DAILY NEWS Stream – May 7, 2026

The EU [European Union] and Armenia hold their first-ever summit in Yerevan [Armenia], where leaders launch the new EU-Armenia Connectivity Partnership to deepen cooperation on the economy, transport, and energy. Measures to strengthen security and border management ties are taken (European Commission)

The US Department of Education finalizes a rule to lower college costs and simplify federal student loan repayment by consolidating repayment plans, creating a new income-driven option, and curbing excessive borrowing. The policy aims to make repayment more predictable and manageable while reducing overborrowing and overall student debt (Department of Education)

The US Diplomatic Security Service uncovers a multi-state counterfeit-passport and identity-theft network that used stolen data from more than 2,500 victims to create fake US passport cards and steal over US$9 million, leading to federal prison sentences of 10 years and 7.5 years for the scheme’s two central figures (US Department of State)

Bangladesh launches a World Health Organization [WHO]-supported pilot program in four districts to address rising adolescent suicide risk by training 20,000 students and hundreds of teachers, conducting a large-scale survey to identify root causes, and developing data-driven models that could form the basis of a national suicide prevention policy (BSS News)

A US federal appeals court temporarily blocks nationwide mail-order access to mifepristone — the Food and Drug Administration [FDA]-approved medication used in most US abortions. The case stems from a lawsuit arguing that the FDA improperly loosened its rules for mifepristone, including the 2021 decision allowing the drug to be prescribed via telehealth and sent through the mail. The appeals court’s order is a temporary measure issued while it reviews those claims. Further rulings, including a potential Supreme Court review, will determine whether the limits remain, are lifted, or become more sweeping (The Guardian)

Thailand and the United States hold high-level talks in Washington DC [US] to expand intelligence-sharing and joint operations against transnational call-center gangs, human trafficking, and online crime, as Thailand highlights recent crackdowns that rescued more than 10,000 forced-labor victims and seized over THB20 billion in assets (about US$615 million) (The Nation Thailand)

The UAE [United Arab Emirates]’s aviation authority says air traffic has returned to normal after lifting the precautionary measures imposed on February 28 at the start of the Iran war, following a joint assessment of operational and security conditions (Reuters)

The United States supplies Bangladesh with 600,000 tuberculosis test kits and 11,000 pediatric treatment courses to help stabilize diagnosis and care amid nationwide shortages and a persistently high tuberculosis burden (Muslim Network TV)

The World Health Organization confirms three deaths and three others infected from a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship off West Africa. Hantavirus is a rare rodent-linked respiratory illness. Health teams board the ship to assess risks as investigations continue (Fox News)

Thailand’s Siriraj Hospital launches a medical mission from May 4-7 in Laos to perform 72 joint replacements for 49 patients. Some surgeries will be implanting world-first, in-house 3D-printed, patient-specific titanium hip sockets. The project also transfers surgical expertise to local medical personnel, strengthening regional healthcare cooperation (The Nation Thailand)

Certain cooking methods can cause up to 50% of kale’s nutrients to be lost. By contrast, pressure cooking kale at zero minutes [set timer for 0 minutes] preserves 95% of its nutrients. Experts also recommend chopping and resting kale for 30 minutes before cooking to significantly boost sulforaphane production. Research shows short, low-water methods like microwaving and pressure cooking are far superior to boiling for protecting the vegetable’s vitamins and beneficial health compounds (Plant Based News)

Since March 1, 2026, Thailand has deployed six rainmaking units ahead of projected droughts linked to a potential super El Niño weather pattern beginning in May. Following 446 successful flights, the initiative has benefited 12.8 million hectares of agricultural land and replenished reservoirs. Authorities warn that extreme heat and reduced rainfall may persist through 2026, necessitating continued nationwide cloud-seeding operations (The Nation)

Heavy rains trigger deadly floods and landslides across central and eastern Kenya. Authorities confirm 18 fatalities as peak seasonal downpours displace residents and damage local infrastructure. Police urge caution as the dangerous weather conditions persist across the affected counties (Free Malaysia Today)

Heavy rainfall in northeastern Brazil triggers severe floods and landslides in Pernambuco state, killing six people and displacing over 9,400 residents, with 27 affected municipalities. Governor Raquel Lyra declares a state of emergency as crews carry out 800-plus rescues (The Watchers)

Thai authorities arrest a 19-year-old traveler at Bangkok [Thailand]’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after finding 30 protected Indian star tortoise-individuals — valued at about US$9,000 — taped under her clothing, in a case officials say may be linked to a wider wildlife-smuggling network (Taipei Times)

UN climate chief Simon Stiell says the US-Israeli conflict with Iran is speeding the global shift to renewables as countries seek to cut exposure to volatile oil and gas markets (Reuters)

The US Army is looking to partner with researchers and the food industry to develop rations without animal-people meat for combat zones using advanced protein technologies. The Army wishes to employ fermentation or “other novel biomanufacturing methods” to strengthen supply chains and provide resilient nutrition for forward-deployed troops (Task & Purpose)

British vegan food manufacturer Sweet Freedom launches CHOC SHOT Cherry in the UK. Inspired by Black Forest gateau [classic German dessert], this vegan, refined sugar-free syrup meets consumer demand for nostalgic flavors and can be used in coffee, on pancakes, on vegan ice cream and more (Retail Times)

Adfree Cities [entity seeking to remove corporate ads from public spaces] and over 50 organizations, including The Vegan Society, urge the UK government to adopt “The Ten Point Plan for Plant-Rich Diets.” Points include: “Leverage public procurement and catering to source and provide more plant-based foods,” and “Support British farmers to increase production and provision of plant proteins.” (Plant Based News)

Forest officials at Kawal Tiger Reserve [India] revive traditional “chelima” pits, digging into dry stream beds to enable water to slowly seep in to make groundwater more accessible. This initiative provides vital drinking water to wildlife-people struggling during extreme heat (New Indian Express)

Hero rescue dog-person Titan, a Belgian Malinois from Alicante, Spain, earns honors after passing following 13 years of service. He completed over 80 global missions, searching for live victims of natural disasters like earthquakes and floods alongside firefighter Sergio Pérez, leaving a legacy of bravery and saved lives (EuroWeekly News)

The director of Quỳnh Lưu General Hospital, Dr. Hồ Khắc Thủy, saves an electrocuted boy at Âu Lạc (Vietnam)’s Quỳnh beach by performing immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR]. The child, who initially had no pulse, stabilizes after three minutes of chest compressions (VnExpress)

Enlightened quote of the day: “Educate children and it will not be necessary to punish men.” – Pythagoras (vegan) Venerated Enlightened Master, Mathematician and Philosopher (Maestrovirtuale)

Previously, in Part 1 of 2 of Lynn Arches-Rappaport’s near-death experience, American middle-school chemistry and math teacher Lynn described drowning off the coast of Puerto Rico after being caught inside 3-to-3.5-meter waves and pushed into a rock. As she left her body, she saw her own face and body drowning, and found herself moving toward a Divine Light, where Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian) and her late father were present for her life review. Behind the life review was a tunnel, where hundreds of beings kept asking, “Is she coming?” Lynn also saw visions of other dimensions, felt the pain she had caused others, and remembered herself before birth, being told she had chosen her parents to learn perseverance and resilience. Surrounded by a white-blue Light and overwhelmed by a love she had never felt before, Lynn was sent back with a message she would spend years trying to understand.

And, at the end of the experience, I was thrown back into my body because it wasn’t time for me to go down through the tunnel and told to tell everybody that “I am that I am” and that time is of the essence. Back on the beach, Lynn collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. When she tried to tell her boyfriend about what had just happened during the experience, he whispered that she should never tell anyone, fearing she would be institutionalized. For years, Lynn stayed largely silent, searching books and accounts for anything that resembled what she had been through.

As Lynn later tried to understand what had happened, one presence in the experience felt especially familiar: Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian), whom she says she had trusted since childhood. I did grow up a Catholic. So, probably, that imprint of having Jesus in my experience as opposed to say Buddha or some other religious icon. I felt in the experience that I felt safe, and Jesus kept telepathically telling me that everything was going to be OK, that I was OK, because I was so scared, and I was shaking from what was going on. But it was really Jesus that was calming. But I remember as a child going to church. I went to Catholic school for a little while, probably until I was in fifth grade. I ended up going to church by myself for years. I went to catechism well into high school, and I always felt that Jesus was a safe person, or a safe Entity, or Being, Spirit, for me to speak with, to have conversations, to trust. I felt like, really, Jesus was the only person that really loved me at that time in my human life. And He was there to greet me as the Teacher Jesus, along with my father.

When I was drowning, and I knew I was dying, I was praying to God, saying, “Please don’t take me. I’m not worthy enough.” I never thought that I was worthy. And so, going through that experience, it kind of confirmed how I felt, but I was the one that was judging myself. There was nobody, no other entities — God, Jesus, my father, the shadowy being, or the people at the end of the tunnel — that were judging me. It was all coming from me. And I felt bad. I felt like I didn’t want to be this person. So, that was part of the transformation coming back into my body. I knew that, right then and there, that I wanted to be my highest possible, best person, kindest, compassionate, and loving self that I possibly could be.

The message Lynn was sent back with — “I am that I am” — took on enormous personal meaning. I was overwhelmed with that message. What on earth does it mean, “I am that I am”? I remember telling a friend, and she was saying, “Lynn, my goodness, that’s like a Moses in the burning bush message. Are you aware of that?” And I go, “Yeah, but what does that really mean? I am that I am.” And or me, from that experience, “I am that I am” means that there is no one way of looking at God. That God is not a white man with a white beard, long beard. There’s no one way to believe that God, the Divine, the Universe, the cosmos, nature — it’s all the same. And how we believe or practice to be in connection with the Divine, there’s no one right way. The right way is the way that’s right for the person that’s practicing that connection, as long as it’s kind and loving and compassionate.

One of the visions Lynn saw during her near-death experience — of women whose children lacked clean, safe water — later became a call to action. After returning, she founded Women for Water, working with communities in the developing world to help women become leaders who could filter and provide clean water for their villages.

The life review also changed how Lynn saw her childhood and the parents who had raised her. Right away, I had a different attitude toward my parents. I knew that, in their own way, as dysfunctional as it might be as earthly beings, that they tried the best that they could, but they were limited with what they had for parenting. And so, I felt that I had a better understanding of who they were and where they were coming from. And so, I wasn’t angry or resentful toward them, which was a huge weight off my shoulders, moving through life, not having to carry that anger or resentment towards them. They did the best they could. I had chosen them. I was told in my experience that I had chosen them to be my parents. And I believe that. And yes, I have, from them being my parents, I have learned resilience, and it’s all been good.

Years later, when Lynn uncovered painful truths about her childhood and realized how often she had been made to doubt her own instincts, she says her near-death experience helped her process even that hurt with compassion rather than anger. And I think that experiencing and coming awake to that, and because I had my NDE [near-death experience], it helped me be able to process it in a more kind and compassionate way, because the people that had those particular qualities about them, I could see from their own childhood why they were behaving that way. So, trying not to take it so personal, even though it was hurtful, but then understanding that they were children at one time too, and somewhere along the line on their journey, they became unkind, or because of low self-esteem, or to protect themselves. And I think, if I hadn’t had my NDE experience, I wouldn’t have probably felt that way. I would have been probably angry and upset and resentful and vengeful. (Tales Of Resilience)