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☆ Premarket stocks: What we learned at Davos: The economy is a mess, but there's still hope
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Friday marks the end of the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, an elite gathering of some of the wealthiest people and world leaders. The meetings between CEOs, politicians, and global figures at Davos can help set the tone for the year ahead. CEOs and political officials are also worried about the United States hitting its borrowing cap on Thursday, forcing the Treasury Department to start taking “extraordinary measures” to keep the government open. If an agreement isn’t reached, markets could plunge (like they did the last time this happened in 2011) and the United States risks having its credit rating downgraded again. China’s removal of strict coronavirus restrictions late last year is also expected to unleash a wave of spending that may offset economic weakness in the United States and Europe.

☆ Top diplomats, former UN officials seek to fix 'Wild West' of peacemaking
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the framework's proponents, who have just completed a two-year consultation period in dozens of countries, say today's peace brokers are applying the wrong strategy. "You could say 'Why the hell are people talking about peace when the whole thing falls apart?' "Right now the peacemaking space is like the Wild West," said Hiba Qasas, the executive director of the Principles for Peace Initiative, who is Palestinian and a former U.N. official. Current shortcomings are widely acknowledged and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres is working on a so-called "New Agenda For Peace" this year. (This story has been corrected to change "UN officials" to "former UN officials" in the headline)Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Davos 2023: What you need to know about the WEF on Wednesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Kathryn Lurie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Climate change came to the fore at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, where U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on business leaders to follow the principles outlined by an expert group to make credible net-zero pledges or risk greenwashing. The United Nations and standard setter the International Organization for Standardization launched the guidelines in November to become a reference text and help organizations come up with solid plans, avoiding slogans, hype and obfuscation. With activist Greta Thunberg set to arrive in Davos and meet International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Fatih Birol on Thursday, climate change is set to remain centre stage. China could see a sharp recovery in economic growth from the second quarter onwards based on current infection trends after the dismantling of most COVID-19 restrictions, Gopinath said. For daily Davos updates in your inbox sign up for the Reuters Daily Briefing hereEditing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UN chief slams fossil fuel industry expansion in Davos speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Guterres pointed blame squarely at the fossil fuel industry when addressing the Davos crowd, composed of billionaires, politicians and business leaders, including dozes of high level executives from the world’s biggest oil and gas companies. And like the tobacco industry, those responsible must be held to account,” Guterres told the conference. A new report published on Tuesday by the campaign group Reclaim Finance revealed that dozens of banks and financial institutions with net zero pledges are still pouring money into fossil fuels. Since signing, however, it found members have invested hundreds of billions into fossil fuels. Guterres called on companies to “put forward credible and transparent transition plans on how to achieve net zero,” by the end of 2023.

☆ ‘Big Oil peddled the big lie’: UN chief slams energy giants for ignoring their own climate science
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that without further action, humanity was on course for a global temperature increase of 2.8 degrees Ceslius. "Some in Big Oil peddled the big lie," Guterres said during a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The study, published last week in the journal Science, said that Exxon's private projections of global temperature rise were often more accurate than world-leading NASA scientists. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, is the chief driver of the climate emergency. Guterres said that without further action, humanity was on course for a global temperature increase of 2.8 degrees Celsius.

☆ Taliban officials praise Afghanistan's first sports car. It has an engine from a 2000 Toyota Corolla.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The car's power relies on a modded 2000 Toyota Corolla engine, according to a Tolo News report. The Taliban's spokesperson shared a video of the car, called Mada 9, doing donuts in the snow. There are no videos of the car moving at high speeds or making difficult maneuvers outside of the video shared by the Taliban's spokesperson. Mohammad Riza Ahmadi, the designer of Mada 9, told Tolo News that he hopes the car will be a beacon for the embattled country. Ahmadi, the car designer, told Tolo News that the car has received offers but is not for sale.

☆ Just one G-7 leader will join the Davos elite this year as regular people battle cost-of-living crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Congress Center, the venue for the World Economic Forum (WEF), center, in Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. It is not the first time the summit has been sparsely attended by leaders from the powerful political union. That included former U.S. leader Donald Trump, who attended twice during his one term in office, unlike his predecessor Barack Obama, who never attended. His own predecessor, Angela Merkel, was a regular Davos presence during her 16-year term, most recently challenging the increasing "own interests first" mentality of some nations in 2019. "I expect it is partly reputational risks, given the current situation, of enjoying the high life in Davos," he said.

☆ U.N. chief says onus on North Korea to return to talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

North Korea has been subject to U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. So-called six-party denuclearization talks - between North Korea, South Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan - stalled in 2009. "The onus is on the DPRK to comply with its international obligations and return to the negotiating table," said Guterres, using North Korea's formal name. The United States has said that its up to North Korea to decide whether it will engage in talks on its nuclear weapons program. North Korea has rebuffed U.S. entreaties for diplomacy since President Joe Biden succeeded Trump in January 2021.

☆ Donors pledge more than $9 billion for Pakistan’s flood recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Officials from some 40 countries as well as private donors and international financial institutions gathered at a meeting in Geneva as Islamabad sought funds to cover around half of a recovery bill amounting to $16.3 billion. The meeting’s co-hosts, the United Nations and Pakistan’s government, said more than $9 billion had been pledged from bilateral and multilateral partners. Among the donors were the Islamic Development Bank ($4.2 billion), the World Bank ($2 billion), Saudi Arabia ($1 billion), as well as the European Union and China, Pakistan Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said. “Today has truly been a day which gives us great hope,” said Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s minister of state for foreign affairs. Millions of homes, tens of thousands of schools as well as thousands of kilometers of roads and railways still need to be rebuilt, the UN says.

☆ U.N. gathering seeks billions in aid for Pakistan after devastating floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“We need to be honest about the brutal injustice of loss and damage suffered by developing countries because of climate change,” Guterres told the gathering. “If there is any doubt about loss and damage — go to Pakistan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, speaks with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a conference in Geneva on Monday. Many countries already doled out cash, supplies and other support for Pakistan in the immediate follow-up to the flooding. Climate scientists found that the floods in Pakistan were worsened by global heating although economic, societal and construction-oriented factors also played a role.

☆ UN chief calls for 'massive investments' for Pakistan recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

September's floods, which are still receding, killed at least 1,700 people and displaced around 8 million. "We must match the heroic response of the people of Pakistan with our own efforts and massive investments to strengthen their communities for the future," Guterres said in opening remarks. "Pakistan is doubly victimized by climate chaos and a morally bankrupt global financial system," he added, calling for creative ways for developing countries to access debt relief and financing. In a video message, France President Emmanuel Macron pledged $10 million in additional aid support. Reporting by Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pakistan seeks $8 bln in three years for flood recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres attend a summit on climate resilience in Pakistan, months after deadly floods in the country, at the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseJan 9 (Reuters) - Pakistan needs $8 billion from its international partners over the next three years to rebuild the country that is reeling from last year's devastating floods, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in Geneva on Monday. The floods, blamed on climate change, dealt a severe blow to Pakistan's strained economy while displacing some 8 million people and killing at least 1,700. Rebuilding efforts are now estimated to cost more than $16 billion. Reporting by Gibran Peshimam and Asif Shahzad, writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Krishna N. DasOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.N. extends aid to Syria from Turkey, avoids Russia fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Despite Western animosity toward Russia over its invasion of Ukraine nearly 11 months ago, the council avoided a usual fight over approval of aid deliveries into Syria from Turkey. The current approval of the U.N. aid operation was due to expire on Tuesday. Russia, which has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that began in 2011, argues that the aid operation violates Syria's sovereignty. The Security Council initially authorized aid deliveries in 2014 into opposition-held areas of Syria from Iraq, Jordan and two points in Turkey. Russia says more aid should be delivered from inside Syria, but opponents of Assad fear that food and other aid would fall under government control.

☆ Russia's forces in Ukraine will be 'burned through and exhausted' by the end of winter, ex-NATO commander predicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's forces in Ukraine will be "exhausted" soon, said a former senior NATO leader. Ukraine is seeking to push back Russian forces along a broad front in east Ukraine. In an interview with New York radio station WABC 770, Stavridis said that while Ukraine was winning on the ground, Russia had an advantage in the air. "I don't see either side having a breakthrough moment — at least this winter," Stavridis told WABC host John Catsimatidis. Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting along an approximately 600 mile front, with Ukraine forcing Russia into defensive positions in the south and northeast, while Russian forces are seeking to advance around the eastern city of Bakhmut.

☆ Pakistan's finance minister to meet IMF in Geneva, with bailout stalled
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISLAMABAD, Jan 8 (Reuters) - An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation will meet Pakistan's finance minister on the sidelines of a conference in Geneva beginning on Jan. 9, a spokesperson of the lender said on Sunday, as Pakistan struggles to restart its bailout programme. "The IMF delegation is expected to meet with Finance Minister (Ishaq) Dar on the sidelines of the Geneva conference to discuss outstanding issues and the path forward," a spokesperson of the IMF said in a message to Reuters. The conference in Geneva, co-hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, will look to gather international support for the country in the aftermath of devastating floods last year. Dar has been critical of the IMF lately, publicly saying that the lender was acting "abnormally" in its dealings with Pakistan, which entered the $7 billion bailout programme in 2019. The IMF spokesperson also said its Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva had a "constructive call" with Sharif regarding the Geneva conference and supported Pakistan's efforts to rebuild.

"Right now the war in Ukraine is at a critical point," U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters. Germany would provide Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles, according to a joint statement on Thursday from Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz. TRUCE PROPOSALUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected out of hand a Russian order for a truce over Orthodox Christmas starting at noon on Friday and ending at midnight on Saturday. The heaviest fighting of the war continues in eastern Ukraine, with the worst of it near the eastern city of Bakhmut. Ukraine says Russia has lost thousands of troops despite seizing scant ground in months of futile waves of assaults on Bakhmut.

☆ U.N. Security Council members stress Al Aqsa mosque status quo
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Mike SegarUNITED NATIONS, Jan 5 (Reuters) - U.N. Security Council members voiced concern on Thursday and stressed the need to maintain a status quo at the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, days after Israel's new far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir briefly visited the site. The decades-old status quo allows only Muslim worship at the compound, a site also revered by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount. "What red line does Israel need to cross for the Security Council to finally say, enough is enough," Mansour told the 15-member council, accusing Israel of showing "absolute contempt." Israel has not harmed the status quo and has no plans to do so." "We note that Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing platform calls for preservation of the status quo with relation to the holy places.

☆ Massive Russian missile barrage pummels cities across Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

After earlier attacks, the Ukrainian military reported shooting down incoming Russian missiles and explosive drones, but some still reached their targets, damaging power and water supplies and increasing the suffering of the population amid freezing temperatures. Ukrainian authorities in several regions said some incoming Russian missiles were intercepted. Efrem Lukatsky / APFragments from downed Russian missiles damaged two private buildings in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, the city administration said. Earlier this month, the United States agreed to give a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine to boost the country’s defense. Russian officials have said that any peace plan can only proceed from Kyiv’s recognition of Russia’s sovereignty over the regions it illegally annexed from Ukraine in September.

☆ Explainer: What is Zelenskiy's 10-point peace plan?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been vigorously promoting his 10-point peace plan, discussing it with U.S. President Joe Biden among others, and urging world leaders to hold a Global Peace Summit based on it. Here is an explainer on the plan and world reaction:WHAT IS ZELENSKIY'S 10-POINT PEACE PLAN? WHAT IS ZELENSKIY'S GLOBAL PEACE SUMMIT PROPOSAL? In December, Zelenskiy urged the leaders of the Group of Seven nations to support his Global Peace Summit idea in winter that would focus on the peace plan "as a whole or some specific points in particular". But response to Zelenskiy's peace plan and his proposed peace summit has been more cautious.

☆ Ukraine aims for a peace summit by the end of February, foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s foreign minister on Monday said that his government is aiming to have a peace summit by the end of February, preferably at the United Nations with Secretary-General António Guterres as a possible mediator, around the anniversary of Russia’s war. But Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press that Russia could only be invited to such a summit if the country faced a war crimes tribunal first. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during an interview in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday. “Every war ends as a result of the actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.”Kuleba said the Ukrainian government would like to have a peace summit by the end of February. So we would welcome his active participation.”The foreign minister again downplayed comments by Russian authorities that they are ready for talks.

☆ The world's in a 'polycrisis' — and these countries want to quash it by looking beyond GDP
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Mostly led by women, Finland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales and New Zealand are all members of the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership. "Which I think is why we're seeing such growing interest in the well-being economy approach, both here in Scotland and around the world." A post-growth society is one that resists the demand for constant economic growth. Mostly led by women, Finland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales and New Zealand are all members of the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership. 'GDP is not a way to measure richness'The push to look beyond economic growth comes at a time of growing calls to end fossil fuel production worldwide.

But the visit also leaves several key questions unanswered, including how U.S. military support could evolve, whether Congressional support for the war will endure and - crucially - how the war will end. Biden announced that the United States would provide another $1.85 billion in military aid, including a Patriot missile defense system. The United States and its allies have been unwilling to provide other advanced weapons Ukraine has pleaded for. The next steps for Kyiv, the officials added, would be to receive additional air defense systems from the United States and other western countries along with better integrating them. "No more blank checks to Ukraine," Republican Representative Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter hours before Zelenskiy's visit to Washington.

☆ Deputy U.N. chief urges countries to send armed force to Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Now is certainly not the time for the world to turn away from Haiti," she told the U.N. Security Council. Ambassador Robert Wood told the Security Council that Washington continues "to advocate for international security support, including a non-U.N. multinational force, as requested by the Haitian government." "The United States has provided more than $90 million in security support to Haiti in the past 18 months and will continue to provide critical support bilaterally," Wood said. Russia requested the Security Council meeting on Haiti on Wednesday. A council resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, China or Russia.

☆ U.S. accuses U.N. of yielding to Russian threats over Iran drone inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iran has acknowledged it had supplied Moscow with drones, but said they were sent before Russia invaded its neighbor in February. Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Ukraine say the supply of Iranian-made drones to Russia violates a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution enshrining the Iran nuclear deal. Ambassador Robert Wood told a Security Council meeting on Monday on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resolution. "We are disappointed that the Secretariat, apparently yielding to Russian threats, has not carried out the investigatory mandate this council has given it," Wood said. Iran's U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said Iran has not transferred to Russia any items prohibited by the Security Council.

☆ Putin's ludicrously long table was an anti-COVID-19 measure to ensure 15ft between him and others, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Vladimir Putin's long table was meant to protect him from COVID-19, The New York Times said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy poked fun at Putin's table during an interview with David Letterman that aired in December. "He even chooses to sit at that ridiculously long table. It was long speculated that the long table was a COVID precaution, and the Times reporting appears to confirm it. According to The New York Times, earlier in the pandemic Putin did not meet a single Western leader in person for 16 months.

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