BBC News with Jerry Smit.

Donald Trump has begun his term as the 45th president of the United States with a pledge to end, what he called, the carnage of America. In his inaugural address, he promised change to end the scourges of abandoned factories, rampant crime and a failed education system. In foreign policy, he pledged to build new alliances and to unite the civilized world with the aim of completely eradicating radical Islamic terrorism.

Mr. Trump moved quickly to sign his first executive order as president including the proclamation of a national day of patriotism. He also signed a waiver to allow James Matt is to serve as defense secretary even though it's less than the required seven years since he left the military.

There've been protests in a number of cities across the United States as Mr. Trump sworn in. In Washington, police used pepper spray and stun grenades against protesters, some of whom damaged vehicles and destroyed property. There were more than 200 arrests.

A close aide to the Gambian President Adama Barrow says the embattled former head of state Yahya Jammeh has agreed to step down and leave the country. The aide spoke to the BBC after talks between Mr. Jammeh and the presidents of Guinea and Mauritania, who are trying to negotiate an end to the Gambian crisis.

Rescue workers in Central Italy have now pulled five survivors from air pockets in the ruins of a hotel that was hit by an avalanche on Wednesday. Rescuers are still trying to extract five others from beneath the debris.

The US military says an airstrike on Thursday on an al-Qaeda training camp in Syria killed more than 100 fighters. The Pentagon said the strike disrupted the group's training operations.

The Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman has pleaded not guilty to 17 charges of drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder and conspiracy at a court in New York. Mr.Guzman was extradited to the US on Thursday. BBC News.