DAILY NEWS Stream – April 8, 2026

The Philippines and France sign a visiting forces agreement that allows joint military training in each other’s territory as the Philippines expands defense partnerships (Reuters)

The EU [European Union] pledges to deepen its partnership with Nigeria on security, trade, investment and critical raw materials, as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas meets Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in Lagos [Nigeria] and announces a €290 million Global Gateway investment package for Nigeria to support digital infrastructure, healthcare manufacturing, agriculture and migration management (DMarket Forces)

Cuba has released more than 2,000 prisoners — including young people, women, older adults and some foreign nationals — in a Holy Week pardon, with officials saying those convicted of serious crimes were excluded (Fox News)

A new survey by the Taipei Social Workers’ Union finds that nearly 80% of Taiwan (Formosa)’s social workers experience moderate burnout and high levels of stress, trauma and depression, prompting unions and lawmakers to urge the government to reform evaluation systems, expand the workforce and strengthen mental health and occupational safety protections for frontline workers (Taipei Times)

Malaysia announces that all public-sector, statutory-body and government-linked employees will shift to work-from-home starting April 15 as the government responds to a worsening global energy crisis and moves to protect households from rising fuel costs (The Nation Thailand)

BBC Travel identifies Estonia, Norway, Costa Rica, Âu Lạc (Vietnam) and Uruguay as the best destinations for solo female travelers in 2026 based on global safety and women’s security indices (Euronews)

Preventive cardiologist Dr. Francesco Lo Monaco warns that heart disease is often preventable. He refuses to consume three main categories of foods that damage arteries and raise cardiovascular risk. The first is processed animal-people meats (bacon, sausages, deli meats) These are high in salt, which elevates blood pressure, and saturated fats, which increase “bad” LDL [low-density lipoprotein] cholesterol. Second, he avoids ready-made meals and processed snacks, which are typically loaded with sodium, saturated fats, and unrecognizable ingredients. Third, sugary drinks should be cut out entirely, as liquid calories from sugar are easily overlooked yet significantly boost the risk of heart disease. Instead, he strongly recommends eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, flavored with herbs and spices rather than salt. He emphasizes gradual, sustainable changes over changing everything overnight for long-term heart health (Mirror)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo declares an end to its mpox public health emergency that was first declared in 2022. While officials report the outbreak is under control, they urge continued vigilance after thousands of cases and over 2,200 deaths (Báo Tin tức)

Irregular hunger pangs signal disruptions in your biological clock, hormones, or lifestyle. Experts link odd-hour cravings to poor sleep, high stress, or protein deficiencies. Dehydration and artificial sweeteners also confuse the brain’s hunger signals. Recognizing these triggers is vital for maintaining metabolic health and avoiding impulsive eating habits that lead to weight gain (Lao Động)

A University of Auckland [New Zealand] study confirms that common infant painkillers are safer than previously feared. The landmark trial of nearly 4,000 infants found no link between paracetamol or ibuprofen and increased risks of eczema or bronchiolitis during the first year. These results provide significant reassurance to parents using these standard treatments for fever and pain in young children (SciTech Daily)

Fierce Santa Ana winds fuel two fast-spreading wildfires in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties in California [US], forcing 13,000 residents to evacuate. Fire crews aggressively battle the blazes as dangerous, dry weather conditions persist (Daily Mail)

Severe PM2.5 [Particulate Matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers] pollution from wildfires chokes northern Thailand, claiming a volunteer firefighter’s life from exhaustion. The toxic haze threatens public health and disrupts tourism, prompting authorities to deploy hundreds of clean air shelters with air filtration systems to protect citizens (VietnamPlus)

The UK Met Office issues an Amber warning as Storm Dave brings 145 kilometer-per-hour winds, blizzards and life-threatening conditions across northern Britain this Easter weekend. Rail, road, air, and ferry travel face major disruption (Daily Mail)

Social media platform Facebook shuts down nine Indonesian groups after an investigation reveals that sellers were openly trading protected wildlife, including hornbill-folk, gibbon-individuals and Javan coucal-folk, and that a Bogor [Indonesia] pet shop was using Facebook, messaging app WhatsApp and e-commerce platform Tokopedia to market illegally sourced animal-folk (Mongabay)

Uzbekistan increases fines for air-pollution violations and requires high-impact industries to install real-time emissions monitoring systems under a new law that strengthens administrative and criminal penalties for environmental offenses and expands use of automated photo and video systems to gather evidence for enforcement (Kun.uz)

China’s Tencent, one of the world’s largest tech conglomerates, launches a 24-hour “PetTV” streaming channel designed for cat- and dog-folks, offering pet-optimized colors, motion and audio to keep animal-individuals company while caregivers are away (Taipei Times)

“The Namu Recommends Vegan Market” in Bengaluru [India] connects over 130 vegan and sustainable brands spanning food, fashion, wellness, and more with conscious consumers. The event drives community growth while positioning vegan living as a practical, everyday lifestyle in India (Your Story)

Vegan summer camps expand across the US and Canada, offering vegan programs for kids. These camps combine outdoor activities with environmental education, reinforcing ethical values through sustainable, animal-free meals (Charlottesville Today)

French chef Lionel Roudaut (vegan) debuts a vegan Easter brioche using blended potato to replicate the classic soft texture. The citrus-infused, braided crown offers an animal-product-free centerpiece without sacrificing traditional French flavor (Plant Based News)

After surviving 25 heart surgeries, Chrissy Elder of South Carolina [US] launches Forgotten, Now Family Rescue during the COVID pandemic. The nonprofit saves thousands of vulnerable dog-people annually across the southern United States, turning personal resilience into animal-person advocacy (FOX8)

Eight doctors en route to a medical conference aboard a Manila, Philippines-bound flight save a passenger after three hours of continuous emergency care. Coordinating treatment for cardiac arrest mid-air, the physicians stabilize the woman, who regains consciousness before landing (The Chosun Daily)

New Jersey [US] state troopers “arrest” a shivering, abandoned bear cub found along highway Interstate 78. After rescuing the tiny animal from a roadside ditch, officers transfer the cub to wildlife experts for proper care (Fox News)

Elevating quote of the day: “A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer, Ed.D. American Self-Help Author and Motivational Speaker (BrainyQuote)

Previously, in Parts 1 and 2 of Steve Boyls’ near-death experience, Steve became critically ill with COVID and was placed into a medically-induced coma, while wife Kathy prayed over him daily from home. Steve says his guardian angel, Marzuka, took him to Heaven, where he was reunited with loved ones before being brought into the throne room, where Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian) told him, “You’re going to be just fine.”

Before leaving the throne room, Steve asked Marzuka why the angel had knelt while Steve was pushed forward. He goes, “I serve the Lord. I bow down to Him because He’s my Master.” He said, “You get to go forward because you’re family. God loves you, and you’re His family, and so you don’t have to bow down.” It’s kind of like if you have kids, you don’t make your kids crawl to you before they can come and sit on your lap or talk to you. No, they just come right up to you and start to talk to you. And that’s the way God is. God doesn’t make you grovel and kneel and crawl to Him. God loves you. He wants you to come to Him. You just have to do it.

Steve eventually awoke from the coma after about three weeks, still intubated, to find Kathy waiting beside him. His total time on the ventilator was 45 days; his total hospital stay was three and a half months. He faced three bouts of pneumonia, kidney failure, and fentanyl withdrawal that was stopped cold turkey after six weeks of IV (intravenous line) use — a dangerous and agonizing experience.

And out of the clear blue, I heard this most distinct voice talk to me. And it said, He said, “Keep your eye on Me.” And I know that was Jesus talking to me. He was telling me to keep my focus, keep my eye on Him. And, boy, that snapped me out of anything I thought I was going through in my head. And so I took my focus off of me and everything that I felt, or I was going through. And in my head, because I couldn’t do it any other way, I started worshiping God. I started thanking Jesus. I started praising Jesus. And I did that for the longest time. If I hadn’t focused on Jesus like He told me to do, I’d probably be dead, because I would have just given in to that feeling of I’m going to die.

Steve says his memories of Heaven returned gradually during rehabilitation, not always in sequence, and that he may still not have recalled the full three weeks he spent there. But beyond the memories themselves, he says the experience changed him deeply — heightening his spiritual awareness and leaving him with a lasting message about Heaven and eternity.

I think I’m a lot more sensitive to things. My sense of sensitivity has greatly increased. And then, my spiritual awareness, I think, is way more heightened because Kathy told me that she sent angels out to protect the house, and I said, “Yeah, I know. I see them.” And I’ve seen Marzuka. I’ve been driving down the road a couple of times when a car is coming into my lane, and I know if this car keeps on this trajectory, it’s going to hit me. And I don’t know if I have anywhere I can go to. I saw Marzuka push the car into the other lane. It happened twice. The second time he pushed it out of the way, and he looked right at me like, “See, I’m here taking care of you.” And then, he disappeared. It’s like, OK, I didn’t imagine that. That was, like, one of the most real things I’ve ever seen.

My favorite verse these days is 1 Corinthians 2:9–10. And basically, it talks about how no eye has seen and [no] ear has heard all the marvels of God. Most people stop there after verse 9, but verse 10 basically says, “But He reveals those things to us who love Him through His Holy Spirit.” And that’s what I feel like happened to me. The other thing to me is that Heaven is our home. And the Bible calls us ambassadors. If we’re an ambassador, we should probably know something about the place we’re an ambassador from. So maybe, we need to start thinking more about the good things of what’s in Heaven, and what’s waiting for us. Because this Earth is a temporary setup. This is just a waypoint on our way to Heaven. And so, people need to understand the fact that this is not permanent. This is not going to last forever. But your spirit’s going to have a choice to live in one place or another. Your spirit is not going to die. So you have to give your spirit the choice. You can either go live it in hell for eternity, or you can live it in Heaven [for] eternity. And the only way to get to Heaven is to accept the blood of Jesus and be covered by the blood and His salvation. So, that’s the bottom line for me. You’ve got a choice, and the choice is yours. God said, “I give you a choice. Choose life.” (Shaun Tabatt)