Inside '#Scientology speedruns,' the viral trend prompting the church to bolster security.

Buensuceso was witnessing “Scientology speedrunning” in real time, a familiar social media trend that has been sweeping TikTok for about a month — and raising security concerns for the church. She and her friend had just been talking about it earlier that day.

“I felt an adrenaline rush because I was like, ‘No way this is happening right now for me,’” she said. “I’m about to witness something that I thought that I would only see on social media.”

The trend took off in early April, with users on social media posting videos of themselves — sometimes inexplicably in costume — entering multiple properties owned or inhabited in some way by the Church of Scientology. Participants film themselves “speedrunning” through the building, or aiming to complete a task as fast as possible per the common video game slang. That task? Map out the church’s buildings and get as much information as they can about the inner workings of the organization.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed it has responded to multiple incidents in the past month, including the one witnessed by Buensuceso, which was investigated as a potential hate crime. The church this week removed all external door handles on its Hollywood Boulevard properties.
‘These are peaceful spaces’

While it may amuse online viewers, this is far from lighthearted fun to the church. Scientology spokesperson David Bloomberg told The Associated Press that a staff member was injured during one of the incidents and required medical attention as a result.

“These are peaceful spaces designed to welcome parishioners, visitors and members of the public,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “Turning them into targets for viral stunts is not journalism, protest or civic activity. It is trespass, harassment and disruption of religious facilities.”

The group Buensuceso witnessed consisted of mostly young boys, and she assumed most of them were either in high school or potentially even middle school, not only because of their youthful appearances, but because she considers it juvenile behavior.

Buensuceso posted a video on TikTok of her perspective of the chaotic “raid” as some online call these events. Her video shows a group of more than a dozen young people forcing their way into the church’s building on Hollywood Boulevard, which has become a common location for people looking to participate in the social media craze.

The motive behind the trend is rather unclear, but like much of Gen-Z and Generation Alpha culture, the meaning could come from the meaninglessness. Nonsensical “brain rot” content has dominated social media platforms in recent years, often led by young people and often leaving older people scratching their heads or searching for the deeper meaning of trends. One commenter on a recent TikTok video of a speedrun asked why people are doing this, and another user simply replied, “because it’s fun.”

“If you’re on TikTok at all, you can see all the different videos,” said Charley Tenorio, a 20-year-old actor who lives in Hollywood. “All the jokes in the comments that if they get to the top, you’ll find Tom Cruise.”

Scientology has a notable celebrity following and Cruise is one of its most famous practitioners. The religion consists of a system of beliefs, teachings and rituals focused on spiritual betterment. Science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard’s 1950 book “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health” is a foundational text.

Tenorio was eating at Taco Bell across the street from the building on Saturday when he witnessed the same incident as Buensuceso.

“I saw them go inside. They passed the security guard, they passed multiple of the workers,” he recalled. “That was all I saw until a couple seconds later when they were all kicked out quite angrily by this small horde of Scientology workers.”

Ahsem Kabir, a musician who lives nearby, stopped by the building on Wednesday to check out the removed door handles. He has followed the trend, which he thinks contributes to the church’s mystique.

“I do get entertainment out of the #speedruns. I think it’s pretty funny,” he said. “I know that technically it’s not allowed, but I think it just kind of adds to the lore of this place.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Krysta Fauria And Kaitlyn Huamani, The Associated Press

One dead after car strikes crowd in #German city, police say. Two other people were severely injured and have been taken to hospital, while 20 more have been “affected,” said Axel Schuh, the head of Leipzig’s fire brigade. A large emergency service presence is at the scene, Schuh said.

Later Monday, Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung said in an update that a third person was also severely injured.

Meanwhile, German police said the suspected driver of the car, who is male, has been arrested and “no longer poses a threat.” The suspect is a 33-year-old German citizen, according to Armin Schuster, the interior minister of Saxony state, where Leipzig is located.

Officials suggested the incident was likely deliberate. Schuster did not rule out mental health issues as a possible contributing factor when asked by reporters on Monday.

The public prosecutor’s office has launched proceedings on two counts of attempted murder and two counts of murder, authorities said.

“A police operation is currently underway in downtown Leipzig,” police posted on X. “Please keep emergency routes clear and follow the instructions of the emergency personnel on site.”

Jung said the motive of the suspected perpetrator is unclear at this stage. “There is no further danger,” he said.

By Billy Stockwell, Benjamin Brown, CNN

#Russia may put forward new initiatives on creating a zone free of nuclear and other #weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the Middle East, Russia’s Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov told Izvestia.

"The idea of creating the WMD-free zone in the Middle East will remain on the international agenda until fully accomplished. It is possible that Russia will come up with new initiatives on this matter should the need arise," he said.

According to the Russian diplomat, #Israel strongly rejects the idea of joining the #Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (#NPT) but, at the same time, demands that other countries of the region fully comply with the agreement.

#NAIROBI, #Kenya — Recent flooding during ongoing heavy rains in Kenya left 18 people dead over the past week, police said Sunday, with most of the deaths attributed to drowning.

More than 54,000 households have been affected by the flooding countrywide, with 6,000 of those being in the capital, Nairobi, according to the Interior Ministry.

Dozens of schools and hospitals across the country have flooded, and 17 roads have been cut off.

Mudslides have also forced thousands to move from the western Rift Valley area, while people living downstream of the Tana and Athi rivers have been urged to move to higher ground as water levels in the country’s hydroelectric dams rise.

The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned that enhanced rainfall is expected to continue in the first two weeks of May.

Heavy rains in the country started in March at the beginning of the rainy season and have left a trail of destruction, with more than 100 people dead by the end of March.

The Associated Press

Hundreds of #Dominicans protest Canadian mining project. The so-called Romero project aims to extract deposits of gold, copper and silver from a reserve of 1.1 million ounces, valued at around US$5 billion, according to GoldQuest.

The project would be located in Central Cordillera, far from tourist areas, near the southern province of San Juan where the agriculture-based economy supports 143,000 residents.

Although the project still does not have the necessary permit, GoldQuest hails the Dominican government’s “commitment” to moving forward with the project on its website.

“Water yes, gold no!” protesters chanted as they carried Dominican flags during a march to Sabaneta, home to the province’s main dam, which supplies water to more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of crop-bearing lands.

The dam also produces hydroelectric power.

GoldQuest says its underground mineral extraction process has limited environmental impact, but locals worry the water supply will be tainted by the mining project.

“Water is our life,” housewife Juana Ramon told AFP. “We don’t agree because...they’re going to spoil that water, damage it.”

Local farmer Manuel Encarnacion is also against the project.

“If they exploit that, we would have to leave here. I’d rather die than let them exploit” this area, he told AFP.

But another mining operation in the Dominican Republic, Canadian company Barrick Gold’s project in Cotui, has caused relocation of families and accusations of water and soil contamination, sparking protests, according to local press.

Farmer and shopkeeper Leuri Camarena pointed to Cotui’s experience and said, “We don’t want that mining operation here.”

“Here we grow rice, beans, pigeon peas, squash, plantains,” Camarena said. “If we exploit that mine, what’s going to grow here? We’ll be eating gunpowder.”

#Iran presses for an end to war within 30 days as Trump expresses doubts. U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he was reviewing a new Iranian proposal but expressed doubt it would lead to a deal, adding on social media that “they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years” since the Islamic Revolution there.

Iran’s 14-point proposal calls for an end to the war, rather than just an extension of the truce. The proposal, a rebuttal to the U.S. nine-point plan, also calls for the U.S. lifting sanctions on Iran, ending the naval blockade, withdrawing forces from the region, and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to the semi-official Nour News agency, which has close ties to the country’s security organizations.

There was no mention, however, of Iran’s nuclear program and its enriched uranium, long the central issue in tensions with the U.S. and one that Tehran would rather address later.

Iran sent its reply via a Pakistani intermediary, the news agency reported. Pakistan has hosted previous negotiations between Iran and the United States.

Pakistan’s prime minister, foreign minister and army chief continue to push negotiations and encourage the U.S. and Iran to speak directly, according to two officials in Pakistan who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding, though Trump on Saturday told journalists that further strikes remained a possibility.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who oversaw previous rounds of talks between the U.S. and Iran before the war.

#Kenya : Renowned gynaecologist Dr Job Obwaka dies in hospital

Suitcase stuffed with marijuana bursts open on flight, leading to arrest at Dallas Love Field, police say.

Jennifer Manzanares‑Herrera was arrested before she left the airport and charged with possession of marijuana between 50 and 2,000 pounds, a second‑degree felony, according to the Dallas Police Department.

Airline staff alerted officers on Thursday Police said the department’s Narcotics Unit maintains a presence at Love Field to prevent drug trafficking through the airport.

Officers were alerted Thursday when airline staff reported that a suitcase on the Las Vegas flight had broken open, revealing a large quantity of marijuana.

Two more suitcases discovered Narcotics detectives later found two additional suitcases containing vacuum‑sealed packages of the drug.

In total, detectives recovered 75 pounds of marijuana, police said.

CBS News Texas will provide updates should additional information become available.

#Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill 7 despite ceasefire. Israel’s military on Saturday issued a new warning for residents of nine southern villages to evacuate. Israel and Lebanon’s militant #Hezbollah group have kept up their attacks despite a ceasefire in place since April 17.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported an airstrike on a car in the village of Kfar Dajal killed two people, while another hit a home in the village of Lwaizeh, killing three. Two others were killed in a strike on the village of Shoukin, it said.

Israel’s military Arabic-language spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, posted on X that the Israeli air force carried out about 50 airstrikes over the past 24 hours targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and members.

Hezbollah said that it attacked with a drone Israeli troops who gathered on Saturday inside a house in the coastal village of Bayed.

Over the past weeks, the Israeli army has been leveling neighborhoods in towns and villages near the Lebanese-Israeli border. The military says it destroys buildings that were used as outposts by the Iran-backed group.

The Israeli military released a new video that it said shows Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon being blown up. The video, released Friday, shows soldiers holding an Israeli flag and walking among the destruction of a soccer stadium in the Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil. The military said on its website that the air force “destroyed the town’s stadium after it was discovered to be booby-trapped.”

The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, two days after the United States and Israel launched a war on its main backer, Iran. Israel has since carried out hundreds of airstrikes and launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, capturing dozens of towns and villages along the border.

Since then, Lebanon and Israel have held their first direct talks in more than three decades. The two countries have formally been in a state of war since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. A 10-day ceasefire declared in Washington went into effect on April 17. The ceasefire was later extended by three weeks.

Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press

Associated Press writer Ibrahim Hazboun in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

#Israel police arrest man suspected of attacking French nun in #Jerusalem. JERUSALEM - Israel’s police said Wednesday they had arrested a man suspected of assaulting a French nun in Jerusalem the previous day, amid a rise in attacks targeting Christians in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

“The suspect, a 36-year-old male, was identified and subsequently arrested by police,” the force said in a statement, adding it viewed with “utmost severity” any violent act “driven by potentially racist motives and directed toward members of the clergy.”

Contacted by AFP, police declined to disclose the suspect’s nationality, but said he was arrested “on suspicion of assault, with all potential motives under examination.”

Footage shared by police showed bruises on the right side of the nun’s face.