washington

US trucker convoys prompt National Guard deployment in Washington

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a request from the District of Columbia government and the US Capitol police for 700 troops.

Around 25 separate convoys plan to join forces and converge on the nation's capital, to replicate recent protests in Canada.

The stand-off there paralysed Ottawa for days.

The National Guard troops will man traffic posts and "provide command and control" from Saturday until 7 March, a statement said.

Shots fired on driver 'attacking police' near US Congress

The woman was not shot, Washington Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachel Reid told the BBC, and no injuries have been reported.

She was taken into custody and the incident prompted a lockdown at one of the Congress buildings.

The incident follows driving attacks last week in London and Brussels.

Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki said the suspect is a woman, and the incident is "criminal in nature with no nexus to terrorism".

The incident occurred after officers observed an "erratic and aggressive driver" and tried to pull her car over.

Trump's promises hit Washington reality in first month

In his first month in office, Trump has found the vast government machine can't be reset at a president's whim with the same ease that an executive can manage a business. Rival power centers in the courts, the bureaucracy and Congress can emerge as a threat at any point.

Trump: I wanted month delay before travel ban, was told no

Trump, speaking to law enforcement officials in Washington, said he argued before the order was finalized for giving travelers a month's notice before cutting off entry to the US.

But he said he was overruled by law enforcement officials, who he didn't name, alleging the delay could prompt a flood of dangerous terrorists into the country -- an explanation that failed to account for the lengthy process of obtaining a US visa or applying for refugee status.

Truck crashes into Washington fisheries pond; 4 dead

A spokeswoman for the Snohomish (snoh-HOH'-mish) County sheriff's office says a call came in around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday that a truck had driven off the road in the town of Tulalip.

Sheri Ireton says the victims — two men and two women — died at the scene.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash.

FAA says technical problem causes East Coast flight delays

This was reported by the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The agency is investigating an automation problem at an air traffic center in Leesburg, Virginia, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.

The center handles high-altitude air traffic for a region that includes Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Washington's Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport.

Al-Qaida in Syria withdraws from area near Turkish border

The move by the Nusra Front came two weeks after Turkey began carrying out airstrikes against IS targets in Syria. 

Turkey also agreed to allow U.S. warplanes to use the strategic Incirlik Air Base for operations against IS in Syria. The two countries have agreed on the outlines of a plan to create an IS-free zone along the border.