International

One killed in suspected bombing near California clinic

A powerful explosion occurred outside a fertility clinic in California on Saturday, leaving at least one person dead, authorities reported, describing the incident as a possible “intentional act.”

Mayor Ron deHarte told the Los Angeles Times that “a bomb in or near a vehicle parked at the building” caused the blast around 11:00 a.m. local time (18:00 GMT). Local police chief Andy Mills confirmed the incident appeared to be a deliberate attack.

“The explosion appears to be a violent, intentional act and spread across several blocks, damaging multiple buildings,” Mills said in a statement, confirming that one person was killed. The victim’s identity has not yet been released.

Eyewitnesses told local media they saw human remains near the American Reproductive Centers (ARC) clinic.

In a statement posted on social media, ARC said that none of its staff members were injured in the “unexpected and tragic incident.”

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“We are heartbroken to learn that this event took a life and caused injuries. We extend our deepest sympathies to the individuals and families affected,” the clinic said.

ARC also noted that its laboratory — “including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials” — was unharmed by the explosion.

Videos shared online show debris scattered across the street in front of the clinic and shattered windows at several nearby businesses.

International

Argentina flood emergency: Over 2,500 evacuated after record rainfall hits Buenos Aires province

Around 2,500 people have been evacuated in Argentina due to widespread flooding caused by heavy rains that have been battering the Buenos Aires province for over 24 hours, local authorities reported. The storm is expected to worsen by Saturday night.

An earlier bulletin from Buenos Aires province, released in the morning, reported approximately 1,000 people had been evacuated. However, provincial government sources later told AFP that the figure had increased to about 2,500 people — a number that continues to fluctuate — including both those officially evacuated and those who left their homes without going to shelters.

“Nothing like this has ever happened before”

Some of the hardest-hit areas include Campana and Zárate, located 80 to 90 kilometers north of Argentina’s capital, where the rain has fallen almost continuously since Friday morning, forcing hundreds to flee their homes.

“We recorded a total of 425 millimeters (about 16.7 inches) in the last 24 hours — it’s insane, nothing like this has ever happened before,” Emiliano Riberas, Emergency Coordination Director in Zárate, told AFP. “There are areas where the water is above shoulder level,” he added.

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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.

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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

Pope Leo XIV: Family Must Be Founded on Union Between Man and Woman

In his first major address as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV declared on Friday that the family must be founded on the “stable union between a man and a woman” and affirmed that both the unborn and the elderly possess inviolable dignity as creations of God.

The new leader of the Catholic Church shared these views during a private audience with the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, clearly outlining his doctrinal stance at the outset of his papacy.

Leo XIV, the first American pope in history and a member of the Augustinian order, used this traditional post-conclave gathering — held prior to this Sunday’s proclamation Mass — to lay out the key priorities of his pontificate: peace, the defense of the family, and the promotion of human dignity.

“Peace be with you all,” was the phrase with which he introduced himself to the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8. That same commitment to peace was echoed this Friday, with an emphasis that peace is not merely the absence of war, but a ‘gift’ that demands concrete action.

In a firm tone, Leo XIV stated that governments have a duty to invest in the family as the basic cell of society and to create conditions in which the dignity of the most vulnerable is respected.