DAILY NEWS Stream – April 21, 2026

At the Third International Sudan Conference held in Berlin [Germany] on April 15, the European Union [EU] and its member states pledged €812.14 million to address Sudan’s escalating humanitarian crisis, including €360.8 million from the EU’s executive arm, the European Commission for aid inside Sudan and for refugees in neighboring countries as famine deepens and more than 33 million people require assistance (European Commission)

The NYPD [New York Police Department] in the US says retail theft fell 20% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the first quarter of 2025, crediting a crackdown on repeat shoplifters and a 2024 state law that lets authorities combine multiple thefts into higher-level charges (New York Post)

A new IPC [Integrated Food Security Phase Classification] assessment warns that nearly 6 million Haitians face acute food insecurity as gang violence, displacement, economic shocks and high fuel costs deepen the country’s humanitarian crisis, with 1.8 million people in emergency conditions (Reuters)

Ultraprocessed foods increase knee joint damage risk by promoting fat buildup in thigh muscles. A University of California, San Francisco [US] study correlates high consumption of such foods with poor muscle quality. The fat weakens knee support, increasing stress, inflammation, and osteoarthritis risk. Scientists urge reduced intake to protect long-term joint health (Fox News)

Extended naps exceeding 60 minutes may harm health, increasing risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Experts warn that long daytime sleep disrupts metabolism and circadian rhythms while causing “sleep inertia” and grogginess. To maximize benefits without impacting nighttime rest, doctors recommend limiting power naps to 20–30 minutes to effectively recharge energy and maintain afternoon productivity (VnExpress)

Measles spreads rapidly across the US, with California reporting its worst outbreak in seven years, while Utah, Michigan, Texas and others confirm new infections. Cases exceed 1,700 nationwide, threatening the country’s elimination status achieved in 2000 when the virus was no longer constantly circulating (Daily Mail)

Cyclone-driven heavy rains trigger deadly landslides in a remote Papua New Guinea village, killing 10 people. Flooding and severely damaged roads significantly delay urgent rescue operations across the devastated, inaccessible terrain (The Watchers)

Powerful thunderstorms pile hail up to 3 centimeters in two Tunisian and one Algerian towns, blanketing the ground like snow. Meteorologists warn that extreme weather is intensifying globally, with torrential rain in central Italy and thunderstorms in parts of the northeastern United States (The Guardian)

Earth is set to exceed critical climate limits in 2027 as global warming combines with a strong El Niño, pushing the planet’s energy imbalance into emergency levels, warns the United Nations and World Meteorological Organization (Soha)

Alaska State Troopers [US] have opened an animal-people-cruelty investigation after 25 sled dog-folks were found dead at a Caswell Lakes kennel north of Willow, following months of unheeded warnings from local mushers who say the Matanuska-Susitna Borough animal-people welfare office failed to intervene despite repeated reports of neglect (Anchorage Daily News)

A major UK rewilding project will release more than 15 million juvenile oysters into the North Sea to rebuild historic reefs around Orkney [Scotland, UK], with researchers saying restored beds could trigger wide ecosystem recovery and, once established, sequester significant amounts of carbon (The Guardian)

CATL [Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited], a Chinese battery manufacturer, which controls 37% of the global EV [electric vehicle]-battery and energy storage market, says it will “spare no effort” to expand battery-powered marine systems by doubling its maritime division to develop high-discharge, near-shore vessel batteries, building on its battery-swap model and hybrid solutions as the shipping sector seeks lower-emission alternatives to heavy fuels (Good News Network)

Pedreguer, a small Costa Blanca municipality in Spain, earned the highest performance bonus distributed by Consorci Mare— the regional public consortium that manages organic waste collection—after collecting more than 427 metric tons of bio-waste in 2025, outperforming larger member towns through a household sorting model that delivers cleaner organic material, lowers processing costs, and feeds directly into a circular economy loop where high-quality compost supports local agriculture (EuroWeekly News)

Colombia, frustrated by stalled United Nations climate negotiations, is convening a new “coalition of the willing” with the Netherlands and more than 50 supportive countries at an April 28–29 conference in Santa Marta [Colombia] to accelerate a global transition away from fossil fuels and break the deadlock created by major-polluter resistance (The Guardian)

The global algae oil market is surging toward a projected US$3.76 billion by 2036. Rising demand for sustainable, vegan omega-3s drives innovation in dietary supplements, replacing fish oil sources (Morningstar)

To mark its 40th anniversary, US animal-people haven Farm Sanctuary organizes the inaugural Sanctuary Day on April 17. Over 160 animal-person refuges globally unite to celebrate and promote compassion, dignity, and a kinder world (VegNews)

Watermelon seed paneer [South Asian cheese] emerges as a vegan dairy alternative. Makers soak and grind seeds into allergen-free, nutrient-rich blocks. This innovative vegan option offers a soy-free, heart-healthy substitute for traditional South Asian kitchens (Telegraph India)

International non-profit Free the Bears rescues two Asiatic black bear cubs from an illegal Facebook sale in Laos. Now safe at Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary [Laos], the cubs receive urgent care while authorities arrest the online trafficker (A-Z Animals)

Residents in Âu Lạc (Vietnam)’s Lào Cai province safely capture a rare red-faced monkey-person in a residential area and hand it to forest rangers. Experts at the Hoàng Liên Wildlife Conservation Center now provide care before its planned wilderness release (Trang Trại Việt)

UK rail staff rescue an injured swan-person after it is hit by a train near Windsor on April 16. The bird friend receives specialist care for wing and leg injuries at the Swan Sanctuary (BBC)

Enlightening quote of the day: “Begin nothing on Earth unless it has its end in Heaven; do not walk on a path that does not lead to Heaven.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Saint Charbel Makhlouf (vegan) (Catholic Ace)

Previously in Parts 1 and 2 of 4 of Jeffrey Olsen’s near-death experience, American author and speaker Jeffrey shared how a devastating car accident killed his wife Tamara and infant son Griffin, how Light came to him as he lay pinned beneath the wreckage, how his deceased wife urged him to return, and how he later came face to face with his own shattered body, re-entered it, and received confirmation that Tamara had been present in the trauma room.

Near the end of his six-month hospital stay, and now off heavy narcotics, Jeffrey fell into a deep sleep. And the strange thing is, I was aware that I was sleeping. Like my consciousness was saying, “Oh, wow. You’re actually sleeping peacefully.” And as I did that, that Light came again, the same Light as at the scene of the accident. This Light seemed to come and surround me and comfort me. It felt like I was rising above the hospital bed. But this time, the Light like went away. It dispersed away, and I was in the most beautiful, beautiful place. I mean, people use words like Heaven, the spirit world, the other side. The word that comes closest to what I experienced was, “I was Home.” I felt like I was Home. I mean, it’s like, oh, I’m Home. It’s so familiar. It’s so welcoming. And I was whole. I had both legs. I had both feet. I was so overjoyed. And I began running, like I could feel, I mean, it felt like a very physical experience. I was running, and I could feel the energy of the ground beneath my feet. I could feel the intelligence in my thighs and calves and toes, and it was this amazing physical experience.

Jeffrey was then drawn down a corridor toward a crib — and inside it was Griffin, his 14-month-old son who had died in the crash. And I saw that crib, and so I raced to the crib, and I looked in it, and there was my little boy. He was sleeping as peacefully as when I’d glanced in the rearview mirror on the ride home. And everything came back, like I noticed how long his eyelashes were, and it was all this love, and I swept him up. I picked him up, and that felt physical, too. I mean, there’s a heat and a weight when you pick up a sleeping child. And I’m holding my little boy. And I began to weep, thinking, “This can’t be real.” But it was so real. Like, I could feel his rib cage expanding. I could feel the heat of his body. I even leaned over, and I smelled his hair. And I’m like, “It’s him.”

And as I’m holding him and I’m emotional, I feel this presence behind me, coming closer and closer behind me. And I’m holding my little boy, and I’m just marveling. He’s OK. He’s OK. How can this be? And the presence came closer and closer until it was standing right behind me. And then the guilt started to bubble up in a horrible way. I’m thinking my little boy’s here because I crashed the car. His life was cut short because I fell asleep or swerved, or overcorrected. And the presence was right behind me, and I’m holding my little boy, and I’m weeping, and I have all this regret and all this guilt coming up, and I actually had the thought, “I hope I can be forgiven.” And with that thought, it’s like these Divine arms just wrapped around me and held me and my little boy. And then the lid came off. I mean, there was just this downpour that felt like it was coming through the top of me, through my whole being. And the first communication was, “There’s nothing to forgive. Everything’s in Divine order.”

What followed was a life review unlike anything Jeffrey had expected — not a judgment, but a lesson. I began to see my life. They say your life flashed before your eyes. It didn’t flash. I was looking at my life. Specific instances, the people in my life, my brothers, my family, the people I’d been kind to, the people I hadn’t been kind to. And I had so much judgment of it. But as I was held in the arms of this Divine Creator, it’s like the only thing I was asked was, “What did you learn? What did you learn?” And so I was looking at these situations, and I would begin in judgment of them, but then it would be like, well, yeah, I learned this, and I learned that, and I was seeing the benefit, if you will, or the soul expansion, if you will, to these things in our lives. I even saw things that I thought, well, that was wrong. I knew it was wrong, and I did it anyway. And this beautiful being that held me communicated, “That’s your judgment of it, not ours. We love you. You are as precious and as perfect and as beloved as that little boy you hold.” And here I am, holding my son. This thing’s magnified, because I’m holding my child. And I’m in the arms of what I call God. And I’m being told, “Yep, you are that precious, and that known, and that beloved to Us.” And I say “Us,” it felt like there were concourses of angels, of Divinity, of masculine, feminine. I mean, I felt like the whole Universe had gathered to look at my silly little life. And yet, I was looking at it so differently, in all this Love.

In Part 4, Jeffrey is given a choice: remain in anger, remain in guilt, or trust enough to place his son back in God’s hands. And I was told I could give my little boy back, that I could choose to hand him over and trust… Join us tomorrow for Part 4 of 4 of Jeffrey Olsen’s near-death experience. (Beyond The Light (NDE))