Switzerland went on avalanche alert on Monday as fresh snow smothered much of the Alps a day before the World Economic Forum in Davos gets under way.

At a round table with global CEOs in Davos, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed everyone by their first name, took questions and invited ideas, participants told NDTV on Monday.

The optimism was especially strong in the United States after a year of robust growth, deregulation and tax cuts under President Donald Trump.