Morning Briefing: Cue the victory lap, Trump lands in Davos

Highlights

The Americans are coming! The Americans are coming! Air Force One has landed in Switzerland and Davos “globalists” seem pretty happy to see the U.S. contingent. Among the happiest—executives at Saudi oil giant Aramco, which now is looking to expand in the United States.

The two Koreas’ hockey teams are set to unite for the Olympics, but South Korean foreign minister says Seoul isn’t blind to the other side of its fraught relationship with the North. “Another provocation,” Kang Kyung-wha told us exclusively in Davos, “is always a possibility.”

Iranian foreign minister and WEF mainstay Mohammad Javad Zarif is a no-show this year and that’s made him and the country a target for criticism from his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.

Social Media Recap

Virginia Democrat Don Beyer will be at President Trump's Davos reception tonight. Hopefully no one will bring up climate change, about which the representative has famously poked the White House on Twitter.

Simon Robinson  @iron_emu

At Davos, delegates talk down Trump but bet big on America http://reut.rs/2Fds0ZU

9:02 AM - JAN 25, 2018
Reuters Davos  @Reuters_Davos

Bollywood star @iamsrk on gender equality, his Crystal Award and what's next for his philanthropic work. http://reut.rs/2E86bvI #WEF18

7:05 AM - JAN 25, 2018
Rob Cox  @rob1cox

Global trade is growing faster than global GDP - “any measure that would restrict trade would hurt growth” says Christine Lagarde. Wink to Mnuchin.

10:12 AM - Jan 25, 2018

Top Davos stories on reuters.com

From Aleppo to Davos for Oscar-tipped film

When shooting “Last Men in Aleppo”, director Feras Fayyad often had to drop his camera to help Syria’s famous White Helmet rescue team. That didn’t stop him from winning an Oscar nomination for his documentary about the siege that devastated the city.

1:12 min watch

Commentary: The unlikely Mideast alliance that threatens Iran

Saudi and Israeli officials at the Forum have made it clear that their governments view countering Iran as a primary foreign policy goal. Columnist Maysam Behravesh examines the regional implications of the Saudi-Israel entente - and whether the relationship could be solidified in the backrooms of Davos.

10 min read

U.S. not starting trade war, but sees a tech threat from China: Ross

The United States is not starting a trade war but trying to level the playing field of global commerce and fend off Chinese protectionism, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said at the Forum. Ross was speaking a day after Washington imposed steep import tariffs on washing machines and solar panels, billed as a way to protect American jobs by Trump.

4 min read

Top Davos Stories on Reuters TV

Davos turns its attention to Trump's arrival

top news   1:34

Macron, Merkel lay out anti-Trump strategy

top news   1:45
 

Minibox 3 Column Blogger Template by James William at 2600 Degrees