Tree Pandemics 19. October 2026 (11:01) Species after species, American trees are suffering one devastating epidemic after another, unleashed by insects and bacteria that enter the country because of global trade.(New York Times)
Vatican upholds excommunication of US deacon who resigned after son was molested by priest 19. October 2026 (11:00) Scott Peyton joined the Anglicans after the crime against his son. Then the Catholic church officially expelled himThe Roman Catholic church has upheld the excommunication of a Louisiana deacon who resigned from the clergy after a priest molested his son.Scott Peyton learned of the decision by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) – the Vatican entity in charge of Catholic clerical discipline – on Friday in a meeting with the bishop of the diocese of Lafayette, J Douglas Deshotel. The DDF cited technical grounds in rejecting Peyton’s appeal, saying he had joined an Anglican congregation, “published [that] fact … on social media” and therefore refused to submit to the Catholic pope, who since May 2025 has been Leo XIV. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Disney Asked Character.AI to Go Bankrupt for a Get-Out-of-Lawsuits Card 19. October 2026 (11:00) The entertainment giant hopes to get trust and safety tech, among other IP, from a startup whose chatbots dozens of states allege encouraged minors to self-harm and kill their parents.(Wired)
Ukraine 'once again' received no early warning from allies of latest Russian attacks on Kyiv, Zelensky claims amid growing row with Trump