hello and welcome to bbc news. the white house has barred several major media outlets including the bbc from attending an off—camera press briefing. president trump's spokesman said he was not going to sit back and allow inaccurate facts to get out. mr trump has called some us news media outlets enemies of the american people. tulip mazumdar spoke to us from washington. this is a briefing that happens several days of week. sean spicer speaks to people on the record or off the record about what has happened during the day. what happened today was unusual, because there was a press biefing planned. several outlets were told about it. but then a memo came out and it said there was a change of plan, and they said there was going to be an expanded pool of journalists.

everybody went to the briefing as they often do, as they usually do, when they got there, only a selected few were allowed into the briefing — they were abc, fox news, breitbart, the right—wing news website, and the washington times. but others including cnn, the bbc, and the new york times, they were told that they would not be able to be come into the briefing. the white house has not said why that is. the bbc bureau chief here in washington has said that he is looking for clarity on that matter. but it is unclear at this point about whether this might happen again, whether this is a line that the white house is going to take, now, by not allowing certain news organisations into regular press briefings, which then go on to tell people in this country and around the world what is going on at the white house. so it is a concern. but perhaps not enormously surprising, especially given what we heard this

morning from the president. we heard there in the report that the president lambasted the media. he went on for about 15 minutes talking about the dishonest media. he called parts of the media an enemy of the people. he said the press should be using unnamed sources for stories that don't paint him or his administration in a good light. so this has been an unusual day and remained to be seen if this will happen again or this was a 1—off. in other news: a french magistrate is to investigate allegations that centre—right presidential candidate francois fillon paid family members for non—existentjobs. mr fillon has acknowledged employing both his wife and his children while in office, but has denied any wrongdoing. and his lawyers have claimed the french left—wing is behind the claims.

meanwhile another french presidential candidate, marine le pen of the national front, has refused to be questioned by police in connection with her alleged misuse of eu funds. the european parliament alleges that more than 300,000 euros of funding was misspent by her party — a claim ms le pen denies. at least 18 people have been killed in a multiple crash in northwestern peru. witnesses say a pick—up truck crashed into a bus and motorcycle near the coastal city of trujillo. many of the casualties were on the bus, which burst into flames. chainsaws were used to free some of the victims from the wreckage. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: counting down to sunday night's 0scars. but will it be the speeches, not the films, that gets everybody talking? theresa may has said winning the copeland by—election

was an "astounding victory" for the conservatives. it's the first time a party in government has taken a seat in a by—election for 35 years. labour had held copeland since 1935, but the conservatives overturned a labour majority of more than two and a half thousand. in a second by—election in stoke—on—trent central, labour did see off a challenge from the ukip leader paul nuttall — but with a reduced majority. here's our deputy political editorjohn pienaar — his report does contain some flash photography. sometimes party leaders seem to grow a little after a win. theresa may's victory appearance here today told you she'd use the tories win in copeland to claim she could reach people and parts of britain no tory leader has won over since margaret thatcher. this truly is a government that is working for everyone and for every part of the country. as for the idea the tories could win

too big, that good government needs good opposition, try telling them that — or her. does britain need a strong opposition to hold you to account over brexit? the opposition will do what they will do. what i'm concerned about is what the government does, what the conservative government does. we are working for a country that truly does work for everyone, notjust the privileged few. that's the message that people here in copeland have heard. did you think that copeland would vote tory in this way? no. we could dream of it. i've been a councillor for 20 something years and we dreamt one day it would. nothing like this has ever happened. the conservative party candidate, 13,748. cheering and applause. it was a big win. the first win in a by—election by any government over its opposition in 35 years, and in a place that's been labour since 1935. it's been very clear, talking to people throughout this

campaign, thatjeremy corbyn doesn't represent them. and this is tory territory now. labour folk don't like it and some feel they know a reason why. copeland depends on sellafield, jeremy corbyn has opposed nuclear power. the nuclear probably had quite a lot to do with it, because jeremy corbyn said he didn't want it. he did do a u—turn on that, but who knows. the men have done no good when they've been prime ministers, so maybe a woman changes everything. i don't think there's any hope. no hope for labour underjeremy corbyn? i don't think so. i have to back him, because i am a labour man myself. i'm a member of the labour party. but you're telling me it's hopeless? i think it is. he's not strong enough. stoke had been a safe seat for labour, butjeremy corbyn turned up keen to celebrate holding out against ukip. it's a message about the economy, it's a message aboutjobs, it's a message about this country.

but, above all, it was a message that hope triumphs over fear. what about copeland, mr corbyn? he'd already been dogged by that defeat all day. 0ur party membership is in good heart, it's very large, very strong and we'll be out again tomorrow, and every other day, campaigning to get the message across of socialjustice in britain. yet beating ukip in stoke was a big relief to labour... are you going to resign, paul? ..and a painful blow to ukip and its defeated candidate and leader. this seat was number 72 on our hit list. there's a a lot more that will happen, a lot more to come from us. we're not going anywhere, i'm not going anywhere, so therefore, we move on and our time will come. paul nuttall may not be on his way out as leader, but his campaign wobbled, then failed. and the question's being raised, when ukip lost nigel farage, did it lose its way? those are beautiful!

just now theresa may looks the biggest winner, ruling her party against weakened and divided opponents with an assurance that's almost regal. well done indeed. i'll see you on monday. but back to business means back to brexit and there's nothing easy about that. john pienaar, bbc news, copeland. the stoke constituency was dubbed the ‘capital of brexit‘ after recording one of the highest leave votes in the eu referendum lastjune. but ukip, which was running against a labour candidate who didn't support brexit, couldn't win it. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth has been looking at what went wrong for them. the morning after a hard—fought campaign brought dawning realisation for ukip. they'd been rejected by voters. the party had hoped for a big win. in stoke, more than two thirds of people voted to leave the eu, but even where brexit proved so popular, ukip suffered defeat.

people may have voted brexit but brexitjust doesn't mean ukip. no, it doesn't and that's what we think ukip is all about, brexit. they've got no coherent policies whatsoever, whereas labour had. stoke has long been a labour stronghold, a collection of west midlands towns with a rich industrial heritage. a prime target for the ukip leader, who is keen to prove that the party can win over working people. but paul nuttall had a tough campaign, forced to correct claims he had lost close personal friends at hillsborough. senior figures say that did play a part, but insist he's still the right man to lead ukip. was this a ukip failure or a paul nuttall failure? this is a party failure. we haven't won. that is a party failure. winning by—elections like this takes time and people have to get used to you as a party. you have been around for years! we have been around for years, as a party. yes, focused on one single issue, getting britain out

of the european union and we are now evolving into something bigger and we have to get that across to the electorate. this was a significant defeat for ukip, instead of proving it can win over disillusioned labour voters, it is left struggling to explain what it stands for beyond brexit. its former leader said the campaign failed to cut through on key issues. there is a debate in ukip as to how strong we should be on the immigration issue. i personally feel we should own it. we will have to look at that and think. were we tough enough and clear enough with the electorate? in stoke, local ukip members who were on the doorstep admit that the party has to broaden its appeal, particularly given that the conservatives in government have promised to deliver brexit. there's no point in trying to dress up as reasonable what was a defeat, compared with expectations. we need to press on. 0ur number one target was to get the uk out of the european union, that is what we campaigned for, but that was only the first goal. we have to move on and get our

message across to people on issues other than the european union. having failed to do that here in stoke, ukip is once again searching for direction. alex forsyth, bbc news, stoke—on—trent. iraqi troops have entered western mosulfor the first time in their offensive to drive out so—called islamic state from the country's second city. west mosul is the last is stronghold in iraq. they're surrounded, along with an estimated three quarters of a million civilians. but government forces today met fierce resistance, as they fought their way into the city from the airport. 0ur correspondent quentin somerville and cameraman nick millard were the first journalists to head in to the district. they've sent this report. the so—called islamic state — breached. the very first iraqi government forces roll into west mosul, and into a firefight. is were waiting, and well defended.

iraqi forces are encountering heavy resistance as they move into west mosul. it has taken them less than a week to get this far, but this is a victory two years in the making after the humiliation of the islamic state sweep across iraq... that was an outgoing rocket there. for these men, they realise that beyond here, beyond this neighbourhood, they are likely facing the battle of their lives. the assault started in now practised fashion, armoured columns moving fast across open ground. these iraqi officers plotted the route. past some greenhouses, they said, and right into is territory. the caliphate is shrinking,

and with few options for their escape, is is in a fight to the death. iraq's superior firepower hasn't prevented it from suffering high casualties at the hands of is. so while the attack was determined, it was cautious. standing at the breach, the iraqi commander in charge... translation: i don't know how long it will take to liberate this area. 0ur humvees have now moved in, and we will open the road toward is. inside the city — signs of civilian life. but in the midst of all this no—one dared leave their homes. there are three quarters of a million people in the streets

beyond here, and a few thousand is fighters. distinguishing between the two will be very difficult. translation: when we liberated the last village we lost a few people, but we overwhelmed is. we have taken this area in mosul, and we will protect it, and we will not leave until we beat terrorism. iraq is finally retaking mosul. it is the sixth day of the campaign, but in the words of one commander, it's only the first. the real fighting started today when they entered the city. quentin sommerville, bbc news, west mosul. this is bbc new. the headlines: president trump and his administration have stepped up their attack on what they call the "fake media". among the targets, cnn and the bbc. theresa may has hailed a historic victory for the conservatives in

copeland. labour lost the seat in cumbria they'd held for 80 years. past problems are continuing to haunt the royal bank of scotland. the bank, which is over 70% owned by the government, warned today that it made a loss of nearly £7 billion last year. that's three times more than the loss they made the year before. our business editor simonjack takes a look at what's happening at rbs. not so much a lost decade, as a decade of losses. 2008 was the big one. £24 billion. since then, four billion, one billion, two billion, six billion, nine billion, three billion, two billion, and today, seven billion. £58 billion in total. for the ninth time in a row, fines and compensation for sins of the past have laid waste to any profits made, and further cost—cutting could mean thousands of job losses. there will be job losses.

i have not put a number out and i won't. my view is, always talk to our people first where they are affected. there will be job cuts in this organisation. there has to be, given that over the next four years we will take £2 billion of costs out of this organisation to reshape it to be a really good bank. but that is not going to happen quite yet. you will eventually see a coherent uk retail and commercial bank arising out of the ashes. but we're still a long, long way away from that. even in rbs‘s own plans, we are four years away, and their own plans have a degree of hope. i stood here in 2008. i did not expect to still be here in 2017 reporting on yet another multi—billion pound loss. it was not supposed to take this long to fix, and the fact that it has shows that no—one really knew just how big a mess the world's biggest bank at that time had got itself into. in 2008, the government of the day announced an emergency £115 billion

bailout to prevent a complete collapse. could things have been done differently? with the benefit of hindsight, it should have been fully nationalised and broken up and used in the national interest. but the taxpayer is now stuck with the losses and it could be some years before it can be returned in a way that taxpayers get their money back. the bank is much healthier today but with more losses yet to come, it seems certain we will be marking a full decade in the red this time next year. simonjack, news. claudio ranieri has spoken about his abrupt sacking by leicester, saying "yesterday my dream died". ranieri led leicester to the premier league title just nine months ago. but he was dismissed on thursday after a string of poor results, that has left the side just one point above the relegation zone. 0ur sports editor dan roan reports from leicester. at least there is still some loyalty here in leicester.

claudio ranieri remained in demand this afternoon, as both he and the city came to terms with his dismissal. the miracle worker, out of work. is there anything you would like to say to the fans, claudio? i'm very sad for them. i wish them all the best. emotions among the neighbours running high. what he's done for us. it's a disgrace. having masterminded the least likely and most popular triumph ever seen in the premier league, the italian has become the victim of its most controversial sacking. nine months ago, ranieri was the toast of leicester. everybody. cheers. but the fizz has long gone. today's press conference, flat. the man who stood alongside ranieri in the dugout was left to describe his mood. bit shocked, as we all were, but his tone was no different. as i say, he's very level—headed in terms of, that's football. can you categorically say

that he hadn't lost some parts of the dressing room, claudio ranieri? that's pure speculation. but what i would say is there was a lot of frustration because of results, but he hadn't lost the dressing room. but the ruthlessness of the dismissal has shocked even those who've spent a lifetime in the game. former leicester star gary lineker didn't just present ranieri with coach of the year. he paid a very public price for doubting the team's success. and he's angry. i'm not ashamed to say that last night when the news broke, i shed a tear. i shed a tearfor claudio, i shed a tear for football and i shed a tearfor my club. ranieri's barely believable triumph last season won admirers across the world, but since then the euphoria has evaporated. the champions are languishing one point above the relegation zone. leicester's thai owners said their club was in crisis and, with premier league survival on the line, decided to act. the fans are divided. 50% of the fans want him

sacked because of results, but for me, i would have kept him. to come back to find out he's been sacked after last year, it's disgusting. ranieri's former rivals, meanwhile, were struggling to understand. it's not only football, for me. there's a few strange decisions in 16, 17. brexit, trump, ranieri. so, um... tonight, ranieri said his dream had died. even if his former club now stays in the premier league, his dismissal, for many, will forever be a symbol of betrayal. ranieri's remarkable story restored faith in sport and now something has been lost. dan roan, bbc news, leicester. in brazil, revellers all over brazil are gearing up for parades, balls and street parties on the first of five official days of carnival celebrations. the world famous party in rio de janeiro kicked off on friday afternoon with several street parties expected to draw tens of thousands.

julia carneiro met some of the crowds. hundreds of people are taking to the streets of rio for carnival, kicking off with hundreds of street parades like this one to happen in the coming days. we are here at the hilltops of santa teresa for a traditional block or street parade that happens every year. it is named after the order of nuns that have a convent here in the neighbourhood of santa teresa. we always see lots of people dressed up as nuns. this is a time of irreverence, partying, with lots of irreverence in the country. there are lots of tourists here and ijust met this group, george is from austria. hi, george. hello, how are you? is this your first time in brazil? no, second time. for carnival? yes, this is my second time here. how do you find it, how different is this from austria? well, you know, carnival

there should be really cold, right? so, you're kind of walking around, having less clothes. so here it is good, you can enjoy having a good time, having sun, and i have to say every block or every party here is very different, so you can never say it is the same, it is always different. 0k, thank you, have fun. you too. so, traditionally, carnival is a time of year to forget about the country's and your own problems, and to celebrate, and this is what we're seeing this year in rio and brazil. despite the economic recession the country is in, and lots of protests we have seen recently in rio because of the economic crisis that the state is facing in rio, carnival is the same as it is every year. a million visitors are expected here. over three hundred street parades are to happen in the coming days. so a time of lots of

celebrations on the streets. the big parades, the official carnival is about to happen. this isjust the rio part of it, there are also the festivities which happen across brazil, so there is not much board involved here this time of year. now from the street parties to the red carpet. this sunday, the film industry's great and good will celebrate the 89th academy awards. la la land a tribute to hollywood itself is widely expected to do well, as is the coming of age film moonlight. the ceremony is no stranger to controversy, and this year is set to be more political than usual. 0ur arts editor will gompertz reports from los angeles. 0scar night in hollywood, with the motion picture industry agog to know the winners of those coveted awards. once upon a time, going up to collect your 0scar was a straightforward affair. you shook a hand, smiled politely and maybe offered a brief remark. thank you with all my heart.

but then marlon brando upped the speech making game in 1973 without saying a word, and asking a native american to explain why. he very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. and the reasons for this being the treatment of american indians today by the film industry. excuse me.