Business leaders in Davos, Switzerland, traditionally the high priests of globalization, are talking up the benefits of local production to shield themselves from criticism from incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.

Budget fashion retailer H&M reported this week a 6 percent year-on-year increase in local currency sales in December, the slowest pace since September and lagging expectations.

Some army officers, rebel groups and criminal networks in Congo are still illegally exploiting the country's gold and mineral riches despite government and military bans, U.N. experts said in a report circulated last week.

Airbus is expecting a smoother flow of aircraft production in 2017, the plane maker's chief executive says, after the company reported a record number of deliveries in December.

Fashion giant Ralph Lauren Corp, whose designs are sashayed on Hollywood's red carpets, has unveiled plans to trace wood pulp used in its clothes to avoid buying from regions destroying forests or violating human rights.

Ford Motor Co's abrupt move to scrap a planned $1.6bn car plant in central Mexico has spooked a network of suppliers who bet on a growing customer base and dramatized the risk that Donald Trump's agenda poses to the country's broader economy.

Maersk, the world's largest container shipping line, has teamed up with Alibaba to allow customers to reserve space on its vessels through the Chinese company, illustrating growing cooperation between e-commerce and logistics firms.