Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia in first foreign trip

The US president's visit is seen as highly symbolic, as he looks to repair the US relationship with its closest Arab ally [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]US President Donald Trump has arrived in Saudi Arabia on the first leg of his first foreign trip since taking office, in a crucial test abroad as political scandals mount at home.

Trump aims to strengthen ties in Saudi Arabia visit

Trump will be meeting with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and other Arab and Muslim leaders on Saturday and Sunday, before jetting off to Israel, the occupied Palestinian Territories, the Vatican, Belgium and Italy in a nine-day tour across the Middle East and Europe.

During the two-day visit to the kingdom, Trump is expected to sign a major weapons deal, give a speech on Islam and discuss the battle against "terrorism" with more than 50 leaders.

It is the first time a US president has chosen Saudi Arabia as the first stop on a maiden trip.

Trump's visit is seen as highly symbolic, as he looks to repair the US relationship with its closest Arab ally.

During the final years of the Obama administration, a senior adviser to King Salman said "relations had undergone a period of difference of opinion". These differences were largely centred around the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and the Obama administration's cautions to the kingdom about the civilian toll of the war in Yemen.

READ MORE: What to expect from Trump's Middle East visit 

Al Jazeera Washington editor James Bays, reporting from the Saudi capital Riyadh said the Saudis were very "proud and excited" that the US president chose the Gulf country as his first stop.

"They want a reset of the relationship with the US. They were not happy with Obama, they were not happy with the US policy in Yemen and the policy in Syria," Bays said.

Ahmed Alibrahim, a Saudi political analyst, told Al Jazeera that the Saudis see this as a "great day" for relations with the US.

"We think President Trump's cabinet does understand the Saudi challenges and does understand the challenges the GCC faces."

He added that the kingdom would like to see more "decisive statements, actions and sanctions on the Iranian regime".

Trump was welcomed in Riyadh on Saturday by Saudi's King Salman [Mandel Ngan/AFP]
Prior to the trip, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, said the visit will "bolster the strategic partnership between the two countries".

He added, that "several agreements will be signed, including political agreements ... and big economic agreements".

Marwan Kabalan, an analyst at the Doha Institute's Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, told Al Jazeera the US and Saudi Arabiawill discuss a strategic plan aimed at countering "extremism" as an ideological battle.

"I think both sides have high expectations of this summit, as they are expected to discuss the most pressing issues for both of them like the conflict in Yemen, the war in Syria and the war on ISIL," Kabalan said, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant armed group, also known as ISIS.

"Trump is expected to address the entire Islamic world while trying to establish this sort of a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, particularly concerning groups like ISIL."
Arms deal

On Saturday, Trump is expected to announce an arms deal with Saudi Arabia worth more than $100bn, in what could be the biggest such agreement in history.

Saudi Arabia and US to announce 'historic' arms deal

Speaking on condition of anonymity, US officials familiar with the package told The Associated Press news agency that the deal would include Abrams tanks, combat ships, missile defence systems, radar and communications and cyber security technology.

Much of the package builds on commitments made before Trump took office, although some elements are new, including weapons designed to help Saudi Arabia in an air campaign it has led in war-torn Yemen, officials said.

The Trump administration separately informed Congress on Friday that it will sell some $500m in precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia. These include laser-guided Paveway II bombs and JDAM kits for converting unguided bombs into "smart bombs".
'Historic summit'

Also on the agenda in Riyadh is a summit of more than 50 Arab and Muslim leaders, including those from the six nations that form the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), to discuss the fight against "extremism".

Announcing the meeting, the Saudi foreign ministry said the "historic summit" should be the start to "building a partnership between the Arab and Muslim worlds and the United States at various levels".

INTERACTIVE: A timeline of US-Saudi relations

Trump is expected to give a speech on Islam, calling for unity in the fight against "radicalism" and characterising the effort as a "battle between good and evil", the AP reported, citing a draft of his speech.

The US president will avoid tough anti-Muslim rhetoric from his presidential campaign, as well as mentions of democracy and human rights, according to the draft of the speech, which remains subject to revision, AP said.

According Al Jazeera's James Bays, the meeting will also include talks on Trump's promise to restart peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.

"Everyone agrees that a fresh approach could be helpful in solving this long-running conflict and President Trump certainly brings that - but Arab leaders will want to hear more than optimism, they'll want to know the US president's plan to move forward," Bays said.

READ MORE: Five things to know about Donald Trump's first foreign trip

After the visit in Saudi Arabia, Trump will head to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories where he will meet his "friend" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.

There are no plans for Trump to bring the two leaders together, a senior US official told the Reuters news agency, saying the administration does not believe it is the "right time just yet".

Trump will then fly to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis, who has said he will give the US president an open-minded hearing, despite differences in belief on everything from climate change to policies towards refugees.

Trump will later meet members of NATO in Brussels and attend a G7 summit in Italy.

OPINION: The US' never-ending days of reckoning

The foreign trip comes as Trump faces growing criticism at home.

As the US president jetted off to Saudi Arabia, reports by US media emerged that a senior adviser to Trump was a "person of interest" in a probe of possible collusion with Russia during last year's election campaign and that the US president had boasted to Russian officials after firing former FBI Director James Comey earlier this month.

On Thursday, Trump also denounced the announcement of special counsel to conduct an independent investigation into the alleged Russia meddling in the election and possible collusion with Trump's team.

The airlines with the worst UK inbound delays revealed

More than a quarter of flights into the UK are delayed, new figures claim.

An examination of more than 850,000 flights into UK airports found that 26% arrived more than 15 minutes late.

The five worst for delays, according to Which? were:

Air Transat - 45% of flights delayed
Icelandair - 44%
Norwegian - 40%
Malaysia - 40%
Air Canada - 36%

The five best were:

KLM - 12% of flights delayed
Qatar - 14%
Iberia - 16%
Aer Lingus - 18%
Etihad - 18%

Ryanair (23%), British Airways (26%) and Easyjet (34%) were in the middle of the table of 35 airlines, while the best performing budget airlines were Flybe (18%) and Wizz Air (18%).

Julian Assange: 'I cannot forgive terrible injustice'

Julian Assange has said Sweden's decision to drop an investigation into allegations of rape against him is an "important victory".

But on the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where the WikiLeaks founder has been holed up since June 2012, he said he cannot forgive or forget the "terrible injustice" he has suffered.

He told reporters and supporters in central London that his children had grown up without him during the total of seven years he has spent in detention without charge.

Assange criticised the EU during his speech, and said: "The reality is detention and extradition without charge has become a feature of the European Union."

Although he is no longer facing action from Swedish prosecutors, Assange is still at risk of arrest if he tries to leave the Ecuadorian embassy.

He is wanted by British police for breaching bail conditions - and WikiLeaks is concerned this could result in him being extradited to the US, where he would face prosecution for publishing swathes of classified military and diplomatic documents.

Assange has said the UK is refusing to confirm or deny whether America has made an extradition request - and he insisted he is happy to engage with the US Justice Department.

:: Years inside: Timeline of Assange's fight for freedom

The 45-year-old, who is originally from Australia, told his supporters that the road is far from over - and "the proper war is just commencing".

Prior to his speech, Ecuador's foreign minister Guillaume Long had said: "Given that the European Arrest Warrant no longer holds, Ecuador will now be intensifying its diplomatic efforts with the UK so that Julian Assange can gain safe passage in order to enjoy his asylum in Ecuador."

Assange has now been inside the embassy for four years and 334 days.

From outside the embassy, Sky's Ashish Joshi said: "Assange sounded angry, he sounded triumphant and he sounded defiant.

"When he was speaking he talked about another major victory: Chelsea Manning being released from jail 28 years early because her sentence had been commuted.

"The important distinction is that her sentence was commuted by then president Barack Obama. Is Donald Trump likely to take a lenient approach to Julian Assange? The answer is no."

Assange had always denied the rape allegation against him, and his accuser said in a statement that she was "shocked" the investigation had ended - describing it as a "scandal".

Although the investigation has been dropped, Assange has not been exonerated - and Sweden could reopen the case if he returns to Sweden before the statute of limitations lapses in 2020.

Sweden drops Julian Assange rape investigation

Julian Assange, 45, has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 [Reuters]

Swedish prosecutors on Friday dropped a rape investigation into Julian Assange, the founder of anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, bringing to an end a seven-year legal stand-off.

Yet, British police said he would still be arrested if he left the Ecuadorean embassy in the UK capital, London, where he has been holed up since 2012.

Assange, 45, took refuge there to avoid extradition to Sweden amid fears that he would have been handed over to the US to face prosecution over the publication of classified military and diplomatic documents by WikiLeaks.

"The investigation is discontinued," Marianne Ny, the director of public prosecution, told reporters in Sweden's capital, Stockholm.

"In order to proceed with the case, Julian Assange would have to be formally notified of the criminal suspicions against him. We cannot expect to receive assistance from Ecuador regarding this," Ny said.

"We are not making a statement about his guilt."
'Very pleased'

Christophe Marchand, a member of Assange's legal team, welcomed the suspension of the investigation as "the end of his nightmare". 

"We have been waiting a long time for this decision," he said, adding: "Julian Assange has been a victim of a huge abuse of procedure. We are very pleased and very moved".

READ MORE: Chelsea Manning's release - Life beyond whistle-blowing

Shortly after the announcement, Assange posted a picture of himself smiling broadly, without comment.

Later on Friday, British police said separately they would still arrest Assange if he walked out of the embassy because he had broken his conditions for bail by failing to surrender on June 29, 2012 for extradition to Sweden.

"Now that the situation has changed and the Swedish authorities have discontinued their investigation into that matter, Mr Assange remains wanted for a much less serious offence," it said in a statement.

"The Metropolitan Police Service is obliged to execute that warrant should he leave the Embassy."

In a Twitter post, WikiLeaks said the UK has refused to comment whether it has received a US warrant to extradite Assange, and added: "Focus now moves to UK".
'It's a scandal'

The rape accusation against Assange dates from August 2010 when an alleged victim, who says she met him at a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm a few days earlier, filed a complaint.

She said she was "shocked" by the Swedish prosecutors' decision to drop the investigation, according to her lawyer.

"It is a scandal that a suspected rapist can escape justice and thereby avoid the courts ... no decision to (end the case) can make her change that Assange exposed her to rape," Elisabeth Fritz, the plaintiff's lawyer, said in a statement.

Assange, however, has repeatedly reiterated his innocence and said the sex was consensual, insisting that the accusations are "politically motivated".

OPINION: Clamping down on whistle-blowers a 'retrograde' step 

The probe has suffered from endless procedural complications since it began in 2010.

Per Samuelsson, Assange's Swedish lawyer, last month filed a new motion demanding that the arrest warrant be lifted after US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in April that arresting Assange would be "a priority".

In a letter sent to the Swedish government on May 8, Ecuador condemned "the obvious lack of progress" despite Swedish officials questioning Assange at the embassy in November 2016.

"The Ecuadorian government have been putting pressure on the Swedes to bring about some sort of solution to this long-running stand-off," Al Jazeera's Neave Barker, reporting from London, said.

The probe was dropped "largely on a technicality," he said. Prosecutors "simply cannot continue with the case because they cannot serve Assange with the necessary documents to do so, rather than a belief on whether he's guilty or not."

Barker added that the US was preparing to press charges against Assange.

"We believe the sealed indictment has been prepared, although we don't know what is in it," he said.

"The Obama administration felt charges couldn't be brought and things were very much in flux and they seem to be in flux even now."

A UN panel has said that Assange had been "arbitrarily detained" and should be able to claim compensation from Britain and Sweden. The two countries have dismissed the report.

Assange, who is Australian, was granted asylum by Ecuador and has been able to evade justice because he is on Ecuador's sovereign territory by being in the embassy.

Sudan's Bashir declines to attend Saudi summit with Trump

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has decided not to take up an invitation from Saudi Arabia to attend an Islamic summit at which US President Donald Trump will be guest of honour.

Mr Bashir, who cited "private reasons", is wanted for alleged war crimes in Darfur and the US was reportedly unhappy about his attendance.

Sudan had said it was looking forward to improving US ties at the event.

Saudi Arabia is the first stop on Mr Trump's first foreign tour.

A statement from Mr Bashir's office said the president had apologised to King Salman of Saudi Arabia for being unable to attend the Riyadh summit. No further explanation was given.

Minister of State Taha al-Hussein will represent him.
What's behind Donald Trump's first visit?
Who is Omar al-Bashir?

In 2009 and 2010, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Mr Bashir for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Darfur, which has claimed at least 300,000 lives.

He denies the charges, and has successfully evaded arrest for several years.

Saudi Arabia is not a signatory to the statute that founded the ICC and neither Sudan nor the US have ratified it.

But a US official told NBC News earlier that the Trump administration opposed invitations or travel by individuals facing ICC indictments.

"While the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute... we nevertheless strongly support efforts to hold accountable those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes," the official said.

The Saudi summit brings together more than 50 leaders from Arab and Muslim nations.

Mr Trump will deliver a speech on his "hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam".

His trip will also take him to Israel, the West Bank and Europe.

Danny DeVito urges UK to vote Jeremy Corbyn in the General Election

Hollywood actor Danny DeVito has pledged his support for Jeremy Corbyn, urging people in the UK to vote for him on Twitter.

The US actor known for his offbeat comedies tweeted: "UK. You've got the guy.

"Register by May 22nd. Vote for Jeremy Corbyn... show us how it's done!"

It is not the first time the 72-year-old star has pledged his allegiance to the Labour leader. Last year, he said he was a "big-time" supporter and that Mr Corbyn and Bernie Sanders were "the only shining lights we have right now".

This time, he got a response from Mr Corbyn, who tweeted to say that "if Danny DeVito is saying you should register to vote then you really should".

At the end of his tweet, DeVito added the hashtag #grime4corbyn, used by some UK rappers to voice their support for the Labour campaign.

Hackers arrested across Europe over spree of ATM 'black box' thefts

Twenty-seven people have been arrested across Europe as part of an international investigation into so-called ATM black box attacks.

EU member states and Norway contributed to the investigation, which was supported by Europol's European Cybercrime Centre.

Black box attacks are when criminals connect an unauthorised device to an ATM's controller, which sends commands to the cash dispenser telling it to dispense all of the money inside.

The attack requires the criminals to have physical access to the controller, often achieved by drilling holes or melting through the cover of the terminal.

Perpetrators responsible for this new and sophisticated method of ATM fraud were identified in a number of countries in 2016 and 2017, with the most recent arrest in Spain this month.

Image:Europol is headquartered in The Hague in the Netherlands

The black box phenomenon first appeared in Western Europe in 2015.

Losses from successful attacks can be significant, according to Europol, stretching into the hundreds of thousands of euros.

A recently published report from the European ATM Security Team (EAST) reveals that criminals carried out ATM black box attacks in 10 reporting countries during 2016.

According to EAST, there were 58 such attacks in 2016 - almost quadruple the amount in 2015, when there were 15.

Losses linked with overall ATM-related fraud rose 2% over the same period, up from £280m to £284m.

Europol has been cooperating with the ATM industry in order to detect black box incidents properly.

The agency says most attacks are now unsuccessful as public and private cooperation in the security domain is improving.

There were four operational meetings in 2016 and 2017 at The Hague, in which 20 countries including the UK and the US discussed how to share intelligence to tackle the rising threat.

Image:Arrests were made in the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Norway

According to Europol, perpetrators involved in ATM black box attacks come mainly from countries such as Romania, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.

The agency states investigations are still ongoing and further arrests are expected in the near future.