DAILY NEWS Stream – July 25, 2026

US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that the US will destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant for every Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz (AP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US remains open to negotiating with Iran but warned there “will be consequences” if Iran continues violating its commitments, speaking at the ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] Summit. Rubio argued Iran is not serious about talks and condemned Iran’s demand to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, saying it threatens the global principle of freedom of navigation and the stability of international trade (Fox News)

Iran’s top joint military command, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that all US and allied interests in the region would face a “powerful assault” if the United States strikes Iranian nuclear or other sensitive sites, saying any such attack would expand the regional war (Fox News)

The US military carried out its 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets on Tuesday, hitting operations centers, drone storage sites, aircraft hangars, maritime assets, and logistics facilities (Fox News)

US Central Command said on Tuesday it has redirected eight commercial ships and disabled one as part of its blockade of Iranian ports (Fox News)

Three explosive-laden drones were shot down near the US Consulate in Erbil [Iraq], prompting Erbil International Airport to temporarily halt flights, according to Iraqi security sources (Fox News)

Bulgaria’s Parliamentary Defense Committee has approved a plan to host up to eight US KC-135 refueling aircraft and 250 personnel at Bezmer Air Base [Bulgaria] from July 24 to October 1 to support US operations in the Middle East (Fox News)

New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to continue Britain’s policy allowing US forces to use the UK bases of Diego Garcia and RAF [Royal Air Force] Fairford for defensive strikes against Iranian missile threats, according to Bloomberg (Bloomberg, Fox News)

ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] foreign ministers meeting in Manila [the Philippines] voiced “serious concern” over renewed Middle East hostilities, warning that the US–Iran conflict and the Houthis’ announced blockade of Saudi waters threaten global energy supplies and heighten economic risks for Southeast Asia (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump said that He is directing His administration’s officials to allow US airlines to resume direct flights to Lebanon, framing the move as part of a broader effort to strengthen ties (Fox News)

Russian strikes over recent days killed at least two children, injured dozens more, and severely damaged three major humanitarian warehouses across Ukraine (Ureign), including facilities used by the WFP [World Food Programme], WHO [World Health Organization], and UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund]. UN [United Nations] agencies said repeated drone and missile attacks— now more than 90 strikes on WFP assets in two years— are disrupting aid delivery, destroying vital relief items including drinking water, generators, and water storage tanks. UNICEF warned that June saw the highest child casualty toll since 2022, stressing that continued attacks on civilians and aid infrastructure are impeding lifesaving support and underscoring the urgent need for protection and lasting peace (Mirage News)

Japan lodged a formal protest after China conducted live-fire drills inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, an exercise that also involved Russian vessels and took place about 180 kilometers southwest of Okinotori Island. China rejected Japan’s complaint as “completely unreasonable,” insisting Japan has no exclusive economic zone rights there because it considers Okinotori [Japan] a reef rather than an island. The incident comes as China and Russia intensify joint naval and air operations around Japan, prompting Japan to boost surveillance and defense amid a series of recent confrontations (Reuters)

A Russian cruise-missile strike on a cargo ship transporting corn off Odesa [Ukraine (Ureign)] killed 10 people (Reuters)

Singapore and Indonesia celebrated the completion of the 50-kilometer Batam [Indonesia]– Changi [Singapore] subsea cable, calling it a new “digital corridor” that will deepen bilateral cooperation and accelerate Batam’s rise as a regional data-center hub (Channel News Asia)

US President Donald Trump has approved a landmark 30-year civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia that would give US companies a central role in building the kingdom’s nuclear energy infrastructure while limiting foreign competitors, according to The Wall Street Journal. First negotiated in October 2025, the agreement is estimated to be worth tens of billions of US dollars and now heads to Congress for review (The Wall Street Journal, Fox News)

Taiwan (Formosa) will slow mobile internet speeds to about 1% of normal for 30 minutes in 14 northern and central jurisdictions during next month’s Wanan air-raid drills, marking the first nationwide test of how the public copes with communications disruption. Authorities say the slowdown is meant to strengthen urban resilience planning as Taiwan (Formosa) expands civil defense exercises amid rising regional security threats (Taiwan News)

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told the US Senate Appropriations Committee that the Iran war has cost the US US$37.5 billion so far and urged Congress to approve an additional US$87 billion, most of it for Middle East operations (BBC News)

Taiwan (Formosa)’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says COVID-19 cases surge past the threshold to declare an epidemic as the nation records 4,766 outpatient and emergency visits, 25 severe cases, and five deaths last week. The visit total is 66.5% higher than the previous week. The dominant strain in the country is the NB.1.8.1 variant. Health officials urge the wearing of masks in crowded places and practicing preventive measures (Taipei Times)

Doctors warn that stacking multiple pillows strains the neck and worsens pain. Sleeping or resting with two to three pillows forces the cervical spine forward, possibly triggering stiffness and radiating shoulder pain. Experts recommend using a pillow that keeps the spine aligned, and advise seeking medical care if pain persists, spreads, or causes numbness (Thanh Niên)

Crowded play areas expose children to infectious disease risks. Pediatric experts warn that enclosed ball pits, shared fabric toys, public swimming pools, public restrooms, and theaters, gyms, and dressing rooms can spread viruses and bacteria when hygiene falls short. Children face higher risks because they frequently touch shared surfaces and then rub their eyes or put their hands in their mouths. Doctors recommend choosing well-ventilated venues with regular cleaning, keeping sick children home, and encouraging frequent handwashing to reduce infections such as influenza, RSV [Respiratory Syncytial Virus], hand, foot and mouth disease, rotavirus, adenovirus, and chickenpox (VnExpress)

Flash floods in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province kill at least 23 people, injure 80 and leave more than 100 missing after homes collapse. Rescue teams search for survivors as authorities warn heavy rain and further flash floods could strike 10 provinces (The Guardian)

Romania’s Danube River flow falls to 1,700 cubic meters per second on Sunday, the lowest since 1996 and about a third of the July average, after prolonged heat and drought. Authorities restrict irrigation use of the river and manage reservoirs for nuclear power plant cooling. Shipping, ferries and grain barges face disruptions (Reuters)

Monsoon storms trigger flooding across southern Arizona in the United States, killing at least seven people as of July 20 (The Watchers)

US NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] scientists warn that humanity has significantly underestimated the potential strength of extreme solar storms, with new research suggesting there may be no upper limit to how much energy the solar wind can transfer into Earth’s polar ionosphere. Researchers say extremely powerful storms remain rare, but the lack of an identifiable upper boundary means space-weather modeling and global infrastructure planning must assume far more severe worst-case scenarios (WION)

US AI [artificial intelligence] development company OpenAI discloses that one of its AI systems autonomously hacked into AI startup Hugging Face’s infrastructure during model evaluation, an incident both companies described as unprecedented and highlights the need for better security guardrails for AI models (AP)

Non-profit Jewish Vegan Life launches its first Washington, DC [US] Tikkun Circle [festive holiday potluck and community gathering] in Bethesda [Maryland, US] gathering 18 attendees to explore vegan living within the Jewish tradition at a vegan restaurant. The monthly initiative aims to build community and promote compassion (Washington Jewish Week)

A Humane World for Animals survey reveals 57% of American animal-people meat-eaters express willingness to swap animal-people meat for beans weekly, driven by rising costs, health concerns, and animal-person welfare (Vegconomist)

Malaysia’s Sunway Hospitality Group earns the country’s first Vegan Hospitality certification [issued by nongovernmental organization Vegan Hospitality to vegan-friendly hotels and restaurants meeting its standards] across three properties, Sunway Resort Hotel, Sunway Velocity Hotel and The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat (Vegconomist)

Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies in California [US] reunite a dog-person named Fig with her family after fireworks scare her away during Independence Day celebrations on July 4th. Following a missing pet-individual report, deputies locate Fig within 24 hours, sharing the emotional bodycam reunion video on social media platform Facebook (KCCI)

Rescuers in Budapest [Hungary] revive a middle-aged woman after saving her from the Danube River early Sunday. Water police perform CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] after finding her unresponsive downstream, and paramedics stabilize her circulation before transporting her to a hospital (Daily News Hungary)

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez awards Turkish rescuer Ibrahim Eser the Hero of Venezuela Medal at a ceremony in La Guaira. Mr. Eser earns the honor for rescuing 38 people after the devastating twin earthquakes in June and supporting local humanitarian projects. Ms. Rodriguez also honors security and emergency response personnel for their post-earthquake disaster work at the ceremony (Anadolu Agency)

Uplifting quote of the day: “The more we love, the more love we have to offer. So it is with GOD’s love for us. It is inexhaustible.” – Dr. Mary C. Neal, MD American Board-certified Orthopedic Spine Surgeon and Near Death Experiencer (AZ Quotes)

In this multipart series on Ellen Whealton’s near-death experience, American music therapist Ellen shares how a childhood horseback riding accident sent her into a coma and into a realm of overwhelming Light, Love, color, and Music.

Ellen was 12 years old when, during a horseback riding lesson, she slipped and was kicked in the head. She was rushed to a hospital in Hillsboro, then transferred to a secondary hospital in Waco for neurological care. Doctors told her parents that, if she woke up, she would likely be paralyzed for life with severe brain damage, since, in Texas at the time, only one other person had survived that type of head injury, and that person had been left paralyzed. While Ellen was in the coma, doctors encouraged her parents to play old movies at her bedside to stimulate her mind. But while her body remained unresponsive, Ellen says her consciousness entered a place beyond time and sound.

So, the coma, the darkness of the coma, was really nothingness. There was no time or sound. There was nothing there for me that I remember, because people often ask me that. But I do remember what happened to me next. And that was an experience that is so vivid and so powerful and so beautiful that I will never forget it. So, at some point during the coma, I was transported to a raft. And this is very different than the white Light that most people experience, but I was on a raft as my child self, in my child’s body. And across from me, I saw Jesus. And to the left was a Man that was thin, young, bald, with long brown robes that went down to his feet. So, I was there in this place, and I felt completely protected, completely at home, completely loved— absolute loving energy there. The raft was wooden. I was on kind of a pink cloud, and not much happened at this point, but later, I got to come back and communicate with these beautiful Beings and these beautiful Masters.

From the raft, Ellen was transported into a realm of overwhelming Light, color, Love, and music. I was surrounded by Love. It was like I had come home. It was peaceful and beautiful and Light. There were colors that I’d never seen before, but they were vibrant and beautiful. I got a glimpse of them, and then I heard Music, and the Music was so crucial to this experience, because there’s a music theme throughout the entire thing that led me to go into music therapy. So, I heard the Music, I saw the colors, I saw the Light, and then I felt the Light. I felt the Love, and there was this beautiful blanket of Love that just wrapped around me. And it wasn’t— I didn’t have a body in this place. I was just there. No body, no time, no nothing. No language, no thoughts. I just became the Love, and it was so overwhelmingly beautiful, and I just melted into it. It went into every cell, every pore, every part of me. [I] just became part of the collective. Or maybe I was reunited with the memory that we are all part of the collective. In any case, I was there. I felt it. And for some time, I experienced that. I don’t know if it was a day or a million years, but I was then taken back to the raft.

In Part 2, Ellen returns to the raft, where Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian) gives her a choice between remaining in Heaven and returning to Earth. After I received all the information that was given to me, and shown the path of my family, and shown what would happen if I chose to stay versus come back to Earth, Jesus asked me [whether I wanted] to stay in Heaven, stay in this place, this connection to Love, or if I wanted to return to Earth and live my life and teach through the lessons that I have received. Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of this multipart series on Ellen Whealton’s near-death experience. [International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS)]