News and Analysis: 25-29 Jan 10 | EmergingFrontierMarkets.com

Based in: Manila, Philippines

Posted on Fri, 29 Jan 10:

Reports from Davos--Selected session summaries, World Economic Forum, 28 Jan 10:

1)   Rethinking Humanitarian Assistance: Implications for Haiti--with Bragg; Torroella; Ogata; Sinclair; Stocking; and Maxwell | Pres Clinton on Haiti: "Don't tell me they can't do this!" | Rebuilding Fragile States--with Bremmer; Chibebe; Geleta; Pierre-Louis; Zygocki; and Collier

2)   Emerging markets can't drive global recovery w/o growth in the developed world, leaders say | New instruments for a new era are needed | Rebuilding Long-term Economic Growth--with Crean; Gurria; Jennings; Karim; Kim; Nguyen; Popham; and Sala-i-Martin

3)   US-China: Reshaping the Global Agenda--with Cheng; Hormats; Liu; Rhodes; Williams; Yan; and Schlesinger | Redesigning the International Monetary System--with Ahn; Li; Lipsky; Rajan; Takenaka; Fischer; and Eichengreen

4)   Revamping Development Aid--with Birdsall; Keny-Guyer; Kuroda; Ogata; Romer; Thunell; Tsvangirai; and Doyle | Rethinking Africa's Growth Strategy--with Kaberuka; Kikwete; Li; Tinubu; and Ramos

Good neighbor: Hope for Haiti Now--A global benefit for earthquake relief: This is your time to help, 23 Jan 10

Posted on Thu, 28 Jan 10:

Afghanistan summit--UK PM Brown says 'tide must turn': Speaking at a 70-nation London summit on the future of Afghanistan, he said the nations faced 'a decisive time'. Before the talks began, Pres Karzai said Afghanistan could need foreign support for its security forces for up to 15 yrs. Foreign ministers from around the world are expected to give renewed momentum to nation-building during the one-day summit. The talks are being hosted by the UK, UN and Afghan govt, BBC News, 28 Jan 10

Reports from Davos--Selected session summaries, World Economic Forum, 27 Jan 10:

1)   Rethinking Systemic Financial Risk--with Caruana; Dabdoub; Diamond; Lippe; Nelson; Ortiz; and Johnson (Experts warn of weak recovery and over regulation of financial sector)

2)   The Next Global Crisis--with Frank; Frenkel; Levene; Mahindra; Rogoff; Zhu; and Bartiromo

3)   Rebuilding Economics--with Daokui; Phelps; Shiller; Soros; Thaler; Ferguson; and Thomson

4)   The Rise of Asia--with Bhasin; Kuroda; Kurokawa; Lam; Liu; Schell; and Ramo

5)   Haiti: First Responders Back from the Front Line--with Bragg; Geleta; O'Brien; Sheeran; and Greenhill

Posted on Wed, 27 Jan 10:

WEF annual meeting opens in Davos: 2,500 leaders from biz, govt and civil society are in Davos for the annual meeting. The theme is a call to action for decision-makers to use the opportunity of the 5-day meeting to 'Improve the State of the World: Rethink, Redesign, Rebuild', World Economic Forum, 27 Jan 10 (Restoring trust and rethinking biz models critical to financial system resilience | Future of the global fincl system - Navigating the challenges ahead)

Brazil's Silva gets hero's welcome at Social Forum: Brazil's 1st working-class pres, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - known almost everywhere as Lula - was greeted Tue night like a rock star at the World Social Forum by 10,000 activists in a sports stadium chanting 'Lula, Lula, the warrior of the Brazilian people'. And he got more cheers after promising to scold world leaders and bankers in Davos - and tell them the free market policies they have espoused for decades were to blame for the global financial crunch, AP (courtesy FindLaw), 27 Jan 10 (Inter Press Svce: Talk vs action--The tug-of-war continues at WSF, 25 Jan)

IMF revises up global forecast to near 4% for '10: The global economy, battered by 2 yrs of crisis, is recovering faster than previously anticipated, w/ world growth bouncing back from negative territory in '09 to a forecast 3.9% this yr and 4.3% in '11, acc to a World Economic Outlook Update. But the recovery is proceeding at different speeds, w/ emerging markets led by Asia relatively vigorous, but mature economies remaining sluggish and still dependent on govt stimulus measures, IMF Survey Mag, 26 Jan 10 (Financial stability improves, but Fund sees fresh challenges | Global Fincl Stability Report's Market Update)

Notice from the Publisher: We have been hit by a 'perfect storm' yesterday, which is why we were unable to post. Our main landline went dead - not surprising, as it seems inclined to do that at times. Which is why we had a backup landline installed some yrs back. But that too conked out for the 1st time while in the process of being upgraded from dial-up speed. Anyway, we're glad to be back, EmergingFrontierMarkets.com, 27 Jan 10

Posted on Mon, 25 Jan 10:

Gates frets over aid, sees R&D as vital to energy in letter: Bill Gates marked his 1st full-yr at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation w/ his 2nd annual letter [pdf], fretting over possible cuts in foreign aid by rich govts and noting that research into renewable energy will be critical to resolving the global climate debate, PC World, 25 Jan 10

Consulting firm releases "leaders to watch" in '10: In a recent annual report, a leading global political risk research/ consulting firm identified the top 10 leaders who are expected to shape global geopolitics in '10, Eurasia Group, 19 Jan 10

Science/ engineering indicators show eroding US competitive advantage in the world: The state of the US sci/ engineering enterprise is strong, yet its lead is slipping, acc to the newly released Science and Engineering Indicators (SEI Digest), which is published every 2 yrs. It finds that the gap is narrowing for R&D expenditures in the US, EU, and Asia in absolute dollars. In the past decade, annual Asian R&D expenditure growth is 4 times that of the US. US is also no longer way ahead in terms of its no. of doctoral degrees in the natural sciences. And latest data show China has achieved parity w/ the US in terms of no. of researchers, Natl Science Board, 15 Jan 10

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