Switzerland

Azerbaijan’s president lauds extension of OPEC+ deal as wise move

DAVOS, January 22. /TASS/. Prolonging the deal to cap oil production within the OPEC+ structure until the end of 2019 makes economic sense because it maintains the oil market’s balance within the range of $60-70 per barrel, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev told TASS on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Davos Forum.

Opening of China's market could serve as future global growth driver

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The opening of China's market is likely to increase the competitiveness of the Chinese economy, which could serve as a future driver of global growth, experts attending the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting said Tuesday.

Attending a penal discussion titled "Rethinking Global Financial Risk," Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said that the Chinese economy may slow down in 2019 but "it won't be a collapse."

Never mind climate change, Davos prefers private jets

22 Jan 2019; AFP: The Davos elite say they are more worried than ever about climate change. But that isn't stopping them chartering private jets in record numbers.

The convenience and comfort of flying privately rather than commercially appears to outweigh any concerns about the outsized carbon footprint it involves, judging by a number-crunching exercise by the company Air Charter Service (ACS).

It forecast nearly 1,500 private jet flights over the week of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to airports near Davos in the Swiss Alps.

Brexit is pointless and painful: Tony Blair

22 Jan 2019; DW: Speaking with DW in Davos, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has called a new vote "the sensible thing in this situation." He said a "no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for everyone."

Speaking with DW at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair again made the case for holding a second referendum on Brexit. Blair said of the current parliamentary impasse, "The process is a mess," adding, "The sensible thing in this situation is to go back to the people."

India's richest 1% grew richer in 2018 but nothing improved for the poor

Davos, Jan 21; PTI: Indian billionaires saw their fortunes swell by Rs 2,200 crore a day last year, with the top one per cent of the country's richest getting richer by 39 per cent as against just three per cent increase in wealth for the bottom-half of the population, an Oxfam study said on Monday.

World economy forecast to slow in 2019 amid trade tensions

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The world economy absorbed more bad news Monday: The International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for 2019. And China, the world’s second-biggest economy, said it had slowed to its weakest pace since 1990.

The IMF cut its estimate for global growth this year to 3.5 percent, from the 3.7 percent it had predicted in October and down from 2018′s 3.7 percent. The fund cited heightened trade tensions and rising interest rates.

World's 26 richest own same as poorest half of humanity: Oxfam

21 Jan 2019; AFP: The world's 26 richest people own the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity, Oxfam said Monday, urging governments to hike taxes on the wealthy to fight soaring inequality.

A new report from the charity, published ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, also found that billionaires around the world saw their combined fortunes grow by $2.5 billion each day in 2018.

With Trump out, Davos chief eyes fixing world architecture

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The founder of the World Economic Forum says U.S. President Donald Trump would have been an “interesting discussion partner” at its annual Davos event starting this week, but acknowledges that the partial U.S. government shutdown scuttled those plans.

Klaus Schwab says he saw Trump shortly before Christmas and heard he had been “very much looking forward to coming back.” Last year, Trump was a highlight attendee at the elite gathering in the Swiss Alps, where he dined with business executives and met foreign leaders.

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