:00:07. > :00:14.This is BBC World News Today. The headlines. President Trump says he
:00:15. > :00:21.is committed to bringing American and Japanese ties even closer. Mr
:00:22. > :00:25.Trump describes the relationship as the cornerstone of peace and
:00:26. > :00:30.stability in the region, as Shinzo Abe visits. It's important Japan and
:00:31. > :00:36.the United States continued to invest very heavily in the alliance
:00:37. > :00:40.to build up our defence, and our defensive capabilities. Earlier in a
:00:41. > :00:44.phone call to the Chinese president, President Trump had a change of
:00:45. > :00:49.heart on a key policy difference with Beijing. So, is his campaign
:00:50. > :00:55.rhetoric colliding with reality? An imminent terror attack on French saw
:00:56. > :01:00.has been filed with the arrest of four including a 16-year-old girl in
:01:01. > :01:03.Montpellier. Shifting sands in Saudi Arabia. We travel to the kingdom to
:01:04. > :01:24.see what's changing. President Trump has said he is
:01:25. > :01:27.committed to bringing US-Japan ties even closer and that there are lines
:01:28. > :01:31.is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the region. The two
:01:32. > :01:36.leaders have been in talks on the White House today, and the talks
:01:37. > :01:41.come at a slightly awkward time as Mr Trump has recently accused Japan
:01:42. > :01:45.of currency manipulation. The conference finished a few minutes
:01:46. > :01:49.ago and he had strong words about his commitment to the two countries
:01:50. > :01:57.links. We are committed to the security of Japan and all areas
:01:58. > :02:05.under its administrative control and to further strengthening our very
:02:06. > :02:11.crucial alliance. The US-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace
:02:12. > :02:16.and stability. In the Pacific region. It is important both Japan
:02:17. > :02:23.and the United States continued to invest very heavily in the Alliance
:02:24. > :02:26.to build up our defence, and our defensive capabilities which, under
:02:27. > :02:33.our mutual leadership, will become stronger and stronger, and, as time
:02:34. > :02:39.goes by, ultimately they will be impenetrable. Unsurprisingly, the
:02:40. > :02:44.first question from the full from journalists was on a different
:02:45. > :02:49.subject, and that was the tromp travel ban. The question put to him
:02:50. > :02:55.from the New York Post. We are going to keep our country safe, we are
:02:56. > :02:59.going to do whatever is necessary to keep our country safe. We had a
:03:00. > :03:04.decision which we think will be very successful comic should have taken
:03:05. > :03:08.this much time because safety is a primary reason, one of the reasons
:03:09. > :03:12.I'm standing here today, the security of our country, the voters
:03:13. > :03:18.felt I would give it the best security. So we will do something
:03:19. > :03:22.rapidly. You'll be seeing that sometime next week. In addition, we
:03:23. > :03:27.will continue to go through the court process and ultimately I have
:03:28. > :03:29.no doubt we will win that particular case. Donald Trump speaking last few
:03:30. > :03:30.minutes. Let's speak to Laura Trevelyan who's
:03:31. > :03:40.in our Washington studio. Picking up on the travel ban, what
:03:41. > :03:43.are the additional measures Mr Trump mentioned? No, that's the first
:03:44. > :03:49.we've heard of them and he said we'd be finding out soon, perhaps next
:03:50. > :03:54.week, so we don't know. He did say, as expected, that the administration
:03:55. > :03:58.is going to battle this ruling by the federal appeals court. The
:03:59. > :04:03.president tweeted last night, see you in court. We don't know the
:04:04. > :04:08.timetable on that and exactly when the next court appearance will be.
:04:09. > :04:12.On the actual Japanese visit, the two are about to go to Florida to
:04:13. > :04:16.play golf and have a weekend of talks. That was a very important
:04:17. > :04:22.commitment to Japanese security, talking about the South China Sea,
:04:23. > :04:26.and also the Indian Ocean. Yeah. It was key and it came in Donald
:04:27. > :04:30.Trump's opening paragraph and remember the Japanese have been very
:04:31. > :04:34.worried about what candidate Trump had said. He appeared to question
:04:35. > :04:41.the long-standing security alliance which the US has guaranteed Japan,
:04:42. > :04:46.since the end of the Second World War. It is under the US nuclear
:04:47. > :04:49.umbrella, the Japanese. They were worried that they should pay more
:04:50. > :04:53.for their own defence and pay for some nuclear weapons but now you
:04:54. > :04:58.have President Trump striking a very different note. He is saying we are
:04:59. > :05:03.committed to the security of Japan, and all areas and its administrative
:05:04. > :05:09.control. Remember, Japan administers those disputed islands in the East
:05:10. > :05:14.China Sea. The Chinese have been making moves towards those islands
:05:15. > :05:19.recently, which has really alarmed the Japanese, so they were very
:05:20. > :05:24.pleased to hear from President Trump that the security guarantee extends
:05:25. > :05:29.to those. For them, that is a big victory, for the Japanese prime
:05:30. > :05:33.minister, Shinzo Abe. They are having a working lunch now, where
:05:34. > :05:36.they will talk about economics and also that transpacific partnership
:05:37. > :05:42.trade deal which the Americans don't want anything to do with now but the
:05:43. > :05:49.Japanese worked so hard on. It looks like the mood on the golf links will
:05:50. > :05:52.be quite good after that unswerving commitment to the security alliance.
:05:53. > :05:56.Donald Trump saying they both had very good chemistry, and he'd let us
:05:57. > :05:58.know whether that bond changed. Thanks very much for now.
:05:59. > :06:00.Donald Trump has also been speaking to China's
:06:01. > :06:09.Mr Trump said he was committed to Beijing's one China policy,
:06:10. > :06:11.which asserts that Taiwan is a part of China.
:06:12. > :06:13.American recognition of the policy is a cornerstone
:06:14. > :06:15.of US-Chinese relations, but Mr Trump has
:06:16. > :06:18.Here's our China editor Carrie Gracie in the Taiwanese
:06:19. > :06:30.Three weeks into the Trump presidency, the phone call between
:06:31. > :06:34.an American president and a Chinese president has finally happened. It
:06:35. > :06:37.was becoming conspicuous by its absence over those three weeks, a
:06:38. > :06:42.score of otherworldly did had already picked up the phone to
:06:43. > :06:48.Donald Trump, but not President Xi. The sticking point was the future of
:06:49. > :06:54.this place, Taiwan. This vibrant, noisy, contradictory democracy.
:06:55. > :06:58.There's lots of people on the streets because of this lantern
:06:59. > :07:02.festival. The problem here is the identity and the future of Taiwan
:07:03. > :07:09.because China wants this place back. It sees it as the last piece in the
:07:10. > :07:14.jigsaw puzzle of the Chinese nation. President Trump wants to sell more
:07:15. > :07:18.exports to China to level up the trade balance, and he started
:07:19. > :07:22.talking before his inauguration as if the status of Taiwan might be a
:07:23. > :07:27.bargaining chip in that and he might veer towards acknowledging the
:07:28. > :07:32.independence of this place. That was a no-no to President Xi and that
:07:33. > :07:36.call wasn't going to happen until they got back clear between them. As
:07:37. > :07:41.far as China's concerned, nothing happens until you've acknowledged
:07:42. > :07:49.the One China policy that acknowledges that this island is a
:07:50. > :07:52.part of China. So, President Xi got what he wanted from President Trump
:07:53. > :07:58.and the question is did President Trump get anything in return? It
:07:59. > :08:04.looks as if Donald Trump blinked and it is he, right now, as far as China
:08:05. > :08:06.and Taiwan are concerned, is a paper tiger.
:08:07. > :08:08.French police have arrested four people in the southern city
:08:09. > :08:10.of Montpellier on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.
:08:11. > :08:13.They had apparently bought chemicals that can be used to make bombs,
:08:14. > :08:18.and a makeshift laboratory was found during a search.
:08:19. > :08:23.Naomi Grimley has been speaking about what has been found.
:08:24. > :08:32.This latest plot saw four people arrested, three men and a
:08:33. > :08:36.16-year-old woman. And in their possession was found acetone. That's
:08:37. > :08:43.significant because it is a highly flammable liquid which can be used
:08:44. > :08:47.to make the explosive TA TP, and that was exactly the kind of
:08:48. > :08:52.explosive that was used in the November 2015 Paris attacks. And the
:08:53. > :08:56.brothel attacks last year. So that might explain why the authorities
:08:57. > :09:01.are particularly worried about this plot, and they do say that an
:09:02. > :09:06.attack, a series of bombs were in preparation and an attack was
:09:07. > :09:11.imminent. It comes at a time when France and, indeed, Paris in
:09:12. > :09:19.particular is under high alert, a state of high alert. Emergency laws
:09:20. > :09:24.have been in place, ever since the November attacks in 2015, and
:09:25. > :09:28.they've been extended on a rolling basis. There is also particular
:09:29. > :09:32.worry because security is high up the agenda as we move towards the
:09:33. > :09:39.presidential elections. The first round of which is at the end of
:09:40. > :09:43.April. So you can see guards on the street and, indeed, yesterday the
:09:44. > :09:47.Eiffel Tower announced it was going to put a reinforced glass screen
:09:48. > :09:51.around the base of it, and that's just an example of how some of these
:09:52. > :09:52.security measures are becoming more permanent.
:09:53. > :09:56.Now a look at some of the days other news.
:09:57. > :10:02.Indonesian officials say 12 people including young children have been
:10:03. > :10:07.killed in multiple landslides on the island of Bali. Several others were
:10:08. > :10:11.injured when Holmes on a slope on the east of the island were washed
:10:12. > :10:13.away. More heavy rain is expected to fall throughout the weekend.
:10:14. > :10:20.A judge in Carew has ordered the arrest of the former president as
:10:21. > :10:27.part of a growing corruption scandal. He was in office from
:10:28. > :10:31.2001-2006 and is accused of taking $20 million in bribes in return for
:10:32. > :10:37.allowing developers to build a highway. Some time in Australia is
:10:38. > :10:42.hot but right now the temperature in large parts of the country is
:10:43. > :10:48.extreme. It's prompted warnings of electricity blackouts and bushfires.
:10:49. > :10:55.Parts of New South Wales soared to a record-breaking 47 Celsius on
:10:56. > :10:57.Friday. The heatwave is set to continue on Sunday. Let's get more
:10:58. > :11:07.in our top story. President Trump has described the
:11:08. > :11:11.US-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the
:11:12. > :11:15.region. Shinzo Abe said strengthening their relationship
:11:16. > :11:20.could bring many jobs. Last year, from Japan to the United
:11:21. > :11:26.States, there have been more than $150 billion of new investment made
:11:27. > :11:35.into the United States. And those Japanese businesses have created a
:11:36. > :11:41.large number of jobs, and the mutually beneficial economic
:11:42. > :11:44.relations have been built with the United States with Donald Trump
:11:45. > :11:57.taking on the leadership, I am sure there will be investments made,
:11:58. > :12:05.including a faster speed train. I know you are the chair of Japan
:12:06. > :12:08.studies in Washington and what did you make of the press conference,
:12:09. > :12:12.the body language between the two leaders, it looked quite warm, and
:12:13. > :12:18.specifically what they said. It was quite a lengthy press conference.
:12:19. > :12:24.Indeed. I think the chemistry was good. And one of Shinzo Abe's goals
:12:25. > :12:28.is to improve that further and they will probably do that on the golf
:12:29. > :12:35.course this weekend. The other thing Abe wanted to do was strengthen the
:12:36. > :12:42.US-Japan alliance and get President Trump to reaffirm security
:12:43. > :12:46.statements, which it did. Abe also wanted to accommodate Trump's
:12:47. > :12:50.America first narrative. You heard him talk about Japanese investment
:12:51. > :12:55.in the United States, and perhaps a new economic initiative. The one
:12:56. > :12:59.area where there could be differences of course is on trade. I
:13:00. > :13:03.thought it was interesting that President Trump spoke in bilateral
:13:04. > :13:09.terms, referencing free, fair and reciprocal trade, whereas Shinzo Abe
:13:10. > :13:13.was talking about rules and norms for economic integration in the
:13:14. > :13:17.Asia-Pacific region, which was very much an organising principle behind
:13:18. > :13:25.TPP. Very good chemistry, a great start but I think it is trade with
:13:26. > :13:29.the two government Pramac where the governments -- will have to have
:13:30. > :13:33.talks. Japan has been concerned with the ongoing tension about what is
:13:34. > :13:39.going on in the region with China and so on. What did you read into
:13:40. > :13:43.what we heard there? I thought it was very interesting President Trump
:13:44. > :13:45.talk not only about US security commitments to Japan but
:13:46. > :13:50.strengthening mutual defence capabilities. I believe he used the
:13:51. > :13:56.phrase impenetrable. That sends a very strong signal to China and
:13:57. > :14:00.North Korea. They cannot drive a wedge between the US and Japan. And
:14:01. > :14:06.that the alliance will remain strong and that is a very reassuring signal
:14:07. > :14:11.for the entire region after a very bizarre comment from Trump over the
:14:12. > :14:14.course of the presidential campaign. Strengthening defence capabilities
:14:15. > :14:19.and that security has great potential to evolve with the new US
:14:20. > :14:22.administration. What do you foresee coming out of the weekend, as we
:14:23. > :14:25.heard they are going to Florida to play some golf and to continue the
:14:26. > :14:32.talks. What will both sides want to get out of it by Sunday? Well,
:14:33. > :14:36.President Trump referred to negotiations in Florida which
:14:37. > :14:40.reveals his mindset, in respect of bilateral economic ties and his
:14:41. > :14:44.instincts to talk about trade. I think Shinzo Abe wants to get to
:14:45. > :14:48.know the present better. It's important to remember that Abe is on
:14:49. > :14:52.solid political ground in Japan. He could be the leader for several more
:14:53. > :14:57.years, and he's going to present himself as someone who Trump can do
:14:58. > :15:01.business with. Over time on the golf course, exchanging views is really
:15:02. > :15:05.going to do a lot. And then the government Pramac can pick up the
:15:06. > :15:28.details in dialogue going forward. Thanks very much for your time.
:15:29. > :15:34.The panel in Saudi Arabia includes efforts to try to open up the
:15:35. > :15:39.conservative kingdom west and banned and women aren't allowed to drive.
:15:40. > :15:41.Our chief international correspondent correspondent reports
:15:42. > :15:47.from Saudi Arabia. The image of Saudi Arabia is of the
:15:48. > :15:52.harsh reality of a country which has been repeatedly condemned for its
:15:53. > :15:56.human rights record, and repeatedly criticised for its role in the
:15:57. > :16:00.bombing campaign in Yemen with allegations of possible war crimes.
:16:01. > :16:04.These are discussed by Saudi officials outside the country but
:16:05. > :16:07.inside the country that's not the discussion that is preoccupying
:16:08. > :16:12.people. So much attention is now being focused on what is a very
:16:13. > :16:18.ambitious master plan to do nothing less than transform this country,
:16:19. > :16:24.the world's biggest exporter of oil, which took a real beating a few
:16:25. > :16:27.years ago when oil prices crashed and the government saw its revenues
:16:28. > :16:33.halved. It was a wake-up call. More than that, it recognises that if
:16:34. > :16:38.you're going to impose more hardships on your people who are not
:16:39. > :16:42.used to paying taxes,, having most of their services paid for with the
:16:43. > :16:48.subsidies being eased, you have to give them something in return. So,
:16:49. > :16:52.there is talk about how do you open up the country? So we took a look at
:16:53. > :17:04.how far and fast Saudi Arabia's changing.
:17:05. > :17:06.A moment many have waited for. A live concert. They call him the
:17:07. > :17:20.artist of Arabs. A rock star here. He's even been called the Paul
:17:21. > :17:26.McCartney of Saudi Arabia. Now allowed to sing in his own country
:17:27. > :17:31.for the first time in years. His fans never thought they'd see him on
:17:32. > :17:36.here. It's the first of many concerts planned by a new ministry,
:17:37. > :17:42.charged with bringing some fun conservative kingdom.
:17:43. > :17:50.One step at a time. Look at the crowd. All men. And some Saudis
:17:51. > :17:58.don't want women at concerts like this. It's too much and isn't good
:17:59. > :18:05.for the country. But the pace of change is picking up. Dune bashing
:18:06. > :18:13.is one of the few thrills on offer at the weekend. There are not any
:18:14. > :18:18.Saudi women here today. It is quite a ride, I'm sure they'd enjoy it. In
:18:19. > :18:24.this young country, two thirds of people are under 30. The bright
:18:25. > :18:29.lights of Dubai or London are all too tempting. Now their rulers,
:18:30. > :18:32.including a 31-year-old Deputy Crown prince, are trying to encourage them
:18:33. > :18:37.to spend their time and money at home. We're changing the past but
:18:38. > :18:42.first of all we have to have women driving and we have to have the
:18:43. > :18:51.cinema. Because it isn't forbidden in our religion. And you want
:18:52. > :18:54.dancing? What about drinking? Not drinking, not dancing. It isn't
:18:55. > :19:02.allowed in our religion. And we don't want it. The winds of change
:19:03. > :19:13.started blowing from here, the empty Quarter. The world's largest desert
:19:14. > :19:17.and its richest oil fields. No one else produces more of this black
:19:18. > :19:27.gold. No other industry provides so much cash to the kingdom. 90% of its
:19:28. > :19:32.revenue. But low world prices cut the earnings in half. The discovery
:19:33. > :19:37.of oil in this forbidding desert fuelled the rise of Saudi Arabia, a
:19:38. > :19:42.powerful kingdom of vast wealth but the crash in world oil prices
:19:43. > :19:49.exposed another harsh reality, the need to end what its rulers call a
:19:50. > :19:58.dangerous addiction to oil. And that means an end to the state's largess.
:19:59. > :20:05.When I went to see the powerful oil minister in the capital, Riyadh, he
:20:06. > :20:08.admitted it wouldn't be easy. For sure, there will be pain. The old
:20:09. > :20:14.adage, no pain no gain is very much at play here. And they are already
:20:15. > :20:20.hurting, especially in the middle class with cuts to subsidies to fuel
:20:21. > :20:25.and water. For sure. And what those pains will do as they will mobilise
:20:26. > :20:31.people to do new things that they are not used to doing. Saudis have
:20:32. > :20:37.been used to subsidised fuel to run their cars, cushy government jobs,
:20:38. > :20:42.no taxes. Now they are being told look for jobs in private companies
:20:43. > :20:48.or create them. Everyone is being asked to shoulder more
:20:49. > :20:55.responsibility. It is a huge thing, it is a huge step for Saudi Arabia.
:20:56. > :21:03.We need to cope with it. How? I don't know, but we will see. Are you
:21:04. > :21:09.worried? Yes. Of course. Everyone is. Because it is new thing for
:21:10. > :21:16.Saudi Arabia. It is an ambitious plan. Some say too ambitious. In the
:21:17. > :21:21.heart of Riyadh, the world's biggest metro project. The first public
:21:22. > :21:28.transport system for the capital. And it's more than just a Metro.
:21:29. > :21:32.It's meant to change the way Saudis live, create jobs, including some
:21:33. > :21:37.for women. These young architects and engineers are part of a new,
:21:38. > :21:42.highly educated generation. And there was equal opportunities the
:21:43. > :21:47.men and women? Definitely. We have the same working hours, same loads,
:21:48. > :21:51.everything is equal. Progress takes different speeds in different
:21:52. > :21:56.countries. Maybe were not as fast as people would like us to be but were
:21:57. > :22:00.going as good as it is for our own nation and citizens. There have been
:22:01. > :22:05.plans to change this country before, so there is scepticism, too. For the
:22:06. > :22:12.outside world, Saudi Arabia has long been viewed as a closed and
:22:13. > :22:16.conservative kingdom. It still is. But some things are clearly starting
:22:17. > :22:20.to change. That doesn't include public discussion of its human
:22:21. > :22:24.rights record or any political reform but for the majority of
:22:25. > :22:33.Saudis, other issues seem to matter far more.
:22:34. > :22:38.And that Saudi Arabia in 2017. You do find sceptics and doubters here.
:22:39. > :22:42.They say Saudi Arabia doesn't have the bureaucracy, doesn't have the
:22:43. > :22:47.government ministries, doesn't have the ability to carry out this
:22:48. > :22:52.ambitious plan. 14 years is simply too short. Even critics will say
:22:53. > :22:55.that at least there is a plan with practicalities. The first time in
:22:56. > :23:01.Saudi history, there are government ministers who are being sacked, and
:23:02. > :23:04.held accountable. I've spoken women activists who say they've taken
:23:05. > :23:09.elements of this plan, they go to the labour ministry and say you have
:23:10. > :23:17.to carry out this plan. The reality is Saudi Arabia has no other choice.
:23:18. > :23:22.World oil prices are low and will not get higher. They have a huge
:23:23. > :23:25.youth bulge. To keep the Saudis here, to give Saudi Arabia a future,
:23:26. > :23:29.they've got to give them not just jobs but a life that is worth
:23:30. > :23:35.living. It has to have a lot more fun.
:23:36. > :23:42.More than 400 Wales have beached on the coast of New Zealand, one of the
:23:43. > :23:47.worst whale stranding is in the country. Volunteers are racing to
:23:48. > :23:52.try and save and refloat them but already 300 have died and time is
:23:53. > :23:59.running out for the rest. Stranded, distressed and barely
:24:00. > :24:03.alive. Volunteers have come from far and wide to save the Wales beached
:24:04. > :24:10.in New Zealand overnight. But most of them were already dead. This is
:24:11. > :24:15.the third largest mass stranding we've recorded so it is a very large
:24:16. > :24:19.one. Logistically, it is a massive undertaking. The Wales started
:24:20. > :24:23.stranding around 10pm last night, we were notified of that, and this
:24:24. > :24:28.morning when they went out and checked on them, most of the whales
:24:29. > :24:34.were already dead. I've never experienced death before. For such a
:24:35. > :24:38.majestic animal, it's very strange to see them doing this. There is a
:24:39. > :24:43.lot of death here, which is a sad thing. If we can get some of them
:24:44. > :24:48.out, it's got to be a good thing. Scientists don't know why Wales
:24:49. > :24:53.beached themselves. It can be due to sickness or injury. Anybody that
:24:54. > :24:59.doesn't have a sheet, make sure the sheet is wet not covering the
:25:00. > :25:03.blowhole. Rescuers trying to refloat the whales but some just turned
:25:04. > :25:06.straight back to shore. Whale strandings are common in New
:25:07. > :25:12.Zealand. 200 Wales beached here two years earlier but this is one of the
:25:13. > :25:13.country's worst mass strandings. We have some extraordinary pictures
:25:14. > :25:24.to show you now. A dramatic flow of Laver has
:25:25. > :25:26.reappeared and is shooting into the ocean off Hawaii.
:25:27. > :25:29.You can see huge explosions in the sea water as the molten rock
:25:30. > :25:32.spews out in what is known as a "fire hose."
:25:33. > :25:34.It's impressive to look at, but it's also extremely dangerous,
:25:35. > :25:36.and geologists are warning sightseers to stay away.
:25:37. > :25:38.The lava flow here actually began on New Year's Eve,
:25:39. > :25:41.but was cut off last week after a cliff collapsed
:25:42. > :25:51.Amazing pictures for you. That's it, I'll be back in about 1.5 hours on
:25:52. > :26:10.BBC world News. Next, the weather. It is looking wintry this weekend.
:26:11. > :26:11.One thing is the sure, it's going to be cold with