The annual five-day World Economic Forum starts today in Davos

Dozens of world leaders and hundreds of corporate bosses are gathering in the Swiss mountain ressort of Davos for the annual five-day World Economic Forum - which starts today. The avalanche of bad news in recent months means this year's event is likely to be one of the most gloomy in the Forum's forty- year history. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will join talks with other heads of state to find ideas to alleviate the worsening economic turmoil.