Zoom in: Organizers set "rebuilding trust" among leaders as the theme of this year's annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. It's a worthy one given the threat of geopolitics on business. However, AI took center stage.
Why it matters: The last time the two leaders spoke was on Dec. 23, when a frustrated Biden ended the call by saying the "conversation is over" and hanging up the phone. In the first two months of the war, the two leaders had talked almost every other day.
While the U.S. has been focused on Gaza and Ukraine, several other long-simmering global threats are getting hotter.
Why it matters: The last 72 hours have seen menacing Chinese patrols near Taiwan, an exchange of fire between Iran and Pakistan, and further escalation between the U.S. military and Houthi rebels.
NATO is mobilizing some 90,000 troops for its biggest military exercise since the Cold War.
The big picture: "That is a record number of troops that we can bring to bear and have an exercise within that size, across the alliance, across the ocean, from the U.S. to Europe," said NATO Military Committee chair Adm. Rob Bauer at a briefing announcing the plans Thursday.
U.S. private equity is about to get a big boost from Australia's largest pension fund.
Driving the news: AustralianSuper, which manages nearly US$200 billion, tells Axios that it plans to double its global private equity exposure over the next five years, with between 70-80% of those new dollars heading to the U.S.
Mexican advocates are accusing the government of hampering progress made to find forcibly disappeared people in the country by firing experts and changing how it counts missing people.
Why it matters: More than 110,000 missing and forcibly disappeared cases have been filed since the 1960s dirty war.
Ancient brujería — or Latin American and Caribbean witchcraft — has seen a resurgence in recent yearsas some U.S. Latinos reclaim the once-tabootraditions to connect with their roots, exercise self-care and build community.
The big picture: The resurgence comes as younger generations of Latinos increasingly embrace other parts of their heritage, speaking Spanish, using accent marks, or, in some cases, praying to folk saints.
DAVOS, Switzerland — The Saudi ambassador to the U.S. said at the World Economic Forum on Thursday that any potential normalization agreement with Israel would be conditioned on a ceasefire in Gaza and the creation of an "irrevocable" pathway towards a Palestinian state.
Why it matters: Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud echoed what the Biden administration has recently said publicly and privately to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Why it matters: Such an underestimate of Greenland ice mass loss indicates a heightened risk of shifts in ocean currents and global weather patterns, the study notes.
Texas' attorney general is refusing to comply with Biden administration demands to stop blocking U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing a public park along the southern border.
Why it matters: The Department of Homeland Security in a "cease-and-desist" letter said Texas officials had until the end of Wednesday to enable federal access to a site where three migrants drowned last week or it would "refer the matter to the Department of Justice for appropriate action."
U.S. forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles "that were loaded to be fired" from Yemen, the United States Central Command said Wednesday.
The big picture: The announcement came hours after the Biden administration re-designated Houthis as a "global terrorist group" in response to their dozens of attacks on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, which the rebels said they began in October in protest against the Israel-Hamas war.
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will go on sale in U.S. stores Thursday morning without their blood oxygen features, the company announced.
Driving the news: The announcement came after a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Apple couldn't import wearables with this feature into the country while the company appeals the U.S. International Trade Commission's finding that the devices infringe patents.
The Biden administration on Wednesday re-designated Yemen's Houthis as a "global terrorist group" in response to dozens of attacks by the rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The latest: Hours later, U.S. military officials said American forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles "that were loaded to be fired" from Yemen.
