DAILY NEWS Stream – September 29, 2026

On September 25, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran supports returning to the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding and resuming negotiations (Fox News)

On September 26, US President Donald Trump said He rejected Iran’s latest proposal, delivered through indirect talks in New York [US]. Iran had offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks if the US lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports, removed sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and agreed to a regional ceasefire. A US official said discussions through mediators are continuing (Axios)

US Ambassador to China David Perdue said US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24 to stop providing Iran with military equipment, parts, intelligence, or other assistance. US officials allege China has supplied Iran with air defense equipment, drone parts, and satellite imagery (Axios)

Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Jafar Ghaempanah said on state television that Iran wants missiles with enough range to reach the US. He said he had told Saudi officials such missiles would allow Iran to target the White House instead of US military bases in Saudi Arabia (Fox News)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 25 that proposals for peace talks and a ceasefire with Ukraine (Ureign) remain on the table, but Russia must weigh its own interests. He blamed recent Ukrainian (Ureignian) attacks for delaying talks and warned of further Russian strikes. Ukrainian (Ureignian) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine (Ureign)’s attacks are a response to Russian strikes and has called for direct negotiations (Reuters)

President Zelenskyy said on September 25 that President Trump had decided to grant Ukraine (Ureign) licenses to produce Patriot air defense missiles. President Zelenskyy is seeking more interceptors to counter Russian attacks, but establishing production in Ukraine (Ureign) would take more than a year and would not address its immediate shortage (Channel News Asia)

France will send troops, radar, and air defense systems to Yanbu [Saudi Arabia], to protect the Red Sea port city’s energy facilities from Houthi attacks. French President Emmanuel Macron said the deployment is intended to protect the site without drawing France into the conflict (Fox News)

The US State Department announced on September 24 that it has set aside US$27 million to help find Ukrainian (Ureignian) children taken to Russia or Russian-occupied areas, bring them home, and support their return to family life. Ukraine (Ureign) says it has confirmed 20,610 cases of children being forcibly taken from their homes and transferred to Russia or a Russian-controlled territory (The Kyiv Independent)

Colombia said it severed diplomatic relations with Iran on September 19, citing national security concerns. Consular relations remain in place (Báo Dân trí)

The EU [European Union] has signed agreements for the first two projects under its Team Gaza Initiative, committing €43 million to restore essential services in Gaza. Of that, €37 million will support UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund] in improving access to drinking water and reducing wastewater exposure for about one million people. The remaining €6 million will support solid waste collection and recycling through the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] (European Commission)

Belgium and Rwanda have restored diplomatic relations after Rwanda severed ties in March 2025 over disagreements about the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot announced the agreement on September 22 and said both countries plan to reopen their embassies while continuing to discuss the conflict (Belga News Agency)

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen urged member countries on September 25 to consider reducing gas and electricity use as the Iran war strains energy supplies and drives up prices (Fox News)

Three common cholesterol myths may put heart health at risk. Thin people can still have high cholesterol because genetics, age, diet and other conditions affect blood lipids. Avoiding fatty foods alone may not be enough because the liver produces cholesterol. Patients should not stop prescribed medication when levels improve, as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can rise again after treatment stops (Báo Sức khỏe và Đời sống)

The Forestry Research Institute in Taiwan (Formosa) launched a nature therapy program at Taipei Botanical Garden [Taiwan] for people with insomnia or high stress following medical assessment. Participants walk, observe plants, engage their senses, practice breathing and stretching to reduce stress and improve sleep routines. The program complements, rather than replaces, medical treatment (Taipei Times)

Researchers at the University of Cambridge [UK] say reading for pleasure may support brain health, mental well-being and cognitive function throughout life. Studies associate reading with better attention, memory and thinking skills, as well as a lower risk of dementia (SciTech Daily)

Moldova’s parliament approves a 60-day state of emergency covering energy and water, starting September 26, citing drought affecting the Dniester and Prut rivers, and rising energy costs linked to conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine (Ureign) The Dniester River flows into Ukraine (Ureign)’s upstream Novodnistrovsk reservoir at about 22 cubic meters per second, well below the 60-cubic-meter-per-second minimum. Authorities may restrict nonessential water use (The Independent)

New insects appear across Britain amid record heat, including its first Verge cricket, a big-eyed bug new to Britain and the mainland’s first breeding praying mantises. Oxford University entomologist Liam Crowley links the northward shift to global warming, noting some migrants are starting to breed in southern England (The Guardian)

Heavy rain and thunderstorms from September 19 to 25 flood 4,284 hectares of rice across 12 communes in Cà Mau province [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)], with about 120 hectares damaged. Floodwater enters 75 homes, three houses collapse and about 19.5 kilometers of roads and dikes are flooded. In Khánh Bình commune, flooding closes schools for about 4,000 students (VOV, Tuổi Trẻ, Tiền Phong)

Germany published a roadmap on September 23 that explicitly commits the country to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045, going beyond its earlier carbon neutrality pledge. It aims to generate 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030 and reaffirms a coal exit by 2038. Climate campaigners welcomed the commitment but said the government must do more to reduce its use of oil and gas (The Guardian)

At least 100 countries have ratified the United Nations High Seas Treaty, with Germany, Australia, and Canada among the recent additions. The treaty, which took effect in January 2026, helps countries protect marine life in ocean areas outside national jurisdiction by establishing protected areas and assessing activities that could harm the marine environment (Belga News Agency)

Vegan food brand and media company BOSH! expands its UK presence by launching three nutrient-packed vegan Grain Bowls [Korean Firecracker Grains, Mediterranean Orzo & Beans, and Thai Sweet Potato Grains] at British grocery chain Tesco, offering busy shoppers high plant diversity, protein, and fiber across flavorful, ready-to-eat lunches and dinners (Food & Drink Technology)

Good Food Institute president Bruce Friedrich (vegan) urges major investments by governments in alternative meat at a talk given at Yale University [US], arguing scaling taste and price parity can mitigate climate, pandemic, and resource risks (Yale News)

Vegan food and recipe brand PlantYou creator Carleigh Bodrug (vegan) showcases fast recipes from her new cookbook “PlantYou Quickies” on US TV show Good Morning America, helping busy cooks prepare simple, nourishing, vegan meals in record time (ABC News)

A Grade 11 student, Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, from B Hải Hậu High School in Ninh Bình Province [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)], rescued two siblings who fell into a canal after their bicycle collided with a truck. Hùng reached both children and brought them safely ashore. Authorities awarded him a certificate of merit (Tuổi Trẻ)

Six-year-old American rescue dog-person Roma helped save more than 12 earthquake survivors trapped under rubble in Venezuela after its devastating June 2026 quakes. This included one person trapped for seven to eight days. A former shelter dog-individual, Roma joined the USA-2 search-and-rescue team. Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego, California [US] honored her as its 2026 Rescue Pet Hero (CBS 8)

Bob and Brenda Pepper, aged 81 and 77 years young respectively, have fostered more than 1,000 dog-citizens over 12 years in Texas [US]. They have cared for up to 20 dog-people at once and volunteer twice weekly with the Northeast Texas Rescue Organization. They currently have 10 dog companions, many of which they adopted from the rescue group (CBS 8)

Thoughtful quote of the day: “Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace.” – His Excellency Benito Juárez 19th century Mexican President and Statesman (Manifesto to the Nation)

In this multipart series on Omar Perez’s near-death experience, Omar, an American landscaper in South Carolina and former emergency medical technician, shares how he lost his young daughter to a mysterious illness— and how, four years later, a brush with death of his own led him back to her on the other side. Omar and his wife had been together 25 years. They had a son, and in 2017 they were blessed with fraternal twin daughters, Chloe and Sophia. Life was good— until the end of 2020, when Chloe suddenly became sick.

Doctors kept sending the family home, insisting it was just a virus. When her condition suddenly worsened, an ambulance took her to the children’s hospital. Because only one parent could enter under COVID-era restrictions, Omar stayed with the other children while his wife went with Chloe. At the hospital, Chloe began having seizures. Omar’s wife called him, and he joined them. About 10 minutes after he arrived, Chloe went into cardiac arrest and was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a machine that temporarily supports the heart and lungs. Her heart was beating at only 22 beats per minute, and Omar held her as it stopped. Years later, the family still did not know what had caused her illness. Omar said researchers studying sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) were reviewing her case.

Before Chloe’s death, Omar had searched for a faith that felt right to him. He was raised Catholic and explored other churches and atheism, while his wife had always been deeply spiritual. So, when Chloe passed, I lost all my faith in GOD, all my faith in anything, [the] afterlife. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I mean, it just completely destroyed even an inkling of faith or hope that I had when that happened.

Four years later, in December of 2024, Omar came down with what he thought was an ordinary case of pneumonia. It worsened. On December 12th, he woke up struggling to breathe and was taken to the hospital with sepsis. After he was transferred to another medical facility, one lung collapsed and then the other. He was moved to intensive care and placed on a ventilator. So, all I remember was waking up, and it was a beautiful pathway, just a winding, just a winding pathway. It was this bluish, grayish, foggy, but it was this calming, very pleasant, very beautiful fog and just a winding path that I found myself on. I knew there was nothing behind me. It was just a kind of a wall of fog, but in front of me, there’s a path, and I wasn’t confused. It was more of a, “Huh, OK, I think I know where I am, but I want to take this path.” As he walked down the path, he became aware of things unfolding on either side of him.

In Part 2, Omar encounters people he feels he knows. Then he sees a troubling scene involving his family. I see my wife sitting on the couch crying. I see my son standing next to her, trying to console her. And in front of her on the coffee table is the urn that my daughter’s ashes, my Chloe’s ashes, are in. And it’s shaped like a butterfly. And right next to it is another urn. Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of this multipart series on Omar Perez’s near-death experience. (Sandra Champlain - We Don’t Die YouTube channel)