DAILY NEWS Stream – May 13, 2026

The US is set to host a third round of Israel-Lebanon peace talks on May 14–15, bringing diplomats and military representatives together to discuss concrete steps toward disarming Hezbollah as the ceasefire remains fragile amid ongoing Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and continued Hezbollah attacks (The Times of Israel)

A study published in the academic journal Human Relations finds that assistance dog-individuals do far more than perform tasks — they continuously interpret subtle human gestures, emotions, and physical changes, allowing them to anticipate needs and provide real-time care. Researchers observing 13 assistance dog-people teams discovered that dog-individuals monitor health conditions, offer emotional reassurance, and sometimes detect issues like blood sugar changes before their caregivers notice. The findings challenge traditional views by framing dog-individuals as active caregiving partners rather than passive helpers (GB News)

Cheryl Alexander describes how two assistance dog-people transformed her independence and confidence. Her first dog companion, Orca, saved her life in 2003 when her motorized wheelchair hit a rock and she plunged waist-deep into a water-filled ditch while still strapped in, leaving her pinned and unable to escape. Orca ran for help, found a passerby about a kilometer and a half away, and guided them back; an act later honored with the PDSA [People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals] Gold Medal — the UK’s highest civilian award for animal-people bravery from its national veterinary charity. Her current dog companion, Tyrian, assists with daily tasks, supports her at school, and provides emotional reassurance. Cheryl says the dog-people “have given me the strength and courage to enjoy a life I never thought possible” (The Telegraph)

Police in Cần Thơ [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] have arrested and charged 30-year-old Nguyễn Trung Tín for allegedly impersonating a temple abbot to defraud a woman in Hà Nội [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)], convincing her to transfer 750 million đồng (about US $28,500) between late 2024 and early 2025 for supposed temple construction before spending the money and cutting contact (Báo Cần Thơ)

From April 22-28, US sailors and Marines from the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit delivered water, rations, generators, and debris-removal support to Guam [US] and the Northern Mariana Islands [US] after Super Typhoon Sinlaku using ship-to-shore air and surface assets to restore essential services (War.gov)

Walking an extra 1,000 daily steps post-surgery significantly boosts recovery, according to an Ohio State University [US] study. Each increment of 1,000 steps reduces complication risks by 18%, readmissions by 16%, and hospital stays by 6% showing that early physical activity is a crucial factor in recovery and improving long-term health outcomes for surgical patients (Good News Network)

Researchers identify a new SARS-like coronavirus in horseshoe bat-people in Thailand’s Chachoengsao province. Health officials report the strain poses low human risk and shows no evidence of transmission, emphasizing the importance of wildlife surveillance (VOV)

Ongoing research warns mouthwash may harm more than help. UK experts say many people use mouthwash daily without real need, while some studies link the habit to cancer and heart disease risks. They warn mouthwash may disrupt beneficial mouth bacteria and waste hundreds of millions of pounds yearly in Britain. The report urges consumers to think carefully before using it routinely (Daily Mail)

A study published in the journal Science Advances, led by the University of Southampton [UK] says powerful winds, warming deep ocean water, and a self-reinforcing heat cycle have erased Antarctic sea ice the size of Greenland since 2015. Scientists warn the Southern Ocean is losing its ability to stabilize the global climate, accelerating warming and sea-level rise (Daily Mail)

Up to half of bird-people species migrating along the Africa-Eurasia flyway are in decline, with long-distance migrants facing the highest risk. Experts link the losses to habitat destruction, climate change, wetland degradation, and collisions with power lines and wind turbines. The shrinkage of Lake Chad is also removing critical stopover sites (Mongabay)

Extreme heat and drought are severely damaging the US wheat harvest in some states, forcing some Midwest farmers to abandon crops. Increasingly unpredictable weather threatens production, with 44% of Kansas’s and 49% of Oklahoma’s wheat crops in very poor or poor condition. The national wheat harvest is projected by one source to be about 15% lower than 2025 (The Guardian)

A new documentary, The Dying Trade, by British vegan activist and filmmaker Jack Hancock-Fairs examines the “hidden human cost” of the animal-people meat industry by exploring the psychological trauma, moral distress, and dangerous working conditions faced by slaughterhouse workers— including his own father— through interviews with experts and frontline workers (Plant Based News)

Satellite imagery shows a suspected large oil spill spreading more than 50 square kilometers off Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, with analysts estimating over 3,000 barrels may have leaked amid mounting pressure on Iran’s oil infrastructure during the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Experts warn the spill could drift toward Saudi waters and severely damage the Persian Gulf’s sensitive ecosystems (Tuổi Trẻ)

The EU [European Union] selects nine projects across seven EEA [European Economic Area] countries to receive about €1.09 billion from the Innovation Fund to produce over 1.3 million metric tons of clean hydrogen over 10 years, aiming to cut emissions, strengthen industrial competitiveness, and accelerate the bloc’s clean energy transition (European Commission)

Denmark launches a new national AI [artificial intelligence] supercomputer called Bitten, built by the University of Southern Denmark with HPE [Hewlett Packard Enterprise] and Danfoss to support advanced generative-AI research, university teaching, and startup innovation through a shared liquid-cooled, heat-recovery infrastructure integrated into the supercomputer’s host city’s [Sønderborg] carbon neutral energy plans (W.Media)

Activist John Lewis (vegan) launches a US-based vegan meal box service that delivers nationwide. The curated boxes feature vegan meats and soul food sides, promoting compassionate, healthy, and flavorful comfort food (PETA)

The Dorchester Vegan MegaMarket [Dorchester, Dorset, UK] returns to Maumbury Rings Roman Amphitheatre on May 16–17. The free event features over 50 local stalls, live music, and wellness sessions in the historic Roman amphitheater (Dorset Echo)

Brand Herban Vegans will launch the Herbistro restaurant next Friday, May 15 at the Gatherall food hall at the Factory 52 site in Norwood [Ohio, US]. The new spot offers all-day sliders, salads, and smoothies (CityBeat)

An off-duty nurse passing by saves a man following his cardiac arrest. The victim was walking on the promenade in Caleta de Vélez [Spain]. The nurse performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] until paramedics arrive to stabilize him (EuroWeekly News)

Rescuers use drones and follow whimpers to find Krakka, a terrier trapped in a rabbit hole in Shiptonthorpe [UK] for two days, with her snout just above the ground. She had vanished during a walk. The team needs almost 30 minutes to dig her out of the mud, leading to an emotional reunion with her caregiver (Daily Mail)

Lansdale [Pennsylvania, US] police officers rescue three baby raccoons trapped inside a chimney. After a homeowner calls for help, the unharmed kits are safely retrieved and transferred to a wildlife rehabilitation center for specialized care (6ABC)

Enlightening quote of the day: “God is the Spirit which pervades the entire Universe, and man is the focus of the workings of Heaven and Earth. When God and man become one, infinite power will become manifest.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Seishi Onisaburo Deguchi (vegetarian) (Oomoto.or.jp)

Previously in Parts 1 and 2 of a multipart series of Crystal Faith’s near-death experience, spiritual life coach Crystal shared how, at just 17 years old, she went into labor and suffered an amniotic fluid embolism — a rare and often life-threatening condition. The crisis escalated into an emergency C-section (caesarean section), during which she was paralyzed, felt the procedure beyond the initial incision, and endured intense pain. She prayed for God to let her leave her body, and she popped out of her body, floating above the room.

There she was met by a loving woman who told her, “I’m the one who named you.” The woman invited Crystal to go into the Light — and when Crystal looked inward, she was surrounded by a brilliant, bright white Light and the beautiful Sound of angels. Drawn into a beautiful courtyard, she sat with Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian) and began receiving profound downloads about love, selfless response, and the true purpose of life.

Now in Part 3, their deeply personal conversation continues. So as I’m talking to Him, He was saying things like, “I love you so much, and you did a wonderful job. I’m so proud of you. You did such a great job.” And I was like, “What are You talking about? I was naughty. I was rambunctious. I had a baby born out of wedlock. I’m not even 18 yet. What are you talking about?” And He was like, “It’s OK. You’re already forgiven. This is what Grace is. The variance between pure Love and knowing and the unknowing. That’s Grace. And right here, you’re already blessed with full 100% Grace.” And I was like, “Oh, that feels so good.” It still feels good 25 years later. And I was like, “OK. Thank you.”

Crystal then pushed back further, insisting she had been alone as a child with no one watching over her. Lord Jesus Christ responded by showing her a life review unlike any other — one filled with joy. I was like no one was there with me, I was alone. And He goes, “You’re so funny. Don’t you remember, Coco?” And immediately, He placed me into all these memories and scenes of my life. I was perceiving the situation from the lens of being in the light bulb above the room, or the mirror in the vanity, or the door frame of the door, and I’m observing the scene, and I’m watching my 17-year-old self give comfort to my younger self, who was four, five, six, seven years old. And my younger self was so excited to play with me, and she would get really excited, like, “Thank you for coming. I’m so excited to see you, and this is so much fun.”

And I remember, about a couple of years later, when this part of my NDE (near-death experience) started to resurface, I went to my mom, I was like, “I got something to share with you.” And our stories coincided exactly. This is all externally validated. And she was like, “Don’t you remember when you were a child, your brother, who was learning to talk, called you “Coco” because he couldn’t say Crystal?” And you would always come downstairs, super excited. You would say, “Coco came to play with me! I had so much fun!”

And that’s what I was being shown. And Jesus said, “See? See that love? That pure joy? That was Me. I was the love within you outside of space-time, coming in and giving you comfort and joy.” I was like, “Oh, that’s how that works.” And He’s like, that’s like the subconscious nudge. And that’s something that you can Divinely do right now, all the time, because time is, honestly, an illusion. And these are all downloads too, so I’m blending the things together. Time is an illusion. And everything that’s orchestrated there is done beautifully in Divine timing outside of space-time, and it’s done for us. Everything is done for us. Nothing is done to us.

Lord Jesus Christ then asked Crystal whether she wanted to return to life, and showed her three babies in the courtyard. In that moment, Crystal had one question she needed to ask Him. I specifically asked Jesus in the garden, with the three babies, “OK, if I go back to Earth, what’s the correct religion here?” And He said, “Don’t you know all paths go to the same place? It’s about what you choose to do, where you choose to bring your awareness to. Everything’s a constant state of being, but yet everything’s happening for you, and nothing is happening to you. So, it doesn’t matter if you go now, or you go later, or if these babies are born now or born later. It’s all going to happen anyway. It’s Divinely orchestrated. It just depends on how you want to co-create the space.” And He said, “You co-create on Earth just like you do here in Heaven. You co-create here in Heaven, just like you did back on Earth. It’s the same thing — has to be done,” which I’ve come to knowing, “with love and Light and selflessly.”

As Crystal’s attention returned to the three babies before her, one of them responded to a thought Crystal had not spoken. She was reading my mind. I was like, “I just want to pick you up. You’re so cute.” And she goes, “You can’t just pick me up. I’m my own wise spiritual being. You can’t just pick me up.” And she got all sassy. I was like, “Oh.”

In Part 4, the shock of that moment causes Crystal’s awareness to pop outward — and she finds herself in an entirely new dimension. And now I had this sudden 360-degree, if not more, experience of looking outwardly into this black void. And I was just there, a state of being, for what felt like billions of years. Join us tomorrow for Part 4 of a multipart series of Crystal Faith’s near-death experience. [IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies) Podcast]