Hello. My colleague Will Grant reports from the US-Mexico border where those hoping to make asylum claims and enter America say they have had their plans thrown into disarray by Donald Trump's executive orders clamping down on immigration, something many of his supporters have welcomed. Following a deadly fire at a Turkish hotel, we take a look at the conflicting reports about whether it was up to safety standards. And across the world, thousands of people are watching a live stream, waiting for an endangered flower to bloom - and given its putrid stench it's probably better to follow from afar. 

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Tales from the US-Mexico border

Humanitarian tents set up outside the US-Mexico border. Credit: BBC

Within hours of being sworn in as US president, Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders to tighten the US's border with Mexico, and added to this with another on Wednesday afternoon. For many waiting there hoping to make asylum claims, their plans have been thrown into disarray. Living in a tent with her two children, just metres from the border, Oralia told the BBC's Mexico, Central America and Cuba correspondent Will Grant that she had been seeking safety and treatment for her 10-year-old son's epilepsy, after fleeing cartel threats in her home state of Michoacán. Trump's crackdown means she's lost hope that her claims will ever be heard. But Trump’s supporters on the other side of the border, in southern California, are clear that these strict new measures are needed to cope with high immigration numbers.

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What led to deadly fire at Turkey hotel?

Questions remain over the fire safety measures at the hotel. Credit: Reuters

A fire that killed at least 79 people and left dozens more injured at a Turkish ski resort in the early hours of Monday is one of the deadliest disasters of its kind in the country's history. So how did this happen? Some survivors have said they did not hear an alarm and experts have told the BBC they would not have expected such a high death toll in a hotel where fire protection systems were working properly.

What went wrong?

Turkey's interior minister said the fire started at 03:27 (00:27 GMT) in the restaurant area on the fourth floor. However, some survivors have described smelling smoke as much as an hour earlier. Others said they heard no alarm or that it went off once they had escaped. There have also been claims of inadequacies in the hotel's fire extinguishing systems, and its fire competence certificate is disputed. The BBC has tried to contact the hotel's managers regarding these allegations but has so far received no response.

What have experts said?

The way the blaze spread suggests that fire warning, detection and extinguishing systems might not have been present, one official from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects said. The head of the Turkish Fire Protection and Education Foundation told the BBC that a building the size of the Grand Kartal Hotel should be evacuated within 30 minutes under ideal conditions. And a university professor who has worked on fire safety planning said he would not have expected "so many people to die in this type of building" and that if protocols are properly followed "it is possible to overcome the fire without loss of life".

What next?

As well as the dead, 51 people were injured in the fire, according to health minister Kemal Memisoglu, one of who remains in intensive care. Nine people have been arrested in connection with the blaze, including the hotel's owner. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Bolu on Wednesday, said those responsible for negligence leading to the fire "will be held accountable"

• Turkey grieves: A day of mourning took place across the country as work to identify all the victims continues, and the investigation into the cause of the fire takes place.

And finally... in Australia

An endangered plant known as the "corpse flower" for its putrid stink is about to bloom at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney. The affectionately dubbed Putricia is already an internet hit, with a livestream to monitor the plant ahead of its grand debut captivating the attention of thousands of people.