Iran launches $70m water diversion project to boost Tehran supply
Iran has inaugurated a $70 million water diversion initiative aimed at increasing the capital’s water supply....
President Donald Trump announced the deployment of 800 National Guard troops to Washington and placed the city’s police under federal control, citing what he called a surge in violent crime despite official data showing a sharp decline.
Speaking at the White House alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump said the measures were needed because “our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals.” He warned that U.S. military forces could also be deployed “if needed” and confirmed that Bondi would oversee the police takeover.
The move comes despite Washington’s own statistics showing violent crime fell 35% in 2024 to a 30-year low, and dropped a further 26% in the first seven months of 2025. Overall crime was down 7% in the same period.
Mayor Muriel Bowser rejected Trump’s portrayal of the city, saying Washington was “not experiencing a crime spike” and warning that the president was manufacturing a crisis to expand his authority over the Democratic-run city.
The deployment follows days of increased federal law enforcement activity in Washington, with agents from the FBI, ICE, DEA, and ATF fanning out across the city. Trump invoked a section of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act that permits temporary federal control of the police in “special conditions of an emergency nature,” declaring a “public safety emergency.”
He has also suggested overturning the 1973 law that allows D.C. residents to elect their own mayor and council, a change that would require an act of Congress. Critics have noted that Trump’s own Federal Emergency Management Agency has cut the capital region’s urban security funding by 44% this year.
The decision mirrors past actions by Trump, including sending 5,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles last year over immigration raid protests and deploying the Guard in Washington during 2020’s racial justice demonstrations, both of which drew sharp criticism.
Under federal law, the U.S. military is largely barred from domestic law enforcement, though the president has direct authority over the D.C. National Guard, unlike in states where governors hold that power.
Trump has long used urban crime as a political theme, dating back to his 1989 call for the death penalty in the Central Park jogger case, involving five Black and Latino youths who were later exonerated. The men sued Trump for defamation after he repeated false claims about their guilt during a debate last year.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Iran has inaugurated a $70 million water diversion initiative aimed at increasing the capital’s water supply.
Indonesian students and civil society organisations suspended protests on Monday after a week of mounting anger over lawmakers’ pay and the police response, citing fears of tighter security measures following deadly unrest at the weekend.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Sunday in Tianjin ahead of a regional summit, pledging to resolve long-standing border disputes and strengthen bilateral cooperation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s 25th summit in Tianjin, where leaders from more than 20 nations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, are attending.
A Liberia-flagged Israeli-owned tanker reported a nearby explosion from an unidentified projectile while sailing close to Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Sunday.
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