Monday Morning Briefing

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U.S. President Donald Trump tours the Global Center for Combatting Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst


Trump’s first foreign tour

After an exhausting two days in Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Israel early today. Over the next two days, he’ll meet separately with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an attempt to revive the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. On his maiden foreign tour since taking office, Trump is already showing signs of fatigue from a packed schedule.

Iran accuses U.S. of “Iranophobia”

Israel makes concessions to Palestinians ahead of Trump visit

Reuters TV: Can Trump bring peace to the holy land?

Wider Image: The 50th anniversary of the Six Day War - Jerusalem then and now


Venezuela

Caracas possesses 5,000 Russian-made MANPADS surface-to-air weapons, according to a military document reviewed by Reuters. It’s the largest known stockpile in Latin America and a source of concern for U.S. officials amid the country's mounting turmoil.


Business

Ford is expected to fire CEO Mark Fields in a broad management shake-up, a company source said - a move reflecting growing investor unease over the company's stock market performance and outlook.

U.S.-based Huntsman Corp and Switzerland's Clariant AG announced they’re combining to create a chemical manufacturer with a market value of more than $14 billion. The merger comes after years of tentative mutual approaches.


North Korea

North Korea said it had successfully tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile which met all technical requirements and could now be mass-produced, indicating advances in its ambitions to be able to hit the United States.


Thailand

A bomb blast at a hospital in Bangkok wounded 24 people today, a day marking the third anniversary of a 2014 military coup. There was no claim of responsibility for the blast at the Phramongkutklao Hospital, which is popular with soldiers and their families, and retired military officers.


Cybersecurity

Russian cyber criminals used malware planted on Android mobile devices to steal from domestic bank customers and were planning to target European lenders before their arrest, investigators and sources with knowledge of the case told Reuters exclusively.

Exclusive: North Korea's Unit 180, the cyber warfare cell that worries the West

People celebrate carrying a Russian and Syrian national flags inside Waer district, after rebel fighters and their families evacuated the besieged Waer district in the central Syrian city of Homs, after an agreement was reached between rebels and Syria's army, Syria May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki


China

An influential state-run newspaper applauded China's anti-espionage efforts after the New York Times said China had killed or imprisoned up to 20 CIA sources, hobbling U.S. spying operations in a massive intelligence breach.


U.S.

President Trump's budget proposal, set to be unveiled on Tuesday, will include cuts to Medicaid and propose changes to other assistance programs for low-income citizens, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

A Pennsylvania judge will begin questioning potential jurors for the rape trial of Bill Cosby, the comedian best known as America's favorite TV dad before dozens of women came forward to accuse him of sexual abuse.