DAILY NEWS Stream – July 31, 2026

US President Donald Trump said the US is engaged in “very friendly” talks with Iran (Fox News)

According to The Times of Israel, an Arab official and a second source familiar with the matter said that mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Qatar believe the US and Iran are close to reviving the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, which stalled over disagreements about the Strait of Hormuz (The Times of Israel)

Morocco has officially named the 1,055-kilometer Tiznit–Dakhla expressway the “President Donald J. Trump Highway,” a move that underscores strengthened ties between Morocco and the US. The highway runs along Morocco’s Atlantic coast and is considered one of the country’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, intended to modernize transport, improve regional safety, and support future links to the Dakhla Atlantic Port. The naming follows the 2020 US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a major diplomatic milestone for Morocco. US President Donald Trump publicly thanked His Majesty King Mohammed VI, calling the gesture “a great honor” (The News International)

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband signaled a major shift in UK foreign policy by personally taking up the UK’s seat on the World Bank board, a role usually delegated to a junior minister, to ensure climate action and international development remain central to the UK’s global agenda (The Guardian)

Myanmar’s military has sharply escalated civilian killings and airstrikes since a new commander took over in late March, according to conflict monitor ACLED [Armed Conflict Location & Event Data], which documented over a dozen mass killings and more than 450 civilian deaths in the first half of 2026 (NBC News)

Israel’s Security Cabinet granted principal approval for the entry of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) into Gaza as part of the US-backed plan, beginning with a pilot phase in Rafah to build temporary housing and restore basic services in areas outside Hamas control. Initial ISF deployments are expected to include several hundred troops from countries such as Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania, alongside plans to train a vetted Palestinian security force (The Jerusalem Post)

Ukraine (Ureign) launched another long-range drone strike deep inside Russia, igniting a fire at the Tyumen oil refinery, one of the country’s largest privately owned plants and a key supplier of fuel to western Siberia and the Urals. Russia continued its own overnight attacks on Ukrainian (Ureignian) ports and cities (The Chronicle)

Ukraine (Ureign) recorded its highest monthly civilian casualties since April 2022 in July 2026, with government figures showing at least 377 killed and 2,129 injured amid intensified Russian missile, drone, and guided-bomb attacks (CNN)

Romania summoned Russia’s ambassador after shooting down three intruding drones in three days, raising concerns about spillover from the Russia-Ukraine (Ureign) war into NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] territory. Romania called the repeated airspace violations “unacceptable,” and NATO officials warned that Russia’s behavior appears aimed at testing alliance defenses (Al Jazeera)

A volunteer medical team from Gyeongsangbuk-do [South Korea] provided free healthcare to more than 1,400 residents in Kampong Thom [Cambodia] during a July 24–25 outreach at the provincial referral hospital. The mission offered services ranging from general consultations and pediatrics to dentistry, gynecology, ophthalmology, endoscopy, acupuncture, blood tests and free medication. The delegation also donated medical equipment and air conditioners, underscoring ongoing cooperation between Cambodian partners and South Korean provincial authorities to improve rural healthcare access (Khmer Times)

Uganda has begun emergency food distributions in the drought-stricken Karamoja region after at least 19 people died from hunger, with 1.5 million residents facing acute shortages following months of failed rains and crop collapse (The Guardian)

Indonesia’s Health Ministry warned families to protect children from digital addiction, citing high internet use, widespread online gaming, and rising adolescent mental health problems in Indonesia, where more than 221 million people use the internet and national surveys show significant youth vulnerability. Officials said adolescents face heightened risks of anxiety, sleep disorders and social-comparison stress, and urged parents to strengthen digital literacy, monitor warning signs and set clear screen-time rules. The ministry emphasized early detection and gradual intervention, including seeking mental health support when symptoms persist (ANTARA News)

Excessive gaming harms physical and mental health. Spending too much time on games increases the risk of addiction, depression, sleep issues, social withdrawal, and repetitive strain injuries like wrist pain and poor posture. Experts advise limiting daily play to 30–60 minutes and watching for warning signs, including neglecting relationships school, or work (VnExpress)

Hanoi [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] records 185 new COVID-19 cases from July 17–24, up from 96 the previous week. This year’s cases remain below 2025 levels, with zero deaths (Thanh Niên)

Wallets, keychains, mobile phones, computer keyboards and mice, earphones, watchbands and bracelets, and makeup brushes can accumulate bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms because they are handled frequently but rarely cleaned. Contaminated surfaces may increase the risk of transferring germs to the hands, face or skin. Regular cleaning and disinfection, combined with good hand hygiene, help reduce the risk of skin irritation, ear infections, acne and the spread of harmful microorganisms (VTC News)

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture in southern Japan on Tuesday, killing two people and causing widespread power outages, ruptured roads, suspended transport services, and multiple building collapses (Reuters)

Flash floods sweep the Shuangshimen scenic area in Weiyuan County [Gansu Province, China] on Sunday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 23. Rescuers bring more than 170 to safety. Officials attribute the flooding to sudden local rainfall (AFP, Xinhua)

More than 40 million Americans remain under extreme heat alerts, with some areas in the Southwest forecast to reach 49°C. Forecasters also warn of storms and flash flooding near the Great Lakes. In South Korea, Busan reports 32 heat-related illnesses this summer (VietnamPlus)

UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] has officially recognized Jordan’s Aqaba Marine Reserve as a World Heritage Site, citing its exceptional tropical marine ecosystem with more than 150 hard coral species, 500 fish-individual species, and nearly 1,000 mollusk-folk species. Jordan’s government says the designation strengthens its commitment to marine protection and sustainable eco-tourism development (HTV)

Eastern India’s wild rugda mushroom gains popularity as a seasonal “vegetarian mutton” delicacy, praised for its rich protein, animal-people meat-like texture, and unique symbiotic connection to Sal trees (Onmanorama)

Australian actor Hugh Jackman stars in “The Sheep Detectives,” a new family film adapting Leonie Swann’s novel that delivers a strong animal-people rights message and inspires viewers toward the stopping of eating animal-people meat (Plant Based News)

California [US] allocates US$500 million in its new state budget to upgrade school kitchens as well as to enable districts to offer plant-based meals and dairy-free milk to students (Plant Based News)

Nine-year-old swimmer Rory leads a popular UK water safety campaign, teaching the “float to live” technique through a viral video recorded at Crosby Leisure Centre. Aspiring to become a lifeguard, he spreads vital drowning prevention messages to protect people near local beaches this summer (BBC)

Emma Slade of the UK, known as Ani Pema Deki, receives a British Citizen Award at the Palace of Westminster [UK] for her work in Bhutan. The former financial analyst turned Buddhist nun founded the charity Opening Your Heart to Bhutan, raising nearly £1 million to support disabled children through medical care and education (Bhutan Post)

Between 2020 and June 2026, volunteers from Save the Animals of Susang rescue 112 rare wild animal-people in Bangladesh’s Netrokona District. Driven into villages by deforestation, these animal-citizens— including pangolin- and python-folk— are safely released into the wild with the help of forest officials, earning the group a biodiversity award (The Climate Watch)

Inspirational quote of the day: “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” – The Reverend John Holmes American Christian Minister (Good Reads)

Previously in Parts 1 and 2 of this multipart series on Dr. Mary Helen Hensley’s near-death experience, Mary Helen described how her spiritual experiences began in childhood. Although she communicated with deceased people and traveled outside her body, she had still wondered whether death might cause her to forget who she was or cease to exist. Then, at age 21, while making a left turn on Highway 17, she saw another car barreling toward her. Time slowed, and knowing she was about to die, Mary Helen chose to leave her body before the impact. From above, she watched the crash and saw her physical body dying while she remained fully conscious and intact. Bathed in Light, she realized that she still knew who she was. As she remained above the accident scene, the low drone that had accompanied her separation from the body continued around her.

Next thing all of a sudden the sound begins to change, so we go from this kind of wahwah low drone sound to this more beautiful orchestral, I call it the Music of the Spheres, this symphony of Sounds that doesn’t sound like any kind of music that we have here. So, I can’t even really adequately describe it to you because I’ve never been able to hear it here or recreate it here.

So, that lower drone that was kind of keeping me tethered to the body is now exchanged for this higher Sound, and now I’m no longer at the scene of the accident. So, long gone is my fear that you’re dead and cease to exist. I’m like, I am tangible. I am something. I even had this feeling of a sense of form. I wasn’t just, like, some blob of Light and Love floating around. I felt like I had texture and shape.

In the unfamiliar realm, Mary Helen became aware of two elderly presences. When these shapes started taking form in front of me, they came in the form of two elderly gentlemen. And then all of a sudden, it was like all the light bulbs went on at once, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, these are my guides.” And everybody has guides. They’re with you from the dawn of your existence.

We fool ourselves into thinking, when we’re here on this Earth plane, that we can get dark, and we can get low, and that we’re alone. You’re never, ever alone. It’s this sense of being encompassed by someone who knows you, your real history, someone who knows who you are, what your mission was, why you decided to come into the Earth realm in the first place, why this was important to you. And they know your story. They’re always there to love and guide and support you.

So, these were my two who knew me, the real me, and they were there to welcome me into this space because, like, look, you’ve just died, and while it’s all wonderful how it’s unfolding, it is a bit of a shock when you’re coming out of the Earthly realm because it’s dense here, y’all. It is dark, and that’s how this realm is set up.

Earth is this dichotomy of darkness and light. This is a space unlike any other, where you can come in, and you could have just lost the love of your life, and the following day, there is the birth of someone precious to you, and you can feel this utter elation and the deepest sorrow simultaneously. That’s what the dichotomy of dark and light means. That’s why Earth is such an unusual schoolhouse. This realm is set up to provide experiences to learn, grow, and evolve within the dichotomy, but we waste so much time trying to change the circumstances, rather than to change ourselves within them. That’s the big cosmic “aha.” That’s what people have missed. That’s probably one of the big lessons that I took back from having been dead.

What followed overturned Mary Helen’s understanding of time, identity, and reality. And so, picture yourself standing in an IMAX theater. I am watching my life unfold, and this is that proverbial life review that we hear people speak of. But what’s so interesting is you’re suddenly going, “Oh my God, this isn’t happening in linear time.” I’m 11 years old, getting my first English bulldog called Otto Von Bismarck, and I’m beside myself with joy because I’ve been waiting for this dog forever. I’m 17 years old over here, and I’m drinking too much at a college party. I am 12 years old here, dressed as P.T. Barnum, and I am winning Living History Day at my middle school. These are all experiences, and when you sit in a space and realize, “Oh my God, nothing and no one can harm who I really am,” then no one of those experiences gets more of your attention than another.

So, not only am I standing here, and my complete and utter definition of what time and space and reality are, is literally imploding in front of my very eyes, I am standing in awe, going, “I am all of these things and none of these things, all at the same time.” I was in utter disbelief. I was in awe.

In Part 4, Mary Helen discovers that the judgment she had been taught to expect after death was nothing like she imagined. But I’m looking around, and I’ve just gone through this review of my own life. And I was like, “Wait a second. I was told in the Southern Baptist Church that there was going to be a judgment,” and guess what, guys? Nobody was judging me but me. I was watching and critiquing my own performance, but with such love, as if you’re watching someone who’s not you, because it’s actually only a piece of you. Join us tomorrow for Part 4 of this multipart series on Dr. Mary Helen Hensley’s near-death experience. (Anthony Chene production)