US upbeat on Russia nuclear deal

The US and Russia "are making very good progress" on a nuclear arms reduction pact, a senior US official has said. Under-Secretary of State William Burns was speaking as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was due to hold talks on the issue in Moscow. "We are getting closer," Mr Burns said, but added that he could not tell when an agreement might be reached.

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Brazil leader begins Mid-East tour

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has arrived in Israel where he begins a tour of the Middle East. He is visiting Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan ahead of a more controversial visit to Iran in May. While in the region Lula will throw his country’s growing diplomatic weight behind the Middle East peace process.

Turkish anger at ‘genocide’ vote

Turkey has reacted angrily to a US congressional panel’s resolution describing as genocide killings of Armenians in World War I.

Pilot air attack on US tax office

US law enforcement officials are investigating whether a plane that hit a building in Austin, Texas, was a deliberate attack on a tax office. The pilot of the single-engined plane that hit the seven-storey office has been named as Joseph Andrew Stack.

LA bomb plot sentence ‘too short’

A US appeals court has ruled that the 22-year sentence of a man convicted of plotting a millennium eve bombing of LA International airport was too short.

Guantanamo prisoner plan attacked

The American Civil Liberties Union has criticised a recommendation that 47 Guantanamo Bay inmates should be held indefinitely without trial. Justice department officials said the men were too dangerous to release, but could not be tried as evidence against them would not stand up in a US court.

Guantanamo: 47 ‘cannot be freed’

A task force on the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay has advised that 47 inmates should be held indefinitely without trial, officials say. It is thought to be the first time that officials have given a figure for those who might be held without charge. Some 35 prisoners have been recommended for prosecution through trials or military commissions

Virginia shooting suspect charged

A man suspected of shooting dead eight people in the US state of Virginia has been charged with one count of first degree murder. Officials say Christopher Speight, 39, could also face other charges. Police earlier found a "multitude" of explosives at a home where most of the victims were shot on Tuesday

US diverts 4,000 troops to Haiti

The US is sending another 4,000 sailors and marines to Haiti for the earthquake relief effort, diverting them from deployments in the Gulf and Africa. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and USS Nassau Amphibious Ready Group would "significantly" increase the ability to quickly provide aid, the navy said. The move will increase the number of US troops involved to around 16,000

A good year?

BBC Washington bureau staff have been reporting the news of Barack Obama’s first year in office day in day out since 20 January 2009. On the anniversary of his inauguration, they sum up some of the key developments. Michelle Fleury: Economy Kevin Connolly: Healthcare Adam Brookes: Guantanamo Paul Adams: Climate Kim Ghattas: Afghanistan Vanessa Buschschluter: Polls MICHELLE FLEURY: ECONOMY The month before Barack Obama took office, the US economy lost more than half a million jobs, 300,000 homes were being foreclosed and the survival of the US banking system was in doubt

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