DAILY NEWS Stream – August 30, 2026

US President Donald Trump said on August 26 that the Strait of Hormuz is functioning and that large amounts of oil are moving through it, despite occasional drone or rocket attacks on tankers (Fox News)

Iran’s Executive Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said on August 26 that the country’s fuel situation is unsustainable because domestic gasoline production is insufficient and a US naval blockade is preventing imports (Fox News)

President Trump said on August 26 that He believes Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is alive but was seriously wounded on the left side of his body during US-Israeli strikes in February. President Trump was responding to renewed speculation about the Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s fate, as the Iranian leader has not appeared publicly for months (Fox News)

A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on August 25, causing a fire that was later extinguished, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. All crew members were stated to be safe, and no environmental damage was reported (Fox News)

Poland’s Defense Ministry signed a framework agreement worth more than US$2 billion for several thousand Piorun shoulder-fired air-defense launchers and missiles, the largest order ever placed for the system. More than 80% are intended for Poland, with the rest going to Latvia, Lithuania, and Norway, and Poland’s share will be financed through the European Union’s SAFE [Security Action for Europe] defense loan program. Ukraine (Ureign) has used Piorun systems since 2022 against Russian aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles (Euromaidan Press)

UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Rosie Winterton is visiting Cambodia to promote peaceful dialogue and support implementation of the December 2025 ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand

GPS [Global Positioning System] disruptions across Poland have risen sharply in 2026, affecting phones, drones, transportation, shipping, and aviation. Polish experts say much of the interference comes from electronic warfare systems in Russia’s Kaliningrad region, where Russia says GPS jamming is used to defend against drones (euronews)

International Dog Day was observed on August 26, celebrating dog-people as companions, helpers, and working animal-individuals. Dog-folks can assist people with visual impairments, help emergency services find missing persons, and even use their sense of smell to detect certain medical conditions. The day also encourages humans to appreciate the personalities, talents, and companionship of the dog-folks in their care (BBC Newsround)

South Korea’s alcoholic beverage production fell below 3 million kiloliters in 2025 for the first time in 27 years, as shipments of beer, soju, and traditional rice liquor continued to decline. The drop reflects changing drinking habits driven by greater health awareness, an aging and shrinking population, and less interest in late-night drinking culture (The Korea Times)

New Zealand’s government introduced legislation on August 24 to ban children under 16 from using major social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook. Platforms would have to take reasonable steps to verify users’ ages and could face fines of up to 10% of global revenue for failing to comply (Kuwait Times)

Dubai International Airport [UAE] expects a stronger second half of 2026 as airlines return and passenger demand recovers from disruptions caused by the Iran war. The airport handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half of the year, down 31.3% from the same period in 2025, after regional airspace restrictions and attacks disrupted travel (Fox News)

South Korea mandates formaldehyde testing of Chinese cabbage imports after evidence of illegal treatment with the carcinogenic substance in Hebei [China] to keep the vegetable fresh. The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety finds no formaldehyde in eight shipments tested so far and expands inspections to kimchi and salted cabbage. China supplies about 99% of South Korea’s imported kimchi, which is on pace for another record year (VnExpress)

Rutgers Health researchers in the US find that waist circumference identifies unhealthy body fat as effectively as more complex measurements. Published in JAMA [Journal of the American Medical Association] Network Open, the study shows that a simple tape measure may improve obesity-risk screening beyond BMI [Body Mass Index] alone, helping clinicians identify risks for diabetes, heart disease and stroke in routine care (SciTech Daily)

Atopic dermatitis [eczema] is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes dry, itchy, scaly and cracked skin and often recurs. It can resemble contact or seborrheic dermatitis, ringworm and psoriasis, making accurate diagnosis important. The condition is associated with genetic, skin-barrier and immune factors. Appropriate treatment and skin care can control symptoms and reduce flare-ups and complications (Báo Sức khỏe và Đời sống)

Landslide-driven flooding on the Nepal–China border kills at least 160 people. Nepal reports 157 deaths and 341 missing foreign nationals. The disaster destroys bridges, roads, villages and hydropower projects. Rescue operations continue as international aid groups prepare assistance (New York Post)

The Ross Fire burns about 32,000 hectares in Palo Pinto and Jack counties, Texas [US], and is 12% contained on August 26, the Texas A&M Forest Service says. Several structures are destroyed (CBS News Texas)

Authorities in Âu Lạc (Vietnam) block traffic on a 6.5-kilometer section of Highway 3B in Chợ Đồn Commune, Thái Nguyên Province, after remnants of Typhoon Narra trigger a landslide dropping an estimated 40,000 cubic meters of soil and rock (Dân Việt)

Birmingham [UK] will host its first major vegan festival on November 14 at Aston Students’ Union, featuring more than 80 stalls offering vegan foods, including Caribbean dishes, “Vfish n’ Chips,” cakes, cheeses and chocolates. The Birmingham Vegan Festival will also feature talks, demonstrations and animal-people welfare groups (Secret Birmingham)

Experts caution that products labeled as “non-dairy” in the US can legally include milk derivatives like casein, urging vegan or allergy-conscious consumers to seek strictly “dairy-free” or “vegan” labels for genuine dairy avoidance (VegNews)

French animal-people advocacy association FUTUR will host free vegan community picnics across 23 French cities on August 29 and 30, bringing hundreds of attendees together to share vegan meals and foster sustainable living (Vegconomist)

Đắk Lắk Province’s wildlife rescue station in Buôn Đôn Commune [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] cares for more than 190 rare animal-people from about 30 species. Many suffer trap-related injuries and amputations. Team members provide specialized treatment and rehabilitation, returning animal-citizens able to survive independently to the wild while giving lifelong care to those unable to do so (Tuổi Trẻ)

During Colombia’s August 10 magnitude 7.4 earthquake, Brownie alerts caregiver Jackeline moments before a wall collapses onto her bed. The dog companion reportedly then helps open a jammed door, allowing Jackeline to escape safely. Her account highlights Brownie’s lifesaving actions during the disaster (Colombia One)

A police drone locates a missing 12-year-old girl near the summit of La Mola d’Oltà in Calp [Spain], during a nighttime search. The drone spots her in difficult terrain and guides rescuers to her. Firefighters reach her at 11:21 pm, confirm she is unharmed, and reunite her with her family (EuroWeekly News)

Wise quote of the day: “Hold your eyes on GOD and leave the doing to HIM. That is all the doing you have to worry about.” – Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Foundress of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary France (AZ Quotes)

Previously in this multipart series on Reverend Bill McDonald (vegetarian)’s near-death experiences, Bill recalled becoming critically ill at age eight and leaving his body in the hospital, where he says he was surrounded by Light and shown a vision of the next 50 years of his life. One of those visions involved a war with helicopters, and years later, while serving in the Vietnam War, Bill found himself in a moment that felt strangely familiar. From his helicopter, Bill and a new pilot saw people on the ground who appeared to be armed troops. The pilot ordered Bill to open fire, but Bill’s intuition told him something was wrong. He refused, and when the other gunner also refused, the pilot threatened them both with mutiny. Bill then proposed that they fly down for a closer look before anyone fired.

And I said, “OK, do what you got to do, but I’m not firing.” We went down, and we crossed over the top of them, and it was a Catholic priest taking all these young children from the local village to go to the community vegetable garden, and they were carrying shovels and rakes, hoes. Now, think about how that major felt. If I had not been there and he had a different door gunner sitting in that seat where I was at, there would’ve been an atrocity. Even though I could have said, “I’m just following orders.” That doesn’t wash. You have to listen to the heart. You have to have your intentions on the Divine. So, when I went to Vietnam, that was my purpose: follow the Divine. The Light is there in all, including your enemy. Never have anger. Never have hate. Throughout the war, Bill says he felt Divinely protected and sometimes knew in advance which aircraft would crash or who would be wounded. At first, he tried warning people and felt guilty when they ignored him and were later harmed, until he came to believe that he could not control another person’s choices.

His second near-death experience came decades later in India, just months before his 59th birthday, while descending from Mahavatar Babaji (vegetarian)’s sacred cave, described in the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Master Paramahansa Yogananda (vegetarian) On the way back down from the cave, I was having a brain seizure, and my heart was going crazy. It was pounding, and it felt like somebody had taken their fingers, went inside my chest, and was grabbing my heart and was trying to pull and rip my heart in half. I mean, it was bad, and all of a sudden, I’m standing on this 30-foot cliff. I stopped breathing. I fall. It’s 30 [feet] [9.1 meters], but the good news is, it wasn’t exactly straight. It kind of curved a little, so you’d bounce about 8 [feet] [2.4 meters], and then about 16 feet [4.9 meters], so I had about three bounces on the way down, they tell me. So, I end up on this big boulder lying down at the bottom of this ravine, about the size of a Volkswagen Bug. I’m lying on top of it, and I’m not feeling anything. I’m not breathing. I don’t feel my heart; I don’t feel any pain, and I feel myself rising. I turn around. I’m looking around. I look at the sky, and I’m happy. Oh, I’ve been there. Done it. No big deal. This is alright. I just went to Babaji’s cave, one of the most sacred places I ever wanted to go in my life. If I die now at almost 59, I wasn’t worried about it at all. So, I’m up there floating around, and I looked down at my body. Body’s lying down here. I kind of feel sorry for the body. It looks kind of bad, but it doesn’t bother me. It’s not me. It’s not me.

In Part 3, Bill reveals what happened when a large cobra emerged from the grass beside his body— and how he believes the Divine messenger brought him back. Years later, during open-heart surgery, he would find himself in India again, standing before his Guru and facing a choice between bliss and returning to a life of pain and purpose. Well, my Guru is standing there like this, and he goes, “Bill, don’t give up heart. You could skip a few beats, but don’t give up heart.” Join us tomorrow for Part 3 of Reverend Bill McDonald’s near-death experiences. (Anthony Chene production)