And so to the party hosted by Prince Andrew, where he rubbed shoulders with Cherie Blair, the business minister Matt Hancock and the former Barclays boss Bob Diamond. In the tiny room in the Belvedere Hotel, which was packed to the gills, one of those present was heard to remark: “Only three people matter at Davos – Mario Draghi, Vladimir Putin and Thomas Piketty – and none of them are here.”
While Blair was pressing the flesh with royalty, her husband – the former prime minister Tony – was spotted at the party across the street being held by JP Morgan, the US bank where he is a special adviser. His successor at No 10, Gordon Brown, was glad-handing at the London School of Economics bash.
Don’t ask what’s under his kilt
Nothing says Switzerland like the skirl of the bagpipes #davos https://t.co/X6xT0Csm1V
— Graeme Wearden (@graemewearden) January 23, 2015
A light shower of snow is falling on Davos at the start of the third day of the annual World Economic Forum, so spare a thought for the piper outside the “chalet” occupied by Aberdeen Asset Management, just along from the Belvedere. Chilly business.
Huge strides towards pedal power
The Guardian’s economics editor, Larry Elliott, has already done his bit to get a bike sent to a child in Africa – one of the challenges set by Swiss bank UBS and World Bicycle Relief in what is being called a “walk for education”. Delegates are required to walk 6km – let’s call it four miles – to ensure the bikes are sent, which it is hoped will improve attendance at school. The 1,000 attendees who signed up have red straps around their wrists, and a small plea from an organisers: walk into one of the zones where the bands can be synchronised with the main computer so that the tally of steps can be updated. By around 8am, delegates had earned 952 bikes.
Robots solve the transport problem
Forget Davos man: meet Davos robot. Two remote-controlled robots – essentially computer screens on sticks – are being tested on delegates this year. They allow WEF staffers in Geneva to take part in the goings-on in Davos without actually turning up. Could this be a solution to climate change? Ditch the private jet and tune in through a robot instead.
• Davos diary 2015, day 2 – no business like snow business
