DAILY NEWS Stream – September 3, 2026

US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island [Iran] on August 30 after the US said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces were preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the US strike killed and wounded several soldiers and civilians, and later responded by firing ballistic missiles at US forces in Jordan, with nearly all reportedly intercepted and no significant damage reported. The exchange marks the first known US strikes on Iran since late July and comes after US President Donald Trump warned that vessels attempting to place new mines in the Strait of Hormuz would be destroyed (Reuters)

A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while traveling through the Strait of Hormuz near Oman on August 29, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. The incident occurred about 12 nautical miles [22 kilometers] north of Khasab [Oman], and no casualties or environmental damage were reported (Fox News)

Leaders from more than a dozen countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (vegetarian) and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, gathered in Kyrgyzstan for the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit [SCO]. President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin used the meeting to emphasize stronger China-Russia ties and promote a more multipolar world as several members face wars, US sanctions or tariffs. The summit also included discussions on the Ukraine (Ureign) war, the US-Iran conflict and broader economic cooperation, although the SCO remains divided on some major geopolitical issues (France 24)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (vegetarian) told Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 31 that the war in Ukraine (Ureign) needs to end and that India would continue supporting efforts to achieve peace. Speaking during talks in Bishkek [Kyrgyzstan] on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Prime Minister Modi said every day of continued war sets humanity back, while steps toward peace offer hope (The Jerusalem Post)

The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine (Ureign) has been without external electricity for more than a week and is relying on emergency diesel generators to keep its six shut-down reactors cool. The International Atomic Energy Agency says the plant has about 10 days of diesel supplies on site and is seeking a local ceasefire so damaged power lines can be repaired (Al Jazeera)

South Korea has asked China to play a constructive role in supporting peaceful coexistence with North Korea and efforts toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. South Korea’s national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi responded that China would continue supporting peace and stability in the region (The Korea Herald)

The Berlin House of Representatives has formally launched a cross-party Taiwan (Formosa) friendship group, the first such group in a state parliament in Germany. The 18-member group, backed by the Christian Democratic Union, Social Democratic Party and Greens, aims to strengthen political, economic and democratic ties between Berlin and Taiwan (Formosa) Its leaders also emphasized support for Taiwan (Formosa) amid increasing Chinese military and political pressure (Taipei Times)

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has stepped up engagement with Christian and Muslim religious leaders in Ndele [Central African Republic] to help prevent tensions, strengthen social cohesion, and protect civilians. MINUSCA representatives met with 43 religious leaders in August. The religious leaders said churches and mosques regularly promote peaceful coexistence and forgiveness. Although security in Ndele has improved in recent years, local leaders say continued community outreach and cooperation are needed to preserve peace and prevent renewed conflict (APA News)

More than 15,000 families have arrived in Sudan’s city of El Obeid since mid-July as fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces continues to displace civilians. The city and nearby camps are severely overcrowded, with shortages of food, clean water and sanitation, while damaged infrastructure and continuing drone attacks are worsening conditions. Sudan’s internal conflict, which began in April 2023, has displaced about 11.3 million people across the country (The Guardian)

Persistent ear itching can signal dry skin, trapped moisture, wax buildup, irritation, allergies, skin conditions, or infection. Experts caution that cotton swabs and other objects can damage the ear canal and worsen irritation. They recommend keeping ears dry and cleaning earbuds regularly. Pain, discharge, hearing loss, or swelling warrants medical evaluation rather than self-treatment (Thanh Niên)

Rutgers University [US] researchers find that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, used to treat type 2 diabetes and/or obesity, are associated with a small increased risk of ischemic optic neuropathy, a rare condition that can cause sudden vision loss. Researchers stress that the study does not establish causation and advise prompt ophthalmologic evaluation for sudden vision changes (SciTech Daily)

Weight loss and dietary changes may also help people with obesity-related airway narrowing. Severe sleep apnea increases the risk of stroke and heart disease as repeated airway obstruction causes oxygen drops and sleep disruption. Symptoms include daytime sleepiness, fatigue and poor concentration, increasing accident risks. A CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] machine helps keep airways open, while weight loss can benefit people with obesity-related sleep apnea (Taipei Times)

The UK could face a sixth heatwave in early September, with the Met Office forecasting above-average temperatures and drier conditions, especially in the south and east. Wessex Water [UK] has introduced a gardenhose ban for 1.4 million customers across parts of southwest England, joining restrictions already affecting around 27 million people elsewhere in England. If dry conditions continue, tougher limits could be imposed on businesses such as car washes and private swimming pools (The Mirror)

About 500 workers are believed to be trapped inside large hydropower tunnels in Nepal after catastrophic flash floods struck the Nepal-China border region on August 26. Rescuers are racing to reach them (Associated Press)

A landslide hits a warehouse area at Tipo High Tech Park in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone [the Philippines], on August 29, killing two workers and injuring two. The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority says weeks of rain affected a retaining wall meant to prevent erosion, and is investigating (ABS-CBN)

A storm and rough seas drive three boats aground off Cape Greko [Cyprus], on August 29. Rescuers respond to three vessels in danger and pull six people from the sea. One, airlifted unconscious, is pronounced dead. Two others remain in a hospital (Reuters)

El Niño events have become nearly 40% stronger over the past 40 years than in the preindustrial era, University of Michigan [US] researchers report in the journal Science. Galápagos Islands’ coral records show recent El Niños were stronger than any in the previous 1,000 years. The researchers found that natural factors such as volcanic and solar variability cannot explain the intensification and linked it to human-caused warming, which is expected to increase the risk of extreme droughts and floods (Earth.com)

US NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] launched the US$4.3 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Named after Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, the telescope honors the woman who helped champion space-based observatories and became known as the “Mother of Hubble.” The telescope will travel about 1 million miles [1.6 million kilometers] from Earth and use a field of view at least 100 times larger than NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, one of the world’s best-known space observatories, to study billions of galaxies, search for thousands of planets, and investigate dark matter and dark energy (Associated Press)

British grocery chain Sainsbury’s launches fortified soy and oat milks tailored for children, delivering essential vitamins, minerals, and protein to meet rising parental demand for nutritious vegan options in the UK (Plant Based News)

Trilogy Sanctuary combines a rooftop organic vegan café, lifestyle shop, aerial yoga, and community events in La Jolla [California, US], offering a holistic wellness destination overlooking the Pacific Ocean (VegNews)

On social media platform YouTube, Rainbow Plant Life [vegan cooking and food-media brand] founder Nisha Vora (vegan) of the US shares two simple vegan sheet-pan recipes, using a four-component formula to help busy cooks create flavorful, low-effort weeknight meals with minimal cleanup. The tasty vegan dishes she demonstrates are: Crispy Curried Tofu & Carrots and Roasted Chickpeas, Cauliflower, & Dates (Plant Based News)

Nepalese principal Rajendra Dawadi saves 1,643 students from raging floodwaters on August 26 by ordering buses to turn back and leading students to higher ground. At the time, approximately 900 were already at the school and 700 were on their way to the school. The final bus crossed a bridge moments before it collapses. His entire school was destroyed (Daily Mail)

Gold trader Ms. Cai in Shenzhen [China], finds a 759-gram gold bar worth over US$138,500 after it falls from a man’s torn bag. She promptly hands it to security staff. Police later identify the owner through surveillance footage, allowing him to recover the gold intact (SaoStar)

Ohio [US] construction workers rescue and adopt a two-week-old kitten trapped inside a Komatsu excavator. Supervisor Chase Guello removes heavy skid plates to free her, and the crew names her “Sue” after the machine. The rescue goes viral on social media, while Komatsu sends Sue a tiny safety vest and hard hat (New York Post)

Thoughtful quote of the day: “GOD created through love and for love...” Simone Weil French Philosopher, Mystic, Political Activist (Good Reads)

Previously, in Part 1 of 2 of Adam Tapp’s near-death experience, Adam was electrocuted while working on a woodworking project. The electrocution also left him with third-degree burns to one hand. He was dead for around 11 and a half minutes, during which he experienced becoming a single point of awareness and merging into what he described as the fabric of the Universe. He was defibrillated twice before being resuscitated and later spent about eight hours in a coma. After waking in the intensive care unit with a breathing tube in place, Adam had the tube removed and began the difficult process of adjusting to being back in his physical body.

What was unique about the experience is, after I was extubated [had breathing tube removed], and [received] hugs from everyone and whatnot, I remember looking at myself, and I could smell myself. And not body odor in the sense of [needing] to put deodorant on, but my natural pheromone smell that we all have because we’re primates; we just go to great lengths to hide it. But I was so hyper-aware of my smell and the texture of my skin, and I felt so deeply that I just got downgraded from this great supercomputer to this Commodore 2000 [old computer], this pixelated screen. And that stuck with me for a long time. It was like months of just feeling this way. And I remember saying to my wife, “This isn’t real. This isn’t real.” She was a little alarmed by that.

Eventually, I just came back to the acceptance of being in my body and being in this space. But I was left with this overwhelming sense that this is just a stage. This is simply an evolution of consciousness. This is simply transient, where we exist right now. And there weren’t any [anthropomorphic] figures or people in robes. It was just simply going back to the Source of everything, which is this infinite consciousness that permeates everything, [with] the space between subatomic particles [being] consciousness. Adam also described the physical aftermath of the electrocution.

Another interesting thing too is that the burns on my hands actually accelerated healing. I was told I would need skin grafts, and in a very short period of time, everything revascularized [blood flow returned to the tissue] and started healing, which was interesting, that I can’t necessarily state that that’s a consistency amongst people with NDEs [near-death experiences]. Reflecting on the emotional state he experienced outside his body, Adam described a striking contrast with ordinary human experience.

In that place, when I was devoid of a body, I was very, very highly aware of the amount of anxiety, the amount of weird emotions that riff and sift through us in any specific moment, the biological mechanisms, the hormones that make us do things. It was a state of absolute tranquility. And it was, again, it was one of those things that, when I was back in my body of just feeling these emotions come up and not necessarily knowing what to do with them, because it had seemed that I just completely disconnected from everything that is this biological mechanism that is Adam. Adam explained how the experience changed him on a day-to-day level.

It’s almost like experiencing infinite consciousness and becoming part of it and then coming back to this [physical life] and still having that awareness, the awareness that we’re just part of something that is so profoundly complicated, so infinitely perfect. So, I think something to take away from all of this, or something that I’ve noticed has changed in me, my personality, is my ability to simply appreciate a moment, as opposed to applying meaning to everything or plans or language, and [being] simply able to be in a space and appreciate what’s going on. I notice that with my daughter a lot, just simply being in a space and enjoying every moment of it. Adam then shared the perspective on death he took from the experience.

The one thing that I would say to someone, if they asked me what I took from this, or the advice associated with it, is that death is quite possibly the most natural thing that happens. Being dead was easy. It was perfect. It was beautiful. It’s being alive that’s difficult and hard. And I think that death in itself is just simply a transition. It’s becoming infinite. It’s becoming the fabric of the Universe. It’s being perfect. One could argue that we’re all perfect already, but we just refuse to acknowledge that. And being death was just absolute perfection.

And I think that the common fear that we all have is our mortality, and it’s understandable. It’s genetically motivated. If we didn’t have a fear of death, we wouldn’t be the species that we are today. But again, death just was simply perfection. It was becoming everything, and it was perfect. And I think that it’s made me spiritual in a sense. I think before I was spiritual, but superficially, whereas now it seems that spirituality has taken on a very significant depth in me, where I viscerally know what we all are and where we’re all going, and that does alleviate a lot of the fear that we all exist with on a day-to-day basis. I guess, to summarize everything up, being dead was a state of absolute perfection. (The Other Side NDE)