DAILY NEWS Stream – July 8, 2026

US President Trump speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin for nearly 90 minutes on July 4 and offers to help him find a deal to end the Ukraine (Ureign) war. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov describes the conversation as businesslike and constructive and says President Trump expressed His readiness to work toward a rapid end to the fighting ahead of next week’s NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] summit in Türkiye. In a separate conversation, Ukrainian (Ureignian) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also speaks with President Trump and describes the conversation as “very good.” They discuss the 1,200-kilometer front line and agree to continue discussions at the NATO meeting. Mr. Zelenskyy says there is a real prospect to end the war, with American resolve playing a crucial role. President Trump notes His envoys will keep trying to broker a settlement (Reuters)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urges the US and Iran to keep advancing their memorandum of understanding, saying implementation supports recent de-escalation and regional stability (Fox News)

EU [European Union] member states unanimously agree to open a new cluster of accession talks on external relations with Ukraine (Ureign) and Moldova. This step marks another milestone in their EU membership bids (euronews)

A US think tank study estimates that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Ureign) has caused more than 2 million combined military casualties since February 2022, with Russian forces suffering the vast majority of losses at a ratio of around eight Russian soldier deaths to one Ukrainian (Ureignian) soldier lost in the first 6 months of 2026 (Canadian Affairs)

Grain prices drop after the US and Iran reach an interim ceasefire as trade resumes through the Strait of Hormuz. The United Nations food-price index declines 0.3% from May to June 2026, led by grains and sugar. Global grain output reaches nearly 3 billion metric tons in 2026, the second-largest crop but 1.9% below last year’s record (Briefs)

Diplomats, scholars, and policymakers from more than 80 countries gather in Beijing [China] for the 14th World Peace Forum at Tsinghua University. The forum, themed “Global Governance and International Security Cooperation: Integrity, Innovation, and Inclusiveness,” calls for stronger international cooperation on geopolitical tensions and emerging challenges like AI [artificial intelligence] in armed conflicts (Tsinghua University)

US federal authorities carry out Operation New Dawn in the Chicago [US] area, resulting in 305 arrests and the recovery of 24 missing children, many of whom had been reported kidnapped. The sweeping operation involved 11 federal agencies and led to charges including robbery, kidnapping, drug trafficking, child exploitation and gun crimes (Fox News)

Law enforcement agencies from 11 countries meet in Thailand to strengthen cooperation against scam call-center syndicates and human-trafficking networks. Representatives from China, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Âu Lạc (Vietnam), the US, Indonesia, India, Australia, South Korea, and Nepal attend the forum. Participants agree to improve intelligence sharing, cross-border investigations, financial tracking, and victim assistance (The Nation Thailand)

US President Trump celebrates America’s 250th birthday, honoring the nation’s winning spirit that began at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. There, ordinary colonial farmers and townspeople fired the first shots of the Revolutionary War against British troops, launching America’s fight for independence. He connects this legacy to today, emphasizing unity under one flag, the sacrifices of patriots, and the importance of strength, fair elections, and a free press. Mr. Trump affirms that Americans never give up and the country will only grow greater (New York Post)

The US Centers for Disease Control warn that the drug-resistant fungus Candida auris is spreading rapidly in US hospitals. Clinical infections jumped 40%, from 4,428 in 2023 to 6,197 in 2024. The pathogen can cause fatal bloodstream infections, prompting urgent calls for stricter healthcare infection controls (Daily Mail)

The World Health Organization officially declares the hantavirus outbreak over after the final contact completes quarantine and tests negative. Linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, the virus is responsible for 13 infections and three deaths. Coordinated international tracking successfully contains transmission, though the agency urges continued global vigilance (Báo Tin tức)

Researchers improve disease detection by applying artificial intelligence [AI] to portable chest X-ray images. Developed at Ewha Womans University [South Korea], the AI models accurately identify osteoporosis with 90% sensitivity and detect chest disease lesions, boosting clinical efficiency and expanding early screening access (SportsChosun)

Portugal’s largest active wildfire, near Vouzela in the Viseu district, consumes about 11,000 hectares by July 4, spreading into three neighboring municipalities. Nine people suffer injuries, two seriously. Portugal activates the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, drawing firefighters and aircraft from Spain and Italy, as a mainland state of alert continues (Morocco World News)

Severe thunderstorms sweep the US Midwest and Northeast as well as Ontario, Canada, on July 3-4, cutting power to nearly 1 million customers. Damaging winds and flooding topple trees and damage homes and power lines. Three children die after a boat capsizes on Geneva Lake [Wisconsin, US] during the storms (The Watchers)

New York City [US] reaches 37.8°C, on July 2, its hottest day in 14 years, as a heat wave grips tens of millions across the Northeast. Area airports, namely Newark Airport and LaGuardia Airport, hit 40°C and 38.9°C, respectively, both setting records. Officials open cooling centers and urge electricity conservation as power systems strain (Daily Mail)

New research from the American Chemical Society [US] shows fireworks pollute air and water more than their short displays suggest. Three studies found that firecracker debris releases metal ions and organic compounds into water, disrupting aquatic ecosystems. Large events also cause sharp spikes in fine particulate matter that can exceed WHO [World Health Organization] limits (SciTech Daily)

The UK’s environmental watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, has ruled that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [Defra] breached environmental law by authorizing the use of a banned bee-killing pesticide on sugar beet crops in 2023 and 2024 without properly assessing its impact on protected wildlife sites or mitigating known risks of harm. The pesticide, Cruiser SB, contains thiamethoxam — a substance so toxic that just one teaspoon [about 4.9 milliliters] can kill 1.25 billion honeybees. A Defra spokesperson said the government remains determined to end the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten vital pollinators in England (The Guardian)

Music festivals and live events are advancing their sustainability efforts, according to a new analysis by A Greener Future [UK]. The study of 24 festivals across 12 countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, highlights strong progress in sustainable food and beverage policies, with 94% of events maintaining formal commitments in this area. Vegan and vegetarian dishes make up an average of 53% of food served by volume, and 17% of festivals operate entirely on vegetarian or vegan menus. Additional gains include high rates of reusable cups, bans on single-use plastics, renewable energy adoption, improved recycling, and dedicated sustainability teams at every event (Sustainability Online)

India’s FSSAI [Food Safety and Standards Authority of India] approves Fermenta Biotech’s VegD3, a vegan alternative to lanolin [sheep-person wool]-derived vitamin D3, enabling the company to expand its vegan-certified ingredient partnerships across the country’s food and supplement markets (Sahi)

Berlin [Germany] restaurant Chay Long serves a fully vegan menu inspired by Buddhist Aulacese (Vietnamese) Chay cuisine, offering traditional dishes, fresh ingredients, and homemade vegan meat to local diners (Secret Berlin)

Content creator Eunice Reyes (vegan) leads a seven-day vegan food tour through Madrid and Barcelona [Spain], introducing travelers to vegan versions of classic Spanish dishes and local culture (Plant Based News)

The Shahdara Timber Market in Delhi [India] officially eliminates animal-people drawn carts as the final 10 owners transition to electric three-wheelers. This marks Delhi’s second animal-person-free market. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA] India-backed initiative has freed over 200 pack animal-citizens in the city (PETA India)

A missing dog companion, La Gorda, reunites with her caregiver after appearing on a live broadcast of Mexican fans celebrating a 2026 World Cup victory in northeast Mexico. Discovered by the caregiver’s brother on social media, the dog friend suffers only minor injuries after a month away (Một Thế Giới)

Land surveyor Matthew Baxter receives the Carnegie Medal for Extraordinary Heroism. Mr. Baxter swam 245 meters in steel-toed boots to rescue a drowning teenager at the Little River Reservoir [Canada], joining 18 newly announced recipients (CBC)

Enlightening quote of the day: “The greatest error of a man is to think that he is weak by nature, evil by nature. Every man is Divine and strong in his real nature. What are weak and evil are his habits, his desires and thoughts, but not himself.” – Venerated Enlightened Master Ramana Maharshi (vegetarian) (Sri Ramana Bhaktha Samajam)

Previously in Part 1 of this multipart series on Greg Johnson’s near-death experience, Greg described years of unexplained spiritual suffering that began when he was only seven or eight years old. That pain eventually led to an overdose that he survived, but he says it left him with severe heart damage. Years later, during a summer day at a hidden canyon river with his brother and a close friend, Greg felt something calling him to be alone. He walked upriver, sat on a large rock, closed his eyes, and listened to the water. As he grew still, he began hearing his damaged heart beat, stop, and beat again — and he felt himself inching toward death.

And so, as that was happening, [a] door started to open to this — it was a path of darkness. So, I’m walking down. It’s like I’m literally traveling down this corridor of darkness, and there are all these things that are trying to almost, like, get my attention or trying to tempt me with different things. But the premise of what I was doing was, I don’t want to hear anything or anyone. I just want to be still for a moment. I just want a little peace. And so, I didn’t pay attention to them. And as I didn’t pay attention to them, I got deeper into this dark corridor. Then I realized something doesn’t want me to go down this path. I could feel it, and it knew me so well. Whatever this dark entity was knew me and knew how to try to tempt you.

When I got deep, it pulled out the deepest fears I have. So, somehow, it knows my deepest fears, and it started showing these bugs crawling all over me. And in fact, I saw, when I finally reached the end of this dark path, which took a while, I saw my body lying on the Earth, and then all these bugs started crawling all over me and crawling into my ears and my nose. And it’s like I wanted to panic, but I knew somehow that that’s what it wanted. So, I just stayed calm, and I just was like, “You know what? You want to take me, take me. You want to threaten me, just do it. I’m not going to fight.” So, I just went into that peace, and my whole body was covered with these different bugs and scorpions and snakes. Just everything that’s creepy, crawly, terrible. And then my whole body started decomposing into the soil. So, I started disappearing. I was sinking into the soil. And by the time my body was gone, everything just went dark. All of a sudden, everything’s just black. And then it took about 5, 10, 15 seconds, something along this.

And then, boom, just total bright Light, totally blinding, can’t see a thing, totally white. And then, all of a sudden, the Light kind of just dies down ever so slowly, and it’s a woman. Now, I say a “woman.” Let me clarify. So, I say woman because the vibe, the energy that was coming off of her, was so female. It’s like Mother Earth. We call it “Mother Earth.” We don’t say “Father Earth,” right? It’s an energetic thing.

In the presence of this being of Light, Greg says his heart was completely exposed. Before his mind could form a thought, he says his heart itself spoke.

In this place, it just came straight out of my heart, blurting out. [I] didn’t even get a chance to think about it. And it just told her, as I’m before her, “I want to be like You.” That was the first thing that I remember ever coming out of my heart. And I said it. I know why I said it. Because, deep in my heart, she was everything that I ever wanted in my life. From the moment my suffering began, that 7-year-old, 8-year-old child, there’s only one thing I wanted. I wanted to feel happiness. I wanted to be happy because my suffering was so great, and I didn’t want anything else. And so, I just said it. I was like, “I want to be like you. I want to have that. I want to be like you.”

In Part 3, Greg hears the being of Light answer the deepest longing of his heart — with words he struggles to accept at first. She said, “You are me, and I am you.” Join us tomorrow for Part 3 of this multipart series on Greg Johnson’s near-death experience. (Round Trip Death)