- PSG drop first points in draw at Reims
- Vinicius, Mbappe on target as Madrid crush plucky Espanyol
- Jeeno leads Ko by two at LPGA Queen City Championship
- Bottega Veneta goes for 'E.T.' chic as Madonna pops into D&G
- Messi, Miami frustrated by New York late leveler
- Musk's X platform takes first step toward lifting Brazil ban
- 'Business as usual' for Australia match-winner Carey amid boos
- Israeli jets pound Lebanon after deadly Beirut strike
- Ten Hag bemoans Man Utd's lack of killer instinct in Palace stalemate
- France's Macron appoints new government in shift to right
- Cheika proud of Leicester grit after winning start as boss
- Profligate Man Utd pay price in 0-0 draw at Palace
- Kane, Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Man Utd held at Palace
- LIV champion Rahm out of LIV Team semis with severe flu
- Slot surprised by tearful Nunez's moment of magic
- Title rivals Norris, Verstappen on 'cool' front row for Singapore GP
- Biden talks China with 'Quad' leaders in hometown summit
- Juve and Napoli play out goalless draw in early Serie A title tussle
- Alcaraz fears tennis tour grind will 'kill us'
- Carey sparks recovery as Australia thrash England in 2nd ODI
- Leclerc, Sainz lament 'disappointing' Saturday in Singapore
- Bottega Veneta holds investors' aces as Madonna pops into D&G
- Beirut digs for victims at building flattened in Israeli strike
- Verstappen stages protest over 'ridiculous' swearing punishment
- Bayern boss Kompany lauds 'special talent' Olise
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Spurs bounce back
- Heavy fire over Israel-Lebanon border after deadly Beirut strike
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win despite Hogg scuffle
- Myanmar flood death toll jumps to 384
- Chelsea owners 'happy' with win at West Ham amid rift report
- Kane and Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win
- Norris pips Verstappen to dramatic Singapore pole after Sainz crash
- Carey takes Australia to 270 in 2nd ODI against England after collapse
- Two Hezbollah leaders killed in Israel's Beirut strike
- Hungary Danube waters reach decade high after Storm Boris
- Bagnaia cuts Martin's MotoGP lead with Emilia-Romagna sprint win
- Jackson double fires Chelsea to victory at woeful West Ham
- Fiji beat Japan to lift Pacific Nations Cup
- Kasatkina to face Haddad Maia in Korea Open final
- S.Africa snowfall closes roads, strands motorists overnight
- Lawyers of women alleging Al-Fayed sex abuse receive over 150 new enquiries
- President Museveni's son backs Ugandan strongman for 7th term
- Norris quickest as Verstappen bounces back in Singapore practice
- Wallabies lament All Blacks' fast start
- Germany's Oktoberfest opens under tight security after attacks
- Environmental protesters block French cruise liner port
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli strike kills top commanders
- No place like home: Biden hosts 'Quad' leaders
Davos cold shoulders Russians over Ukraine war invasion
The World Economic Forum said Wednesday it was freezing all relations with Russian entities, and would not allow anyone on the sanctions list to take part in the annual high-powered meeting in Davos.
"Following its condemnation of Russia's ongoing attack on Ukraine, the forum is complying with the evolving international sanctions and following the rapidly-developing situation," the WEF said in a statement sent to AFP.
"Therefore the forum freezes all its relations with Russian entities, and will not engage with any sanctioned individual or institution in any of our activities, inclusive the annual meeting" in Davos, it added.
The announcement came as the international outcry mounts over Russia's invasion, which in two weeks has sent nearly 2.2 million people fleeing into neighbouring countries.
The West has responded with punishing sanctions, with the United States banning imports of Russian oil, one of its biggest economic weapons against Moscow.
The WEF usually hosts its annual gathering of the global political and business elite in the luxury Swiss resort of Davos in January, but the meeting has been postponed until May 22-26 this year due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
- Caviar days are over -
Top Russian politicians, businessmen and oligarchs are commonly seen at the plush event.
But now, "the champagne and caviar days in Davos are over. Or at least the caviar," as Politico put it.
Among those who have been slapped with Western sanctions over the invasion is President Vladimir Putin himself, who has participated in several Davos meets.
Politico pointed out that following Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014, Putin was still invited to join the following year, but opted not to come.
WEF founder Klaus Schwab had said he hoped the event could "contribute with some bridge building".
When Putin gave a video address to the meeting during the virtual event held in the pandemic year of 2021, at a time when Moscow's relations with the West were deteriorating, Schwab stressed in his introduction that it was "essential" to hear from him.
"Even and especially in times characterised by differences, disputes and protests, constructive and honest dialogue to address our common challenges is better than isolation and polarisation," the WEF founder said.
Putin told the 2021 gathering of a last-minute agreement to prolong the New Start treaty with the United States on reducing nuclear arsenals as "a step in the right direction".
But just days into his Ukraine invasion Putin ordered his country's nuclear forces to be put on high alert -- warned in last year's speech that "differences are leading to a downward spiral".
He cautioned that "the inability and unwillingness to find substantive solutions to problems like this in the 20th century led to the WWII catastrophe."
"Of course, such a heated global conflict is impossible in principle," he said.
"This is what I am pinning my hopes on, because this would be the end of humanity."
D.Schneider--BTB