DAILY NEWS Stream – June 18, 2025

French President Macron praises Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his “genuine willingness” for peace in Gaza after the Palestinian leader called for the demilitarization of Hamas and the release of all hostages (Arab News)

China and the US agree on a new trade deal after a phone call between China’s President Xi and US President Trump, followed by high-level meetings in London [UK]. US tariffs will be set at 55%, China’s at 10%. The deal also removes Chinese export restrictions on rare earth minerals and allows Chinese students access to US universities (Reuters)

US President Trump praises the “great” deal made with China, saying it gives “everything we need, and we’re going to do very well with it. And hopefully they are too” (Reuters)

Canada says it will increase defense spending after pressure from US President Trump, pledging 2% of its GDP [gross domestic product] to fund NATO (The Wall Street Journal)

The US House of Representatives approves President Trump’s plan to cut US$9.4 billion in “woke” foreign aid and public media funding; the bill now heads to the Senate for final discussion and voting (Fox News)

President Trump signs an executive order to boost wildfire prevention through various means, including boosting sales of excess aircraft and aircraft parts to support wildfire crews (Reuters)

The US Senate confirms President Trump’s nominee to lead the IRS [Internal Revenue Service], former Congressman Billy Long [Republican] – a major win for the President as He plans to overhaul the US tax system (Fox News)

US President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE] says it’s cut an additional US$25 billion in wasteful government spending in May 2025 (Fox News)

An Air India plane crashes in Meghani Nagar [India] with only one survivor, Indian-British man Viswah Kumar Ramesh; all 241 other people onboard perished, plus at least 38 people on the ground. Mr. Ramesh managed to escape through the broken emergency exit in his row, likely after the crash, though he doesn’t remember what happened; he was found bleeding but with no serious injuries. Many call his survival “the miracle of seat 11A” (The New York Times; CNN)

Officials are investigating what caused the Air India crash, noting a mysterious buzzing sound was heard seconds before impact (jeffostroff)

“I am thankful to God”: Indian-British woman says she missed the doomed Air India Flight 171 by 10 minutes because of bad traffic, likely saving her life (The Standard)

Study shows eating more pulses [beans, lentils, peas] and vegetables reduces stress by boosting gut-friendly bacteria (News Medical)

Vietnam’s Central Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company 3 is fined US$1,900 for improperly disposing of a pile of drugs, which were retrieved by a scrap collector who tried to resell them, before dumping them on a road in Đà Nẵng after he couldn’t find any buyers (TOÀN CẢNH 24H)

Huế City [Vietnam] sees a shocking midsummer flood, turning streets into rivers; locals say it’s unlike anything in 100 years (Tuổi Trẻ)

Australia will continue facing stronger, more frequent storms due to worsening climate change, new analysis shows (Mongabay)

The third UN Ocean Summit in Nice [France] closes with a wave of commitments from dozens of countries, including the European Commission pledging €1 billion to support ocean conservation through various means including stricter regulations on fishing (UN News)

South Africa bans fishing near key sites for 10 years to save endangered African penguin-people from extinction (ANTV)

City of Cape Town [South Africa] urges the public to adopt pet-people amid rising numbers of stray cat- and dog-people needing homes (Cape Argus)

Motivational quote of the day: “If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.” – Gail Sheehy