live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
Washington, D.C., will see its federal security funding reduced by $20 million this year under a Trump administration plan, despite the president’s repeated claims that crime in the capital is spiraling.
A notice from the Fedral Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) last week revealed that the city and its surrounding areeas will receive $25.2 million from the Urban Area Security Initiative, down 44% from last year.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said the cuts were made to reflect the 'current threat landscape,' noting a shift from large-scale, coordinated attacks like 9/11 to smaller, more localized assaults targeting public spaces.
Similar reductions will affect Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Jersey City, and San Francisco, though D.C. faces the steepest drop.
Funding from the program has previously supported hazmat training, law enforcement staffing, and emergency communication upgrades in the National Capital Region.
While FEMA has $553.5 million to distribute nationwide this fiscal year, it is unclear how much of D.C.’s total security budget relies on this federal allocation.
The cuts come as Trump has ordered more federal police on the streets following an attack on a staffer in the capital, underscoring his ongoing effort to assert greater federal control over the city. Official data shows violent crime in D.C. fell 35% between 2023 and 2024.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investigation into the cause.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday for talks focused on Gaza, Palestinian statehood and regional security.
Taiwan staged military defence drills on Wednesday as China concluded joint naval exercises with Indonesia in waters east of the island.
Washington’s counter-narcotics push is expanding as Colombia’s new conservative government backs deeper security cooperation.
Meta said it had removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16, as the country’s internet regulator weighs enforcement action over its teen social media ban.
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