DAILY NEWS Stream – January 21, 2025

Israel-Hamas ceasefire offers hope for humanitarian relief in Gaza, with United Nations aid agencies preparing massive response, including 80,000 metric tons of food aid (baotintuc.vn)

Vietnam’s Cao Bằng province ranks second in Southeast Asia’s Top 7 destinations of 2025 by Lonely Planet, celebrated for its pristine nature and internationally renowned Global Geopark (TRUYỀN HÌNH TRÀ VINH)

China’s population is declining for the third year in a row, dropping by 1.39 million to 1.408 billion in 2024, as country faces aging population and low birth rates (Thanh Niên)

UK bans dangerous animal sedative xylazine amid rising overdose deaths, with possession carrying 2-year sentence and distribution facing 14-year maximum penalty (VTV.vn)

China warns of cross-border job scams, as more citizens are forced into criminal activities abroad after being lured by the promise of high salaries, supported accommodation costs, or other attractive offers (VTV.vn)

Swedish police warn of recruitment scams on social networks, in which foreign powers use social media to recruit criminal gangs, including children, to carry out violent attacks on the country, calling for increased international coordination and close monitoring amid several attacks on Israeli embassy and rising underage crime (VTV.vn)

Vietnam: 67-year-old woman falls into deep coma and is hospitalized after using a charcoal stove indoors with the door closed, causing brain damage from carbon monoxide poisoning; experts recommend people in cold weather absolutely do not heat charcoal indoors without proper ventilation (VnExpress)

Japanese study finds drinking green tea protects against cognitive decline, as elderly people who consume over 600 milliliters daily significantly reduce damage to their brain’s white matter (Thanh Niên)

Vietnam’s Lào Cai province warns of high forest fire risk due to frost conditions in Sa Pa and mountain districts (VTV24)

Vietnam’s rare turtle species the golden-headed box added to world’s 50 most endangered species list due to extensive hunting of this unique self-enclosing reptile (An ninh Thủ đô)

Chinese robot Black Panther 2.0 breaks speed record for a robot, running 100 meters in under 10 seconds using artificial intelligence [AI] and bio-mimicking design inspired by jumping mice and black panthers (VnExpress)

Israel approves release of 737 Palestinian security prisoners plus 1,167 other Gaza residents in exchange for first Hamas hostages under new three-phase ceasefire agreement (VnExpress)

French President Macron visits Lebanon, promoting sovereignty and economic reforms while coordinating with Saudi Arabia to ramp up efforts to rebuild the country after Israeli ceasefire (HTV)

NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] deploys Norwegian jets in Poland to counter and deter Russian air activity targeting Ukraine (BSGGP)

US President Trump’s team prepares two approaches on Russian oil policy: 1) Propose goodwill measures, including loosening sanctions in exchange for progress in Ukraine peace talks; 2) Tighten restrictions on Russia to pressure its economy and gain leverage in future Ukraine peace talks (Báo VietNamNet)

China to resume group tours to Taiwan from Shanghai and Fujian after 3-year pandemic pause, aiming to normalize cross-strait exchanges (Tuổi Trẻ)

German and Swedish leaders express optimism about cooperation with US President Trump’s administration while criticizing Elon Musk’s political interference (HTV Tin Tức)

US billionaire Bill Gates is “extremely impressed” by President Trump’s goals for energy and innovation, discussed during 3-hour dinner meeting at the President’s home in Mar-a-Lago [Florida], discussing healthcare priorities including treatments for HIV [human immunodeficiency virus] and polio (VietNamNet)

US: Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson [Republican], an ally of President Trump, dismisses Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner and appoints replacement Representative Rick Crawford, who vows to ensure close and credible oversight of the US intelligence community, amid broader House committee changes as President Trump returns to the White House (Vietnam-Plus)

Millions of Americans bypass China’s “Great Firewall” to access China’s RedBook social media platform following TikTok’s closure, engaging in candid discussions with native Chinese about societal issues as Chinese government scrambles to monitor and censor English content (KHỎE TỰ NHIÊN)

Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra calls on ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] to cooperate in combating online fraud after she herself was recently almost scammed into transferring money by an artificial intelligence- generated voice trick (Tuổi Trẻ)

Simple eye tests could predict stroke risk up to 12 years ahead thanks to 29 newly discovered “imprints” in the retina, Australian-US-Chinese study finds (Người Lao Động)

Monterey County [Northern California, US]: Fire erupts at world’s largest lithium battery storage facility Moss Landing Power Plant, forcing 1,500 residents to evacuate amid toxic gas concerns (VnExpress)

Australia declares disaster in three regions after thunderstorms leave 30,000 homes without power, with winds reaching 100 kilometers/hour and emergency services responding to 7,000 incidents (baotintuc.vn)

Yellowstone National Park [US]: Ancient whitebark pine forest emerges from underneath melting glacier, preserved for 5,500 years after cooling period triggered by volcanic activity (VnExpress)

Freetown [Sierra Leone] installs reflective glass roofing in impoverished areas, reducing indoor temperatures by 6ºC as city battles extreme heat reaching 40ºC due to climate change (Người Lao Động)

Duyun City [Guizhou, China]: Scientists discover 410-million-year-old fossils of tiny plant species called Zosterophyllum, providing insights into early plant evolution and colonization (Vietnam-Plus)

Scientists discover supermassive black hole 700 million times bigger than the Sun shooting huge beams of energy toward Earth; it’s the oldest “blazar” ever observed, located 12.9 billion light-years away (Tuổi Trẻ)

Uplifting quote of the day: “The benevolent love others, and the courteous respect others. Those who love others will always be loved in return, and those who respect others will always be respected in return.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Mencius (vegetarian)