DAILY NEWS Stream – February 9, 2026

Ukraine (Ureign) and Russia conclude a second round of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi [United Arab Emirates] with a major prisoner swap of 314 soldiers and an agreement to resume negotiations soon (Reuters)

A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington DC [US]-based think tank, finds that Russia has suffered about 1.2 million killed, wounded, or missing in Ukraine (Ureign)— its highest combat losses since World War II— while gaining only minimal territory (CNN)

US President Donald Trump says He held “a long and thorough” call with China’s President Xi Jinping to discuss issues ranging from trade and Taiwan (Formosa) to the Russia-Ukraine (Ureign) war and His planned April trip to Beijing, emphasizing that their extremely good personal relationship keeps things very positive (Fox News)

UK and China secure a series of new financial-sector agreements at the inaugural UK-China Financial Working Group in Beijing [China], including a second renminbi [Chinese currency] clearing bank in London and cooperation on biodiversity financing, moves the UK government says will strengthen London’s global financial hub status and support British jobs and businesses (GOV.UK)

With the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) — the last agreement limiting US–Russia strategic nuclear arsenals — now expired, analysts say Washington and Moscow face a more uncertain arms-control landscape, even as the US President Trump administration argues that any future framework must include China (Fox News)

The US positions aircraft carriers, strike aircraft, and other military assets across the Middle East as nuclear talks with Iran shift from Istanbul [Türkiye] to Oman, a buildup analysts say signals expanded US readiness while the Trump administration insists any negotiations must address Iran’s missiles, regional militias, and human rights record (Fox News)

Students from the University of Toronto [Canada] deepen their understanding of Indigenous cultures and contemporary realities through an immersive week in the Quechua-speaking community of Pomacanchi [Peru], where shared learning, local partnerships, and firsthand experiences leave them enriched, reflective, and newly connected (University of Toronto Faculty of Arts & Science)

Aulacese (Vietnamese) authorities warn of a surge in Lunar New Year scams, including ‘electronic lucky money’ fraud, where criminals send spoofed bank messages or fake links that lead users to fake websites designed to steal login credentials and one-time-passwords (Báo Công lý)

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation warns ahead of Valentine’s Day that romance scams — schemes in which scammers build fake online relationships to gain trust and then request money — are rising, urging people to be cautious of anyone they meet online who asks for funds, cryptocurrency, or personal information (FOX 5 NY)

Australian scientists unveil an ultra-sensitive cancer test strip as La Trobe University [Australia] researchers say the disposable biosensor detects cancer-linked microRNA far earlier than current lab methods, promising affordable portable diagnosis (VOV)

Doctors warn scoliosis harms children’s growth and confidence as spinal curvature strains muscles and lungs, urging early posture checks and activities like yoga or swimming to help maintain spinal health (VnExpress)

Health experts warn that dining after 7 PM disrupts metabolism, triggering weight gain and poor sleep. Late-night meals force the body to store fat and destabilize blood sugar, specifically endangering those with hypertension. Nutritionists urge earlier meals to align with natural circadian rhythms (Lao Động)

Severe drought grips Kenya after the driest short rains season (October–December 2025) since 1981, with rainfall at 30–60% of average. Over 2 million people face crisis-level food insecurity, while health risks from malnutrition and diseases rise (The Watchers)

A moderate earthquake lightly shakes the Maluku region [Indonesia] with the magnitude 4.6 quake striking near Tiakur town after midnight with no reported damage or injuries (Volcano Discovery)

A fierce heatwave scorches the northern KwaZulu-Natal [South Africa] region, halting school outdoor sports and raising health risks. Officials urge residents to hydrate and protect the vulnerable as dangerous temperatures persist (The Citizen)

Scientists exploring an undersea canyon off Argentina capture rare deep-sea footage of a giant phantom jellyfish-person — a school-bus-sized, non-stinging species seen only about 118 times in 110 years — while also documenting dozens of suspected new species and previously unknown reef systems (New York Post)

Researchers develop a dog-people training-inspired framework that lets people teach four-legged robots new skills through touch, gestures, and verbal commands, enabling the robots to quickly learn behaviors like following, jumping, and navigating obstacles with far less simulation-based training (Tech Xplore)

Rising awareness of intensive animal-people raising’s cruelties drives a global surge in veganism. Consumers increasingly reject industrial animal exploitation, choosing vegan alternatives to align their daily habits with consistent ethical compassion (The Havering Daily)

A 20-week plant-based program at Waimānalo Health Center [Hawai’i, US] helps indigenous Hawaiian patients reverse chronic diseases. The initiative combines nutrition education with native values, leading to significant drops in blood pressure and A1C [three-month average blood sugar levels] (KHON2)

Indian startup 1.5 Degree raises US$1 million in pre-Series A funding to scale its vegan dairy operations. The business-to-business-focused firm seeks clients like corporate cafeterias and hotels in major Indian metros and uses artificial intelligence-driven technology to improve flavor (Silicon India)

Berlin [Germany] residents collect free potatoes after a farmer near Leipzig [Germany] was left with 4,000 tons surplus when a sales deal fell through. The crop is taken by families, schools, churches and soup kitchens as arranged by non-profit 4000 Tonnen with eco search engine Ecosia’s backing (Good News Network)

Factory worker Hoàng Trọng Khánh has quietly run free evening classes in HCM CT [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] for over 15 years, helping 600-700 children from disadvantaged families study and regain confidence (Báo Tin tức)

Newfoundland community members rescue a stranded caribou-person after a fall into the icy harbor of Port aux Choix [Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada], using axes to chop ice and boats to guide the exhausted animal-person safely back to shore (The Weather Network)

Wise quote of the day: “Humility means that one should not be anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored by others.” His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (vegetarian) Founder-Acharya of International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) (AZ Quotes)

Previously, in Part 1 of 2 of Katie Skorupa’s near- death experience, Katie shared how a tiger snake bite led her into a profound state of surrender. As her body endured the effects of the venom and the antivenom, she found herself in a vast, peaceful blackness — fully aware, yet completely free of fear. There, she felt more herself than ever before. Today, in Part 2 of 2, Katie describes the moment a voice 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?” And when I heard those words, the only thing I felt was joy. It was just the most beautiful joy of: I get to go home. And I was just the happiest that I’ve ever recalled being — being given this, almost this choice. And it wasn’t “You are going home.” It was a question: “Do you want to go home?” And just this realization that I’m asked a question because there’s a choice. And I was so aware of my sense of self, and now I had a choice: Do I want to go home? And all I felt was joy and love, and every part of me was saying, “Yes, I want to go home. This is home. Let’s go home.”

And as soon as I felt that yes within myself, I saw an image of my daughter, who was 4 and a half at the time, in front of me. That’s all I could see — her face. And it was the first thing I saw in this void of black nothingness. It was an image, a picture, almost like a still image of my daughter’s face. That image — triggered a remembering. And what I remembered was why I was alive, and I was experiencing life in that body, in this body, in the first place. And I said, “No, I want to stay.” And I made that decision so quickly, as soon as I remembered that I have a purpose in this life, and my purpose is connected to my connection to my daughter, to the life that she’s living, and the purpose that she has in her life here on this beautiful planet we live on. And I knew that my job here — or my business, I think the word that actually came to me was my business — here was not done. And I needed to finish the task and the business that I set out to do.

The remembering was instant. The decision was instant. And as quickly as that happened, what I felt — it was just as if it literally penetrated right through every part of my being — was this deep knowing that I was going to be fully fine and completely recovered and healed when I came back. Katie returned to her body in the hospital room. Though her eyes remained closed due to facial paralysis, she could somehow see the darkened room and hallway. She was transferred to intensive care at another hospital, where she spent five days as her liver was failing, operating at only 10 to 20 percent capacity. According to doctors, the snake venom had broken down her muscle tissue, which contributed to liver failure. Yet Katie remained in a state of peace and surrender, holding onto the knowing that she would fully recover. Within five days, her liver returned to normal function. She was moved to a rehabilitation center, where she couldn’t walk, had no balance, and couldn’t open her eyes. Katie insisted on attending her daughter’s Christmas concert the next day, and the facility released her for two hours with her eyelids held open so she could watch. She fully recovered within weeks.

I knew that my kids — and I had a 12-year-old son at the time as well — that I needed to do everything I needed for them, especially knowing that my purpose was connected to my daughter, especially. And I needed to do, and to be more than anything, what I needed to be in order to fulfill my purpose, because my experience revealed to me that I didn’t go to a different place. I entered a different state of being. And I spent 10 years looking for that state of being, that state of consciousness that allowed me to be the person I needed to be so that I could fulfill the purpose that I came here to fulfill.

And ultimately, a few years ago, I embarked on the journey to become an emotional health coach because I wanted to be able to help people work through their deeper, heavier emotions that a lot of people feel trapped in — which are the emotions of fear, or the experiences of fear, of worry, of the deeper states of anger and shame, and everything else that we do experience, the heavy emotions as human beings — because beyond those emotions lives the state of surrender and choice. We always have a choice, and that’s what I was shown over and over and over again over the last 10 years: that choice is always ours, and I can always make a choice. I always have a choice. (The Other Side NDE)