Quote:US President Barack Obama is announcing $10 billion in trade deals with India that are expected to help pay for 54,000 US jobs. He's also unveiling new export rules to make it easier for US companies to do business with India. Some of the changes, including relaxing controls on India's purchase of so-called "dual use" technologies that could be used for civilian or military purposes, have been top priorities for the business community.

"Americans helped build India and Indians helped build America," he said in a speech to business leaders in Mumbai.



Obama made the announcements on Saturday in a speech to US and Indian business executives on the first day of his 10-day, four-country Asia trip. In the wake of Democrats' midterm election losses, attributed partly to continued high unemployment in the U.S., the White House is working overtime to present Obama's trip as singularly focused on US jobs and the domestic economy.



The commercial deals include the purchase of 33 737s from Boeing by India's SpiceJet Airlines; the Indian military's plans to buy aircraft engines from General Electric; and preliminary agreement between Boeing and the Indian Air Force on the purchase of 10 C17s.

Quote:US President Barack Obama today said his decision to stay in Taj Hotel is a powerful message against terrorism and demanded that the perpetrators of the horrific Mumbai attacks should be brought to justice.



Beginning his three-day maiden visit to India by paying homage to the victims of 26/11 attacks, he said he was looking forward to deepening partnership in counter-terrorism during his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.



Accompanied by his wife Michelle, he signed the visitors' book, looked at the plaque on which the names of 26/11 victims are engraved and delivered a six-minute speech in which he paid tributes to people of Mumbai and India hailing their resolve and resilience.



"There has been a great commentary on our decision to begin our visit here, in this dynamic city at this historic hotel. Those who have asked whether this is intended to send a message, my answer is simply absolutely," Obama told a gathering that included kin of victims and staffers of the hotel who braved the 2008 attack.



He made a special reference to General Manager of the Hotel Karamveer Kang who continued to work at the hotel during the 60 hours of mayhem despite losing his family. "Taj is a symbol of strength of Indian people."

Quote:US President Barack Obama criticised India on Monday for failing to condemn rights abuses in Myanmar, saying democracies with global aspirations could not ignore "gross violations" in other countries. "When peaceful democratic movements are suppressed, as they have been in Burma (Myanmar), then the democracies of the world cannot remain silent," Obama said in an address to the Indian parliament.

"Faced with such gross violations of human rights, it is the responsibility of the international community, especially leaders like the United States and India, to condemn it," he said.



"If I can be frank, in international fora, India has often shied away from these issues," he added.

Quote: now this slave manmohan singh is intent on "opening up" India for US retail multinationals