DAILY NEWS Stream – November 16, 2025

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visits US President Trump, marking the first Syrian presidential White House visit since 1946. President al-Sharaa agreed that Syria would join a US-led coalition against IS [Islamic State], while President Trump agreed to reopen Syria’s embassy in Washington to boost counterterrorism and economic ties. President Trump praised President al-Sharaa as a “strong leader” and called Syria a “key part” of His Middle East peace plan (VnExpress)

Police arrest four suspected online scammers in Bangkok [Thailand], suspected as senior members of a Cambodia-based scam network. They reportedly used advanced AI (artificial intelligence) to create fake videos of people’s faces to bypass bank security and steal funds (VnExpress)

“Big victory”: US President Trump congratulates Republican leaders for reopening the federal government after the Senate passed a funding bill to end the nation’s longest shutdown, which began on October 1. The shutdown was caused by Democrats insisting on extending healthcare subsidies, which were ultimately left out of the bill (Al Jazeera)

US President Trump’s administration launches over 175 investigations into potential visa abuses to protect American jobs and ensure only necessary foreign workers are employed (Fox News)

US: Chicago City Council Alderman Raymond Lopez [Democrat] criticizes Chicago’s liberal leadership for its continued fight against the Trump administration’s immigration policies, stating “The anti-Trump rhetoric from city leaders is divisive and harmful to Chicago’s progress. This has to stop—focus on unity, not politics.” (Fox News)

Nutritionists praise teff, a tiny ancient grain with mighty amounts of protein, fiber, iron, and calcium that support strong bones, steady energy, and healthy digestion when incorporated into a wholesome vegan diet. Teff’s slow-digesting carbohydrates help stabilize blood sugar, while antioxidants reduce inflammation and protect cells. Naturally gluten-free, teff is a versatile staple— enjoy it as porridge, flatbreads, or vegan baked goods for a nutrient-dense, plant-powered boost (Advanced Health)

A Swiss research team develops a vegan iron supplement with twice the absorption rate of animal-based products. It consists of oat protein coated with iron nanoparticles, making it easy to produce and consume by dissolving it in water or juice. Clinical trials show the new vegan product is highly effective at treating iron-based anemia [low red blood cell count], with patents pending in Europe and the US (DongA Science)

Two Aulacese (Vietnamese) women almost die after trusting ChatGPT’s advice to stop taking their prescribed medication. Doctors warn that AI (artificial intelligence) is merely a general information tool and should never replace professional medical advice or prescriptions (VietNamNet)

A man in Âu Lạc (Vietnam) is hospitalized with septic shock and multi-organ failure after eating pig blood pudding (tiết canh) contaminated with Streptococcus suis, a bacterium that naturally resides in pig-people and infects humans who eat raw or cooked pork products (VietNamNet)

US officials are investigating 13 infant botulism poisoning cases across 10 states linked to dairy milk baby formula. All 13 infants were hospitalized (AP)

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Baja California [Mexico] (Reuters)

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes near Miyako City [Iwate Prefecture, Japan] with light tremors felt nearby (Volcano Discovery)

Phú Yên Province [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)]: The 800-meter-long Ông Cọp wooden bridge completely collapses into the Bình Bá River due to strong winds and heavy rainfall (VnExpress)

World leaders gather in Belém [Brazil] for the UN COP30 climate summit, where the adoption of a global plant-based food system and the elimination of livestock emissions are top priorities as a Harvard University [US] study shows livestock production must drop 61% by 2036 to meet Paris climate targets (World Economic Forum)

Norwegian start-up Vilje Bionics is developing a robotic arm exoskeleton called Vilpower to assist people with reduced mobility from stroke or nervous system disorders, trialed by over 40 patients (Euro News)

Scientists develop an ultra-flat “metalens” that captures high-quality, full-color images using artificial intelligence (AI) to correct distortion, promising smaller, lighter cameras for smartphones, drones, and medical devices (SciTechDaily)

Scientists discover phosphine gas, a potential sign of life, in the atmosphere of the brown dwarf Wolf 1130C, about 54 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus (Science Daily)

The European vegan milk market is projected to grow from around US$4 billion to over US$10 billion by 2035, driven by flexitarian diets, innovations in barista-grade products, and rising health and sustainability awareness (Future Market Insights)

UK ski lodge company Ski Beat reports over 20% of guests now request vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or lactose-free meals, the highest rate in the company’s 40-year history (Snow Industry News)

Jamaican telecommunications company Digicel Group expands relief operations, distributing nearly 12,000 care packages including rice, oil, water, and solar lanterns across western parishes after Hurricane Melissa (The Royal Gazette)

“I turned around trying to tell him to watch where he was going, and either he walked through me or I through him… I’m suddenly up into the air going at an incredible speed… Something deep inside of my spiritual being said, ‘Stand up. You are in the presence of the Son of God.’” American psychiatrist and writer Dr. George Ritchie shared how he died of pneumonia in 1943 and was shown multiple realms of the afterlife by Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian)

George was a 20-year-old Army private stationed at Camp Barkley, preparing to begin medical school. A raging respiratory infection sent him to the hospital, where his fever climbed above 106ºF (41ºC) Despite trying to prove he was fit to travel, he collapsed, deteriorated, and was eventually pronounced dead. His body was covered and prepared for the morgue. George became aware of himself standing beside his hospital bed, urgently trying to reach the train he’d missed. He left the room, walked into the hall— and discovered that people passed straight through him. “I turned around trying to tell him to watch where he was going, and either he walked through me or I through him. Now this kind of shocked me. But I had made up my mind that I was going to get to Richmond. As soon as I got outside that door, I’m suddenly up into the air going at an incredible speed.”

George traveled across the country, unable to communicate with living people, unable to touch the physical world. “So I went over to lean against the guide wire of the telephone post, and my hand goes through the guide wire of the telephone post. Then it suddenly hit me that I had left something back there in that bed in Barkley.” The moment George decided to return to the hospital, he arrived there instantly. This later taught him that the soul gets whatever it wants right away— good or bad. George searched frantically for himself. “I saw a lot of soldiers that looked like me, but none of them had my fraternity ring… [I was] trying to find me and becoming more desperate.” Then he found the body. “Finally, I went over to this little isolation room, and lying over in the bed with a sheet pulled up over its head was this body. I realized it was me because I recognized my fraternity ring. And I am utterly petrified. My massive denial had broken down, and I suddenly realized that that body is dead… and I’m too young to die.”

Then an overwhelming Light appeared, and Lord Jesus entered the room. “Something deep inside of my spiritual being— not the corpse lying over in the bed—said, “Stand up. You are in the presence of the Son of God. Out of this brilliant Light stepped the most amazing Being I have ever met. And those hospital walls virtually disappeared.”

George was taken through a life review. “I saw every single minute detail of my life. Everything I had ever done in public and private. He threw a question: What have I done with my life? And I thought, ‘Well, I’m an Eagle Scout.’ Immediately, He shot back, ‘That glorified you.’ Then the same question again, ‘What have you done with your life?’ Now, over there in that realm, there is no such thing as hypocrisy, because one of the first things that you become aware of is that the other being is totally aware of what you think, so you can’t think one thing and say another. There’s no such thing as misunderstanding what He meant. And yet, here was a Being that knew everything about me, and He totally accepted me, and He totally loved me. Now that blew my mind.”

Lord Jesus then motioned for him to come closer— introducing George to other realms, detailed in his book “Return from Tomorrow.” George was shown the realm of earthbound spirits, where crowds of confused souls lingered around the living trying to participate in earthly life but unable to connect. He saw the realm of addiction, with spirits desperately trying to satisfy cravings they no longer had bodies to fulfill. He witnessed the realm of rage and violence, where souls fought endlessly, unaware they were even dead. There was the realm of intellectual pride, filled with brilliant men and women locked inside self-created worlds of theories and arguments without love or humility. Lord Jesus showed him that these states were not punishments inflicted from without, but conditions created by the inward orientation/ direction of each soul.

George was then taken to the “Cities of Light”— realms of stunning beauty filled with beings working together in harmony for purposes he could barely understand. He saw spirits learning, creating, and growing in knowledge and love. Some of these luminous beings were far beyond human development.

George understood that souls progressed toward God by choosing love, humility, and service— and that even the darkest realms were not final. Movement toward the Light was always possible. George longed to remain in these higher regions, but Lord Jesus told him he must return.

“I wanted to stay there, but then I suddenly realized that the Christ was pulling me away and that we were heading back.” He was reunited with his body— and moments later shocked the medical staff by coming back to life. George later said the Love he felt from Lord Jesus became the foundation of his entire life. Till his passing in 2007, George emphasized the power and responsibility of human choices, believing every moment on Earth shapes the orientation/direction of each soul. He never forgot Lord Jesus’ question, “What have you done with your life?” and spent the rest of his years trying to provide Him a worthy answer. (sunfellow)

Inspirational quote of the day: “Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.” — Helen Keller American Author and Activist