DAILY NEWS Stream – June 21, 2026

The United Nations urges countries to uphold the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, also known as the Ottawa Treaty, which bans anti-personnel mines that continue to kill and maim civilians long after conflicts end. These weapons violate human rights, create deadly no-go zones, block aid and farming, and slow recovery in affected areas. The United Nations calls on states to stop using mines, clear existing ones, rejoin the treaty if they withdrew, and support survivors (United Nations News)

The UK government confirms almost 180 new Youth Hub locations across Great Britain, expanding a community-based support network that helps 16- to 24-year-olds access employment guidance, skills training, mental health support, housing advice, apprenticeships and local job opportunities (Gov.uk)

Pet-people caregivers in Gaza struggle to care for their animal companions as only two veterinary clinics for household pet-individuals remain open amid war-caused shortages of medicines, vaccines and food, with veterinarians reporting preventable illnesses, famine-related malnutrition and rising pet-people deaths (AP News)

Mexico has 274,000 affordable homes under construction and more than 604,000 contracted under Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Housing for Well-Being program, as the government expands new housing, home improvements, and the delivery of legal property titles to families alongside loan support for low-income households, women, Indigenous communities, older adults and other vulnerable groups nationwide (Mexico Business News)

US President Trump marks His 80th birthday on June 14 as the second sitting US octogenarian president, highlighting strong medical evaluations and high stamina while Republican lawmakers and White House officials praise His energy and promote test results showing robust cognitive and cardiac health (Fox News)

Florida [US] Attorney General James Uthmeier sues TikTok, accusing the social media platform of violating Florida’s child safety law by allowing children under 14 to create accounts and exposing young users to harmful content, while TikTok says it is updating its platform and will defend its minor safety record (Reuters)

A new Japanese study links high vitamin C levels to stronger brain network connectivity and protection against structural decline in older adults. Researchers emphasize nutrient-rich diets featuring citrus, berries, tomatoes, and leafy greens to safeguard aging brains from Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss (Fox News)

Processed animal-people meats may raise oral cancer risk, experts warn. Frequent consumption of bacon, sausages, ham, and cold cuts increases the risk due to nitrates and nitrites, which can form potentially carcinogenic compounds. High-temperature cooking methods like grilling and charring also produce chemicals that can damage DNA. This type of animal-people meat may promote chronic inflammation and disrupt the mouth’s natural microbiome, creating conditions that support cancer development (VnExpress)

Regular banana consumption helps protect brain health and lowers the risk of dementia by reducing chronic brain inflammation. Experts state that essential vitamins, magnesium, and prebiotics support the gut-brain connection. Slightly green bananas offer extra protection, lowering oxidative stress in nerve cells to gradually sustain long-term cognitive function rather than providing immediate memory boosts (VietnamNet)

Tropical Storm Arthur forms off Port O’Connor, Texas [US], on June 17, becoming the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. It moves northeast toward Louisiana, prompting life-threatening flash-flood warnings across the Gulf Coast and southeastern US. A 15-year-old boy drowns in floodwaters in Magnolia, Texas (The Watchers)

Heavy rain drops more than 30 millimeters in 20 minutes across Jaén in southern Spain, prompting a pre-emergency alert. Emergency crews handle about 110 calls as flooding inundates streets, garages and a parking structure, while power outages affect several districts. No injuries are reported (EuroWeekly News)

Three landslides hit Tam Giang Commune in Âu Lạc (Vietnam)’s Cà Mau Province overnight, affecting 19 households. The largest destroys a 40-meter section of embankment near Nhà Lồng Kênh 17 market. Local authorities mobilize emergency teams to evacuate property and assist residents (Tiền Phong)

Young adults with learning disabilities are helping restore woodland in Hadley Wood, north London [UK], as part of the London Tree Ring, a project slated to span 25 years to create connected corridors of plant habitats and wildlife around the capital. The initiative aims to strengthen biodiversity by planting and protecting native trees, improving existing habitats, and giving nature more space to recover, while also helping trainees gain conservation skills and pathways into green sector jobs (The Guardian)

Experts at the Zero Waste Forum 2026 in Türkiye warn that food loss and waste are accelerating global warming. They note that organic waste generates about 20% of global methane emissions, with around 77% of that organic waste coming from food waste. Speakers expect food system issues to feature prominently at COP31 [31st United Nations Climate Change Conference], scheduled for November 9–20, 2026 in Türkiye (VTV)

A new University of Exeter [UK] study warns that planning laws, environmental regulations, and local government rules worldwide are often too rigid to keep up with the rapid impacts of climate change on cities, and calls for more adaptive, data-driven legal tools that help authorities respond faster while involving communities in decisions on resilience and urban development (Phys.org)

Chinese cuisine is popular in the US and many renowned cooking sauces already fit vegan diets. Top vegan-friendly choices include black bean, sweet-and-sour, orange sesame, hoisin, Kung Pao, char siu, and Sichuan chili oil (VegNews)

Danone’s Silk brand expands its vegan protein lineup with new yogurts and ready-to-drink shakes this summer. The soy-based products target rising demand for non-dairy, nutrient-rich options (FoodBev Media)

France’s Do Veggie Fa Sol festival returns on June 27, celebrating vegan living through 100% vegan food, live music, and environmental workshops in Thorigny-sur-Marne (Sortir à Paris)

Mallorca [Spain] charity founder Nick Entwisle receives the British Empire Medal for supporting vulnerable people. His initiative, Yachting Gives Back, connects the yachting community with the homeless and disadvantaged local families across the island, providing them with essential food, clothing, and supplies (EuroWeekly News)

Abuja [Nigeria] charity group Mission for Education, Social and Health [MESH] supports over 1,600 vulnerable Nigerians through its Zakat [Islamic charitable giving] distribution program. The initiative provides cash and income-generating machinery, like refrigerators and tailoring and grinding machines, to help widows, disabled individuals, and disadvantaged families achieve long-term financial independence (News Agency of Nigeria)

Florida [US] high school students build mortgage-free homes from the ground up for wounded military veterans. Partnering with the national nonprofit Building Homes for Heroes, the teenage volunteers provide stable housing for two families while learning vital construction trades (Fox News)

Thoughtful quote of the day: “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” – Ralph Marston American Motivational Speaker and Author (BrainyQuote)

In this multipart series on Dr. Paula Langhoff’s near-death experiences, American theologian, ministry leader, and author Paula shares two near-death experiences — one as a six-year-old after an aspirin overdose, and one as an adult when she says her heart stopped. Paula grew up in a Midwestern Catholic family, where faith was more of a ritual than a personal relationship with Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian) As a small child, she had already sensed the presence of GOD the Father in her bedroom and innocently declared she wanted to marry His son, Lord Jesus Christ.

But life brought hardship early: a family accident, a sibling lost to miscarriage, and growing tension at home. One night, while listening to her parents argue downstairs, a dark presence entered her room and befriended her — then convinced her to sneak out and eat at least half a bottle of aspirin, claiming it would make her just a little sick and stop her parents from arguing. It was a lie. Paula was a six-year-old who had just overdosed.

All of a sudden, I’m really struggling to breathe. And I’m afraid, because if I tell my parents, I know I’m going to get spanked. That’s magnified in my mind as a kid. And so, the next thing I know is everything went pitch black. It’s not like I fell asleep. It’s like someone just pulled a curtain over me, and it was blacker than black. And at that moment, there was absolute peace. It wasn’t like I felt sick anymore. I was just out. So, I’m in a different space, if you will. And I’m going, “OK. This is weird.” I’m just a little kid. I have no frame of reference whatsoever. Everything’s blacker than black, if that’s a way to describe it. It’s just pitch black. And yet, I can see myself. I can see my hands and that. And the next thing I know, I am being whisked, really just very quickly, into this tunnel. And it’s huge. And it’s like you’re outside in outer space. Only you’re not in a capsule or anything, but you’re just there. But you can tell that it’s a tunnel. And its stars. I’m seeing stars. I’m seeing, like, our Milky Way galaxy. I’m being shown planets and things.

And then, all of a sudden, whoosh, we’re going super, super fast. And everything’s just, like on the show Star Trek, where things are just warp speed. That’s what it was like. And it’s peaceful, and it’s quiet, and I can’t hear anything, but I’m seeing these stars, and these planets, and these things just going by me, and these bright Lights. And I’m seeing what are, to me, I would translate it as angels, going past me. And all of a sudden, foop, I’m plopped into this completely different — it’s like instant scene change. But it’s not a vision. You’re there. You can feel. You have senses beyond what you have here. It’s real. It’s more real than here, than human life. Which, how do you even explain that?

Paula found herself in a vivid, living field in Heaven — and began to explore. I’m in this field, and it’s bright. It’s a blue sky, no clouds, no sun, just a brightly lit, warm summer day type atmosphere. The smells are beautiful. The colors are — they’re liquid. You know how oil and water, when light shines on them, it kind of has a sheen that changes in that? Well, the colors are kind of like that, but the greens are more vivid. The browns are more vivid. They have a depth to them somehow. And it’s all alive. The grass blades are perfect, and they’re alive. And there are flowers, and these flowers would laugh and sing as you’re walking through them. You can’t crush them. So, I found that really super cool as a kid. And so, then I’m starting to run, but the moment I look at the hill, and I see that there’s a brick building there and some stuff going on, I’m just transported there. I don’t have to walk or run. You can, but the moment you think something, you’re just there. So, now I’m sort of on this hill, and I’m looking, and there’s a red brick building to my left. What got my attention was this portico, this round courtyard thing with pillars. The top of it is open, so it’s out in a little courtyard, green grass, that. And there are angels standing around this huge table.

In Part 2, Paula asks what the angels are doing around that table — and they lift her up so she can see. And they said, “Look, this is what we’re doing. This is the plan for your life.” And it looked like a three-dimensional little board game, like The Game of Life [board game], only it was real. Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of a multipart series on Dr. Paula Langhoff’s near-death experiences. (God Encounters with Janie DuVall)