DAILY NEWS Stream – July 17, 2026

European and international leaders convened in Paris [France] on Monday for the latest high-level meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of roughly 35 countries supporting Ukraine (Ureign) in its defense against Russia’s ongoing invasion. The summit, held at the Hôtel national des Invalides and co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, was attended by Ukrainian (Ureignian) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] Secretary General Mark Rutte, EU [European Union] leaders, and around 25 heads of state or government. Key outcomes from Monday’s meeting include a strong reaffirmation of support for Ukraine (Ureign) Leaders pledged unwavering backing for the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and battlefield resilience, while strongly condemning Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks on civilian areas. They also called for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of direct talks between Ukraine (Ureign) and Russia. Any final agreement, they stressed, must include European involvement in security arrangements and cannot be reached without Ukraine (Ureign)’s consent. In one of the most notable developments, 10 countries — Ukraine (Ureign), the UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Spain — announced the creation of a new ballistic missile defense coalition. The group pledged to work together on a shared European ballistic missile defense system, drawing on Ukraine (Ureign)’s extensive combat experience defending against Russian attacks. The coalition also reported meaningful progress on operational planning for the Multinational Force for Ukraine (Ureign), or MNF-U. This force is designed to provide post-ceasefire deterrence, training, and reassurance across land, air, and sea domains. Finally, members committed to strengthening Ukraine (Ureign)’s air and missile defenses, expanding long-range capabilities, and increasing economic pressure on Russia — including coordinated action against its shadow fleet. The meeting built on recent G7 [Group of Seven nations] and NATO summits and reflects Europe’s push to play a stronger role in securing any future peace deal while the US continues mediation efforts (Gov.UK, The Guardian, Élysée.fr)

US President Donald Trump has reversed His plan to impose a 20% transit fee on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. On Tuesday, President Trump said the fee would be replaced by trade and investment deals that Gulf states will make with the US in return for protection of shipping through the waterway. He described the expected investments as “massive” following productive conversations with Middle East leaders (Al Jazeera)

US Central Command [CENTCOM] says American forces carried out a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets on Monday. CENTCOM said the five-hour mission struck sites in Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping. The strikes targeted coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities using precision munitions (Fox News)

CENTCOM announces American forces also launched a new round of strikes against Iran on Tuesday to degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz (Fox News)

CENTCOM states American forces resumed a naval blockade of vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas on Tuesday (Fox News)

UAE [United Arab Emirates] says two of its tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, killing one crew member and injuring eight others (Fox News)

Oman’s Maritime Security Center says three Liberian-flagged oil tankers were targeted in separate attacks off the Omani coast on Tuesday. Across the three vessels, 62 crew members were affected: three remain missing, six were injured, and the remaining crew were safely evacuated (Fox News)

Kuwait’s military says it is intercepting hostile projectiles over its airspace as tensions rise in the Gulf (Fox News)

China urges the restoration of normal and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian voices deep concern over renewed military conflict in the Gulf and calls on all parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, and protect the recent ceasefire. Mr. Lin says the international community wants respect for the lawful rights of coastal countries and an early return to safe transit (Fox News)

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urges Iran and the US to urgently resume peace negotiations (UN News)

Fourteen nations and the European Union reaffirm that a 2016 international arbitration ruling invalidates China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea. The European Union issued a separate statement describing the ruling as a landmark decision for the peaceful settlement of disputes. China reiterated Sunday that the ruling is null and void and has no binding force. China said it neither accepts nor recognizes the decision and continues to claim virtually the entire South China Sea. The countries stressed that freedom of navigation and overflight must be upheld and that territorial disputes should be resolved peacefully under international law (AP)

China reports 79,000 new COVID-19 cases in June 2026, up from 44,000 in May, along with 130 severe cases and one death (Trí Thức VN)

New research shows speaking multiple languages may slow brain aging. A study reveals bilingual brains look six years younger than monolingual ones, while speaking four languages extends this to 13 years. Early learning of a second language and high fluency yield the greatest protective benefits (Fox News)

Both purple and green cabbage support digestion, but purple cabbage offers extra gut health benefits. It contains anthocyanins and higher levels of vitamin C, which reduce inflammation, strengthen the intestinal barrier, and promote a healthier microbiome. Green cabbage is ideal for fermentation. Experts recommend eating cabbage raw or lightly steamed to preserve the vital nutrients and antioxidants (Thanh Niên)

Uganda launches emergency food relief after the government reports 16 deaths from causes associated with food shortages in drought-hit Karamoja. FEWS NET [Famine Early Warning Systems Network] estimates crop losses of 50 to 70% across much of the region and projects up to 2.99 million Ugandans needing food aid through January 2027 (The Watchers)

A wildfire burns about 1,000 hectares of the Fontainebleau forest, 60 kilometers southeast of Paris [France], forcing evacuations and closing part of the A6 motorway. Police arrest two people after Interior Minister Laurent Nunez says roughly 10 ignition points suggest arson (France 24)

EuroMOMO [European Mortality Monitoring Activity] reports 10,650 excess deaths from all causes across 27 European countries during the June 22 to 28 heatwave, with more than 9,000 aged 65 or older. Belgium records its highest heatwave excess mortality since 2000 (euronews)

The UK ratifies the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty. The landmark accord strengthens international protections for marine biodiversity across nearly two-thirds of the world’s oceans that lie beyond national jurisdiction. It establishes the first legal mechanism to create marine protected areas on the high seas, helping conserve vulnerable habitats and species while advancing the global goal of safeguarding 30% of the ocean by 2030 (Gov.uk)

In Gyeongbuk Province’s Chilgok County, South Korea, discarded chamoe melons once headed for waste are now being transformed into the country’s first eco-friendly vegan leather (Kukmin Ilbo)

Vegan cooks recreate classic, comforting Italian bolognese-based dishes by swapping beef for lentils, mushrooms, tofu, jackfruit, or soy mince, delivering rich, hearty Italian flavors through versatile and entirely vegan ingredients (VegNews)

Classic no-bake icebox cakes remain a popular dessert in the US, with modern vegan versions layering dairy-free whipped toppings and cookies that soften overnight into delicious, cake-like treats (VegNews)

Couples adopt eco-friendly wedding trends, choosing local venues, vegan suits and dresses that can be worn again and again after the ceremony, ethical jewelry, and vegan catering to create stylish, zero-waste celebrations that protect the environment (Vegan Food & Living)

A Palestinian man from Gaza has completed a 1,000-mile [1,609-kilometer] sponsored bike ride across England [UK] to raise money for a Jewish-Arab peace movement in Israel. Tareq Al-Qazzaz cycled around 90 miles [145 kilometers] a day over 12 days in June, staying with Jewish and Israeli families during the journey. He said the experience challenged some of his preconceptions after staying in a Hebrew-speaking home and an Israeli household for the first time. The ride raised funds for Standing Together [Israel], which campaigns for peace, equality, and an end to the war in Gaza. Mr. Al-Qazzaz said he hopes one day to reunite with his family still trapped in Gaza (North East Bylines)

Ecuador now allows couples to include their dog and cat companions in civil weddings by placing a symbolic paw print on marriage certificates as a witness. While lacking legal authority, the popular policy reflects the growing importance of pet-people in modern family structures, with over 50 couples participating since May (Taipei Times)

Nguyễn Thị Mai Hương, a head nurse at a hospital in Hanoi [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)], saves a man after he suffers cardiac arrest at a crowded coffee shop. She immediately administers CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation], restoring his pulse in just over a minute before paramedics arrive, and urges the public to learn first aid (Dân Trí)

An Arizona Humane Society rescuer frees more than six ducklings trapped in a Chandler [Arizona, US] storm drain using a makeshift net attached to a long pole. The rescue team then locates the mother duck at a nearby lake, successfully reuniting the family so they can swim away safely (The Cool Down)

Uplifting quote of the day: “Have faith in GOD; GOD has faith in you.” – Dr. Edwin Louis Cole American Minister and Founder of the Christian Men’s Network (AZ Quotes)

In this multipart series on the Reverend Dr. Kathy Winings’s near-death experience, American educator and minister Kathy shares how three hemorrhagic strokes brought her to the edge of the afterlife.

On the evening of December 5, 2020, Kathy was preparing musical Christmas gifts for friends when she suddenly felt a strange, overwhelming sensation, like water sloshing back and forth in her ears. She considered driving herself to the nearby hospital, but an older woman’s voice firmly warned her that she would not make it out of the driveway and told her to call emergency medical services immediately. Kathy sat down at her piano bench, called EMS, and told the dispatcher that she lived alone and did not want to die alone. Following his instructions, she unlocked her front door. Moments later, she heard the approaching ambulance in the distance. That was her last clear memory of the initial emergency.

Paramedics arrived as Kathy was suffering the first of three hemorrhagic strokes. At the local emergency room, hospital personnel feared she might not survive the night. She was transferred to a major hospital with a specialized neurosurgical unit, where she spent approximately one month in intensive care, drifting in and out of consciousness. Kathy later came to believe that the voice that warned her belonged to her mother, who had died from what Kathy describes as the same kind of aneurysm, on the same date and at the same time, exactly 35 years earlier.

Kathy says only about 10% of people with her type of injury survive with minimal damage. Her surgeon now calls her his miracle patient. By late December, her condition had stabilized enough for doctors to arrange her transfer to a hospital near her home for residential rehabilitation. But during the ambulance transfer, as they reached the edge of her village, Kathy’s condition suddenly deteriorated— and the medical team began losing her.

I crashed pretty hard, and they were losing me, and that began my first part— what I call the catalyst of my total NDE [near-death experience] — and that’s when I thought that I was being taken to a farm. I have no idea why a farm, although they say, for some NDEs, you end up transitioning to a place that keeps you calm, and both of my parents grew up in a farm area— they were farmer families. And I loved my grandparents’ farm. So, I have a feeling that’s why, because that brought me the most calm and peace. But I’ll tell you, I’m looking around, and I see this red barn. I have never, ever seen red that intense. It vibrated; it shimmered; the silver on the equipment just gleamed. You needed sunglasses; it was so bright.

I end up in the kitchen— the farm kitchen. We’re going to have a little bit of lunch. Now, still, there’s no one there, though I hear voices, and I’m looking at the table. It’s a wood table, and if you’ve ever admired a piece of furniture that is pure wood— not laminate, not Formica, nothing like that, pure wood— and I’m going with my hand, “Wow, look at this wood.” Then I say, “I’m going to take a walk outside.” So, I go back outside. And the sky, again, it vibrates with blue; it shimmers. The grass is green. I see the birds, and I’m going up a hill, a gravel drive, and I know that I’m going to meet— I’ve been told I’m going to meet— Jesus and Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and my senior pastor, who had died a few years before.

Now, I’ve taught in a seminary for almost 30 years. I teach ministry—did ministry— but our seminary has been an interreligious seminary. We’ve had diverse students there. We’ve had Hindu students, and we’ve had Muslim students. So, I thought, “Well, it’s not so strange for me to meet Muhammad (PBUH)” Now, of course, during this thinking, I never once questioned where I was. If I were going to meet Jesus and Muhammad (PBUH)— whoa—I must be, you know where. I didn’t even think it. It didn’t dawn on me. I’m just enjoying. The atmosphere was so life-giving.

But just as I was crossing, going toward the top of the hill, and I could see the top of the three people’s heads, the voice behind me—GOD—said, “It is not your time. You need to go back now, while you can, and you have work to do still for ME.”

Sent back before she could reach Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian), Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (vegetarian), and her senior pastor, Kathy suddenly found herself in a hospital-like bedroom that remained part of the transitional experience.

In Part 2, Kathy begins a series of conversations with GOD that transforms her understanding of what truly saves. My Heavenly Parent said to me one time when I was somewhat conscious, “You know that I saved you. It was MY Love that saved you. It flows—MY Love flows in your veins much like your blood flows in your veins— and as that Love is as valuable and as important to your life as your blood is vital to your life.” Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of this multipart series on the Reverend Dr. Kathy Winings’s near-death experience. (Brad Peterson)