DAILY NEWS Stream – February 18, 2026

US President Trump says the US now has a “very good” relationship with Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodríguez and plans to visit the country (Reuters)

French authorities uncover a decade-long ticket-fraud network at the Louvre, arresting nine people— including two museum personnel— as investigators estimate over €10 million in losses and expand probes into similar schemes at other major cultural sites (VTV)

Brussels [Belgium]’s regional parties finally reach a coalition agreement after more than 600 days of political deadlock, forming a seven-party government that satisfies both linguistic blocs and aims to stabilize the capital’s finances and governance (Euronews)

Cambodia reports clearing 3,541 square kilometers of mine-contaminated land since 1992, destroying over 4.7 million mines and explosive remnants of war as annual casualties fall to a historic low of 39 in 2025 (Khmer Times)

The European Union updates its pet-folk travel rules from April 22, 2026, tightening documentation and entry controls for dog-, cat-, ferret- and pet bird-people while laying groundwork for future digital traceability across all member states (EuroWeekly News)

China’s C909 airplane hospital arrives in Vientiane [Laos] for its first overseas mission, offering free eye and ENT [Ear, Nose, and Throat] services and completing its first on-board surgery (Xinhua)

Apple issues an urgent warning as scammers send fake Apple Pay and iCloud alerts about blocked transactions or suspicious logins to push users into calling fake support hotlines, where impostors posing as Apple personnel attempt to steal passwords, verification codes and financial information (Báo Khoa học và Đời sống)

Cash-strapped French hospitals increasingly turn to the public for funding— offering “citizen loans” [individuals lend money to public hospitals that later reimburse them, with interest] and seeking donations to cover urgent needs like medicines, medical devices and even beds— as nationwide deficits deepen and critics warn the trend reflects a healthcare system in crisis (France 24)

Âu Lạc (Vietnam) monitors new Nipah virus cases in India and Bangladesh as health authorities warn that the high-fatality, vaccine-lacking pathogen carries pandemic potential and step up surveillance, testing capacity, and border-area communication to prevent any outbreak (VOV2)

Nighttime traffic noise above 50 decibels increases cholesterol levels, a study of 272,000 adults reveals. Researchers link disrupted sleep and stress to higher cortisol, which may boost liver cholesterol production and elevate long-term heart risks (Earth.com)

A Singaporean study of 68,000 patients reveals the mosquito-borne disease dengue causes significant long-term disability and hospitalization risk for up to two years. Complications spanning kidney and neuropsychiatric issues disproportionately affect older adults and vulnerable groups (European Medical Journal)

Eating avocados, apples, and grapefruits can help prevent visceral fat accumulation during Tết [Lunar New Year]. Research shows avocados improve abdominal fat distribution in women, while apples regulate lipid metabolism, and grapefruits increase satiety. Experts recommend these fruits to limit internal fat storage, helping individuals maintain a healthy shape and long-term wellness through natural calorie control and reduced inflammation (Thanh Niên)

Warming temperatures in the Arctic awaken frozen microbes, releasing carbon and methane that accelerate global climate change while threatening water quality and food security, McGill University [Canada] scientists warn (Yahoo News)

Relentless UK rains flood roads, fields and businesses as residents say seasons have blurred, forcing communities to adapt to a wetter, more chaotic climate (The Guardian)

Indonesia’s Mount Semeru erupts repeatedly, spewing pyroclastic flows [ground-hugging avalanches of hot gas, ash, and volcanic rock] and ash clouds that force the imposition of exclusion zones for residents, with heavy rains increasing the risk of volcanic mudflows (The Watchers)

A global analysis shows Earth’s forests rapidly shifting toward fast-growing, short-lived tree species as slow, long-lived trees decline, leaving ecosystems weaker, less stable, and more vulnerable to climate extremes, invasive species, and long-term carbon loss (Earth.com)

Scientists warn that plastic pollution is creating a long-lasting toxic legacy as PFAS [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances] and heavy metals accumulate in freshwater and coastal ecosystems, yet Norway—and the world— still lacks the long-term, fully funded cleanup and policy action needed to meet global biodiversity goals and prevent permanent environmental damage (Phys.org)

A new analysis of two decades of online listings in the US reveals that the secretive digital trade in amphibian-people includes dozens of species with no official import records—some linked to long-standing export bans— raising risks of disease spread, wildlife laundering, and pressure on vulnerable wild amphibian-folks (Earth.com)

More than 600 young green sea turtle-people have stranded on Florida [US] beaches amid a sharp cold snap, overwhelming rescue centers as aquariums from Clearwater to Sarasota warm, treat, and release the cold-stunned animal-people while scientists warn last year’s record strandings may signal a growing trend (Phys.org)

The United Arab Emirates wins a Gulf Cooperation Council Patent Office Award and a silver medal at the 16th International Invention Fair in the Middle Eastin Kuwait for a smart glove that lets visually impaired users read digital text through a Braille-based tactile system, showcasing the country’s growing innovation footprint (TV BRICS)

UK startup The Bland Company has raised US$2.67 million in pre-seed funding to scale its vegan egg replacement technology. Led by venture firm Initialized Capital, the London-based protein science business uses a proprietary biochemical process to transform agricultural side streams— such as byproducts from rice and pasta production— into high-performance proteins (AgFunder News)

Healthier Comforts of the United States has officially launched its “Animal Free Egg White Protein Powder,” a breakthrough for vegan athletes and bakers. Produced using precision fermentation, the powder contains bio-identical egg white proteins (specifically ovalbumin) created by microorganisms rather than chicken-people (Trend Hunter)

Vegan beauty brand Tropic Skincare founder Susie Ma joins Dragons’ Den [popular British reality TV show where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch business ideas] as a guest investor. The former Apprentice [reality TV competition] finalist brings her £68 million vegan beauty expertise to the Den’s 23rd season (Mirror)

Authorities in Marakumbi, India, successfully prevent animal-people sacrifices during the Sri Durga Devi jatra [religious festival]. Following court orders, devotees symbolically offer pumpkins instead, maintaining peace through strict security and local awareness campaigns (The Hindu)

Hope 4 Fur China Dog Rescue flies dog-people from Chinese animal-people meat markets to New York City [US] for medical care and adoption. Supported by philanthropist Andy Sabin’s US$100,000 donation, the canine-folk undergo quarantine before the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons places them in permanent homes (PIX11)

Archie, a heroic Goldendoodle-person, receives a “Hero of the Day” certificate after gently saving a baby bird in the US by alerting his caregiver of its plight. The viral story highlights how dog-people can coexist peacefully with wildlife-folk (Parade Pets)

Inspirational quote of the day: “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (vegetarian) American Essayist, Philosopher, Poet, and Transcendentalist (BrainyQuote)

I was just begging God. I was like, “God, please give me a second chance. God, please give me a second chance. I’ll do anything for the second chance.” In Part 1 of 2 of Bubba Herrick’s near-death experience, the American baseball player shares how he died during surgery at age 19 and found himself watching his own body from above as his life review began.

Bubba Herrick was a 19-year-old freshman pitcher at Jacksonville University in Florida [US], with high expectations for a professional baseball career. He was making a name for himself in the sport when a nagging injury worsened into a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), requiring Tommy John surgery. The day before surgery, a nurse asked if he was allergic to anything that could complicate the procedure. Though he’d never had surgery before and didn’t know the answer, something made him uneasy, but he replied no. The next morning, his surgeon reassured him and his mother that within a year, he’d be throwing harder than ever; in two years, he’d be a first-round draft pick; and in three years, he’d be playing in the big leagues. After his mother left the room, the anesthesia was administered through his IV [intravenous line].

He wheels me to the operating room just like he said. I have my eyes closed, and I’m just waiting for this anesthesia to hit me. And he said that when we got to the operating room, it was going to. But when we got there, I was still fully conscious and fully awake. And I was like, “Well, should I say something? Maybe the anesthesia hasn’t hit me yet. They’ve done this thousands of times by now. I’m sure it’s fine.” And I’m laying there, and I can—it’s kind of like where you know what’s going on around you. Even when your eyes are closed, you can just kind of feel it. So I’m in this operating room. I’m on the operating table now, and I feel these doctors. I hear them, and I feel them getting ready for the surgery, and then I hear them confirm with one another, “Are you ready to operate? I’m ready to operate. Let’s operate on this kid.” And I’m getting nervous at this point because I’m like, well, I’m not under this anesthesia. What’s about to happen? Either they’re going to cut into me, or I’ve got to say something. But at the same time, I didn’t want to say anything. It felt like I almost couldn’t, like this was happening exactly how it was supposed to happen. It felt like time just stopped. And then, the next thing I remember, I heard them say, “Hurry, we’ve got to save this kid.” And then I was just floating above the scene. And I watched from above as if there were a glass panel separating me from my body on the operating table. And I watched my body turn bruise-like purple and then corpse-like white. And I watched my heartbeat monitor go from beep, beep, beep to beep, just one complete flat line from above. I was allergic to Ancef (antibiotic), and my heart stopped on the table. I went into anaphylactic shock,

and all of a sudden, I’m in this place. I just watched myself die on the operating table, and I’m in this place that is just the most magical place I could ever have described. But at first, I didn’t get a lot of time to spend in this place because immediately I was shuttled into this life review. It was like there was a 360-degree panoramic screen where I was the observer of the movie that was playing my life review. It kind of showed like a movie a little bit, but at the same time, I was in the movie. So I was watching it, but I was also experiencing it at the same time. And not only was I experiencing it from my own perspective, but I was also experiencing it from the perspective of the others involved in every scene that showed. The theme of my life review was not exactly positive, and it wasn’t exactly distressing either. It was just a neutral, all-knowing truth of this is the objective view of your life. So I got to see moments in my life that I wasn’t exactly proud of. I battled addiction as a young kid, and I battled having to view my life like I was

a part of the first generation that got to experience social media. So I got to see all the time I spent on social media instead of interacting with the people that I cared about and loved. And I got to re-experience the kind of traumatic things that I had gone through as a kid, that I never exactly forgave myself or the others that were involved in. And I got to just see all the time that I wasted and all the kind of potential that I left untapped as a young athlete, where I maybe could have applied myself more. At the end of my life review— it felt like it lasted forever— but at the end of it, I felt this overwhelming regret and this longing for a second chance. I had watched my life from a bird’s-eye view, and it left me with the question, is that it? Is that all you did with your life? You wasted all that time, and you have all of these wounds left unhealed and all of these “I love you’s” and “I’m sorry’s” left unsaid, and you never forgave your family, and you never forgave the people that you love and care about. And most importantly, you never forgave yourself.

At the end of my life review, I was just so angry and just longing for this second chance. But there was no time left to fix any of it. So after my life review ended, I was just begging God. I was like, “God, please give me a second chance. God, please give me a second chance. I’ll do anything for the second chance.” And I didn’t hear any response from God. What waited beyond that silence would shift everything he thought he knew.

And as soon as I said the words, “I surrender,” I was shuttled into this different place, but it was a part of the same thing. And it was the most beautiful, overwhelming, unconditional love I had ever experienced in my life. Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of 2 of Bubba Herrick’s near-death experience. (NDE Journey)