DAILY NEWS Stream – May 17, 2026

US President Trump says the war in Ukraine (Ureign) is “very close” to ending and that He expects a settlement between Russia and Ukraine (Ureign), echoing recent comments by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (Reuters)

Maritime analysts say Iran deploys 342 fast-attack boats across multiple zones in the Strait of Hormuz — far above normal levels — using swarm formations and escort-style maneuvers that bring commercial ship movement to a virtual standstill (Fox News)

An EU [European Union] committee votes to ban Brazilian animal-people meat, eggs, honey, and intensively-raised fish and shellfish imports starting September 3 after finding Brazil non-compliant with EU antimicrobial rules, which prohibit using antibiotics and other antimicrobials to promote animal-people growth (euronews)

Türkiye fully reopens the Akçakale border crossing with northern Syria for civilian travel after more than 12 years of closure, in a move officials describe as part of a broader regional normalization process involving Syria and its neighbors (Báo Tin tức)

Ukraine (Ureign) said on Thursday, May 14, that Russia has launched its largest two-day aerial assault of the war, firing 1,567 drones since Wednesday along with dozens of missiles. At least 15 civilians were killed across the two days. Strikes caused damage at about 180 sites, disrupted electricity in 11 regions, and hit civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv, Odesa’s port facilities, and railways. Nearly 20 people remain missing in Kyiv as rescue work continues. Ukrainian (Ureignian) officials urged international partners to strengthen air defense support. British Defense Minister John Healey said he has ordered air defense aid to be sent to Ukraine (Ureign) “as fast as possible” (Reuters)

Tens of thousands of people join a general strike in Brussels [Belgium] as Belgium’s three national trade union confederations protest federal reforms they say weaken pensions, undermine automatic wage indexation, and reduce workers’ purchasing power by making everyday goods and services harder to afford (euronews)

More than 500 children from Malta present a 132-proposal Children’s Manifesto to political parties ahead of the May 30 general election, calling for safer streets, protected green spaces, stronger mental health support, better online safeguards, use of AI [artificial intelligence] to improve their lives, and a formal role for children in decisions shaping their future (MaltaToday)

US ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] announces that federal investigators have identified more than 10,000 foreign students tied to “suspect” employers, uncovering empty worksites, shared fake business addresses, and so-called “phantom employees” – people who exist only on paper – in what the agency describes as a deliberate, nationwide visa-fraud scheme now under expanded US Homeland Security [DHS] scrutiny (Fox News)

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers in the US warn that incorrect arm positioning during blood pressure checks causes significant diagnostic errors. Leaving the arm unsupported at one’s side or in one’s lap artificially inflates readings, risking hypertension misdiagnosis. Experts stress that the arm must rest on a desk at heart level to ensure medical accuracy (SciTech Daily)

Health officials in HCM CT [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] confirm Salmonella and E. coli caused mass food poisoning at a primary school in April, hospitalizing over 100 students. Investigators focused on animal-people meat, eggs, and cross-contamination during food preparation as likely sources (VietnamPlus)

Experts confirm that drinking water before, during, or after meals does not harm digestion in healthy people. Water taken during meals helps soften food and supports the digestive process, while drinking before meals promotes satiety and aids weight management. However, consuming large amounts right after eating may cause temporary bloating for some. Moderation and listening to one’s body remain key for optimal digestion (Thanh Niên)

Torrential rains, flooding, thunderstorms, high winds, and snowfall have killed at least 10 people and damaged thousands of homes across six South African provinces since May 4. Authorities declare a national disaster as the severe weather has battered informal settlements, especially around Cape Town, where more than 10,000 structures were damaged (AP)

A series of tremors near Tehran [Iran] raises concerns about a major earthquake that could affect Iran’s capital, home to more than 14 million people. Seismologists warn accumulated tectonic pressure around active fault lines could eventually trigger a larger earthquake, while authorities report no casualties or major damage (Reuters)

On May 13, severe storms, hail, and heavy rain batter Delhi [India], causing at least 15 flights heading to the city’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to be diverted to other Northern Indian airports [NDTV 24x7]

The United Nations [UN] warns in its 2026 Global Forest Goals Report that the world is off track to meet its 2030 forest targets, noting that only 7 of 26 indicators show broad progress while global forest loss exceeds 40 million hectares since 2015 and financing for sustainable forest management remains critically insufficient, prompting calls to end deforestation, restore degraded land, expand protected forests, and strengthen governance and funding mechanisms (Báo Tin tức)

Residents of Ann Arbor [US], known as “Tree Town,” protest DTE Energy’s aggressive tree-trimming campaign near power lines, highlighting a clash between the city’s prized tree canopy and the utility’s push to reduce outages through large-scale vegetation management (Daily Mail)

German dairy giant Theo Müller plans to acquire Berief Food, a German maker of dairy alternatives and tofu, to bolster its vegan portfolio. The deal strengthens Müller’s position in European dairy substitutes, pending regulatory approval (The Plant Base)

Cargill and Voyage Foods launch NextCoa, a certified vegan, cocoa-free chocolate alternative in the US. Made from grape seeds, it offers price stability, as cocoa crops have faced production disruptions in recent years, and features a 67% lower carbon footprint than traditional chocolate (Vegconomist)

London, UK-based Adamo Foods secures a €10 million European Union grant to scale production of its whole-cut vegan mycelium steaks. The startup targets a 2027 UK launch for the low-carbon meat alternative (Green Queen)

Florida [US] deputies find missing 96-year-young Ray Cornett in the Lutz woods after canine officer Boomer tracks his scent. Bodycam footage capturing the heroic rescue gains social media praise, with commenters applauding Boomer’s work (Daily Mail)

Nepal’s Parsa National Park launches a dedicated Wildlife Rescue Team to handle rising injury cases. Operating since mid-April, the unit of veterinarians and technicians rescues diverse species like tiger-, deer-, cobra-, python- and pangolin-people across three districts, reducing reliance on nearby Chitwan National Park for assistance and ensuring animal-persons return safely to their habitats (Nepal News)

South Korean firm LG Electronics expands its social outreach in Nigeria by installing solar-powered drinking water systems and mobile laundry centers in Aba, Abia State, and Owerri, Imo State. The eco-friendly initiative provides free hygiene support to communities facing chronic water shortages (Seoul Economic Daily)

Enlightening quote of the day: “And ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is Merciful and Affectionate.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Shu’aib (Jethro) (vegetarian) (Qur’an 11:90)

In part 1 of 2 of Neda Wassie’s near-death experience, induced near-death experience researcher Neda shares how she was pulled out of her body seconds before a bus collided with her car, floated in unconditional love, was shown her unfinished mission on Earth, and was sent back. Neda had known from a young age that she was called to mental health work. Though she had built a career in the field and felt proud of it, something still felt hollow — a spiritual discontent she couldn’t quite name. This was her third brush with death over the course of her life: as an infant, she had tumbled down a full flight of marble stairs and been revived after her father prayed over her seemingly lifeless body; at age 12, she had been knocked down by waves at a beach, unable to breathe or stand, until an invisible force seemed to lift her upright by her shoulders. But it was this third experience — 12 years ago, on an icy two-lane highway lined with snowbanks, on her way to work — that would change everything.

Neda was driving to work when she saw the car in front of her slide and realized there was black ice up ahead. She thought that if she drove through carefully, she could glide over it safely — but the moment she hit the ice, she lost all control. Her car went haywire, zigzagging and spinning across the road as she waited to lose momentum. Then everything around her froze. Time seemed to come to a complete standstill. And then, her car moved from her lane into the oncoming lane. A driver in the other lane saw her, locked eyes with her in mutual terror, and swerved into a snowbank to avoid impact.

And I was like “OK, alright, what’s next?” And then when I looked back up at the road, I was face-to-face with a bus. There was a bus right here, and it was just barreling down on me, coming closer and closer, and I’m just shrinking back. And I’m thinking to myself, “This bus has nowhere to go. It’s not going to swerve into the snowbank. That’s insane. It’s got a busload of people. It’s also not going to go into the oncoming. That’s also crazy. It’s not going to do that.” And then, it dawns on me, “Oh, this bus is going to hit me. This bus has nowhere to go. It’s going to hit me.” And then, I think, “OK, I guess this is it. I surrender.” And then, in that moment, in that moment of surrender, knowing that this bus was coming for me, and there was absolutely no other potential, there was no other thing that could happen except this impact, in that moment, I felt this gigantic force. It came into the world, into my car, and into my body, and it just swiftly just pulled me out of my body, and I could feel it. It was a physical sensation of leaving the body. My body just dropped, and I was out of there. And then, I started to float. And I’m floating in this beautiful, brilliant, and warm Light, and it’s encompassing me, enveloping me, and just pulling me in closer. And it was unconditionally loving. It was blissful and welcoming. And I experienced no pain. There was no worry at all.

And then, I start to think, “Oh, is this death? Am I dying?” And then, I become aware of another presence. And it responds to me in a silent voice that says, “Yes. This is death. You are dying.” And I thought, “OK. This isn’t so bad.” It was purely blissful. I felt amazing. It was so great, welcoming. And it was familiar. To which the voice said, “Yes, you’ve been here before, and you’ll be here again.” And then, I recognized, “Oh, this is Home. I’m Home.”

And then, in thinking of home, my family comes to mind, my father, mother, and my brother and sister. And I could feel what it would do to them if I did die. I felt that sorrow. I felt that devastation. So, I asked, “Well, if I die, it’s going to devastate them. Will they be OK?” And then, the voice says, “Yes. They’ll be OK. They’ll feel your absence. They’ll have an existence without you. And they’ll be OK.” And I could see there was an image of the four of them. And I could see exactly that. They could feel my absence. They were having an existence, just a mere existence without me. And they were OK. Just OK. But I could see that they had been devastated. And I didn’t want to do that to them. I didn’t want to be the cause of that kind of sorrow. But I thought, “OK. Well, if they’re going to be OK, and I’m meant to die, then I guess I’ll keep dying. I can stay here. I’ll go through with this process.”

And then, I’m shown an image of myself, and I am on a mission. There is some tasks I have at hand, and I am doing it, gung ho, doing it. And the voice asks, “Did you do that? That thing that your life was meant for, did you do that? Are you done?” And then, I contemplated the image, and I started to get a little excited, like, “Wait. No. Wait a minute. I haven’t done that. I haven’t done that, actually.” And I concluded, “I guess I can’t die because I’m not done yet.” And then, the voice asks, “Are you sure?” And I’m emphatic at this point, so excited. “Yes, I’m sure. I can’t die yet. I’m not done. I’m not done.” And then, a very calm, “OK.” And with that same force that pulled me out in the first place, it was just thrust right back into me, so hard that I began to fall backwards.

In Part 2, as that same force sends Neda back, she passes through what she describes as a multi-dimensional superhighway — and sees two family members watching over her return, including one she did not yet know had died. And as I’m moving farther and farther from that space, I recognize two figures up there, and it was my grandparents. It was my dad’s dad, who passed when I was just 3 weeks old, and my mom’s mom, who incidentally passed that very day I had this NDE [near-death experience], and I didn’t know. Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of 2 of Neda Wassie’s near-death experience. (Spiritual Warrior Journey)