The mother of a Sydney man missing for two and a half months has issued an emotional plea for information, as speculation mounts he may have met with foul play.

Jayden Harwood, a 20-year-old father of two, was last seen walking down Sackville Street in Ingleburn on March 1, while staying at his girlfriend's parents' place.

Witnesses claimed he was going door to door asking for help, before borrowing a phone to call his stepfather.

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His mother, Alanai-Brie Wallace, told 9News that in their final conversation with Jayden, he had said he'd been attacked and bashed, and needed directions back to his partner's parents' place.

Jayden was initially labelled a missing person, but 9News tonight revealed his disappearance is now being investigated by detectives and thought to be suspicious.

Wallace said she was "100 per cent" sure somebody knows what happened to Jayden.

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"I need my son back, I need my baby back," she said.

"I need to know what's happened, why he's not here."

The community in Sydney's south-west is also seeking answers.

Community volunteer Brittany Wells has been part of a group of locals who spend a lot of their weekend putting up posters and doorknocking for any potential information – despite not knowing Jayden personally.

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"He's a real person, he's got family that love him, children that love him, and he's wanted and needed," she said.

Despite extensive searches through surrounding streets and bushland, Jayden has not been found.

His bank accounts have been untouched and his phone switched off.

"My son isn't here with me and with his daughter on her first birthday, because somebody or some people have made him unable to be," Wallace said.

Detectives have spoken to several persons of interest.

Wallace urged anybody who knew anything to "please, please come forward".

"I just want my boy home," she said.

Anybody with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online.

An explosion killed a person and heavily damaged a fertility clinic on Saturday in the upscale California city of Palm Springs in what the FBI characterised as an "intentional act of terrorism".

Akil Davis, the head of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said in the evening that the clinic was deliberately targeted, while declining to elaborate on how authorities have reached a conclusion on a motive.

Authorities were still working to confirm the identity of the person who died at the scene. Davis would not directly say whether that person was the suspect but said authorities were not searching for a suspect.

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Davis also said four people were hurt but provided no additional details on the severity of the injuries.

Authorities were also investigating the possibility that the explosion was being livestreamed.

The FBI said it was sent investigators, including bomb technicians, to the scene.

Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a statement that the blast "appears to be an intentional act of violence" and several buildings were damaged, some severely.

"There has been one fatality, the person's identity is not known," Mills said.

The act was being investigated as a possible car explosion, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss preliminary information from an ongoing investigation.

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One of the officials told AP that investigators believe the person who died was likely the person who set off the explosion, but they cautioned that the investigation was still in its early stages.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents were working to learn more, adding, "Let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable".

The FBI's Los Angeles field office said via the social platform X that "investigators, bomb technicians & an evidence response team" were among assets that were deployed. Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also assisting.

The city of Palm Springs said the explosion happened at 11 am and residents were asked to avoid the area around North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive.

Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, confirmed that his facility was damaged. He told AP in a phone interview that all staffers were safe and accounted for. The explosion damaged the practice's office space, where it conducts consultations with patients, but the IVF lab and the stored embryos were spared.

"I really have no clue what happened," Abdallah said. "Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients."

Aerial video showed a burned-out car in a parking lot behind the building that housed the fertility clinic's office space. The blast caved in the roof and blew a wide debris field across a sidewalk and four lanes of the street on the other side of the structure.

Rhino Williams, 47, said he was chatting with customers at a restaurant he helps manage inside the Skylark Hotel just over a block away when he heard a huge boom. Everything rattled, Williams said, and he sprinted to the scene to see if anyone was in need of help.

Williams saw a large dark grey plume of smoke and covered his nose with his shirt as he smelled burning plastic and rubber. He said he saw a building had "blown out" into the street, with bricks and debris scattered everywhere, and he spotted a car's front axle on fire in the parking lot.

He said it was the only car in the lot that he saw. He ran into the building, calling out and peering behind the counter to see if anyone was inside. He did not hear a response and did not see anyone behind the counter.

Williams then ran around to check on other buildings. Multiple windows of the neighbouring liquor store were also blown out, he said. Once he saw authorities arrive, he headed back to the hotel.

Nima Tabrizi, 37, of Santa Monica, said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.

"The building just shook, and we go outside and there's massive cloud smoke," Tabrizi said. "Crazy explosion. It felt like a bomb went off. … We went up to the scene, and we saw human remains."

Palm Springs is about a two-hour drive east of Los Angeles. Its known for upscale resorts, golf courses and a history of celebrity residents.

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The customer did not pay to dump its rubbish on 71 occasions.

The Prime Minister made the pre-Budget health announcement in Botany this afternoon.

At least 27 people have been killed by storms systems that swept across part of the US Midwest and South, with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announcing on Saturday that 18 of the deaths came in his state and 10 others were hospitalised in critical condition.

A devastating tornado in Kentucky damaged homes, tossed vehicles and left many people homeless. Seventeen of the deaths were in Laurel County, located in the state's south-east, and one was in Pulaski County: Fire Department Major Roger Leslie Leatherman, a 39-year veteran who was fatally injured while responding to the deadly weather.

Parts of two dozen state roads were closed, and some could take days to reopen, Beshear said. He also said the death toll could still rise.

READ MORE: 'Felt like a bomb': Explosion tears through US fertility clinic

"We need the whole world right now to be really good neighbours to this region," the governor said.

State Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said hundreds of homes were damaged,

Kayla Patterson, her husband and their five children huddled in a tub in their basement in London, the county seat, as the tornado raged around them.

"You could literally hear just things ripping in the distance, glass shattering everywhere, just roaring like a freight train," she recalled on Saturday.

"It was terrible."

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The family eventually emerged to the sounds of sirens and panicked neighbors. While the family's own home was spared, others right behind it were demolished, Patterson said as the sound of power tools buzzed in the background. The neighborhood was dotted with piles of lumber, metal sheeting, insulation and stray belongings – a suitcase, a sofa, some six-packs of paper towels.

Rescuers were searching for survivors all night and into the morning, the sheriff's office said. An emergency shelter was set up at a local high school and donations of food and other necessities were arriving.

The National Weather Service hadn't yet confirmed that a tornado struck, but meteorologist Philomon Geertson said it was likely. It ripped across the largely rural area and extended to the London Corbin Airport shortly before midnight.

Resident Chris Cromer said he got the first of two tornado alerts on his phone around 11.30pm (1.30pm AEST) or so, about a half-hour before the tornado struck. He and his wife grabbed their dog, jumped in their car and scrambled to the crawlspace at a relative's nearby home because the couple's own crawlspace is small.

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"We could hear and feel the vibration of the tornado coming through," said Cromer, 46. A piece of his roof was ripped off, and windows were broken, but homes around his were destroyed.

"It's one of those things that you see on the news in other areas, and you feel bad for people – then, when it happens, it's just surreal," he said.

"It makes you be thankful to be alive, really."

The storm was the latest severe weather to cause deaths and widespread damage in Kentucky. Two months ago, at least 24 people died in a round of storms that swelled creeks and submerged roads. Hundreds of people were rescued, and most of the deaths were caused by vehicles getting stuck in high water.

A storm in late 2021 spawned tornadoes that killed 81 people and leveled portions of towns in western Kentucky. The following summer, historic floodwaters inundated parts of eastern Kentucky, leaving dozens more dead.

Missouri pounded by storms, with deaths confirmed in St Louis

About 1200 tornadoes strike the US annually, and they have been reported in all 50 states over the years. Researchers found in 2018 that deadly tornadoes were happening less frequently in the traditional "Tornado Alley" of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas and more frequently in parts of the more densely populated and tree-filled mid-South area.

The latest Kentucky storms were part of a weather system Friday that killed seven in Missouri and two in northern Virginia, authorities said. The system also spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, brought a punishing heat wave to Texas and temporarily enveloped parts of Illinois – including Chicago – in a pall of dust on an otherwise sunny day.

"Well that was…..something," the weather service's Chicago office wrote on X after issuing its first-ever dust storm warning for the city. Thunderstorms in central Illinois had pushed strong winds over dry, dusty farmland and northward into the Chicago area, the weather agency said.

In Missouri, St Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said five people died, 38 were injured and more than 5000 homes were affected in her city.

"The devastation is truly heartbreaking," she said at a news conference Saturday. An overnight curfew was to continue in the most damaged neighborhoods.

Weather service radar indicated a likely tornado touched down between 2.30pm and 2.50pm in Clayton, Missouri, in the St Louis area. The apparent tornado touched down in the area of Forest Park, home to the St Louis Zoo and the site of the 1904 World's Fair and Olympic Games the same year.

Three people needed aid after part of the Centennial Christian Church crumbled, St. Louis Fire Battalion Chief William Pollihan told The Associated Press.

Stacy Clark said his mother-in-law, Patricia Penelton, died in the church. He described her as a very active church volunteer who had many roles, including being part of the choir.

John Randle said he and his girlfriend were at the St Louis Art Museum during the storm and were hustled into the basement with about 150 other people.

"You could see the doors flying open, tree branches flying by and people running," said Randle, 19.

At the St Louis Zoo, falling trees severely damaged the roof of a butterfly facility. Staffers quickly corralled most of the butterflies, the zoo said on social media, and a conservatory in suburban Chesterfield is caring for the displaced creatures.

A tornado struck in Scott County, about 209km south of St Louis, killing two people, injuring several others and destroying multiple homes, Sheriff Derick Wheetley wrote on social media.

Forecasters say severe weather could batter parts of the Plains

The weather service said that supercells are likely to develop across parts of Texas and Oklahoma Saturday afternoon before becoming a line of storms in south-west Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas on Saturday night.

The biggest risks include large to very large hail that could be up to 8.9cm in size, damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes.

These conditions were expected to continue on Sunday across parts of the central and southern Plains as well as parts of the central High Plains.

"Be prepared to take action if watches and warnings are issued for your area," the weather service said.

This month marks 25 years in power for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin was first inaugurated in 2000 and has become one of the most influential leaders of the 21st century.

Now in his fifth term as President, Putin is coming under increasing international pressure to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Click through to see the key events of Putin's time in power.

Ten men broke out of a New Orleans jail in an audacious overnight escape by fleeing through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a wall while the lone guard assigned to their cell pod was away getting food, US authorities said.

Eight of the escapees, which include suspects charged with murder, remain on the lam following the Friday breakout that the local sheriff says may have been aided by members within the department.

Surveillance footage, shared with media during a press conference, showed the escapees sprinting out of the facility — some wearing orange clothing and others in white.

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They scaled a fence, using blankets to avoid being cut by barbed wire, and then some could be seen sprinting across the nearby interstate.

A photograph obtained by The Associated Press from law enforcement shows the opening behind a toilet in a cell that the men escaped through.

Above the hole are scrawled messages that include "To Easy LoL" with an arrow pointing at the gap.

The absence of the 10 men, who also utilised facility deficiencies that officials have long complained about in their escape, went unnoticed for hours.

It was not until a routine morning headcount, more than seven hours after the men fled the facility, that law enforcement learned of the escape.

Officials from the sheriff's office say there was no deputy physically at the pod, where the fugitives had been held.

There was a technician, a civilian who was there to observe the pod, but she had stepped away to get food, they said.

Soon after the escape, one of the men, Kendall Myles, 20, was apprehended after a brief foot chase through the French Quarter.

He had previously escaped twice from juvenile detention centres.

By Friday evening, another fugitive, Robert Moody, had been captured, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.

Officials did not immediately provide details on his capture.

Sheriff blames 'defective locks' and possibly inside help

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were able to get out of the Orleans Justice Centre because of "defective locks".

Hutson said she has continuously raised concerns about the locks to officials and, as recently as this week, advocated for money to fix the ailing infrastructure.

Hutson said there are indications that people inside her department helped the fugitives escape.

"It's almost impossible, not completely, but almost impossible for anybody to get out of this facility without help," she said of the jail, where she says 1400 people are being held.

The escapees yanked open a door to enter the cell with the hole around 1am.

They shed their jail uniforms once out of the facility, and it is still unclear how some of them obtained regular clothing so quickly, officials said.

Authorities did not notice the men were missing until 8.30am.

Authorities initially said 11 had escaped, but at a Friday afternoon news conference said one man thought to have escaped was in a different cell.

Three employees have been placed on suspension pending the outcome of the investigation.

It was not immediately clear whether any of the employees were suspected of helping with the escape.

Officials also didn't say if the guard who left to get food was among the three suspended.

Who are the fugitives?

The escapees range from 19 years old to 42. Most of the men are in their 20s.

One of the fugitives, Derrick Groves, was convicted on two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder last year for his role in the 2018 Mardi Gras Day shootings of two men.

He also faces a charge of battery against a correctional facility employee, court records show.

Law enforcement warned that he may attempt to locate witnesses in the murder trial.

Another escapee, Corey Boyd, had pleaded not guilty to a pending second-degree murder charge.

Hutson said the police department is actively working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to search for the fugitives.

Police relied on facial recognition technology to identify and capture one fugitive, said Bryan LaGarde, executive director of Project NOLA, a nonprofit operating more than 5000 cameras around New Orleans.

His organisation, which partners with Louisiana authorities, entered the escapees' images into the system and quickly found two in the French Quarter.

"They were walking openly in the street. They were keeping their heads down and checking over their shoulder."

LaGarde said, adding that the other fugitive walked out of sight of the cameras.

State and local officials blast jail authorities

"This represents a complete failure of the most basic responsibilities entrusted to a sheriff or jail administrator," said Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams.

He blasted the sheriff's office for a multi-hour delay in notifying authorities and the public of the escape.

"These inexcusable failures have put lives in danger."

Williams said that some of the escaped men "have a history of witness intimidation of citizens who were brave enough to speak up".

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill called the escape "beyond unacceptable" and said local authorities waited too long to inform the public.

She said she reached out to surrounding states to alert them about the escape, saying they have had plenty of time to get to "frankly anywhere across the country."

New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said her agency has put "a full court effort" to respond to the escape and is working with the FBI and US marshals.

Officers were focused on identifying and providing protection for people who may have testified in their cases or may be in danger. One family has been "removed" from their home, Kirkpatrick said.

"If there is anyone helping or harbouring these escapees, you will be charged," Kirkpatrick added.

Turmoil at New Orleans' jail

New Orleans' jail has for more than a decade been subject to federal monitoring and a consent decree intended to improve conditions.

Security problems and violence persisted even after the city opened the Orleans Justice Centre in 2015, replacing the decaying Orleans Parish Prison, which had seen its own string of escapes and dozens of in-custody deaths.

A federal judge declared in 2013 that the lockup had festered into an unconstitutional setting for people incarcerated there.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said staff is "stretched thin" at the facility, which is around 60 per cent staffed.

Bianka Brown, chief financial officer of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, said they can't afford a maintenance and service contract to fix problems such as broken doors, lock replacements and other ailing infrastructure.

The jail contained numerous "high security" people convicted of violent offenses who required a "restrictive housing environment that did not exist," Jay Mallett, Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office chief of Corrections, said.

The sheriff's office was in the process of transferring dozens to more secure locations.

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A Melbourne petrol station has been targeted in a bizarre act of sabotage. 

Vandals damaged every pump nozzle with expanding foam, costing the business thousands of dollars. 

CCTV footage captured two hooded thugs making a beeline for the petrol pumps at the BP in Williamstown.

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The pair were seen filming their antics on their own camera.  

"It's clear they knew what they were doing, it's clear it was intentional and it's clear it was calculated," BP Williamstown manager James Ibrahim said. 

The pair could be seen moving quickly and methodically, spraying the substance inside every nozzle.

To avoid being spotted by potential witnesses, they then hid behind the bowser. 

A few minutes later they fled on foot.  

Staff made the discovery when they arrived a few hours later, with the station's manager left dumbfounded. 

"It's a bit disheartening, because look, we've been part of this community for almost 20 years," Ibrahim said.

"We work to keep our prices fair and keep the competition honest as well, it's sad that something like this would happen."

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The petrol station was closed for about five hours while each nozzle was either cleaned or replaced, costing the business about $15,000 in damages and loss of trade. 

"We have police involved, and we have some private investigators involved, and I just wanted to speak to the community," Ibrahim said.

"If you guys have seen anything, have CCTV footage, please come forward and help us out.

"This is our home, we're part of the community, we're not going anywhere and we're going to keep pumping."

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Three players shared the must win Strike jackpot taking home $500,000.

Members of the public in the area are advised to follow instructions from police officers.