Newt gets in step with the World

The conference centre in Davos is its own little world. And most of the 2,000 leading names from business and politics who are attending the World Economic Forum seem to be far too busy to enjoy the outdoor delights.

That was until yesterday morning when hundreds set off for a sports day of snow games, slaloms and a sleigh rids. Standing in the queue for the lift, several delegates looked decidedly shaky after the party the previous night - the conference centre had been turned into nightlife district of assorted clubs.

In one, the US Speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, could be seen dancing badly to some terrible techno music, surrounded by hordes drinking margeritas.

In another, Larry Summers, one of Bill Clinton's senior ministers, was desperately trying to escape a particularly persistent journalist. And down in the Russian party, complete with ice sculptors and shots of vodka, the French and Russian delegates were having a rare old time.

But its not all fun here for the delegates and their entourage. Yesterday evening they were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Hillary Clinton.

There were at least three false alarms as US journalists rushed into action, convinced the latest whirr of helicopter was the First Lady.

In the end, she arrived on the 6.15 p.m. train from Geneva, and went straight to her hotel. Last night, she went to a dinner hosted by Prof Claus Schwab, who organised the forum, and today she will make an address to the delegates.

The mass invasion of men in grey suits leaves little room for skiing tourists and the slopes are practically deserted. But there is some colour. Iran's deputy prime minister, Ms Ebtekar Masoumeh is here in full chador, apparently on a mission aimed at convincing the US that Iran is a friendly country. Ms Masoumeh was previously most famous as being the "Mary" who negotiated with the US for the release of the US embassy hostages, as a mere 21-year old.

Elsewhere, it is the usual World Economic Forum line-up of prime ministers and senior ministers from the EU, the Far East, the US, Latin America and India.

Mary Robinson is here with her boss Kofi Annan, as is Goldman Sachs chairman, Mr Peter Sutherland.

But despite Tony Blair's European love-bombing strategy, there is a distinct lack of Britons. The most noticeable, Adair Turner, the CBI chief, had an unfortunate accident. Before he could even get on the slopes, he slipped on the path and broke his arm.