DAILY NEWS Stream – July 15, 2026

Ukrainian (Ureignian) forces strike a major oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai region, multiple oil terminals, and 18 vessels overnight on Friday, Ukraine (Ureign)’s General Staff confirms. The strikes form part of Ukraine (Ureign)’s ongoing campaign against Russian energy infrastructure that officials say funds and supplies Russia’s war machine, adding pressure on domestic fuel supplies (The Kyiv Independent)

Russian ballistic missiles strike Kyiv [Ukraine (Ureign)] early Saturday, injuring 11 people across four districts of the capital. The attacks damage nonresidential buildings, ignite fires in warehouses, an office complex, and an electrical control room, and shatter windows in nearby homes (Kyiv Post)

US Central Command completes a third round of strikes against Iran on Saturday night, hitting about 140 military targets after an Iranian attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Precision munitions launched from aircraft, drones, and naval vessels struck missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations. Early Sunday evening, the US launches additional strikes to further deter threats to commercial vessels and civilian mariners (Fox News)

Kuwait joins Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain in reporting missile attacks on their territory early Sunday. Kuwait’s military says its air defense systems intercepted hostile missiles and urged residents across the country to seek shelter. The other three Gulf states reported similar responses to missile attacks earlier in the day (Fox News)

Kuwait’s army says one worker was injured Sunday after a hostile drone struck a Kuwait Oil Company drilling platform. Three northern border outposts also came under attack, causing material damage (Fox News)

Oman, a key Iran ally and regional mediator, summons Iran’s ambassador to protest drone attacks on its territory in the Musandam region, officials say Sunday (Fox News)

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf posts on social media platform X that the US-Iran memorandum of understanding gives Iran the right to “make arrangements” in the Strait of Hormuz. “The era of one-sided deals is OVER,” he writes. “We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking” (Fox News)

The IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] vows more strikes until “the end of US interference in this region” (Fox News)

JMIC [Joint Maritime Information Center] says the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz remains open and expanded for two-way traffic, despite Iran’s claim that the key waterway is closed. In a July 12 advisory, JMIC states the strait is an international waterway not subject to coercion or control by any single nation (Fox News)

UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] and UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] chiefs urge the international community to provide sustained investment in Afghanistan as millions of refugees return home amid acute poverty and limited opportunities. Since 2023, more than 6 million Afghans have returned, with over 750,000 arriving so far this year and another 2.5 million expected by the end of 2026 (UNHCR)

The UK’s first hospital for houseplants opens in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. The Hilda Houseplant Hospital, founded by Rosanna Costello, treats indoor plants like patients, providing repotting, pest removal, trimming, and liquid drips for hydration. Customers drop off struggling plants for consultation, where personnel take a “patient history” and tailor care to the caregiver’s home and preferences. Plants with bugs go into quarantine for treatment, while others receive specialized attention such as training monstera plants on moss poles to control their growth. After cleaning and feeding, caregivers collect their revived plants along with aftercare advice (Good News Network)

The US President Trump administration launches a nationwide crackdown on school districts accused of shielding teachers who sexually abuse or harass students. The move follows an investigation by nonprofit media outlets ProPublica and KQED that found dozens of California [US] educators retained their credentials after substantiated misconduct (New York Post)

Nigerian security forces rescue dozens of schoolchildren and teachers abducted from three schools in the southwestern state of Oyo [Nigeria] two months earlier. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu announces that all 46 hostages, including a two-year-old child and personnel members, have been freed after 56 days in captivity, with eight assailants arrested and others killed during the operation. The government blames the May 15 kidnappings on Boko Haram and states that no ransom was paid (Al Jazeera)

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine calls on three chicken-person egg producers to replace a planned donation of 53 million chicken-person eggs with vegan egg alternatives made from mung beans or chickpeas. The donation forms part of a settlement with federal prosecutors tied to an alleged chicken-person egg price-fixing case. The organization says vegan alternatives provide protein without cholesterol while adding fiber and other heart-healthy nutrients (The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)

A National Institute of Nutrition study warns that contaminated raw cow-person milk delivered across India’s Hyderabad state poses severe health risks. Over 90% of samples contain dangerous fecal bacteria, 95% have yeast and mold contamination, and a third test positive for Salmonella (Times of India)

Doctors say side sleeping generally offers the most health benefits for adults by keeping the airway open and reducing snoring. Left-side sleeping eases acid reflux and improves pregnancy circulation, while right-side sleeping benefits heart failure patients. Experts note that sleeping on one’s back helps the spine, neck and shoulders maintain their natural position, reducing pressure on the joints, but worsens sleep apnea and snoring for those who suffer from it. They emphasize that shifting positions naturally up to 30 times each night is normal (VnExpress)

Monsoon floods and landslides across seven districts of Bangladesh kill 44 people and strand more than 1 million, isolating nearly 268,000 households. The military delivers food, water and medicine by boat, while damaged roads, bridges, and power outages slow relief (Reuters)

Landslides and flooding from monsoon rains intensified by Typhoon Inday, internationally named Bavi, kill at least 17 people in the Philippines, mostly in Mindanao, and leave nine missing. More than 112,000 families are affected, with 11,200 individuals sheltering in evacuation centers (The Manila Times)

The World Meteorological Organization says drought and poor land management are intensifying dust storms, with about 2 billion tons of dust entering the atmosphere yearly. El Paso, Texas [US] logs 50 dusty days in 2025 — the most storms since 1935 — closing schools and highways (World Meteorological Organization)

Award-winning Greek biotechnologist Dr. Angeliki Triantafyllou and her team are developing advanced pea milk technology, using a process that utilizes the entire pea, instead of a protein isolate of it, to preserve high nutritional value and improve production sustainability (euronews)

The ATL Vegan Festival will take over Piedmont Park in Atlanta [US], on August 16 after severe weather postpones the original July event. The festival showcases the city’s growing vegan scene with food trucks, a dessert village, artisan vendors, and live music (Secret Atlanta)

Michigan [US]-based vegan restaurant Unburger launches its franchising expansion, opening its first franchise location this August near the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to serve fully vegan comfort food (Unburger Holdings, LLC)

A 36-year-old man in Motril [Spain], finds €400 left in an ATM slot and immediately hands it to local police. Officers identify the rightful 66-year-young owner via bank footage and return the cash within hours (EuroWeekly News)

Firefighters in Nuneaton, England [UK], rescue a dog-citizen trapped in a deep, water-filled drainage ditch using specialist animal-handling gear. Crews lift the uninjured pet-person to safety and return it to its caregiver, highlighting the hidden dangers of flooded channels during routine walks and the need to use a lead (The Traveler)

Firefighters and animal welfare officers in Aurora [Illinois, US] rescue a young fawn from the Fox River after it exits a river drainage pipe and struggles to stay above water. Firefighter Jonas Cebulski nets the baby, who is named Jonas in his honor, which is now recovering well at a wildlife center (Patch.com)

Wise quote of the day: “We should always have a positive attitude. We are servants of GOD and shall overcome every obstacle.” Shivapuri Baba (vegetarian) (Sri Govindananda Bharati) Venerated Hindu Saint, Mystic, Traveling Hermit, and Teacher (LordShivaPuriBaba.blogspot.com)

Previously in Part 1 of this multipart series on John Paul Martinez’s near-death experience, John recounts getting into a vehicle with two girls. A gunman emerged from the bushes, put a gun to John’s head, and shot him in the back of the head. Unable to move, John then saw the gunman appearing to reload.

I remember I told the girl, I said, “You have to go up. You’ve got to move the car. He’s coming back to finish me up.” So, they moved up the car. We just kept on going. And, on the way to the hospital, I remember I had a moment. I wasn’t a believer of GOD at this time. None of my family were Christian or anything like that.

But I remember we stopped at a stop sign, and then, all of a sudden, it was really weird because it seemed like a slide [show] of these pictures came up to me. Each one of them had parts of my life, and it tripped me out because I experienced everything in every slide. I saw myself as a young kid through the present day, and through all these slides, I experienced all the emotion, all of the fun, all of the pain, all the different things from all these slides very quickly. And then, all of a sudden, it was gone. And I started thinking to myself, “I’m going to die. This must be how it’s going to end for me.”

John arrived at the hospital, was rushed inside, and as a police officer grabbed his hand and told him not to fall asleep, his heartbeat— audible on the monitors— began to slow.

And then, all of a sudden, I’m in this place. Now, the Scriptures talk about a place called “the outer darkness.” I’m there, and it seemed like there were stages of darkness. At least, that’s what I saw. And this fear came over me. This crazy fear came over me. It was almost like a quenching fear. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. In the neighborhood, I got into some fights where there were some bigger guys there, and I had some fear, but this fear was very different. And then there was something behind me, and it was pushing me. And I tried to fight it, and I couldn’t. It was too strong. It was pushing me into the stages of darkness.

And as I went into the stages of darkness, the fear became greater. And then I remember going into a deeper darkness and then hearing these voices. And the crazy thing is that some of these voices sounded familiar to me. They sounded very familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint who the voices were. At first, I thought it was people laughing and rejoicing, but it was actually people screaming for help. And I remember I heard this man, but he was in the deeper darkness. And I remember him saying, “Help me. Help me. Help me.” But it’s hard to explain the fear that I felt because I’ve never felt a fear like that before in my life. The quenching fear, the darkness, it is beyond dark. That was the experience that I had

I felt like I was actually there, in that place. I didn’t feel like it was a dream. I felt like I visited a place where everything around me felt so real. This is where GOD had taken me to. And I believe HE took me there because, if I continued in the way I was living, eventually, that was where I was going to end up.

John woke up in convulsions and had to be strapped down. He knew he’d experienced something real, but surrounded by gang life and drugs, he told no one. A week later, out of the hospital, he was back on the streets— until he was arrested again. This time, he was told he would never get out. But through a legal technicality under a bill signed by the then-California governor, John was released on his 45th day without a single charge filed against him. With nowhere to go and every bridge burned, his mother took him in for a night. The next morning, she asked him to visit his parole officer. The officer of the day looked over John’s rap sheet and handed him a phone number— a Christian men’s home. John laughed it off.

In Part 3, while riding on the freeway with his mother, John suddenly hears a Voice. I’d never heard GOD’s Voice before. But this Voice said, “For the wages of sin is death.” It was pretty much like a whisper to me, but the things that were said were so powerful that they shook me. And then, all of a sudden, this fear came over me. That same fear came over me again. Join us tomorrow for Part 3 of John Paul Martinez’s near-death experience. (Anthony Chene production)