President Trump dismissed the Canada-European Union alliance as “laughable” and warned that he could impose steep tariffs, escalating his criticism of the trade relationship in the video.
Rare Bats Discovery Deals Fresh Blow to Piddington Migrant Camp
Plans to open a migrant camp near the Oxfordshire village of Piddington have suffered a further setback after one of the world’s rarest bat species was found at the site.
Wildlife experts have detected barbastelle bats, a scarce species believed to have declined in numbers across Europe.
The discovery could cause major delays—or potentially derail—proposals to accommodate up to 1,256 asylum seekers at the Ministry of Defence’s Bicester site.
Barbastelles are listed as endangered and are so uncommon that Norfolk County Council scrapped a proposed £274million road scheme in 2025 after a colony was discovered.
The Home Office must now commission specialist surveys to determine the scale and nature of any colony on the site.
Should the bats be confirmed, the department will need to seek a licence from Natural England before building work can continue.
The bats represent the latest wildlife-related obstacle for the Home Office, after another protected species, great crested newts, was also found at the location.
The findings follow an overwhelming vote by Piddington residents this week to declare independence from Britain.
Piddington Parish Council announced the result on Wednesday morning, after residents of the quiet Oxfordshire village went to the polls earlier in the week to decide whether the settlement should secede from the UK.
Wildlife experts have detected barbastelle bats, a rare species believed to have declined across Europe, at MoD Bicester.
The findings come after Piddington’s residents voted overwhelmingly to declare their independence from Britain in a vote this week
Of 312 votes there was a 92 per cent turnout, with 285 villagers backing independence with only 26 voting against it and one spoiled ballot paper.
The vote has no legal force and will not take Piddington out of the UK, but campaigners hope the gesture will send a message to Westminster over the proposed asylum accommodation at the former MoD site at Bicester.
An ecological report for the campaign group Wrong Plan, Wrong Site, which started legal proceedings on Wednesday to block the asylum plan, seen by The Daily Telegraph, said: ‘The presence of barbastelles has the specific legal weight required to entirely halt, delay or force the withdrawal of a major planning application.’
It added that the discovery could force the developer to halt any planned demolition work until ‘full multi-season dusk and dawn emergency surveys are performed specifically for this species’.
Pedro Collins, an ecologist who was a biodiversity officer with the Environment Agency for more than 20 years, claimed he was 100 per cent certain it was barbastelle bats which had been detected.
He said: ‘The presence of a barbastelle elevates the site’s importance from a standard local level to national and European importance. Barbastelles are one of the rarest mammals in the UK.’
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The Home Office has sought permission for the temporary use of the former Bicester Garrison, including accommodation, health and welfare facilities, roads, security infrastructure and recreational areas for up to 1,256 people.
Parish council chairman Tim McNally said yesterday it was an ‘incredible day’. He said: ‘Yesterday was the anniversary of the Battle of Britain and for us it was the Battle for Britain. We’d been identified as Ground Zero for a whole number of issues.’
The Oxfordshire village of Piddington celebrates voting in favour of independence today
Mr McNally spoke in front of a pennant reading ‘Battle for Britain 2026’ outside the village hall, alongside another marking the date of the Battle of Britain – September 15, 1940.
Addressing politicians including Prime Minister Andy Burnham, he added: ‘This is an example of democracy in action. This is an example of a mandate of behaviour.
‘I didn’t realise what I was opening up and getting involved in. I just thought we were going to be opposing a plan. A plan that would have an impact on our village, that could turn our village upside down in a way not quite envisaged before.’
He described residents as ‘underdogs’ with a ‘plucky idea’, but said: ‘We have given an absolute message, not just to the region, not just to the country but to the world.’
Mr Burnham said that he understands the public’s ‘strength of feeling’ about migration following the vote.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that the Government would not reconsider the migrant housing proposal and the burden of hosting asylum accommodation should not just fall on ‘poorer communities’.
She told Sky News: ‘What I would just gently say to the people of Piddington is: we inherited a massive asylum backlog. We are getting that backlog down.
‘We’re speeding up the processing of claims, and in the meantime, we don’t think it’s acceptable for all of the burden of shouldering not just asylum accommodation, but also many other forms of temporary accommodation, to fall on poorer communities.
‘That’s what we saw under the previous government. Because accommodation is cheap in many, not just towns, but in particular postcode areas, people who live in more deprived communities have had to put up with almost … every other house in some instances… turned into HMOs, and that is not OK.’
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘Appropriate surveys have been carried out, taking into account the seasonal behaviour of different animal species.
It has already been concluded the proposal is unlikely to have a significant impact on the environment.’
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Grand Teton Euthanizes Bear After Visitors’ Dangerous Decisions
A black bear was euthanized at Grand Teton National Park last week after park officials said the animal’s behavior had been shaped by visitors’ “poor decisions” around food.
“We need to be clear—this bear was lethally removed because of poor decisions made by park visitors,” the park said. “It is everyone’s responsibility to help keep bears wild: Never leave food unattended, even for a moment.”
Park staff killed the bear on Friday, Sept. 11, after witnessing what officials called a “concerning pattern of behavior” involving both the animal and park visitors. The situation worsened over several days, the park said.
The black bear had repeatedly approached people near Delta Lake, a remote area of the Wyoming park. As rangers increased their monitoring, they found the bear was “unusually difficult to haze away,” an indication that it may have been conditioned to expect food from humans.
The National Park Service says preventing bears from connecting people and human spaces with food is critical. Once a bear begins associating campgrounds, picnic areas or other heavily visited places with something to eat, reversing that behavior can be difficult. The animal may then become increasingly aggressive in pursuing food, creating a serious danger for visitors.
At Grand Teton, managers concluded that the bear’s “repeated food rewards,” combined with its growing willingness to approach visitors, matched the signs of food-conditioned behavior. Officials said the bear posed an “unacceptable safety risk” to anyone who encountered it. Staff euthanized the animal near Delta Lake, and its carcass was removed from the backcountry the next morning.
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The park urged visitors who spot an approaching bear to immediately secure and pack away all food items.
“A bear that gets a food reward can learn that approaching people pays off,” the park said. “What may seem like a small decision in the moment can have serious consequences for the bear, other visitors and park staff. Help us keep bears wild by making the right choice every time.”
Grand Teton staff had known about the bear since earlier in the year, after receiving multiple reports of a black bear approaching visitors at Delta Lake. At that point, however, officials said they did not have enough information to determine whether the encounters reflected food conditioning or were isolated incidents. Following the euthanization, the park also addressed why wildlife managers did not relocate the bear.
“Translocation is an important tool, but it isn’t always a safe or effective option,” the park said. “In this case, after considering the bear’s behavior and the circumstances, wildlife managers determined that other options had been exhausted and the bear posed a clear risk to human safety. Lethal removal is always a last resort.”
Gabby Petito’s Mom Condemns ‘Armchair Detectives’ Exploiting Death
Gabby Petito’s mother has condemned the “armchair detectives” who continue to profit from and spread conspiracy theories about the travel blogger’s killing, five years after her fiancé fatally strangled her.
Petito, a 22-year-old from Long Island, disappeared in Wyoming in late August 2021 while on a cross-country van trip with her abusive fiancé, Brian Laundrie. The devastating case quickly became one of the most closely followed missing-person investigations in the US.
Her remains were discovered the next month, and Laundrie later left behind a written confession acknowledging that he had killed Petito before taking his own life with a gunshot wound. Yet online investigators and content creators have continued to fuel baseless theories about the case.
“Once she was found, the story was kind of still ongoing,” Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, told The Mirror US.
“The creators and the armchair detectives, as we like to call them — people who are trying to create these other stories, speculation, and trying to make things different than what the simple answer is — Brian killed her, and then he took his life.
“They were exploiting things like, you know, Brian’s still alive, or they were crisis actors. This really didn’t happen. You know, Gabby, this whole story is fake.
“And I’m just like, I wish it was fake. I wish that my daughter was still here. Like, just horrible, horrible things like that. And then it just kind of kept going. And it’s still today, I still see videos pop up.”
During the summer of 2021, Petito and Laundrie had been traveling through the western United States in a white Ford Transit van, sharing footage and photos from their trip across social media.
On Aug. 12, 2021, police in Moab, Utah, were called after a witness reported a domestic incident involving the couple.
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Police body-camera video captured Petito visibly distraught and sobbing. Officers ultimately treated the episode as a mental health crisis rather than a domestic violence assault, separating the pair overnight instead of making an arrest.
Petito was last seen alive in Jackson, Wyoming, and her family lost contact with her shortly after August 25.
Laundrie returned alone to his parents’ home in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1 that year and 10 days later Petito’s family reported her missing after desperately trying to get information from Laundrie’s family.
Her body was discovered on Sept. 19 at Grand Teton National Park, with an autopsy later determining that she had been strangled.
Just days after the grim discovery, the US District Court of Wyoming issued a warrant for Laundrie’s arrest.
His skeletal remains were discovered in a Florida nature park on Oct. 20 alongside a backpack and notebook containing a confession that he had killed Petito.
“I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made,” Laundrie wrote in the notebook recovered by the FBI.
Petito’s family currently runs the Gabby Petito Foundation, which supports missing persons and domestic violence prevention.
Congress Spotlights Menopause Care in This Week’s Health News
Today’s health news roundup looks at Congress’ first-ever hearing focused on menopause care, the health effects of shifting weather patterns and key updates involving vaccine research, flu and COVID-19 monitoring.
CLEVELAND — Capitol Hill lawmakers this week convened Congress’ first hearing specifically centered on menopause care. During the session, they called on the Government Accountability Office to examine how federal agencies invest in and provide support for menopause research and treatment.
The hearing comes after the Food and Drug Administration removed a long-standing warning from certain hormone therapy treatments. Experts, however, told lawmakers that much more research is needed to ensure menopause care reaches a wider and more diverse group of patients.
Menopause symptoms generally emerge between ages 45 and 60 — years that encompass roughly 30% of today’s workforce. According to the RAND Corporation, the symptoms carry an estimated $5.4 billion annual cost to the U.S. economy, in large part because some women reduce their work hours or leave their jobs when symptoms become more severe.
NIH plans new study on vaccine injury claims
Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health is planning a new study involving people who believe they were harmed by a vaccine, including recipients of COVID-19 vaccines.
The research could launch as soon as October at the NIH campus in Maryland. Investigators expect to monitor symptoms including fatigue, neurological issues and inflammation, which some people describe collectively as post-vaccination syndrome.
NIH officials say the study is intended to improve understanding of rare vaccine-related reactions. While some scientists have welcomed the research, they also say it is important that the work remain grounded in scientific evidence.
CDC combines flu and COVID-19 teams
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also reorganizing its public health operations, combining its flu and COVID-19 teams into one division effective this month.
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That consolidated team will monitor disease activity and help state and local health departments respond to outbreaks. CDC leadership says the restructuring will make surveillance more efficient and will not result in staffing reductions.
For most Americans, the change is not expected to affect access to flu or COVID-19 care. Health officials continue to urge people to get their annual flu vaccine during the current season.
How changing weather affects your health
Shifting weather does more than disrupt your plans — it can stress your body.
Cold, dry air cracks mucus membranes and opens the door to viruses, while sudden pressure changes can trigger joint pain and migraines. High humidity, meanwhile, fuels mold and allergens.
Cleveland Clinic experts recommend staying hydrated, keeping over-the-counter medications on hand and eating an anti-inflammatory diet full of fruits and vegetables to fight back. Good sleep helps, too.
You can’t control the weather, but preparing ahead can make every season change easier.
Husband Backs Wife Accused of Son’s Murder, Alleged Poison Plot
The husband of an Illinois woman charged in the death of her 2-year-old son is continuing to support her, her attorney says, despite prosecutors’ allegations that she considered poisoning him and had become fixated on the Lindsay Clancy case. Defense lawyers contend the incident occurred while she was in the grip of a psychotic episode.
Corie Walsh, 38, allegedly told police she killed her son, Barrett, on Sept. 1 because she believed the toddler was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ,” according to court documents obtained by News Media. Authorities said the child was discovered hanging from a basement rafter.
A neighbor found Barrett, began CPR and called 911. Court records state that the child was cold and had no pulse when he was located. He was later pronounced dead at New Lenox Hospital. Officials ruled that the 2-year-old died from asphyxia caused by ligature compression to the neck. Walsh was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of self-inflicted cuts to her wrists and thighs.
Walsh’s legal team said both her husband and her mother remain steadfast in their love and support for her.
Corie A. Walsh, 38, in a booking photo provided by law enforcement. Prosecutors are asking a judge to deny her pretrial release following the death of her 2-year-old son. (Will County Detention Facility)
Neither Walsh’s husband nor her mother attended her Sept. 8 detention hearing, as Barrett’s funeral was being held that same day.
Andrea Lyon, one of Walsh’s defense attorneys and a former member of Casey Anthony’s defense team, told News Media that mental illness was at the center of the devastating case.
“This is a tragedy for the Walsh family, all of whom are mourning the loss of this child,” Lyon said. “It is also a tragedy in that Corie herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened.”
While Lyon said Walsh was psychotic at the time, she rejected prosecutors’ suggestion that Walsh’s interest in the Clancy case was tied to the alleged killing.
“They are not correlated at all. It’s just accidental,” Lyon said, calling claims that the Illinois mother’s case was a copycat crime “baseless and cruel.”
Corie Walsh, right, poses with her husband and children inside a church. Walsh faces three counts of first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old son, Barrett. (CREDIT: Facebook/ Corie Walsh)
Court documents indicate that Walsh had “recently become very invested” in the murder trial for Clancy, who was accused of murdering her three children. Clancy acknowledged she killed her children, but argued she was experiencing postpartum psychosis.
Walsh “had been actively discussing the [Clancy] case via group text message with her friends up until 12:30 PM on September 1, 2026, three and a half hours before the scene was discovered.”
Police tape surrounds the Frankfort, Illinois, home where officers found an unresponsive 2-year-old boy. (Fox 32 Chicago)
Retired Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy told News Media that a psychiatric defense rarely succeeds in cases like this one, and is more common in adult cases than those involving children.
“It’s very rare. It’s more predominant in adult cases,” Roy said. “Cases like this are, with children involved, because of the publicity and just the pain it causes the community are what we call heaters. There’s a lot of media focus on them. There’s a lot of attention. There’s a lot of demands to resolve the case promptly.”
Lindsay Clancy in court last month. (Boston Globe via Getty Images)
News Media reached out to Walsh’s attorney and her husband for comment.
Appeals Court Weighs Trump-Backed Missouri Map After High Court Block
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A federal appeals court panel on Thursday weighed whether to revive Missouri’s new congressional districts, which were supported by President Donald Trump but barred by the U.S. Supreme Court from use in the November election.
The three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the protracted fight over Republican-drawn U.S. House maps that Missouri used for its August primary. Still, the practical effect of a ruling favoring the new districts remained uncertain. The U.S. Supreme Court has already put a lower-court order backing the map on hold while a possible appeal and eventual high court decision remain pending.
For now, Missouri is scheduled to conduct its November election using the same congressional districts in place for the 2024 and 2022 elections. That outcome follows earlier rulings by both the Missouri Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Local election officials told the court in a filing that ballots reflecting those districts are already being printed. They also face a Friday deadline under federal law to send absentee ballots to overseas voters and members of the military. Under Missouri law, absentee ballots must be available to all other voters by next Tuesday.
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Attempting to switch congressional districts so close to the election would be “practically impossible” and would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities said in its filing.
Missouri’s redistricting dispute has become the longest, most complicated and most confusing among about a dozen states that have sought to alter their U.S. House districts during the past year. Trump prompted the unusual wave of mid-decade redistricting by encouraging Republican-led states to redraw maps in hopes of gaining an advantage in the midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress and shape his agenda.
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