International
Crypto executives in France targeted by wave of violent kidnappings
After having cut off one of their hostage’s fingers, the kidnappers were preparing to drill into one of his knees, according to France’s Interior Minister. The swift action of French police saved the hostage — the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur — from the horrifying situation.
While the incident earlier this month ended with a police raid and the arrest of seven suspects, this and other abductions have shaken France’s cryptocurrency industry.
This week, following another attempted crypto-related kidnapping in the heart of Paris, the wave of violence has also become a political issue for President Emmanuel Macron’s government — and particularly for Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is maneuvering for a possible presidential bid in the 2027 election.
Retailleau held a private meeting on Friday with cryptocurrency business owners to discuss their safety and prevent further damage to his tough-on-crime image, as well as Macron’s broader efforts to brand France as a hub for cutting-edge tech and innovation. His ministry urged journalists not to film participants “for security reasons,” describing the meeting as “strictly confidential” — a sign of how months of extortion attempts have put the crypto sector on edge.
A Kidnapping Attempt in Broad Daylight
On Tuesday, several masked men attempted to drag the daughter of a crypto entrepreneur into a van during a brazen abduction attempt in Paris. In video footage taken by witnesses, the men can be seen struggling with the woman and her husband as they clung to each other on the ground, shouting “Help! Help!” A shopkeeper intervened by grabbing a fire extinguisher and hurling it at the attackers’ vehicle, prompting them to flee.
The woman’s father, Pierre Noizat, is the CEO and founder of Bitcoin exchange platform Paymium. Speaking to BFMTV on Friday, the businessman harshly criticized French politicians and judges for what he described as their “lack of action.” He said his son-in-law required stitches after being injured while resisting the attackers.
Noizat also expressed concern that wealthy businesspeople from other sectors could become targets next, saying: “I believe this is just the beginning if nothing is done.”
Éric Larchevêque, another crypto entrepreneur whose business partner and wife were kidnapped in January and who attended Friday’s meeting, warned: “All entrepreneurs — and the image of France — are at risk.”
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
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