DAILY NEWS Stream – February 21, 2026

US President Trump says He will be involved indirectly in upcoming nuclear talks with Iran as negotiators confront unresolved disputes over uranium enrichment, missing stockpiles and the scope of any potential agreement (Reuters)

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says Italy will attend US President Trump’s new Board of Peace only as an observer due to constitutional limits (Euronews)

A new analysis warns that disappearances in Mexico have surged more than 200% over the past decade as criminal groups expand and state institutions falter, leaving more than 130,000 people missing amid widespread impunity of drug cartels (The Guardian)

Cambodia reports record-low primary school dropout rates as a decade of rising enrollment, stronger early-childhood programs and improved learning outcomes drive steady gains across the education system (Khmer Times)

Researchers warn that civilian casualties in Ukraine (Ureign) rose by 26% in 2025 as intensified Russian strikes on cities and infrastructure drive higher death tolls, which they say reflects a broader global erosion of restraint in warfare (The Guardian)

Security experts warn that AI [artificial intelligence] is accelerating and expanding fraud schemes as scammers use automated bots and AI-generated voice and video impersonations, also known as deepfakes, to mimic trusted institutions, driving rising losses and forcing banks and consumers to adopt faster, more skeptical defenses (Boston 25 News)

Authorities in Lanarkshire [UK] warn residents about scammers posing as police officers after a woman was tricked into withdrawing cash for a fake investigation, prompting officials to remind the public that police will never ask for money transfers, withdrawals or bank details (Daily Record)

UK Prime Minister Starmer announces new regulations on AI [artificial intelligence] chatbots to close legal loopholes and strengthen online protections for children, introducing measures that extend the Online Safety Act to chatbot providers and tighten rules on age limits, platform design and data access after recent investigations into misuse of generative AI (UPI)

The edible Chinese star anise [Illicium verum] is a common spice and generally safe. The Japanese star anise [Illicium anisatum, also called Illicium religiosum or sacred anise] looks almost identical but is toxic as it contains potent neurotoxins [anisatin and related compounds] that can cause seizures, hallucinations, nausea, and potentially death in sufficient quantities (Shawn Grows)

Japanese scalp expert Atsuya Tsuji links improper shampooing to hair loss and premature graying. He recommends a two-step process: a 60-second warm water rinse at 38°C, followed by a gentle scalp massage for 1–5 minutes. This technique boosts blood circulation and nutrient delivery, addressing follicle decline caused by stress and UV [ultraviolet] exposure (Phụ nữ số)

Cà Mau provincial health officials are investigating a seafood poisoning incident that hospitalized several diners. Victims reported numb tongues and lips, abdominal pain, and nausea after consuming snails, blood cockles, and horseshoe crabs (Cafebiz)

Severe storms batter France’s Atlantic coast, killing 200-plus puffin-people and washing exhausted survivors ashore, as wildlife rescue centers struggle to cope with the surge (Le Monde)

Greenland records its warmest January in history as capital Nuuk’s temperatures average 7.8 degrees Celsius above normal, reaching 11.3 degrees Celsius, breaking a century-old record despite cold snaps in Europe and North America (VietnamPlus)

A progressive ground collapse in Pondok Balik Village, Central Aceh [Indonesia] expands to three hectares, threatening homes and infrastructure as authorities warn of further landslides from rain or seismic activity (The Watchers)

Conservationists record a blue whale-person in Patagonia Azul Provincial Park [Argentina] for the first time, a rare sighting that underscores the park’s growing importance as a safe corridor for endangered marine species (Noticias Ambientales)

Authorities urge beachgoers in coastal Victoria [Australia] to help protect six newly hatched Hooded Plover chicks at vulnerable nesting sites in Buckley Park Foreshore Reserve and Breamlea, stressing that community behavior over the next few weeks will determine whether the endangered shorebird-people successfully fledge (Mirage News)

Humanoid robots from several Chinese tech companies perform choreographed martial-arts routines alongside human dancers during China Central Television’s Spring Festival Gala, showcasing synchronized movements, weapon demonstrations and acrobatic precision in a high-profile blend of tradition and advanced robotics (VnExpress)

Healthy vegan diets significantly boost mental clarity and mood. Research links consuming whole foods like nuts and mushrooms to lower depression risk, while colorful fruits and vegetables may lessen chances of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia (VegNews)

Canadian Chef Wil Yeung debuts simple vegan Lunar New Year recipes. His vegetable dish Buddha’s Delight, Chili oil dumplings with tofu crumble, and Chow fun–style stir-fried noodles prove humble ingredients can create a festive, restaurant-quality spread for the Year of the Horse (Plant Based News)

The vegan hot dog market surges toward US$2.6 billion by 2035. Driven by an 8.7% compound annual growth rate, the industry thrives on health-conscious demand for animal-people meat alternatives and innovations in taste and sustainability (OpenPR)

Firefighters from Stevens County Fire District in Washington state [US] successfully rescued an exhausted deer-person that had become trapped and was struggling on the frozen surface of Loon Lake, using a stretcher and careful handling— including one firefighter bear-hugging the animal friend— to bring it safely to shore (Storyful News & Weather)

Major Đoàn Kim Hải and Đà Nẵng traffic officers save an 18-year-old student suffering seizures while riding a motorbike on Highway 1. They provide immediate first aid and rush her to the hospital, where she is now stable (Tuổi Trẻ)

A wounded cormorant-person pecks at a Bremen [Germany] hospital’s emergency room door, seeking help for a fishing hook lodged in its beak. Doctors and firefighters remove the triple hook, treat the bird friend, and release it nearby (HuffPost)

Thermal drones rescue Mabel, a two-year-old dachshund-person, after she escapes onto the M4 motorway in the UK. Volunteers track her overnight using heat signatures, safely reuniting the dog-citizen with her caregiver near Chippenham the following morning (BBC)

Enlightening quote of the day: “‘Look upon the hour of pain as a blessing,’ as pain or pleasure comes from the Lord Himself.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Baba Jaimal Singh (vegetarian) (Spiritual Letters, Letter 9)

Previously, in Part 1 of 2 of Connie Fusella’s near-death experiences, the psychic medium described her second brush with death — watching doctors work on her body from above before being pulled into a narrow white tunnel filled with light, joy, and the feeling of going home. Just as she reached the brilliant glow at the end, she was suddenly snapped back into her body. Now, in Part 2 of 2, Connie shares what happened during her next near-death experience — one that unfolded more than a decade later as an aftereffect of surgery.

All of a sudden, I’m lying in the bed recuperating, and the next thing you know, I’m in these rolling clouds, and then the clouds move away. And then, this beautiful green meadow and beautiful flowers. The Sun is bright. Everything is high-intensity color, just beautiful. When these little children come running towards me, and they’re like kindergarten age, and they grab my hands on either side, and we form a circle and we start singing and dancing in a circle, all happy and full of joy. And I’m singing this song in some other language. It’s not a language I learned on the Earth plane. But I know it, and I’m happy, and I’m joyful and singing and dancing. And then all of a sudden, the children stop, and they come on either side of me, and they look forward and I see a Man coming towards me. Now, being raised Roman Catholic and having gone to Catholic school for the 1st through 8th grade, this Man I recognize to be Jesus. And as He walks towards me, He stands in front of me and, the thing that I take away from this experience most of all is the way that He looked at me, His eyes were so incredible. And it wasn’t like when somebody like stares at you or looks through you , but when He looked at me, His eyes changed colors like the ocean. It was like blue and green and teal and gold and brown, and they just kept changing. But I knew that I was loved, and I knew that Jesus knew me not in this life, not as a human, but as a soul on every level and aspect of my soul. So, and this just was like it just filled me. I can’t even explain the love that I felt, the intensity of it.

And He said to me, “Do you like it here?” And I said, “Well, I love it here.” But at this time, because of all the work I’ve had to do for the last 10 years, I am now a single mom of two small boys. And I look around, and I say, “Where are my children?” And He says, “Well, it’s not their time yet.” And I said, “OK.” And then the little children around me grab my hands, and they start singing and dancing, and I’m happy again. And then they stop again. And then Jesus asked me again, “Do you like it here?” I said, “I love it here, but where are my children?” And then He says, “Well, it’s not their time,” and it’s not your time either. You have yet to become who you were meant to be. And with that, I wake up.

Connie now believes her three near-death experiences were meant to awaken her — not just to her gifts, but to a deeper understanding of love, purpose, and who she was meant to become. She says what stayed with her most was the overwhelming sense of love. The love on the other side. I just felt the love and the peace and the joy. So the fear— and I’m a human being, do I want to pass? No. I want to be with my family. So that fear, leaving your family, that’s natural, but the actual fear of the afterlife, I do not have. And the other thing, through the near-death experiences, what I’ve learned is that getting these kicks that your soul team, like I said, the Universe, if it’s your soul’s calling, it’ll keep calling. So, it’s important to kind of be open to this and recognize the signs, and the synchronicities that are happening, and kind of look back at your life and say, “Oh my God, yeah, I went through this terrible time, but look what happened. I got here like I had to go through this bad time to get to be this person that I am.” So, it’s kind of taking you out of, like I said, the victim mentality and realizing that these experiences are life lessons, whether hard or not, they’re all lessons for us here.

So I think about life. And I use life as an acronym. So life “L,” “look,” “I,” “Inwards,” “F,” “for,” “E,” “everything.” Look Inwards For Everything. You have to be brave enough to look really deep into your soul and say, “What brings me joy?” So many people live their lives for the pleasure of others. They want to help everybody, or do things, or be that person that everybody else depends on, and then they don’t have their own self. Like I had to peel back that onion. I was the overweight, made fun of, shy, extremely introverted girl with no friends. I had just a handful of friends. I went through most of my life like that. But that’s not who I truly was. But I was bound by all these things, these factors that— outside factors, outside people. And I had to break out of that to find out who I truly was. I had to be brave enough to make some tough life choices. You have to look and say, “What brings me joy?” And live a life that incorporates that. (IANDS [International Association for Near-Death Studies] Podcast)