DAVOS: The global elite begin a week of earnest debate and Alpine partying in the Swiss ski resort of Davos on Tuesday, in a week bookended by two presidential speeches of historic import. One will be by Xi Jinping, the first Chinese president to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos. A World Economic Forum study said that within advanced economies, median per capita income fell on average 2.4 percent over the past five years, helping to explain why disaffection is so high across the West. British Prime Minister Theresa May will address the World Economic Forum on Thursday, two days after outlining her vision for Brexit in another keenly awaited speech. But the week’s most consequential speech will come in Washington as Davos winds down Friday.

Source: New Strait Times January 17, 2017 08:15 UTC