Davos 2023: Climate activists protest over big oil hijacking debate
Davos, Switzerland Reuters Climate activists protested in Davos on Sunday against the role of big oil firms at this week’s World Economic Forum, saying they were hijacking the climate debate. Major energy firms including BP, Chevron and Saudi Aramco are among the 1,500 business leaders gathering for the annual meeting in the Swiss resort, where […]
Explainer – As leaders fly to Davos, how do private jets affect the climate?
London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation Political and business leaders will meet at the Swiss resort of Davos this week for the World Economic Forum, where issues from geopolitical instability to climate change are on the agenda. Yet as they seek consensus and solutions for global challenges, environmental campaigners argue that their travel arrangements may prove […]
Pfizer to sell all its patented drugs at non-profit price in low-income countries
Reuters Pfizer Inc will make all of its patented medicines including COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid and big-selling breast cancer drug Ibrance available at a not-for-profit price to 45 of the world’s poorest countries, the drugmaker said on Wednesday. These countries lack good access to innovative treatments. It can take four to seven years longer for new […]
Food crisis fuels fears of protectionism compounding shortages
Davos, Switzerland Reuters A growing world food crisis is precipitating protectionist moves by countries which are likely to compound the problem and could lead to a wider trade war, business leaders and policymakers at the World Economic Forum said. In a sign of the escalating squeeze on food supplies and rising prices, a government source […]
Ukraine urges more world pressure, says it repels Russian attack on eastern city
Kyiv/Mariupol, Ukraine Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told global business leaders on Monday the world must increase sanctions against Russia to deter other countries from using “brute force” to achieve their aims. Zelenskiy spoke via video link to the World Economic Forum in Davos as the Ukrainian military claimed to have held off a Russian […]
Governments need to take urgent action to combat inequality – Oxfam
London, UK Reuters Governments need to take urgent action to tackle rising inequality which emerged over the COVID-19 crisis with a surge in energy and food prices ramping up pressures on millions of people around the world, Oxfam said on Monday. The report, released by the Nairobi-based charity as top policy makers and industry chiefs […]
Invest in nature and reap cash benefits, World Economic Forum urges cities
Barcelona, Spain Thomson Reuters Foundation After a landslide in 2017 killed 1,141 people and left more than 3,000 homeless in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, the recovery plan included training residents to plant 21,000 native trees to reduce the risk of future disasters on bare hillsides. Amid erratic and unusually heavy rains, as well as urban […]
Super-rich thrive as COVID-19 pushes millions into poverty
London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation The world’s 10 wealthiest people more than doubled their fortunes to $US1.5 trillion during the pandemic as poverty rates soared, according to a study released by a charity on Monday ahead of a high-profile World Economic Forum event. Heads of state will join chief executives and other prominent figures this […]
Climate inaction – and ‘dramatic’ consequences – top global threat list
London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation Governments are struggling to adopt climate-smart policies as COVID-19 hits economic activity and forces them to focus instead on tackling surging social inequality, the World Economic Forum said on Tuesday. Failure to implement emissions-cutting pledges and the “dramatic consequences” in terms of devastating floods, storms and wildfires are now the […]
India tests drones to take COVID-19 vaccines to rural areas
Thomson Reuters Foundation Villagers in remote corners of rural India could start seeing curious flying objects in the skies as health experts test out drones to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to isolated communities amid a deadly surge in coronavirus cases. The southern state of Telangana, which is part of the World Economic Forum’s Medicine from the Sky project […]