DAILY NEWS Stream – July 12, 2026

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz falls sharply after renewed US-Iran strikes and attacks on three tankers near the US-recommended route through Omani waters. Maritime intelligence firm Kpler says only 23 tankers and cargo ships crossed the strait on July 8, down from 47 a week earlier, and that no vessels used the Omani route that day as tensions grow over Iran’s demand that ships use routes designated by Iran (BBC)

US Central Command [CENTCOM] says US forces strike approximately 90 Iranian military targets along Iran’s coastline, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities and logistics infrastructure. US CENTCOM says the operation is aimed at further degrading Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz, one day after earlier US strikes hit about 80 Iranian targets (Fox News)

US President Trump says Iran reached out seeking a deal after US strikes, but questions whether Iran can be trusted to honor any agreement. Mr. Trump says the strikes were retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and says the US would respond much harder to any further Iranian attacks (Fox News)

US Navy officials say the US has roughly 20 Navy ships and support vessels in the Arabian Sea, carrying about 20,000 sailors and Marines (Fox News)

CENTCOM rejects Iranian state media claims that commercial ships may only transit the Strait of Hormuz through routes designated by Iran, saying Iran does not control the waterway. CENTCOM says US forces have helped more than 800 commercial vessels carrying about 380 million barrels [about 60.4 billion liters] of crude oil pass through the strait since early May (Fox News)

A US official says US and partner forces have intercepted dozens of Iranian drones and missiles overnight July 8–9, 2026. The official says the interceptions reflect continued defensive operations by US and allied forces against Iranian aerial attacks across the region (Fox News)

Iran’s foreign minister holds separate calls with his Omani and Turkish counterparts to discuss regional tensions, including developments in the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to prevent further escalation through diplomacy. Iran also says its foreign minister discussed the latest regional developments with Pakistan’s army chief (Fox News)

Iraq says it will announce a new political cooperation and economic partnership with the US ahead of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington DC [US] later this month. Prime Minister Al-Zaidi says Iraq is also working to bring the US and Iran closer together as Iraq tries to deepen ties with the US while maintaining its role as a regional intermediary with Iran (Fox News)

NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] pledges €70 billion in military equipment, assistance and training for Ukraine (Ureign) in 2026, with allies saying they aim to sustain at least equivalent support in 2027. The pledge comes as US President Trump meets Ukrainian (Ureignian) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye. Mr. Trump says efforts to reach a peace deal between Ukraine (Ureign) and Russia have made progress (Al Jazeera)

Ukraine (Ureign) says its Unmanned Systems Forces struck eight sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tankers overnight on July 7 during operations targeting fuel supplies to occupied Crimea [Ukraine (Ureign)] in the Sea of Azov. Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi says Ukrainian (Ureignian) drone forces also struck one cargo vessel, one ferry and 58 military targets behind Russian lines in Russian-occupied Ukrainian (Ureignian) territory (Ukrinform)

A US official says Israel-Lebanon talks have moved to the implementation stage, with a first pilot zone expected to launch within days in an area where the Lebanese army will take control from Israeli forces. The Rome [Italy] discussions are expected to shift work to technical teams, while US Central Command coordinates and the US prepares outreach to international partners to support Lebanese government control in the zones (Fox News)

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet in Turku, Finland, and say China and Finland will strengthen cooperation and coordination amid global challenges. The two sides discuss expanding high-level exchanges, cooperation in areas such as the green economy and artificial intelligence, and deeper multilateral coordination (Xinhua)

Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris meets African Union envoy Mohamed Belaiche in Khartoum [Sudan] to discuss efforts to achieve peace and coordinate initiatives to end the war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Mr. Belaiche says the African Union plans to visit Sudan in the coming days to help shape a shared peace vision, as Sudan continues facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises (Anadolu)

University of Cambridge [UK] researchers unveil a US$10 convolutional spectrometer chip that delivers laboratory-grade precision in a compact, wearable-friendly device. This breakthrough technology enables smartwatches and portable devices to perform non-invasive, continuous monitoring of blood glucose, dehydration via skin moisture, and other biomarkers with high accuracy. It may someday transform everyday devices into personal health labs for real-time diagnostics (SciTech Daily)

Legionnaires’ disease causes severe pneumonia when people inhale water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria from systems like cooling towers, shower heads hot tubs, or decorative fountains. The preventable illness does not spread person-to-person. Symptoms include cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches and shortness of breath. High-risk groups include older adults, smokers, and individuals with weakened immune systems. Early antibiotic treatment aids recovery, while proper water system maintenance prevents outbreaks (The Sun)

Mobile laundry trailers in remote Western Australia improve hygiene and reduce disease risks for Aboriginal communities. Health workers use the washer-dryer units to help families clean bedding, towels, and clothes, successfully curbing the spread of trachoma [bacterial eye infection that can cause blindness] and other preventable infectious illnesses (Ngaarda Media)

At least 21 people die in a landslide in China’s Gansu province as rescue efforts end. The disaster strikes a valley in Tanchang county early Tuesday, July 7, trapping 33 mostly local temporary workers at a state forestry farm. The mountainous region frequently suffers natural disaster events during the rainy season (Reuters)

A 22-year-old volunteer firefighter dies battling a wildfire in France’s Savoie region in the French Alps as extreme heat and blazes force thousands to evacuate across southern Europe. The European Union has pre-positioned a record 777 firefighters from 14 countries across six high-risk Mediterranean countries this season (Reuters)

UK waters experience an extreme marine heatwave as global sea surface temperatures reach record highs, raising the risk of marine die-offs. Some UK coastal waters run 4–5°C above normal (The Guardian)

Vegan fast-food chain Mr. Charlie’s opens a new San Diego [US] location on July 11, offering free vegan burgers and other items alongside a special appearance by equity partner Travis Barker (vegan), who is the drummer for famed rock band Blink 182 (Plant Based News)

Aulacese (Vietnamese) soy milk producer Vinasoy accelerates its global expansion as export revenues surge, driving product distribution across the United States and Asia-Pacific markets. It is also currently investing in domestic sustainable soybean cultivation (Vegconomist)

Swiss company Givaudan [flavors, fragrances, and active cosmetic ingredients manufacturer] launches Vetalite, a plant-derived vegan cosmetic ingredient designed to enhance skin smoothness and resilience for global clean beauty brands (Ad Hoc News)

Sixty-nine-year-young Dan Ryan of the United States sets a Guinness World Record by donating over 113 liters of whole blood to the American Red Cross, starting his blood-giving in 1980. He reached the milestone in June 2025, with the Guinness organization announcing the feat in July 2026. He vows to continue saving lives (Tuổi Trẻ/Guinness World Records)

A bystander saves a two-year-old girl from drowning at Versluis Park, Michigan [US]. After pulling the unconscious toddler from the water, Good Samaritan Mariza Mojica administers CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation], successfully reviving her before emergency crews transport her to a hospital (People)

Astoria [Oregon, US] firefighters rescue a fawn stranded on a building’s roof. Crews use a ladder to safely lower the young deer to the ground, where it successfully reunites with its mother (Cleveland.com)

Enlightening quote of the day: “Rendering relief to the grief-stricken and providing comfort in hardship are among the means of atonement for great sins.” – Hazrat Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (vegetarian) Venerated Enlightened Master Disciple of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (vegetarian) (Al-Islam.org)

Previously in this multipart series on Greg Johnson’s near-death experience, Greg described years of spiritual suffering that began when he was a child and a later overdose that left him with severe heart damage. Years later, alone on a rock beside a hidden canyon river, he heard his damaged heart beat, stop almost like a flatline, and beat again — and he felt himself inching toward death.

A door opened onto a dark path. Greg moved through darkness and met a being of Light who took him through the stars until Earth was long gone. After reaching a council of beings who said they had been waiting for him since before he was born, Greg walked through a door and said he met GOD in all HIS Glory.

At some point, I got to ask why HE did not help me as a child when I used to pray to HIM and ask for help. I was really shocked when HE said, “Well, I was there.” And HE showed me visions of HIM watching over me as a child. And I’m asking, “Why didn’t YOU help me with this pain?” And HE said, “I allowed it.” And I was shocked by that because I was like, “What are YOU talking about? YOU allowed it. I’m asking YOU for help to stop it. YOU’re telling me YOU allowed it?” But I was very confused, because I was like, “HE didn’t cause it. HE allowed it.” So then, I was like, “Who caused this?” And then, of course, I realized and saw that I had chosen a certain path before I was born.

I chose it because the suffering that one goes through opens up the door to realizing what’s truly important. If you always have your health, and if you’re always happy, and you’re in this life, well, you get sucked into life, like “OK, yeah, I want to get a family, and build a house, and get a job, and get a mortgage, and get this cool car that I like, and hang out with my friends.” You get lost in life, but it’s the suffering that begins to show you that none of that technically really matters. There’s something so much bigger than that. That’s why there is a verse in scripture that says, “He who lets go of his life shall have it. He who holds on to his life shall lose it.” Because we forget what’s important, like truly important in life. I didn’t realize that the suffering would open a door that would lead me to HIM. And that’s what HE told me. HE said, “I allowed it because had I not allowed it, you would have never found ME.” It’s the suffering that led me to HIM.

After what felt like an hour or two in that state — his brother later confirmed that Greg had been sitting on the rock for hours — Greg slowly opened his eyes. What he saw when he returned to his physical senses astonished him. And when I opened my eyes ever so slowly, it was the first time I saw the Kingdom of GOD. Because the Kingdom of GOD is within you, but it’s all around you. It’s literally anything that’s alive. And I opened my eyes, and I could see, somehow. I don’t know how it’s all happening, but I could see GOD’s Light in all things. I could see it in every rock. I could see it in the river itself. I could see it in the wind. I could see it in every little bug, every tree, every bird. It was absolute beauty. And in my heart, I just knew. I was like, “This is Heaven on Earth. This is it. It is here.”

I realized very quickly that our eyes are truly closed. We’re not awake right now. Humans are definitely asleep. That’s why they’re so lost and confused, because they don’t know their Father in Heaven. They don’t know the truth. And I opened my eyes and just saw this absolute beauty, but I also could hear GOD’s Voice. It’s a sound. And it was everywhere. It was literally everywhere. You couldn’t pinpoint where it was at. It was coming from everything that was alive. Every tree, every leaf, the water, the wind, everything underneath me, above me, it was everywhere.

Greg waved his brother over. As his brother approached, Greg said he could feel his brother’s thoughts, and that they could disrupt his stillness. His brother sat beside him on the rock and tried to listen. After 20 or 30 minutes, he couldn’t hear anything and stood up to leave. That’s when something took over. In Part 7, just as Greg’s brother stands to leave, the sound his brother could not hear suddenly becomes impossible to ignore. I spoke with a very intense voice, and I just said, “Can’t you hear it?” Join us tomorrow for Part 7 of this multipart series on Greg Johnson’s near-death experience. (Round Trip Death)