...

Construction crews have been finishing pop-up networking facilities for the business and political elite that descend for the May 22-26 conference. Soldiers are erecting security fences.

The Swiss government will deploy as many as 5,000 military personnel to support local police. Air force jets will again circle above to enforce a no-fly zone.

Geneva-based WEF says the meeting will bring together more than 2,000 leaders and experts from around the world, somewhat smaller than some past meetings. No government or corporate bigwigs from Russia were invited, because of the Ukraine war.

Topics on the agenda include the pandemic recovery, tackling climate change, the future for work, accelerating stakeholder capitalism, and harnessing new technologies.

Svea Meyer, who runs the Kaffee Klatsch cafe in Davos and caters to clients at the meeting, was looking forward to business in May, typically in the quiet period between the end of the ski season and the start of the summer peak