DAILY NEWS Stream – July 22, 2026

US companies have signed approximately US$60 billion in agreements with Iraq to, among other projects, develop alternative energy export routes that bypass the conflict-disrupted Strait of Hormuz. The deals, which include partnerships with American oil company Chevron and a US-led international consortium, focus on boosting oil production and reconstructing pipelines connecting Iraq to ports in Syria and Türkiye. While this infrastructure aims to significantly enhance long-term global energy security, analysts estimate the projects will take at least two and a half years to become viable alternatives (AP)

For the first time in history, a Ukrainian (Ureignian) military unit participated in Belgium’s National Day parade on July 21 in Brussels. The contingent of 23 service members recently represented Ukraine (Ureign) at France’s Bastille Day parade on July 14, where Ukrainian (Ureignian) pilots also joined the military flyover (Kyiv Post)

Ukraine (Ureign) has launched a major mid-range drone operation that has disrupted Russian shipping through the Kerch Strait, causing a severe energy and fuel crisis in occupied Crimea. The strikes targeted Russia’s shadow tanker fleet, regional power plants, and electricity substations, forcing occupation authorities to implement emergency blackouts and ration fuel. This campaign is part of a broader Ukrainian (Ureignian) strategy that has successfully used long- and mid-range drones to damage Russian oil refineries, reducing Russia’s gasoline production and slowing its military advance on the front lines (Al Jazeera)

Recent polls from Russian research organization FOM [Public Opinion Foundation] show that President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating experienced its sharpest weekly decline since the invasion of Ukraine (Ureign), dropping five percentage points to 66%. State-owned polling center VTsIOM [Russian Public Opinion Research Center] also recorded a downward trend, noting a separate record-breaking drop in his trust rating earlier in the month (Meduza)

An Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on a US base in Jordan has left two American service members dead and one missing. US Central Command confirmed that four other troops were briefly hospitalized for injuries but have already been discharged (Fox News)

Following the deaths of two US service members in Jordan, US President Donald Trump directed US Central Command to launch fresh retaliatory airstrikes against Iran. The operation, which marked the eighth consecutive night of American strikes, targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces, drone and missile storage facilities, and air defense systems to punish the lethal attack and degrade Iran’s ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz (Fox News)

A critical power and water desalination plant in Kuwait was hit by Iranian drone and missile strikes for the second day in a row (Fox News)

Jordan has summoned Iran’s Chargé d’Affaires to deliver a strongly worded protest demanding an immediate end to recent missile attacks and inflammatory statements targeting the kingdom. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as a blatant violation of international law and its national sovereignty, declaring the safety of its citizens a strict “red line” (Anadolu Agency)

A speech and language therapist has been indicted in New Taipei City [Taiwan (Formosa)] for 107 counts of sexual abuse against 29 children with learning difficulties. The investigation began after parents grew suspicious when their children exhibited aggressive behavior and emotional distress after visiting his rehabilitation clinic (Taipei Times)

Japan’s parliament has passed legislation introducing criminal penalties for the public desecration of the national flag, correcting a previous legal standard that only protected foreign flags (Al Jazeera)

The UK government has announced a ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 in England, which is scheduled to take effect in April 2027. This health measure aims to protect young people from the negative physical, mental, and educational impacts associated with daily energy drink consumption (Gov.uk)

The UK government is providing £355,000 in humanitarian aid to support over 55,000 people affected by severe flooding across six districts in southeast and northeast Bangladesh. Delivered through national and local NGOs [nongovernmental organizations], the funding will provide cash assistance, food, and hygiene supplies, bringing total UK disaster response in the country to over £600,000 for the year (Daily Sun)

Greenpeace Taiwan finds microplastics in all tested baby food products packaged in plastic spouted pouches on the Taiwanese (Formosan) market. Experts warn high exposure may cause inflammation and organ damage, prompting Greenpeace to urge authorities to tighten packaging regulations and demand manufacturers publish their testing results (Taipei Times)

A New Zealand study of almost 300 women reveals night owls face higher abdominal fat, blood sugar, and insulin levels than early risers despite eating similar calories. Researchers blame late-night meals and skipped breakfasts, suggesting earlier eating habits can significantly improve metabolic health (Earth.com)

A Canadian modeling study suggests cutting ultra-processed food consumption could prevent thousands of cardiovascular deaths. Research indicates these foods account for 23% to 37% of Canada’s heart disease cases and between 23% and 38% of heart disease deaths (The Guardian)

A rain-triggered landslide in Pengshui County [Chongqing, China], sends rocks and soil down onto more than 10 residential buildings, burying them and killing at least eight people with 34 missing. Rescuers save 10 and over 800 work on searching the site, while 1,100-plus residents evacuate (AP, PBS News)

Rising global carbon dioxide emissions are altering human blood chemistry. Groundbreaking Australian research reveals serum bicarbonate levels jumped 7% over two decades, perfectly mirroring the atmospheric surge driving climate change. Scientists warn this invisible toxic buildup could reach the absolute limit of what is considered healthy within 50 years, demanding immediate integration of biological monitoring into global climate policies (SciTech Daily)

A major review warns that climate change reshapes waterborne disease risks, boosting harmful bacteria while reducing some viruses. Scientists caution that extreme weather like floods and droughts could reverse progress against infectious diseases, urging stronger water treatment and sanitation infrastructure and targeted surveillance to prevent future outbreaks (Times of India)

Cleaner air across South Asia could restore part of the monsoon rainfall India has lost over recent decades, according to new climate-modeling work from the University of Reading [UK]. The team found that reducing regional aerosol pollution strengthens the land–sea temperature contrast and increases summer rainfall over India. In contrast, cutting aerosol pollution over China and the broader East Asian region warms those areas enough to draw moisture toward East Asia instead, which leaves parts of India with less monsoon rain. The study highlights how monsoon behavior depends on cross-border air-quality decisions and underscores the need for coordinated regional planning (Earth.com)

The Wildlife-folk Land Trust program has reached a major milestone by welcoming its 1,000th member property, bringing the total area of protected Australian habitat to 96,500 hectares. Established in 2007 by Humane World for Animals Australia, the network unites various private landowners to conserve and restore diverse ecosystems across the country. This voluntary program is free to join and helps protect native species from threats like climate change, urban development, and habitat fragmentation (Humane World for Animals Australia)

A new study suggests elephant-people can communicate over long distances by detecting low-frequency vibrations that travel through the ground. Researchers found that elephant-individuals’ much larger middle ear structures, combined with their ability to voluntarily close their ear canals, make them especially sensitive to these seismic signals, potentially boosting their hearing of infrasonic vibrations by up to 30 times. The findings help explain how elephant-folk can effectively “hear” through their feet and bodies and may improve scientists’ understanding of their social communication (Earth.com)

Swiss jiu-jitsu black belt Benjamin Tettü (vegan) captures two gold titles at the ADCC [Abu Dhabi Combat Club] Switzerland Open, proving elite martial arts athletes can excel entirely on a whole-food, vegan diet (Plant Based News)

Germany’s Adidas introduces a vegan version of its iconic Gazelle sneaker, utilizing synthetic and plant-based components to meet growing consumer demand for sustainable, animal-free lifestyle footwear (Ad Hoc News)

American rapper Kuniva (vegan) of music group D12 credits his vegan lifestyle with improving his health, stamina, and energy, allowing him to maintain high-level performances throughout his 25-year music career (Muscle & Fitness)

Swiss-born Sandra Lavie Gojkovic leaves her luxury Dubai [United Arab Emirates] lifestyle to transform a poor community on Sagar Island [West Bengal, India]. She establishes a free primary school for 150 children and launches sewing classes for women, while actively campaigning against human trafficking, domestic violence, and child marriage (VietnamNet)

In the Texas Hill Country [US], wildlife rescuer Katie Buck risks her life to save hundreds of animal-persons, including chicken-, turkey-, hawk-, pig-, rabbit-, parrot-, and turtle-people, after flash flooding overwhelms the site of her sanctuary called the Buck Wild Animal Rescue and Wildlife Rehab. Every animal-person survives, but the rescue facility suffers extensive damage (CBS News)

Police and residents in Quảng Ngãi [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] save a 10-year-old girl who slips from a cliff while collecting forest bamboo shoots and becomes trapped between rocks. Rescuers navigate steep, slippery terrain and fast-flowing water for an hour to safely return the child to her family (Thanh Niên)

Enlightening quote of the day: “In this great forest of worldly existence, the sphere of old age, disease, and death, there is no other protector but Dharma [the righteous path].” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Parshvanatha (vegan) 23rd Tirthankara of Jainism (Wisdomlib.org)

Previously in Parts 1 and 2 of this multipart series on Dr. Stephen Dietrich-Kolokouris’s near-death experience, Stephen suffered what paramedic identified as a heart attack, while an undiagnosed infection was rapidly sending his body into full-blown septic shock. His pain suddenly disappeared, and he realized that he had died. He says his consciousness rose above his body before he was taken farther back into a space, where he sensed GOD and became aware of a terrifying void behind him. He then underwent a life review in which he relived the pain he had caused others. Afterward, he felt himself being pulled toward the void. After fighting with all his might and calling out the name of his religion, he says he was pulled back into his body.

Stephen says the official time showed that he had been gone for about three and a half minutes, although parts of the experience seemed to last far longer. In the aftermath, he remained ill and spent about a year in and out of the hospital. He says about 60% of people with septic shock as severe as his survive for at least a year. But the experience reshaped who he was, beginning with a desire to make amends.

One of the things I did straight away was I contacted a lot of people that I had screwed over, and I apologized. Most of them said OK. Most of them said, “I forgive you.” But if they didn’t, I mean, I completely understood. Now, my worldview has changed completely. I try no longer to look at things straight away for the negative. I would never, ever look at someone positively, even though I may say I did— I sure didn’t, in reality. I was never truly happy for anyone that had a good moment. I always looked for a way to exploit that for myself, to make money of some sort. It was all about satisfying wealth or personal pleasure. I truly believe I was the classic sociopath, because I do remember I did not cry about my mom’s passing or anyone else’s passing until after this incident happened. I just did not feel the ability to truly have feelings prior to this. So, that completely and utterly changed me.

Stephen also says he became highly sensitive to energies and what he described as spirits or entities after the experience. His sleep needs dropped dramatically— sometimes going days without sleep. He remains candid, however, that, unlike many NDE [near-death experience] accounts, his was not peaceful.

I’m not like the majority of people who have NDEs that are completely now, “Oh, I’m not afraid of death at all now. Everything’s wonderful.” They experienced something that they consider to be very pleasant. That was not my experience. I’m still terrified of dying. There’s still a mystery to me, and if I have to go spend eternity in a void by myself, to me, that’s terror.

I feel that GOD put me in a place to judge myself. I do believe that I was being judged for the bad things, for hurting people, that I’d done. And I think the purpose of that was to form something in me that had not formed in [me] prior to this. And I believe that now I can be trusted to make the attempt to do the right thing now after this, whereas before I would never do the right thing on purpose.

Reflecting on how the ordeal changed his purpose, Stephen says he now wants to use his cybersecurity company to help others, including supporting law-enforcement agencies with digital-forensics cases and working with international agencies to combat human trafficking. He closed with this message for others:

Everyone needs to live today as if it were their last day on the Earth because you never, never, ever know what’s going to come, an hour from now, tomorrow. Can’t count on the future. You can’t count on even having tomorrow. So, you must be happy today instead of putting it off. (JeffMara Podcast)