Banks in the Eurozone will pay back early "137.2 billion ($183 billion) of the huge injection of cheap, three-year emergency loans they received from the European Central Bank about a year ago.

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has said the world has been able to improve human conditions at a faster than ever before.

Greenpeace activists forced a temporary shutdown of Shell petrol pump near the WEF meeting venue here this morning and called for the energy giant to be suspended from the influential annual global economic meet being held in Davos.