DAILY NEWS Stream – January 13, 2026

A phone call between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump becomes the centerpiece of renewed cooperation, with both leaders agreeing to launch joint operations against the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s last major active guerrilla group (Euronews)

Türkiye and Malaysia sign a series of agreements to deepen strategic cooperation following the first meeting of their High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Ankara [Türkiye] (QNA)

A new study finds that rare “gifted word learner” dog-people can pick up the names of new objects simply by overhearing their caregivers’ conversations (Daily Mail)

Colombia’s main evangelical association, the Evangelical Confederation of Colombia [CEDECOL], is calling for a nationwide day of fasting and prayer as Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump reopen diplomatic dialogue (Christian Daily)

Iran’s protests intensify as a nationwide internet blackout imposed by the government fails to halt unrest over economic collapse and repression. Rights groups report dozens killed, while demonstrations spread across major cities (Fox News)

Higher blood caffeine is linked to lower body fat and diabetes risk as a genetic study suggests the stimulant boosts thermogenesis [heat production] and fat oxidation [turning fat into energy], however researchers urge long-term trials to better establish a cause and effect relationship (Science Alert)

Avocados emerge as a natural sleep aid. This superfood delivers high magnesium levels to soothe the nervous system and regulate stress. Healthy fats help balance mood- and sleep-regulating hormones like serotonin and dopamine, while potassium eliminates disruptive muscle cramps. Nutritionists recommend eating half an avocado 1-2 hours before bed to harness these sedative properties for an uninterrupted, refreshing night’s rest (VnExpress)

Health experts reveal immediate protocols for managing sudden shortness of breath. Patients must sit upright and lean forward to clear airways while practicing pursed-lip breathing by inhaling through their nose and exhaling slowly through puckered lips to stabilize oxygen levels. Professionals advise loosening restrictive clothing and ensuring fresh air circulation. If symptoms persist or involve chest pain, emergency services should be called. Experts warn against self-medicating to avoid aggravating undiagnosed respiratory conditions (VnExpress)

Deadly floods hit Albania as winter storms kill a municipal worker in City of Durrës [Albania] and force evacuations near Fier and Vlorë amid a regional Balkan disruption (Reuters)

Oceans absorbed record heat in 2025 as a global study finds human-induced greenhouse gas emissions drove massive warming, worsening sea-level rise and intense storms, heavy rain, and coral die-offs (Báo Tin tức)

Storm Goretti batters northern Europe killing more than 10 people as France, the UK, Germany, Moldova, Romania, and Türkiye face outages, transport chaos, snow, and flooding (euronews)

Severe hailstorms from November 21–27, 2025, battered eastern Australia as PERILS [data provider to the insurance and reinsurance industries] estimates around US$1.81 billion in insured losses were incurred across the states of Queensland and New South Wales, among the costliest Severe Convective Storm [severe thunderstorm type] disasters in decades for Australia (Beinsure Media)

A Massachusetts [US] man is sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to fund, create and distribute illegal animal-people torture videos (US Department of Justice)

Tây Ninh Province police [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] break up a dog-people theft and dog-people meat trafficking ring, detaining nine individuals and seizing 1.6 tons of stolen dog-person carcasses (Tuổi Trẻ)

A 68-year-old Long Island City man [US] is charged with multiple counts of animal-people cruelty after a viral video shows two dog-individuals being dragged behind his car in Queens (NewsX)

Vegan shoppers face labeling pitfalls as “plant-based” claims on products can mask hidden animal ingredients like casein, gelatin, or carmine. Experts warn that inconsistent transparency requires vigilance. To ensure ethical alignment, consumers are urged to prioritize certified logos from groups like The Vegan Society and scrutinize ingredient lists for deceptive terms like “natural flavors” which can hide animal derivatives (VegOut)

UK vegan sweet brand Candy Kittens by popular British actor Jamie Laing launches the cheaper Smittens line backed with prices approximately one-third lower than the company’s main range while keeping the same strong taste profile (Edinburgh Reviews)

Canadian vegan outerwear brand Alpine North launches cruelty-free winter jackets using vegan down and faux fur offering warm, stylish cold-weather options (Lehigh Valley Live)

Animal-people in the US fly north for new homes as overcrowded shelters in the state of Tennessee send a combined 17 dog- and cat-people to rescue shelters in the states of New Jersey and Maryland, which have space and more adoption demand. Transport was courtesy of charity Pilots to the Rescue (WJHL)

Moldova offers families multiple child allowances including maternity, birth, childcare, and paternity payments, mostly automatic, with the maternity allowance starting late pregnancy and benefits lasting until age three (Moldpres)

South African charity The Animal Guardians rescue an endangered Leopard tortoise-person in Benoni [South Africa] from a poacher, with the injured tortoise-person immediately taken for urgent veterinary care (Good Things Guy)

An 18-year-old Ontario [Canada] engineering student develops a modular fiberglass tiny home prototype to support people experiencing homelessness (Good News Network)

Enlightening quote of the day: “All know that the drop merges into the ocean but few know that the ocean merges into the drop.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Satguru Kabir Sahib Ji (vegetarian) (azquotes.com)

One thing that struck me the most when I was there was the peace and the calmness of the place. Like, I felt totally at peace, totally safe. That was the most loving environment I knew, which was an interesting experience for me because I’d been brought up in a battered home. My life was quite abusive, and I couldn’t have told you what love felt like up until that moment. New Zealander Christopher Wesselingh recalls the day he drowned during a school swimming lesson — and slipped into a realm of profound peace, boundless love, and limitless knowing. Raised in an abusive home, he was only a teenager when he sank beneath the pool’s surface, inhaled water, and lost consciousness.

I remember traveling down this tunnel of light that was heading off in front of me, around about 30 degrees, and I popped out the other side. And as soon as I popped out, I could see the scene in front of me. It was like there was grass, but it was a different color. It was more sort of lavendery, purpley, pinky, brown, but it appeared like grass. There was a pool of water in front, and once again, it had a different texture to what I’m used to on this physical plane.

And there was a gentleman sitting on the other side of the sea. We started communicating. And when he was talking to me to start with, there were no words actually being spoken, which surprised me. It was like it was all happening internally, and it was like whole concepts dropping into my mind in one go. In a silent, telepathic connection with the wise gentleman, Christopher felt a profound peace and love — and sensed there was more waiting beyond this place.

I understood that this was a doorway, and I had a choice at this moment. I could either go forward into this place, and I knew if I did, I wouldn’t come back. But I was encouraged to stay where I was, and at one point, there was — I just knew it was time to come back. But up till then, it was like there was a source of knowledge in knowing with the gentleman there — like, he knew far more than he was immediately saying, and I knew there was a vast knowledge there, which I didn’t immediately tap into at the time. But years later, once I started sharing the experience and coming back and revisiting it, that knowledge pool became available.

Held in that quiet knowing, Christopher sensed the depth of the place — a wisdom he would only fully understand years later. It was a loving, peaceful place. There was warmth. There was love. There was a sense of understanding. I understood that my life had purpose and that I was here for a reason, and that there was a purpose for me returning. If I had left then, I knew it wasn’t the right time. It was interrupting a plan that I knew was in motion.

Guided by that sense of purpose, Christopher felt the experience begin to shift — drawing his awareness back toward his body. When I had the feeling to return, I was aware that my body was in a particular situation, and I was aware of it, but I wasn’t inhabiting it at that point. And something went into my body and moved it to where it got itself out of the water and over an edge of the pool where my head was down, and the water started running out. It was only when there was enough that ran out, and the body gave a cough, that I appeared and felt myself back in the body. And I started coughing and choking. More water was coming up. And from that point on, I sort of got myself back and became conscious and just motivated the body and started moving again, slowly taking the time to adjust to where I was. Back in his body and fighting to breathe, Christopher focused on survival — unaware that the experience would continue unfolding years later, shaping how he understood consciousness and, ultimately, how he understood life itself.

Nobody had told me I couldn’t go back to it, so I never questioned it. I just learned to go back, and I’ve been accessing it ever since. To me, it’s something that we all have available. It’s an aspect of consciousness — the consciousness from which we come. We can learn to tap into it through meditation experiences and revisit it. It’s actually part of who we are. Everything in consciousness is known, and consciousness knows everything. There is nothing left out.

The thing I share with people is the one thing I learned: that we’re all here for a purpose. If we’re feeling down, which does happen to a lot of people, it’s not that there isn’t a purpose and there isn’t a value in life. It’s often that we just haven’t found it. And a big part of life — and it may seem the simplest thing — one of the most important things is actually recognizing the beauty in life. It’s getting back to that childhood innocence and once we start finding that — just, recognizing the beauty in a flower, a blade of grass, the wind blowing through our hair — it’s just simple things in life, which is where the value lies. It’s in that immediate, in-the-moment experience. (NDE Diary)