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[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon has cancelled plans to attend an investment conference in Riyadh amid growing tensions between the US and Saudi Arabia. He is the latest high-profile figure to pull out of a conference dubbed "Davos in the Desert" after the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Oil futures rose on Monday on concerns about supply, while stocks in Saudi Arabia fell sharply on Sunday. The Saudis deny killing Mr Khashoggi. The government critic vanished on 2 October after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Authorities there believe he was killed in the building by Saudi agents, which Riyadh has dismissed as "lies". The UK, Germany and France have demanded a credible investigation into the disappearance. "We can confirm... that Jamie will not be attending the Saudi event," a JP Morgan ...

[ad_1] BEIJING: Taiwan has invited Pope Francis to visit, its President Tsai Ing-wen said, just weeks after the Vatican reached a milestone deal on the appointment of bishops with China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own. Last month's deal gives the Holy See, Taiwan's last remaining diplomatic ally in Europe, a long-sought say over such appointments, although both sides call it "provisional" and sources have said some key issues remain unresolved. Taiwan Vice President Chen Chien-jen met Francis on Sunday and invited him to visit, Tsai's office said in a statement, adding that the pope had replied he would pray for Taiwan. But it gave no date for the proposed visit. Chen emphasized the provisional nature of the agreement between the Vatican and China, saying it did not involve a "diplomatic element" or affect the friendship between Taiwan and the Vatican, the statement added. "We urge everyone not to excessively interpret and worry abou...

[ad_1] TEHRAN: At an outreach centre in southern Tehran , teenagers are learning to be journalists, while upstairs their mothers are fine-tuning their sewing skills and rushing to fill an order for hospital uniforms. The brand-new centre in the working-class neighbourhood of Shahr-e Rey caters to hundreds of struggling families and Afghan refugees . It's a relatively new approach for Iran, where social welfare has often been left to informal groups based around the bazaar and mosque or fallen to large-scale government-controlled organisations. Today, privately-run charities are emerging, with managers, targets and buzzwords such as "empowerment" and "skills-training", and funded by wealthy business people who have made fortunes in booming industries such as private healthcare. This centre is run by the ILIA Foundation, created by social workers and members of the Nikan Hospital Group, who have partnered with UN refugee and health agencies to help around 1,000 fa...

[ad_1] President Donald Trump has brushed off accusations he failed to treat Christine Blasey Ford with respect during an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes. The question was raised after the US president mocked the testimony of Prof Blasey Ford, who alleged she was sexually assaulted by then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, during a campaign rally. [ad_2]

[ad_1] Image copyright AFP Image caption Donald Trump has said he does believe the climate is changing US President Donald Trump has accused climate change scientists of having a "political agenda" as he cast doubt on whether humans were responsible for the earth's rising temperatures. But Mr Trump also said he no longer believed climate change was a hoax. The comments, made during an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, come less than a week after climate scientists issued a final call to halt rising temperatures. The world's leading scientists agree that climate change is human-induced. Last week's report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - the leading international body evaluating climate change - warned the world was heading towards a temperature rise of 3C . Scientis...

[ad_1] SEOUL ( SOUTH KOREA ): The rival Koreas are holding high-level talks Monday to discuss further engagement amid a global diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear standoff with North Korea . South Korea said Monday's talks will be aimed at finding ways to carry out peace agreements announced after the summit last month between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang . The meeting between senior officials comes at a sensitive time as Washington has expressed unease over the fast pace in inter-Korean engagement, which it says should move in tandem with US-led efforts to denuclearize the North. South Korean unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon said the discussions will include setting up a joint survey of a North Korean railroad section the Koreas plan to connect with the South. The North's chief delegate to the talks is Ri Son Gwon, who chairs the North Korean agency that deals with inter-Korean affairs. ...

[ad_1] WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has alleged China, in addition to Russia , meddled in the 2016 US presidential elections . Last month, chairing a UN Security Council meeting on the sidelines of the UN general Assembly in New York, Trump had alleged that China was trying to interfere in the 2018 mid-term polls and that it did not want him to be the president. China has denied these allegations. However, for the first time Trump came out in open to say that China also meddled in the 2016 presidential elections. "They (Russians) meddled. But I think China meddled too," Trump told CBS News's popular '60 Minutes' in an interview. Recorded on Thursday, the interview was broadcast Sunday night. "I think China meddled also. And I think, frankly, China...is a bigger problem," Trump said and denied that by saying so he is not trying to divert the entire Russia thing. "I'm saying Russia, but I'm also saying China," he said. But it's...