From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered construction of a wall along the country's southern border with Mexico to thwart illegal migration.

during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security, the agency charged with protecting the border, Mr. Trump signed executive orders that will build wall and counter U.S. cities that are refusing to help federal authorities identify and deport illegal aliens.

"People are surprised to hear that we do not need new laws. We will work within the existing system and framework. We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States."

The White House says the government will construct more detention facilities along the border to house illegal migrants until they are returned to their country of origin.

Officials say Mr. Trump is also considering a four-month freeze on all refugee admissions into the U.S. as well as a ban for at least 30 days for entry into the U.S. by anyone from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Gambians are ready for their new president to return home as we hear from Katarina Höije.

A spokesperson for the president told VOA Adama Barrow will arrive in Banjul on Thursday.

West African troops in Banjul, Gambia's capital, have been busy securing the State House and other key areas. Weapons sweeps continued Wednesday.

Former President Yahya Jammeh boarded a plane to Guinea Saturday after a tense standoff with regional leaders that saw Senegalese troops deployed to the border, threatening to remove Jammeh by force.

Katarina Höije, Banjul.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 20,000 for the first time in history Wednesday.

This is VOA news.

Somali officials say dozens of people were killed or wounded Wednesday when al-Shabaab militants attacked a Mogadishu hotel.

One official says medical teams have collected the bodies of 28 people so far.

Earlier, the Somali government said more than 50 people were injured.

[The Islamic State] The Islamic militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.

The New York Times newspaper is reporting that the Trump administration is thinking about making cuts in U.S. contributions to the United Nations.

The Times says it has seen two papers outlining potential action by the government.

One draft would end U.S. funding of any U.N.-affiliated agency that allows full membership for the Palestinian Authority. The other draft calls for at least a 40 percent overall decrease in U.S. support for international organizations. The United States currently pays 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget.

U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for an investigation into alleged voter fraud in November's presidential election. He announced plans for the probe Wednesday on Twitter.

A White House spokesman says the upcoming investigation will not be just about the 2016 election but about the integrity of the American voting system.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told parliament Wednesday that he has "no illusions" about a quickly improvement in relations with the United States.

He said it will take time and serious work to repair what he called "the heavy damage" inflicted to Russia-U.S. relations under Barack Obama.

Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Olena Zerkal told the Reuters news agency that her government must be a player and not "a card" to be played in negotiations between the United States and Russia over the crisis on her eastern region.

She also called for sanctions to be maintained against Russia for its annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will publish her plan for Britain to leave the European Union in Parliament so members can take a look at it. She repeated that her government is on track to achieve Brexit.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis plans to travel to Japan and South Korea next month. It will be his first trip abroad as head of the Pentagon.

The trip [outlines] underlines the importance [of the new] to the new administration of U.S. alliances with Japan and South Korea.

The anti-corruption group, Transparency International, released its annual report Wednesday.

The report lists Denmark and New Zealand as the best countries regarding corruption. At the bottom of the list, Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea and Syria.

From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm David DeForest.

That's the latest world news from VOA.