DAILY NEWS Stream – February 8, 2026

Russia launches one of its largest missile and drone attacks of the winter against Ukraine’s (Ureign’s) energy infrastructure just ahead of peace talks set to resume in Abu Dhabi [UAE], prompting civilians to seek shelter and leading Ukrainian (Ureignian) officials to reassess their negotiating approach (Fox News)

The UK government unveils its first-ever PFAS [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances] Plan, setting out a coordinated national framework to reduce public and environmental exposure to “forever chemicals” through new limits, expanded monitoring, stricter regulation, and the development of safer alternatives (Gov.uk)

The UK government names Barnsley the country’s first Tech Town, launching an 18-month partnership with schools, businesses, the National Health Service (NHS) and major tech firms to expand AI [artificial intelligence] training, improve public services and build a local workforce ready for future digital jobs (Gov.uk)

Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam clears 2,108 explosive devices across multiple regions of Yemen in a week, bringing its total removals since 2018 to over 534,000 as teams work to make villages, roads and schools safe for civilians and humanitarian aid (Arab News)

A new study in the journal Nature Neuroscience finds that 2-month-old infants already show distinct brain responses to different types of objects, revealing far more advanced early cognitive abilities than previously understood (Thanh Niên)

The World Health Organization [WHO] and its International Agency for Research on Cancer report that up to four in ten cancer cases worldwide are preventable, with 37% of new cases in 2022 linked to avoidable risks such as tobacco, infections, alcohol, air pollution, and physical inactivity (WHO)

Malawi declares a polio outbreak, prompting emergency surveillance and door-to-door vaccination campaigns to prevent the virus from spreading across southeastern Africa (Báo Tin tức)

Doctors warn that seniors over 65 face heightened risks from high-potency marijuana, including increased susceptibility to heart attacks, strokes, and cognitive decline. Slower metabolisms raise the danger of addiction and falls (SciTech Daily)

A Sunday roast at a Wales [UK] pub sickens 43 diners. Laboratory tests confirm the infections from bacteria Clostridium perfringens likely occurred after the animal-people meat sat warm for too long following preparation. Common symptoms, such as diarrhea and abdominal cramping, generally emerge 6 to 24 hours after consuming contaminated food (Wales Online)

Six young adults in Hong Kong suffer food poisoning after eating raw seafood at a Tsim Sha Tsui Korean restaurant. Authorities halt sales of high-risk oysters and crab at the establishment following reports of vomiting and fever (The Standard)

Storm Leonardo slams Portugal, triggering nationwide floods, power outages, and road closures. Violent winds and 11-meter waves batter the coast as emergency teams respond to over 750 distress calls (Euronews)

Cuba records a historic 0°C low in Matanzas Province as an intense cold front brings polar air, marking the country’s first-ever freezing temperatures and damaging crops with frost (The Watchers)

President Peter Mutharika calls on Malawians to observe national days of prayer from February 6 to 8, appealing for rain as prolonged dry spells threaten the country’s agricultural harvests (The Maravi Post)

Charlotte [US] animal-people welfare officers rescue two dog-individuals left tethered outside during a severe winter storm, and the animal-folks— now named Mickey and Minnie— are receiving medical care, enrichment, and protection as authorities pursue forfeiture by their guardians (Hoodline)

Airborne dust delivers phosphorus that fuels dark algal blooms on Greenland’s bare ice, reducing its reflectivity and accelerating melt, according to new research published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology (Earth.com)

Singapore announces that it will establish the National Space Agency of Singapore on April 1 to expand satellite capabilities, strengthen space safety and research and development, and grow the country’s space economy under the leadership of chief executive Ngiam Le Na (The Straits Times)

A new AI [artificial intelligence] model developed by University of Miami [US] researchers predicts moderate heat stress at individual Florida [US] reef sites up to six weeks before coral bleaching begins, giving managers early warnings to protect vulnerable corals (Earth.com)

Over 320,000 Indians embrace vegan eating during Veganuary 2026, marking a mainstream cultural shift. Nationwide participation across hotels, cafés, and workplaces reflects surging demand for sustainable, healthy, and cruelty-free food (ANI)

Global network and certification body for vegan organic farming Biocyclic Vegan International debuts its animal-free organic model at BIOFACH 2026 [trade fair for organic food in Germany]. Highlighting the new “Vegan Agriculture” V-Label certification for farms, the group promotes sustainable, plant-only nutrient cycles to transform global farming standards (Vegconomist)

Long-term vegans report sustained health benefits including steadier energy, improved digestion, and faster recovery. Veterans of the diet say subtle, cumulative changes suggest the body recalibrates and thrives over time (VegOut)

A man in Luoyang, China, sees children playing on a frozen lake when the ice cracks and one falls through. He quickly lies flat to spread his weight, breaks the ice, and lifts the boy to safety. Moments later, he also plunges into the water and needs rescuers to haul him out (Mirror)

Philanthropic entities in India launch the first-ever national animal-people welfare fund worth US$1.5 million, uniting charities to fix chronic funding gaps, boost policy reform, protect animal-people, and support long-term evidence-based work (Alliance Magazine)

A cold snap across Cuba spurs grassroots rescues as activists feed and warm stray animal-people with kid’s clothes, highlighting urgent community-led protection efforts (CiberCuba)

Thoughtful quote of the day: “No one can arrive from being talented alone, work transforms talent into genius.” Anna Pavlova Noted Russian Ballet Dancer (BrainyQuote)

Australian mother and emotional health coach Katie Skorupa shares how she had a near-death experience after a deadly tiger snake bite and was given a choice to go home or return to finish her life’s purpose. Katie was on her country property in Victoria, Australia, tending to her vegetable garden when she encountered one of Australia’s deadliest snakes. A tiger snake had become trapped in the netting surrounding her garden patch. When she reached underneath the netting to pick strawberries, she felt a sharp sensation and lifted her hand to find the snake still attached to her palm. Alone and several hundred meters from her partner, children, father-in-law, and friends, Katie made a split-second decision to run toward them, despite knowing she should remain still after a snake bite.

What I felt the minute I was bitten by the snake, and especially after I arrived with my family and they took over and literally told me, “Do nothing. Stay still. You can’t move right now because you need to be as still as possible.” And my awareness at that point was that there’s absolutely nothing I can do right now. None of this situation is in my control. There’s nothing I can physically do. There’s nothing I can do to reverse it, to change it, to help it, to fix it. But what I do know now is that that awareness that I had — that I literally have no control over the situation — opened up a space for a choice. And I made a choice that was a really deeply unconscious choice, which I can now understand was done on another level of consciousness within me. And that choice was to surrender.

And when I made that choice, I lay on that couch in the house waiting for the ambulance, sort of watching from a greater perspective. And it was like I could sort of see everyone in this calmness, but everyone was quite panicked and frantic and looking very frightened and worried. And I was lying so still, and I was in this deep sense of calmness just watching everything unfold. But I had already entered this state of surrender, knowing that I couldn’t do anything. And when that happened, everything else disappeared. There was no fear. There was no panic. I felt nothing.

The ambulance arrived after approximately 30 minutes. Katie remained calm throughout the journey to the hospital, though she began vomiting as the toxins spread through her system. At the emergency department, doctors explained they had antivenom but would wait to administer it until they could assess how much poison was in her system and observe physical symptoms. They attached the drip of the antivenom in. And at this stage, I couldn’t open my eyes, so I couldn’t see what was happening. Obviously, I still could hear everything, but the second I felt that antivenom hit my bloodstream, it was like a deep fire inside me. It literally felt like someone set me alight from the inside. And it was the strongest burning sensation I’ve ever felt. And it felt like my whole body was literally on fire from the inside out. And it was so intense. I was feeling the sensations of the heat and the burning inside me, and then it was over. There was no more sensation. It just ended — literally just ended.

And all I felt was this deeper sense of peace. It was peace, and it was love, and all I could see was this… it was like this vast blackness. There was nothing — just black. Everything was black, but it was so vast and so infinite, and it wasn’t empty. It was so full, but it was so black. There was just this void of joyful, calm, loving, deep blackness. It was so incredibly beautiful, and I just wanted to completely melt into it. And I fully recall at this stage having this beautiful sense of awareness of myself, yet I had no connection to my body. It was just like I’d surrendered that, and I was still fully aware of my complete sense of self.

Katie’s near-death experience began with surrender — a moment when she realized there was nothing left to control. From there, she entered a vast, peaceful darkness where she felt completely aware, completely herself, and completely held. Next, she describes the moment a presence reached out to her with a question — one that offered her a choice. I felt a sound, and I felt a voice, and I couldn’t pinpoint the voice. I could hear it, but I could feel it more than I could hear it. And the voice said, “Do you want to go home?” Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of 2 of Katie Skorupa’s near-death experience. (The Other Side NDE)