Davos scales back glitz amid economic downturn
With capitalism in crisis, the 2,500 business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week will find less starpower than usual. Organizers say the five-day event that starts Wednesday will focus on work and on shaping the world after the crisis ends.

Reuters: Before UN food summit, World Bank urges aid for poor
Global food prices may have eased from their 2008 peaks but price volatility, together with the effects of the world financial crisis, has provided little respite for the poor, a senior World Bank official said on Sunday on the eve of a U.N. food meeting in Madrid.

AFP: Millions of Zimbabwe children could be denied education: charity
Millions of Zimbabwean children could be denied their education when schools reopen Tuesday, as thousands of teachers may fail to return to work, British charity Save the Children has warned. The start of Zimbabwe’s new school year has been delayed by two weeks because last year’s exams were not graded, after teachers demanded payment in foreign currency to mark them.

New York Times: West African Villagers Stake Their Fortunes on the Future Price of Rice
Hoping to take advantage of high global food prices that brought many poor nations to the brink of chaos last year, farmers across West Africa are reaping what experts say is one of the best harvests in recent memory. But after investing and borrowing heavily to expand their production, these farmers also run the risk of being wiped out as global food prices plummet.

-Chandler Smith