DAILY NEWS Stream – June 1, 2025

Syria’s transitional government welcomes the lifting of US and EU sanctions, saying it will reinforce Syria’s security and stability (VnExpress; The Arab Weekly)

Russia proposes to hold next talks with Ukraine in Istanbul [Türkiye] on June 2, 2025, following pressure from US President Trump, who gave Putin a “two-week deadline” to get serious about making peace (TSP; Reuters)

US President Trump’s religious advisor Pastor Mark Burns criticizes Russia’s recent airstrikes on Ukraine as “war crimes” and calls for decisive international action to protect Ukrainian civilians (TSP; RBC-Ukraine)

Potato prices in Russia have nearly doubled over the past year due to droughts and Western sanctions against its war in Ukraine (VnExpress)

US Supreme Court allows President Trump to fire two members of independent federal boards while legal challenges against the move continue in lower courts (Democracy Docket)

The US Senate passes President Trump’s No Tax on Tips Act, exempting cash tips from federal income tax and allowing a tax deduction of up to US$25,000. It now goes to the House of Representatives for further review and voting (The Guardian)

US President Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. hints that he may run for US president someday (Politico)

US: “Angel Families” – relatives of crime victims killed by illegal immigrants – urge the US Senate to pass President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” to strengthen border security (The Times of India)

US House of Representatives Oversight Committee Leader James Comer [Republican] announces a full-scale investigation into the Biden family for corruption (Vietmedia TV)

New COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 is spreading globally, with spikes in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US. This variant is highly transmissible due to mutations that increase its ability to bind to human cells. Symptoms include sore throat, cough, fever, and fatigue (VnExpress)

HCM CT [Vietnam]: 83% of sequenced COVID-19 patients are infected with new variant NB.1.8.1. Some scientists believe this variant originated in Vietnam (VnExpress)

A US Senate hearing reveals as many as 386,000 COVID vaccine deaths in the US. Doctors cited heart damage from spike proteins and an 82% miscarriage rate in women vaccinated during early pregnancy (Tinh Hoa TV)

The US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] introduces stricter rules for COVID vaccines, mandating clinical trials before they can be approved for healthy Americans under 65 (Reuters)

“I lost everything”: Swiss residents are in shock after falling glacier debris buries their entire Village of Blatten. Scientists say thawing permafrost will make these events more likely in the Alps mountains and elsewhere (Reuters)

New research reveals that chimpanzees are capable of complex communication, combining single calls into at least 16 two-call combinations similar to how humans combine words to create meaning (SciTechDaily)

Study reveals forests “talk” before a solar eclipse, synchronizing their electrical communication hours beforehand to create a coordinated response across the forest. It also found older trees display a strong early reaction, suggesting they hold decades of environmental memory crucial to supporting younger trees and other living beings (SciTechDaily)

Study: Cuttlefish-people easily passed a test designed for human kids, startling scientists with their intelligence and self-control (Earth.com)

Italian study shows plants can hear sounds, and produce more nectar when they hear the vibration of bees’ wings (Phụ Nữ Online)

State of New York [US]: Suffolk County passes a law banning convicted animal-people abusers from having pet-people for up to five years (Lady FreeThinker)

Japan’s Odate City appoints two Akita dog-siblings, Rensui and Ruka, directors of the Odate-Noshiro Airport [Akita Prefecture] to promote the Akita dog-person breed, known for their loyalty and calm demeanor (VnExpress)

Insightful quote of the day: “By three methods may we act wisely: First, by meditation, which is the noblest; second, by imitation, which is the easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Confucius (vegetarian)