Who's not in Davos is almost as interesting as who is.
The list of "apologies sent" tells you a lot about the past year of corporate and economic misery for "Davos Man".
Among those missing in action is Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was a regular for the past five years as the head of the IMF until he was overtaken by events in New York. Nobody is ruling out the possibility he may yet turn up at one of the late-night parties at the Belvedere hotel, the beating heart of the World Economic Forum.
Also absent is George Papandreou, the former prime minister of Greece. The country's predicament means he probably couldn't afford the Belvedere's rates, even if he had been invited.
Rupert Murdoch will miss the gathering for the second year in a row, but wags mutter he will probably follow the proceedings via mobile messaging services.
Perhaps the most embarrassing absentee is Philipp Hildebrand, until a couple of weeks ago the head of the Swiss National Bank until it was revealed his wife Kashya had made a tidy profit on foreign exchange dealings too complicated to go into here. The Swiss must have hated losing one of their own.
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The anti-capitalist protesters, after their victories in Wall Street, New York, and St Paul's in London could not be expected to miss the opportunity Davos presents, and sure enough here they are in full glory.
The first signs of their presence were graffiti attacks on a Zurich branch of the Swiss National Bank last week. Two men were arrested after scrawling "Smash WEF" on the bank's walls. Then, in the Swiss capital Berne, police broke up what they said was an unauthorised march. No violence, no reported arrests. This is law-abiding Switzerland, after all.
The main weight of the protest is promised in Davos itself, where activists have begun to build "Camp Igloo" near the railway station, just outside the security cordon that encircles the town. A little nest of ice houses has sprouted up, bearing messages like "Don't let them decide for you!" and the ironic "one dollar, one vote".
I don't think the igloos will catch on. At night with the glimmer of interior light shining through, they look kind of cosy and romantic, like one of those ice-hotels the Swedes build for four months each year. But by day they just look cold, hard and uncomfortable.
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The skiing conditions in Davos are perfect: 16 centimetres of fresh snow today, powder snow on the pistes, a mixture of sun and clouds for the next few days, and maximum temperatures at or only just below zero. "Excellent on and off piste conditions," says one website.
Not that I'll be taking advantage of it. My best skiing days are behind me, I fear. Maybe a couple of decades ago I might have been tempted on to the slopes, but even back then I was never an enthusiast.
I did enjoy the high-speed experience of downhill, and even managed a few mogul jumps in my time, but it was all that went with it that put me off - getting to the lifts, the drag up the slopes, that horrible feeling at the top of the run when you know there is no way back.
And it was so expensive. A friend once ridiculed it as "standing freezing on a mountain top, preparing to throw yourself into eternity, while simultaneously ripping up £20 notes". Dead right.
And dangerous too. I saw some horrible collisions, and can remember to this day the sound of two skiers' skulls coming together at high speed on a mountainside in the French Alps - it was like a high-velocity rifle report echoing through the arctic air. The only damage I ever suffered, though, was to my ego. Being ridiculed by a crowd of French teenagers as you are dragged along by the ski-lift line is about as demeaning as it gets.
So, however good conditions are in Davos, it's the après for me.
fkane@thenational.ae
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.4-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20366hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E550Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESix-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh360%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Infiniti QX80 specs
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A cheaper choice
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Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
