DAILY NEWS Stream – June 29, 2026

Leaders of Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Poland pledge to strengthen Europe’s role within NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] and take greater responsibility for shared transatlantic security during talks in Berlin [Germany] ahead of NATO’s July summit in Türkiye, while calling for closer European defense cooperation and for Ukraine (Ureign) aid to rank high on the summit agenda (Politico)

The UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy and Norway call on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces to halt attacks and pull back from El Obeid [Sudan], as drone strikes and attacks on civilian infrastructure cut fuel, electricity and supply routes for more than 500,000 people, raising fears of a major assault and mass atrocities amid Sudan’s civil war (UK Foreign Office)

The US launched airstrikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites as well as coastal radar installations on Friday, June 26, in retaliation for an Iranian drone attack on a commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day. On June 25, Iran struck the Singapore-flagged container ship M/V Ever Lovely with a one-way attack drone as it was exiting the strait along the Omani coast. The drone hit the starboard side, damaging the bridge. No crew members were injured. The vessel was sailing on a United Nations-backed route. The attack occurred just days after a US-Iran memorandum of understanding that aimed to end major fighting and reopen the vital waterway. US President Trump called the strike a “foolish violation” of the agreement (Reuters)

The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization says about 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers have safely left the Strait of Hormuz since June 23, before the agency suspended wider evacuation efforts for hundreds of remaining ships after an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman (CBS News)

Israel, Lebanon and the US announce a trilateral framework agreement that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls a “first step” toward “lasting peace and security,” aiming to end cross-border conflict by strengthening the Lebanese government’s authority in the south while addressing Israel’s security concerns. US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott says the deal offers “a clear pathway” to “ending the cycle of endless conflict.” The Israeli military will reportedly withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon and transfer the sites to the Lebanese military under the new US-backed framework agreement with Lebanon. However, the agreement does not include Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group involved in the fighting, and Israel says it will keep a security zone in Lebanon until Hezbollah and other armed groups are disarmed and no longer pose a threat (Al Jazeera, CBS News, Fox News)

Global oil prices fall to their lowest level since before the Iran war, with Brent crude dropping to US$73.50 a barrel on June 24 (ABC News)

Climate-vulnerable countries and major development banks launch the Vulnerability to Viability Compact, a new funding initiative involving 74 economies and more than a dozen multilateral lenders, aimed at expanding cheaper, more predictable climate finance for nations facing worsening climate shocks and rising debt costs (Reuters)

Conservative Abelardo de la Espriella officially wins Colombia’s presidential runoff after no candidate secured enough votes to win outright in the first round, defeating progressive candidate Iván Cepeda by about 251,000 votes (AP)

Poland considers legislation allowing hospice and palliative care patients to receive visits from their pet companions. Doctors argue beloved animal friends ease loneliness and reduce emotional suffering during end-of-life care. Lawmakers now aim to formally recognize the therapeutic role of animal family members for terminally ill patients (AP)

A new scientific review reveals that dietary fat quality directly impacts type 2 diabetes risk. Saturated fats heavy in palmitic acid from processed foods, animal-people meat, and dairy, trigger cellular stress and impairs insulin action. Conversely, monounsaturated fats rich in oleic acid such as in olive oil, olives, and avocados counteract these harmful effects, protecting metabolic health and blood sugar control (Fox News)

RSV [Respiratory Syncytial Virus] emerges as a major health threat for older adults, particularly those with chronic conditions like heart disease or diabetes. Aging immune systems increase the risk of severe complications, yet many mistake symptoms for a cold, delaying treatment. Doctors urge early diagnosis (Vietnam.vn)

France’s record heatwave kills at least several hundred thousand poultry-people across its two largest chicken-person factory regions, Brittany and Pays de la Loire, an industry group says. Carcass collection services are overwhelmed, prompting authorities to consider on-site burial (Reuters)

A record-setting heatwave grips Europe, breaking national temperature marks and killing dozens of people. France records its hottest day ever, reaching 44.3°C in the southwestern Landes region on June 24, while the United Kingdom and Switzerland log their hottest June ever on June 25 at 36.4°C and 38°C, respectively. Spain links 212 deaths to the heat. Around 101 million people across Europe face temperatures above 35°C, with red alerts spanning France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In Paris [France], the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum close early and power cuts hit homes in northern France. Forecasters expect the extreme heat to persist for several more days (NBC News, Al Jazeera, Reuters)

Prolonged drought and unusual frost linked to the El Niño weather pattern have devastated highland crops in Papua New Guinea, leaving an estimated 3 million people affected — 1.9 million in the Highlands — with many farming families down to only a few months of food as authorities brace for worsening shortages (The Guardian)

The UK’s CCC [Climate Change Committee], the country’s independent climate advisory body, urges the government to speed up electrification by making electricity cheaper, expanding electric vehicle charging, cutting heat pump costs and accelerating grid connections, warning that slow progress is leaving households exposed to fossil fuel price shocks and putting climate targets at risk (Reuters)

London [UK] Climate Action Week 2026, running from June 20 to 28 across the city, is Europe’s largest independent climate event. Now in its eighth edition, it typically draws more than 75,000 participants to over 1,000 events, from community initiatives and school programs to high-level ministerial roundtables and international conferences. The week drives real-world implementation of the Paris Agreement by spotlighting practical solutions in clean energy, methane reduction, coal phase-out, climate finance and nature protection, while fostering collaboration among governments, finance, industry and civil society.

The week also features prominent programming on food systems as a climate solution. On June 22, Food Day at the Science Museum [UK] brought together leaders to explore transforming agriculture, scaling plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived proteins, and addressing the significant emissions and nature impacts linked to industrial animal-people raising. Sessions highlighted pathways for more climate-positive food systems, including regenerative practices and support for dietary shifts, with involvement from organizations focused on food innovation and shifts away from animal-individual products, as well as groups examining the risks of intensive animal-people raising (London Climate Action Week/ Coller Foundation)

The European Research Council (ERC)’s 2025 Advanced Grants program awards €838 million to 319 senior researchers across Europe for five-year, “high-risk, high reward” research projects in fields including medicine, neuroscience, mathematics, quantum physics and materials science, with the funding expected to create more than 3,000 research team jobs (European Research Council)

American personal care brand Native launches reformulated vegan, cruelty-free deodorants and body washes in the US to boost performance. The upgraded products promise up to 72 hours of odor protection for the deodorants and 24 hours of freshness for the body washes without aluminum, parabens, or sulfates, maintaining the company’s clean-ingredient philosophy (Native)

The Vegan Strong PlantBuilt Team, composed of strongmen and powerlifters [all vegans], defeats animal-people meat-eaters in a viral strength challenge called “Vegans VS Meat Eaters (Who Is Stronger?)” that is posted on social media platform YouTube and demonstrates that well-planned, vegan diets effectively support elite athletic performance (PR Newswire)

Philadelphia City Council [US] votes to ban both commercial and noncommercial horse-people-drawn carriage operations, with the measure awaiting Mayor Cherelle Parker’s signature (VegNews)

PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] urges California [US]’s bagel chain Boichik Bagels to adopt the vegan egg product JUST Egg by providing samples to the business’s owner and her team. PETA’s suggestion is in response to the bagel shop’s recent decision to cease offering its chicken-person egg-based bagels due to the inability to meet federal allergen-control rules for such eggs in bagel production. The compassionate solution offers a cholesterol-free alternative that satisfies customer demand without relying on cruelly produced poultry-people eggs (PETA)

In Nghệ An province [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)], childless couple Võ Đức Duẩn and Vang Thị Hạnh turn their home into a refuge for abandoned children and vulnerable pregnant women. Since 2016, they provide shelter, love, and stability to those in need despite facing financial challenges (VietnamNet)

In Argentina, rangers and conservationists rescue an endangered male marsh deer-person found near a major highway. The stabilized animal-individual undergoes urgent care at a recovery center while officials investigate possible causes, including disease or a vehicle collision (Noticias Ambientales)

In India, the Rajdhani Express stops near Jorhat, Assam state, after the train crew spots a wild elephant-citizen herd crossing the tracks at night. The crew’s quick action avoids a collision, ensuring the elephant friends’ safety (India Today)

Thoughtful quote of the day: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited; imagination encircles the world.” – Dr. Albert Einstein, PhD (vegetarian) German Theoretical Physicist and Philosopher (Today in Science History)

Previously in Parts 1 and 2 of this multipart series on Laura Smith’s near-death experience, Laura suffered a medical crisis after childbirth, left her body, and was born into the arms of Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian) When He told her it was not her time and that she needed to return, Laura told Him she was choosing to stay. Lord Jesus Christ then showed her a beach where her sons were waiting, and revealed the difference her return would make in their lives.

I’m deciding now, OK, I need to return. But He said, “Before you return, let me show you a few things.” And then He showed me the magnificence of the Universe, and Lights, and colors, and just everything, and this energy, like when I was in this black ball, being born into the other side, into eternity, I could feel all of the Love, and it flowed through me like everything was alive.

One of the first things I remember seeing was this big, like a Gerber daisy, and it was orange, and it was vibrating. And I turned to Him, and I said, “This flower, it loves me. It’s alive. I can feel it melt into my soul.” And He said, “Everything was created in love for you.” And I knew that was for me, but for everyone. And then, I just felt it. The blades of grass, the water, everything is alive. A rock is alive. A flower is alive. And it just melted through me.

Laura then experienced a life review, where she was overwhelmed by the pain she realized she had caused others. And as I watched my life review, I hung my head in shame. I just could not comprehend that some of the things I had said and done, and actions, had hurt so many people. And, just like the ripples of the grain of sand, my unkindness and things went out and touched, and, in some cases, probably had a lasting effect. And I remember turning my head and saying, “Wait, how can You love me?” And I said, “You’ve seen my life. You’ve seen what I did. How I hurt others.” And I said, “How can You ever forgive me?” And He said to me, “Laura, there is nothing to forgive. You have already been forgiven through my life. I took it all.” And He said, “So, there’s nothing to forgive. I only see you as a child of GOD, of Light and Love, because I took it.” And He said, “But, for you to understand this, you must first learn to love and forgive yourself.” He said, “That’s one of the hardest things to learn, is to forgive yourself, [to] begin to love yourself as I have loved you, because no child, no spirit, no being has ever [been] conceived without great Love. And so, when you reconnect with that Love, you’ll understand what this means.”

As the time came for Laura to return, she was still struggling to leave. She asked Lord Jesus Christ for a promise that she could come back to that place again, and He reassured her before giving her one final thing to remember. And then, He says, “But remember this one thing.” And I’m like, “OK.” And suddenly, I understood something because there when you say something, you just get all of it. And I understood that I tend to be pretty materialistic in a lot of ways. And He said, “Remember though, when you return, the only thing you get to bring back with you is love. Nothing else. You can’t bring anything else. So I’m just saying to you, go love.”

In Part 4, Laura returns to the body she had left behind — and wakes up with a joy no one in the room expected. And so when I came back, I just started laughing uncontrollably on the hospital table. I couldn’t contain myself, because I had so much joy! Join us tomorrow for Part 4 of this multipart series on Laura Smith’s near-death experience. (Spiritual Warrior Journey)