling resilience and a vital return of tourism to the historic city (Báo Tin tức)

US-based Christian non-profit organization LIFE International partners with Ugandan churches to train leaders in compassionate crisis response. Using redemptive conversational tools, clergy equip themselves to support families facing poverty and unplanned pregnancies through Gospel-centered action, including promoting the sanctity of fetal life (Mission News Network)

Alberta [Canada] musician Reed Salmon rescues stray dog-people in rural areas as temperatures plummet to negative 27°C. Using straw-insulated shelters and social media, the activist strives for animal-folk survival while promoting long-term spay-neuter solutions (Curiocity)

In Gansu province’s Huangci village [China], village geological observer Zhang Deyuan detects abnormal rumbling on a mountainside and immediately raises the alarm, triggering a rapid evacuation of 45 households. Twenty minutes later, a massive landslide buries homes and roads, but everyone is safe (VNExpress)

I was swimming and I jumped in the water and got stuck. And it was thick like tar. It was so thick that I could not pull out. It was stuck up to my knee, and I drowned. I couldn’t get out. I sucked in all the water, and I drowned at the bottom of the lake. American near-death experiencer Eugene Braxton shares how he drowned in a lake and met God as a Sun sphere.

Eugene was swimming when he jumped into the water, where the bottom was thick as tar. Stuck up to his knees, he couldn’t escape and drowned at the bottom of the lake. After the initial struggle, his body began shutting down. His organs felt like candles blowing out—kidney, liver, lungs. Paralysis crept from his feet upward until he couldn’t move. Time slowed like a dream. The last thing I remember, my heart and eyes went out at the same time, and I could hear the last beat. And, when I heard that last boom, everything went black. And then about 15 to 22 seconds later, I popped awake somewhere in space and in time. I looked down and saw my dead body in the lake. I was about maybe 10 feet (3 meters) above my body. My spirit body came out. I woke up and looked down and saw myself and remembered that I had just drowned. I didn’t know where I was, but I knew that I was somewhere, and when I saw myself, I knew that I had just died, yet I was still alive.

Eugene then found himself floating inside a circular room with three screens that simultaneously showed everything he had ever said, thought, or done. God asked him three questions: What has he done to help himself, what has he done to help others, and has he always believed in God. Once I said, “Yes, I believe in You,” the scene changed, and I was on a beach. I saw the Sun in the sky, and as it came across the sky, I rose up in the air with it, until I was face to face with it, maybe about half the length of a soccer field. My hands were out like this. My hand was stretched out like this, almost like on a cross. And this Sun, round Sun sphere, came to me. The rays from the Sun sphere healed me. Then the orange Sun sphere became red. And this Sun sphere was what I saw as God. And the red color was God’s love forgiving me and also showing how much He loved me and how valuable I was to Him. It was pure happiness, pure love, and pure forgiveness.

The red rays strengthened Eugene further as he rose higher. Then came the white light, pulling him upward like a tractor beam. The white light super cleaned me and gave me a higher thinking, a higher intelligence. It made my consciousness fully open up, where I knew everything that you could want to know or that you could know. It was cleaning me off so I could be super clean, so I could see and meet and merge with God. That was the ultimate prize. And so those rays were both loving me and cleaning me off at the same time. All He wants us to do, if we believe in Him, that’s the main thing that He cares about. He doesn’t care about nothing else. Believe in Him then you’re automatically in.

After passing through the white light, Eugene woke on the floor of a spinning circle with a God-like being in front of him. He tried to look into God’s eyes, but God put him to sleep. They mixed together until Eugene suddenly woke back in the water, swam to the surface, and crawled to the beach.

So, it shows me that there’s more to this world than what we can see, taste, and touch, that there are higher things of the mind and of the spirit that we naturally want to go to. But the things of this world weigh us down. All the person has to do is want it badly enough and ask God to help you, and all those things will come to you.

Thoughtful quote of the day: “It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference.” - Dr. Wangari Maathai, PhD Kenyan Social, Environmental, and Political Activist