BBC News with Stewart Macintosh

Several major news organizations have been excluded from a press briefing at the White House, including the New York Times, CNN and the BBC. They were refused entry to an off-camera briefing with President Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer. He said he was not going to allow false narratives, false stories and inaccurate facts to get out.

The US Department of Homeland Security says next month it will start accepting business proposals for the design and construction of President Trump’s wall along the border with Mexico. Mr Trump has said building work would start soon and as he put it “way ahead of schedule”.

French prosecutors have opened another stage in the inquiry into allegations that the centre-right presidential candidate Francois Fillon paid his wife and children for work they didn’t do. A magistrate has been appointed marking the beginning of a formal probe.

Russia has promised to veto a draft UN Security Council resolution which would impose sanctions on the Syrian government for carrying out chemical weapons attacks. Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN said such a resolution would be what he called a provocation.

Dozens of Coptic Christian families in Egypt have fled northern Sinai after a number of killings this week by suspected Islamist militants. At least seven Copts have been killed since the end of January.

The Guatemalan authorities have expelled members of a Dutch-based organization that had arrived in the country by boat on Wednesday offering free abortions for women in the early stages of pregnancy. Officials said they had tourist visas and wouldn’t be allowed to work in Guatemala.

The son of Brazil’s greatest footballer Pele has handed himself in to complete his sentence for money laundering and drug trafficking. Edinho, a former professional goalkeeper for Santos football club, had been released while he appealed against a 33-year jail sentence. He denied the charges.

BBC News