The World Economic Forum is back with its first winter meetup since 2020 in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos, where leaders are seeking to bridge political divisions in a polarized world, buttress a hobbling economy and address concerns about a climate change — among many other things. Sessions will take up issues as diverse as the future of fertilizers, the role of sports in society, the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and much more. Nearly 600 CEOs and more than 50 heads of state or government are expected, but it's never clear how much concrete action emerges from the elite event. Here’s what to watch as the four-day talkfest and related deal-making get underway in earnest Tuesday: WHO’S COMING? Back in the snows for the first time since the pandemic and just eight months after a springtime 2022 session, the event will host notables like European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, and the new presidents of South Korea, Colombia and the Philippines. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He addresses the gathering Tuesday, a day before his first meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, in Zurich. Yellen will skip Davos. Who else is missing? U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Russian President Vladimir Putin, of course: Envoys from his country has been shunned because of his war in Ukraine. Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska was on her way to Davos and will speak Tuesday, while her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will give a remote address Wednesday and other officials from Ukraine are appearing on panels. Read more: Business trusted most in a more polarized world, report says Outside the main convention center, a themed venue known as Ukraine House is hosting a concert, photo exhibits, seminars, cocktail events and other meetings this week to drum up support for Ukraine’s efforts to drive out Russian forces. ECONOMIC FOCUS The slowdown in the global economy will be a major theme at Davos, with officials ranging from International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde speaking in sessions. Inflation soared as the world reopened from the pandemic and Russia invaded Ukraine, driving up food and energy prices, and though it has started to slow in major economies like the U.S. and those in Europe, inflation is still painfully high. Georgieva said in an IMF blog post Monday that divides between nations — the theme at Davos this year is “Cooperation in a Fragmented World” — are putting the global economy at risk by leaving “everyone poorer and less secure.” Georgieva urged strengthening trade, helping vulnerable countries deal with debt and ramping up climate action. PRIORITIZING CLIMATE A major climate theme emerging from the forum’s panel sessions is the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore will be talking about decarbonization, efforts to build clean energy infrastructure and ensure an equitable transition. It follows a strong year for the energy transition: Many countries passed incentives for renewable energy in 2022. One hot topic on the agenda — harnessing nuclear fusion — focuses on science that offers immense potential but is many decades away from a commercial rollout that could feed the world’s skyrocketing thirst for energy. Sessions on issues like adaptation to climate change and panels on deforestation, biodiversity and the future of environmental protection will give a greener hue to the gathering. CRITICAL VOICES The elite gathering is regularly skewered by critics who argue that attendees are too out-of-touch or profit- or power-minded to address the needs of common people and the planet. Throughout the week, critics and activists will be waiting outside the Davos conference center to try to hold decision-makers and business leaders to account. Read more: Robust leadership, political trust fortified Dhaka-Ankara economic, defence ties: Turan It started Sunday, when dozens of climate activists — some with clown makeup — braved snowfall to wave banners and chant slogans at the end of the Davos Promenade, a thoroughfare now lined with storefront logos of corporate titans like Accenture, Microsoft, Salesforce, Meta, as well as country “houses” that promote national interests. Greenpeace International also blasted use of corporate jets that ferry in bigwigs, saying such carbon-spewing transportation smacks of hypocrisy for an event touting its push for a greener world. It said over 1,000 private-jet flights arrived and departed airports serving Davos in May. Forum President Borge Brende acknowledged Sunday that some government leaders and CEOs fly in that way. "I think what is more important than that is to make sure we have agreements on how we, overall, move and push the envelope when it comes to the green agenda,” he said.

Portugal left Cristiano Ronaldo at home and lost its unbeaten record in 2022 and the lead of its Nations League group on Sunday. A goal after 57 seconds by Switzerland forward Haris Seferović was enough for a 1-0 win in Geneva despite late pressure by Portugal including two scoring chances for 39-year-old captain Pepe playing as an emergency forward. Also read:Bulgaria player hurt in national team bus crash in Georgia Portugal’s slip, after letting Ronaldo skip the last game of a long season, let Spain take first place in Group 2 with a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in top-tier League A. Goals midway through each half from Carlos Soler and Pablo Sarabia lifted Spain one point clear of Portugal after four rounds. The last two rounds will be played in September. Portugal had gone unbeaten in five games this year starting with two wins in its World Cup qualifying playoffs in March and including a 4-0 rout of the Swiss last weekend. The Swiss had gone in the other direction with a five-match winless run since qualifying for the World Cup ahead of group rival Italy in November. Portugal barely had time to miss Ronaldo, or touch the ball much, when falling behind within one minute. A quick series of passes linked by Xherdan Shaqiri lined up right back Silvan Widmer for a dangerous cross. It found Seferović, who plays in Portugal for Benfica, to guide a header into the far bottom corner of the net. Shaqiri was preparing to take a penalty kick 10 minutes later, after his cross struck the hand of left-back Nuno Mendes, but a video review found a foul in the center circle in the buildup. Starting on the bench after a tiring season in England and the Champions League, Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota were sent on after an hour and within seconds Silva lashed a shot that was punched clear by Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Omlin. Omlin impressed with eight saves though almost gifted Silva a goal in the 67th. His misjudged pass from the goalmouth rebounded off the Portugal forward close enough to the ’keeper that he could dive on the loose ball. LEAGUE B Erling Haaland made it a 42-goal season tally in all competitions by scoring another double against Sweden to lead Norway to a 3-2 win over its Nordic rival. The striker, who recently signed for Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund, also netted twice against Sweden last Sunday in a 2-1 win for Norway in the first of the teams' double-header this month in League B. A week later in Oslo, Haaland darted in front of a defender to head home his first goal in the 10th minute and converted a penalty early in the second half to make it 2-0. The 21-year-old star now has 20 goals in 21 senior international appearances with 13 of them scored this season. Haaland also tallied 29 for Dortmund. Also read:PSG's Next Head Coach: Potential Successors of Mauricio Pochettino Emil Forsberg curled a shot into the top corner to reduce the deficit for Sweden, only for Haaland to curl over a cross that was met with a far-post header by Alexander Sørloth. Sweden's second goal, from Viktor Gyökeres, came in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time. Norway leads Group 4 on 10 points, three points clear of Serbia which wasted a two-goal, first-half lead in Slovenia to draw 2-2. LEAGUES C AND D A Bulgaria team whose bus was involved in a road accident crash soon after arriving in Georgia drew 0-0 in Tbilisi. Midfielder Todor Nedelev underwent a successful operation for a head injury sustained in the crash on Friday. Georgia leads the third-tier Group 4 by three points from North Macedonia which beat last-place Gibraltar 4-0. Group 2 leader Greece beat second-place Kosovo 2-0 to give coach Guy Poyet's team a six-point lead in the standings. Northern Ireland and Cyprus stayed winless in the group and each has two points after their 2-2 draw in Belfast. Defender Jonny Evans leveled for the hosts deep in stoppage time. In League D, Malta beat San Marino 1-0.

The Latest on soccer’s European Championship: ___ Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer saved a penalty kick from Kylian Mbappe in a penalty shootout to knock France out of the European Championship. Switzerland won the shootout 5-3 after a 3-3 draw through extra time. ___ France and Switzerland are headed to a penalty shootout in the round of 16 of the European Championship. The match ended 3-3 after 90 minutes and neither team was able to score in extra time. ___ France and Switzerland are headed to extra time in the round of 16 of the European Championship. Mario Gavranovic scored the equalizer for Switzerland in the 90th minute in Bucharest. READ: Belgium edges Portugal, reaches quarterfinals at Euro 2020 It’s the second match of the day to go to extra time. Spain and Croatia were also even at 3-3 after 90 minutes. Spain ended up winning 5-3 in Copenhagen. ___ England coach Gareth Southgate is deciding whether to include Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell in the squad to face Germany at the European Championship after a week in self-isolation. The players had to split from the rest of the England squad after being deemed close contacts following a conversation with Chelsea teammate Billy Gilmour after the match against Scotland. Gilmour later tested positive for the coronavirus. Mount and Chilwell were able to do fitness work away from the rest of the England squad on a training field. England hosts Germany at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday in the round of 16. Southgate says “it’s really complicated because there’s the physical periodization you want for a game like this.” Mount started two group games at Euro 2020 before missing last Tuesday’s win over the Czech Republic while isolating. ___ Alvaro Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal scored in extra time to give Spain a 5-3 win over Croatia and a place in the European Championship quarterfinals. Spain gifted Croatia a bizarre own-goal in the first half and then threw away a 3-1 lead but Morata made it 4-3 when he controlled a cross with one deft touch in the 100th minute and sent a shot past goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. Oyarzabal doubled the lead three minutes later. READ: BPL Football: Abahani, Mohammedan play out 1-1 draw Mislav Orsic had pulled one back for Croatia in the 85th and Mario Pasalic equalized in injury time. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon’s massive blunder gave Croatia a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute when he failed to control a long back pass. ___ Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko says he’s concerned about Sweden’s threat at set pieces in their match in the round of 16 at the European Championship. Ukraine’s two losses at Euro 2020 came with a header from the Netherlands after a cross and from Austria scoring on a corner kick. Shevchenko says “definitely we have to be really careful at set pieces. Sweden is a team that uses set pieces really well.” Sweden has not yet scored from a free kick or a corner and coach Janne Andersson has noted the absence. Andersson says Sweden has a bit of a height advantage “so we are hoping that we are able to take advantage of that” against Ukraine in Glasgow. ___ Croatia and Spain will play extra time in the round of 16 at the European Championship. Mario Pasalic scored for Croatia in injury team to make the score 3-3 in Copenhagen. __ The captains of Germany and England will wear rainbow armbands in the round of 16 at the European Championship. The England team says the move by Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and England striker Harry Kane is “to mark the end of Pride month.” UEFA had looked into whether Neuer breached regulations by not wearing the official armband in the opening two games of Euro 2020. But Germany later said UEFA accepted its argument that the rainbow armband is a symbol of diversity and can therefore be categorized as a “good cause.” ___ Spain scored a bizarre first-half own-goal against Croatia in the round of 16 of the European Championship after a massive blunder by goalkeeper Unai Simon. Simon failed to control a back pass in the 20th minute and the ball trickled slowly into the net. Spain had dominated play until then but the goal gave Croatia a 1-0 lead. It was the ninth own-goal so far at Euro 2020. ___ Unbeaten and underestimated Sweden has quietly progressed into the round of 16 at the European Championship with a coach who says he no longer yells at players because it doesn’t make them better. The Swedes will next face Ukraine in the round of 16 on Tuesday in Glasgow. Sweden coach Janne Andersson says “to yell at people is rarely something that helps them so I don’t believe in that way of working.” He says he prefers to “explain to them where they are doing things wrong and how they can improve.” Andersson did have a confrontation with the Poland coaching staff during Sweden’s 3-2 win last week. Andersson says to yell at opponents is “a different thing.” ___ Belgium coach Roberto Martinez says Kevin De Bruyne’s injury is not serious and he will remain with the squad at the European Championship. De Bruyne was replaced early in the second half of Belgium’s 1-0 victory over Portugal on Sunday in the round of 16. De Bruyne hurt his left ankle after being tackled from behind by Portugal midfielder João Palhinha. Martinez says it’s too early to know if De Bruyne will be available for Friday’s quarterfinal match against Italy at Euro 2020. The Belgium coach says Eden Hazard also doesn’t have a serious injury. The playmaker was replaced late in the match because of a muscle problem. ___ A health official in Finland says he hopes soccer fans in the country won’t travel to neighboring St. Petersburg for Friday’s European Championship quarterfinal match in the Russian city. The Finns saw a spike in coronavirus cases that has been traced to soccer fans returning from Russia. Finland played two of its group matches in St. Petersburg but the team has been eliminated from the tournament. Helsinki University Hospital doctor Markku Makijarvi says “I hope that it is now clear to everyone that the rest will be watched from Finland.” More than 200 cases of the virus have been reported among people who have arrived from neighboring Russia in recent days and nearly 500 people have been quarantined. Health officials say these cases either were soccer fans or people who took part in the traditional mid-summer celebrations. At least 2,000 Finns are estimated to have traveled to St. Petersburg for the earlier games. ___ Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand says he expects captain Simon Kjaer to be able to play in the team’s quarterfinal match against the Czech Republic at the European Championship. Kjaer had to exit Saturday’s game against Wales in the round of 16 after getting his right thigh wrapped in the second half. Hjulmand says Kjaer is still undergoing treatment but that the center back should recover in time for Saturday’s game in Baku, Azerbaijan. Hulmand says ”they’re working on Simon and we all think he’ll be ready.” Hjulmand says he has ”no reason to believe” that he won’t have all his players available. ___ World Cup champion France will play Switzerland for a spot in the quarterfinals at the European Championship. The French team lost in the Euro 2016 final before winning the World Cup three years ago. They finished first in their group at Euro 2020 but won only one match. The game against the Swiss will be played in Bucharest. Spain will take on Croatia in Copenhagen in the early match.

Berlin, OCT 20 (AP/UNB) — Voters in Switzerland are electing a new national parliament, with recent polls suggesting that green parties could fare well in a year when environmental concerns have swept across Europe.