REALITYCHEX.COM - Asia November 2010

The Ledes

Thursday, February 23, 2012.

Washington Post: "A bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland was approved by the state Senate, which advanced a measure that narrowly cleared the House of Delegates last week. The final vote by the state Senate ended a yearlong drama in Annapolis over the legislation.... With the vote, the measure moves to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who has said he will sign it."

Washington Post: "In a highly unusual move, the full Virginia Senate killed the so-called ‘personhood’ bill for the year just hours after it seemed likely to survive. The Senate voted 24-14 to send the bill back to Senate Education and Health Committee, with two anti-abortion Democrats abstaining."

New York Times: "A United Nations panel concluded on Thursday that 'gross human rights violations' had been ordered by the Syrian authorities as state policy at 'the highest levels of the armed forces and the government,' amounting to crimes against humanity. The panel of three investigators, led by Paulo Pinheiro of Brazil, did not release the names of the officials it had identified as bearing responsibility. Instead, the panel delivered the names in a sealed envelope to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva."

ABC News: "Army Pfc. Bradley Manning ... deferred entering a plea at his arraignment today."

ABC News: "The judge presiding over the so-called honeymoon killer trial dismissed murder charges against Gabe Watson after the prosecution completed its case today. The charges were dismissed before the defense presented a single witness."

President Obama will speak at the University of Miami at 2:30 pm ET, where he will defend his energy policy. Here's a related Washington Post story. ...

... New York Times Update: "President Obama, confronted by the political perils of surging gas prices in an election year, defended his efforts to wean the United States off imported oil on Thursday, even as he conceded there was little he could do to immediately ease the pain at the pump." See video in Friday's Commentariat.

Washington Post: "The Obama administration on Thursday plans to announce voluntary guidelines for Web companies to protect consumers’ privacy online, a win for Google, Facebook and other Internet giants that have fought against heavier federal mandates. The White House did not include a much-debated 'do not track' rule that would have forced companies to offer users the choice of stopping advertisers from tracking their activities across the Web."

New York Times: "Afghans demonstrated for the third straight day on Thursday against the burning of Korans at the largest American base in their country, and public anger was reported to be spreading after furious crowds armed with rocks, bricks, pistols and wooden sticks took to the streets in a half-dozen provinces in protests Wednesday that left at least seven dead and many injured." ...

... Washington Post Update: "Two American soldiers were killed on Thursday by an attacker wearing an Afghan army uniform, as protests over Koran-burning at a NATO base continued, and the Taliban called on Afghans to target foreign troops as reprisal.... President Obama apologized for the incident in a letter sent to Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday."

AP: "A U.S nuclear envoy said Thursday he held substantive talks with North Korea on dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear programs in return for aid and would continue the negotiations into second day."

AP: "Officials say attacks across Baghdad and several Iraqi provinces have killed 48 people and wounded more than 200 in an unrelenting wave of violence that mostly appeared to target security forces."

ABC News: "A jury recommended that a judge sentence George Huguely V to 26 years in prison after he was convicted of second-degree murder in the beating death of his ex-girlfriend, Yeardley Love, at the University of Virginia." See also yesterday's Ledes.

The Ledes

Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

CNN will host another GOP presidential debate tonight at 8:00 pm ET. If you're not near a TV, you can watch it here (I surmise). Update: The New York Times is liveblogging the debate. You can request a fact-check at the link (right column). The Washington Post has live updates here. ...

... Update: the New York Times reports on the debate. Here's the Washington Post report. CW: I listened to the crowd reactions. They pretty much applauded everything stupid & booed any sensible measures the candidates had accidentally supported in the past. Yep, the GOP needs a new electorate.

Washington Post: "A jury [in Charlottesville, Virginia] on Wednesday evening convicted George Huguely V of second-degree murder in the 2010 death of his onetime girlfriend Yeardley Love after about nine hours of deliberations. Huguely faces up to 40 years in prison on the murder charge."

New York Times: "A federal advisory panel on Wednesday overwhelmingly recommended approval of what could become the first new prescription drug to treat obesity in 13 years."

Washington Post: "A former Baltimore-area resident held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has reached a plea agreement with military prosecutors that calls for him to testify at the trials of other detainees in exchange for a much-reduced sentence and eventual freedom, according to officials familiar with the case. The plea agreement with Majid Khan, 31, is the first with a high-value detainee who was previously held by the CIA at a secret prison overseas. Khan was charged this month with war crimes, including murder, attempted murder, spying and providing material support for terrorism, and faced up to life in prison."

New York Times: "New York State's courts, frustrated by delays in thousands of foreclosure cases, are planning to speed them along in a new program that would give judges added control and require banks to send officials who have the power to alter loans to keep people in their homes."

New York Times: "Two Western journalists, one American and one French, were killed early Wednesday in Syria as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad pursued a deadly bombardment of the central city of Homs, according to activists and officials. Valérie Pécresse, the French government spokeswoman, identified the dead as Marie Colvin, an American reporter working for The Sunday Times of London, and Rémi Ochlik, a French photographer."

Washington Post: "President Obama on Wednesday plans to propose a major overhaul of the nation’s corporate tax code, an election-year gambit that is likely to draw a contrast over a key policy issue with the Republicans vying to replace him. Obama will propose lowering the nation’s corporate tax rate to 28 percent. At the same time, however, he will seek to increase the amount of revenues raised overall through corporate taxation by eliminating numerous deductions and loopholes that save companies tens of billions of dollars a year on their tax bills, according to a senior administration official."

Washington Post: "Gov. Robert F. McDonnell is backing off his unconditional support for a bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion.... Until this weekend, McDonnell (R) and his aides had said the governor would sign the measure if it made it to his desk. McDonnell, who strongly opposes abortion, will no longer make that commitment. But delegates and governor’s staff were scheduled to meet Tuesday night to strike a compromise after learning that some ultrasounds could be more invasive than first thought...." ...

... Update: "The Virginia House of Delegates voted Wednesday afternoon to amend a proposed bill on ultrasounds before abortions to say that no woman will have to undergo an internal ultrasound involuntarily. The revised bill says that only an external ultrasound will be required to satisfy the requirements to determine gestational age. And Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R), the bill’s sponsor in the Senate, said she will ask that the bill to be striken. The action came the same day that Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) reversed course and said he was asking the General Assembly to amend the proposed bill."

New York Times: "Protests against the burning by NATO personnel of an undisclosed number of Korans spilled into a second day on Wednesday and seemed poised to widen as the American Embassy here suspended all travel by its staff, and NATO soldiers in the capital appeared to be restricting their movements, keeping military vehicles off the streets."

AP: "Fitch ratings agency says it has downgraded Greece further into junk status, from 'CCC' to 'C' following the announcement of the details of the country's debt swap deal with private creditors. The agency said Wednesday the downgrade indicated 'that default is highly likely in the near term.'"

New York Times: "Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia resigned on Wednesday amid growing speculation that he and his backers in Parliament were seeking to topple Prime Minister Julia Gillard and regain for him the country’s leadership role."

Reuters: "Salvage workers have found four more bodies in the submerged Costa Concordia cruise liner, bringing the confirmed number of dead to 21 on the ship that ran aground and capsized off the Italian coast last month, authorities said on Wednesday."

PSA. New York Times: "A new study provides what independent researchers call the best evidence yet that colonoscopy — perhaps the most unloved cancer screening test — prevents deaths. Although many people have assumed that colonoscopy must save lives because it is so often recommended, strong evidence has been lacking until now."

PSA. Molly McHugh of Digital Trends suggests some ways you can "depersonalize your Google experience."

Update: A reader sends this opt-out info. from a reliable source

Once again Google is back in the news for privacy issues.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/250213/googles_safari_tracking_debacle_reality_check.html

There are a few things you can do to minimize this impact. One product I particularly despise is Google Analytics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Analytics

It is fairly reliable to opt-out of Google Analytics tracking by simply installing the opt-out add-on (which is available for IE, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, & Opera browsers:

http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

If you use IE and aren't dependent upon applications that require an older version of the browser, the latest, IE9, has the option to enable tracking protection.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/ie9-and-tracking-protection-microsoft-disrupts-the-online-ad-business/3004

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie-9/features/tracking-protection

The New York Times has published a short excerpt from Anthony Shadid's upcoming memoir House of Stone. Shadid, a Times reporter, died in Syria last week.

Maureen Dowd writes about Sister Dolores, formerly known as actor Dolores Hart, who quit the movie business to become a Benedictine nun. A documentary of her life, titled "God Is Bigger than Elvis," has been nominated for an Academy Award. Sister Delores will attend the ceremony. CW: I guess many people will find Sister Dolores's story uplifting; I find it dolorous. There's no trailer for the film available online. The documentary will air on HBO in April.

Politico has the Sunday talkshow lineup. ...

Update: here's Politico's liveblog of the Sunday shows.

Glenn Greenwald: CNN's Erin Burnett is a warmonger's warmonger, the "worst of the worst," whose actual remarks outstrip any possible parody of warmongers. So, yay! Let's nuke Iran!

Blacklisters Victorious! AP: "MSNBC dropped conservative commentator Pat Buchanan on Thursday, four months after suspending him following the publication of his latest book. The book 'Suicide of a Superpower' contained chapters titled 'The End of White America' and 'The Death of Christian America.' Critics called the book racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic, charges Buchanan denied. MSNBC President Phil Griffin said last month that he didn't think Buchanan's book 'should be part of the national dialogue, much less part of the dialogue on MSNBC.' ... Buchanan, in a column posted on Thursday, called the decision 'an undeniable victory for the blacklisters.'"

Frances Martel of Mediate: the Stephen Colbert show has been cancelled for two nights, Wednesday and Thursday, February 15 & 16, "due to unforseen circumstances," & the suspension of production could run longer. The cancellation came at the last minute, & the show's producers have not explained the reason for the cancellation. ...

... Wall Street Journal Update: "Stephen Colbert has suspended production of his satirical comedy show temporarily because of an emergency in Mr. Colbert's family, according to people familiar with the show. 'The Colbert Report' is expected to resume production soon, perhaps as early as next week, the people added."

The Los Angeles Times coverage of the Grammy Awards is here.

MIDASSTOUCH. Here's a post by Eric Konigsberg of the New Yorker for you New York Times crossword aficonados. BTW, the Times Cookie Monster columnist mentioned in the article is Charles Blow.

For the New York Times, Janet Maslin reviews Mimi Alford's book about her affair with President Kennedy, essentially writing that Alford was full of shit, though you have to understand the utility of Brussels sprouts to get that (she writing in the Times, after all, where discretion is the better part of publication). Amy Davidson of the New Yorker says Maslin is mean.

For you kids interested in a career in writing, or, specifically, writing popular opinion columns, Driftglass shares David Brooks' secret to success: "Once again giving writing by rote a bad name, Our Mr. Brooks pens a quick primer on one method of making a living by writing badly."

Politico has the Sunday talkshow lineup. ...

... New York Times Update: "The new White House chief of staff, Jacob J. Lew, made the rounds of the Sunday talk shows to discuss the budget that President Obama is to release on Monday, but instead he was forced repeatedly to defend the administration’s effort to guarantee that insurers cover birth control for women in the face of criticism from religious groups."

Carly Carioli of the Boston Phoenix: Despite Bill Keller's writing "two smug columns about copyright" in the New York Times, Times columnist Joe Nocera was not above poaching -- or "pirating," in Keller's parlance -- an article from a defunct paper the Phoenix now owns. Instead of linking to the Phoenix page, Nocera uploaded a Times PDF, which of course does not link back to the original article. And this isn't the first time Nocera has done that. So then, "Joe Nocera called me to read me the riot act. He’s pissed that my post caused the Times took down the Clark Booth articleper's article from our company’s archives."

... Click through for more. ...

... The Reliable Source at the Washington Post: "A new book shares explicit details about a 50-year-old presidential sex scandal between JFK and a White House intern." Historian Robert Dallek who "wrote the book on" Kennedy, says former intern & author Mimi Beardsley Alford is "entirely credible." The New Jersey Star-Ledger has a story here. Reliable Source story updated here, with more sordid details. ...

... Update: Matthew DeLuca of the Daily Beast recounts some of the details of Alford's book.

Paper Trail

R.I.P.

Page Links

Asia - November 2010

G20 Class Picture. Front row: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak, China's President Hu Jintao, Mexico's President Felipe Calderon, Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner, US President Barack Obama, & Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Middle row: Malawi's President Bingu Wa Mutharika, EU President Herman Van Rompuy, Japan's PM Naoto Kan, Italy's President Silvio Berlusconi, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, India's PM Manmohan Singh, Canada's PM Stephen Harper, Britain's PM David Cameron, Australia's PM Julia Gillard, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, & Ethiopia's PM Meles Zenawi. Back row: World Trade Organisation Director-General Pascal Lamy, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, International Labour Organisation Director-General Juan Somavia, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Singapore's President Lee Hsien Loong, Spain's PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Vietnam's PM Nguyen Tan Dung, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick, Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) Secretary General Angel Gurria, & Financial Stability Board Chairman Mario Draghi. Getty image.You're on an auxiliary page. Click Constant Comments-Home on the bar above to go to the main page.

For photos, see the Asia Gallery November 2010 in the drop-down Photo Galleries menu on the navigation bar above.

New York Times: "President Obama and other Asia-Pacific leaders wrapped up a two-day meeting on Sunday with sweeping pledges to rectify global economic imbalances and move toward creating a regional free-trade zone, but few concrete gains.

The Hill: "President Obama assured Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday that the lame-duck session will be used to ratify the START nuclear-arms treaty":

AP: "Leaders of the Pacific Rim economies that have spearheaded the still-fragile global recovery agreed Sunday to work toward building a regionwide free trade zone they say is the lynchpin for sustainable growth."

Simon Johnson: "It is hard to imagine how the summit could have gone any worse for the US Treasury and the president."

President Obama attended an APEC dinner.

President Obama met with the APEC Business Advisory Council. ...

... AP: "Appealing for broader access to fast-growing markets in Asia, President Barack Obama says the United States is in the Pacific region to stay and that both sides will benefit from stronger trade relationships. On a mission to help create jobs at home, Obama noted that while U.S. exports to the region have increased by more than 60 percent in the last five years, competition has cut into the U.S. share of trade here. 'We want to change that,' Obama declared in a speech Saturday." ...

... AP: "Leaders of the world's three biggest economies — the U.S., China and Japan — all pledged Saturday to push for free trade, apparently putting aside acrimony over currencies that threatens to revive pressure to raise trade barriers. The promises not to backslide into retaliatory trade tactics came at an annual summit of Pacific Rim leaders, just a day after a divisive summit of the Group of 20 major economies in South Korea." ...

... AP: "Chinese President Hu Jintao said Saturday that his country will keep its markets open and seek more balanced trade, while gradually adjusting the value of its currency." ...

... President Obama attended an APEC leaders' retreat. ...

Mark Smith of the AP: "Thank you, Mr. President."

Politico: "In the last speech of his nine-day trip overseas, President Obama defended his economic policies and signaled that while he’s committed to bringing down the country's mounting deficit he will not take any drastic measures in the immediate future":

Washington Post: "Marking the final stop on his 10-day tour of Asia, President Obama arrived Friday in the country that least fits his vision of the region's growth. Obama speaks of Asia's "amazing success stories and rapidly expanding markets," but in Japan, those notions are memories rather than aspirations. He views Asia as a catalyst for the U.S. economic recovery, but Japan's economy serves more as a cautionary tale of mismanagement."

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Sewell Chan of the New York Times: "After a two-day meeting marked by anxieties and trade frictions, the leaders of the Group of 20 economic powers agreed in essence to a year-long cooling-off period, in which they will tackle persistent problems.... The meeting still showed the power of the United States to set the agenda for international discussion, even if the result ... was far less robust than American officials had hoped for."

President Obama held a press conference after the close of the G20 Summit. Here's the transcript of the President's remarks, including the Q&A, via CNN. C-SPAN has the video here; the event runs 46 minutes. Clip above. ...

... Precisely because of China’s success, it’s very important that it act in a responsible fashion internationally. And the issue of the renminbi is one that is an irritant not just to the United States, but is an irritant to a lot of China’s trading partners and those who are competing with China to sell goods around the world.... [The renminbi] is undervalued. And China spends enormous amounts of money intervening in the market to keep it undervalued. -- Barack Obama ...

... New York Times: President Obama ... left little doubt that he considered one country, China, the primary source of [imbalances in the global economy]. Scrapping a longtime practice of speaking with diplomatic caution about China’s currency policy, Mr. Obama accused Beijing of intervening aggressively to keep its currency, the renminbi, below its market value to promote exports. He said it was a mistake for nations to think that 'their path to prosperity is paved simply with exports to the United States.'"

New York Times: "... when the heads of state convened this week for the Group of 20 conference — a gathering marked by disputes over currency and global trade imbalances between the United States and its allies — wrapped up here on Friday, they were not shy about putting Mr. Obama on the defensive. 'It’s not just a function of personal charm,' the president said Friday, at a news conference wrapping up the session. 'It’s a function of countries’ interests and seeing if we can work through to align them.'”

New York Times: Leaders of the world’s biggest economies agreed on Friday to curb 'persistently large imbalances' in saving and spending but deferred until next year tough decisions on how to identify and fix them. The agreement, the culmination of a two-day summit meeting of leaders of the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging powers, fell short of initial American demands for numerical targets on trade surpluses and deficits. But it reflected a consensus that longstanding economic patterns — in particular, the United States consuming too much, and China too little — were no longer sustainable."

New York Times: Leaders of the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging powers neared agreement Thursday evening on a pledge to reduce global economic imbalances that the United States views as a key hindrance to its recovery. However, the accord is unlikely to require the most powerful surplus economies, China and Germany, to change any policies substantially in the short term."

President Obama attended a G-20 working dinner.

President Obama attended the G-20's official welcoming ceremony.

President Obama held a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Merkel of Germany:

President Obama held a bilateral meeting with President Hu of China:

Presidents Obama & Lee held a joint press conference. ...

... New York Times: "President Obama and President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea failed to reach an agreement Thursday on a long-awaited free-trade agreement, and said they had decided instead to give their negotiators more time to work out differences, which revolved around Korean imports of American autos and beef." Washington Post story here. ...

... New York Times: President Obama's remarks at the press confierence & other indicators demonstrate that the U.S. & South Korean positions with regard to North Korea have subtly changed. ...

... President Obama speaks about the ongoing effort to establish a free trade agreement with South Korea:

The Economist: "It was chance that [President Obama's] tour took him to Asia’s biggest and richest democracies — South Korea and Japan were on the itinerary as hosts, respectively, of the G20 and Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summits. But that lent the tour its tacit theme: that, crudely put, the American model still trumps the Chinese one."

President Obama in South Korea:

AP: "Celebrating America's Veterans Day, President Barack Obama on Thursday saluted the bravery of U.S. troops who defended South Korea during its war with North Korea and condemned the communist north for continuing on a course that he says deepens its isolation from the rest of the world along with the poverty of its people":

President Obama arrived in Seoul, Korea today. AP: In a letter to G-20 leaders, "President Barack Obama said a strong, job-creating economy in the United States would be the country's most important contribution to a global recovery as he pleaded with world leaders to work together despite sharp differences."

AP: "The leaders of major rich and developing nations struggled Thursday to break a deadlock on how to fix problems cramping the global economy as President Barack Obama insisted that a strong United States is crucial for a wider international recovery."

David Sanger of the New York Times: "With China leading the critics of American economic policy, officials acknowledge that President Obama is going to have a difficult time winning any kind of consensus strategy" at the G-20 meeting in South Korea. ...

... Howard Schneider of the Washington Post: "An international backlash against the Federal Reserve's move last week to pump billions of dollars into the U.S. economy is threatening to undercut the Obama administration's economic goals for this week's G-20 meeting of world leaders."

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President Obama speaks at the University of Indonesia:

... Here's the transcript of the President's remarks.

Washington Post, Jakarta: "Speaking before thousands in the city that helped raise him, President Obama on Wednesday cited this country's transition from dictatorship to democracy as a model in an Islamic world often governed by unelected autocracies."

New York Times on President Obama's visit to Indonesia.

AP: "Once the wait for President Barack Obama's return was over, Indonesian anticipation turned to another question: Would a conservative Muslim government minister shake the first lady's hand? He says he did, but not by choice. Footage on YouTube shows otherwise, sparking a debate that has lit up Facebook, Twitter and the rest of the blogosphere.... Minister Tifatul Sembiring ... smiled broadly as he shook the president's hand and then reached with both hands to grasp Michelle's. But later he said she forced their contact."

CNN: "U.S. President Barack Obama is officially shortening his visit to Indonesia because of fears that volcanic ash spewing from Mount Merapi could have grounded Air Force One, according to administration officials."

President & Mrs. Obama attended a state dinner today. Remarks by President Obama in a Toast at the State Dinner in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Presidents Obama & Yudohoyono held a joint press conference today. AP: "President Barack Obama is heralding a 'comprehensive partnership' between the United States and Indonesia, a fast-growing country with the world's largest Muslim population." President Obama's opening remarks:

... Jakarta Post: "Reflecting on the four years he spent here as a child, visiting US President Barack Obama said that Jakarta has changed so much":

... AP: "President Barack Obama said Tuesday he is making progress toward ending the misunderstanding and mistrust between Muslim countries and the United States, but the effort is incomplete. The president, at a news conference in the world's largest Muslim country, also criticized Israel's plans to build new apartments in disputed East Jerusalem":

President Obama held bilateral meetings with President Yudhoyono today. Remarks by President Obama and President Yudhoyono of Indonesia Before Expanded Bilateral Meeting. ...

... Jakarta Post: "After twice canceling and potentially calling off another visit due to volcanic eruptions, US President Barack Obama has finally arrived in Jakarta and is now holding a meeting with Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono." ...

... President Obama & the First Lady arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia this morning. Washington Post: "President Obama arrived in Indonesia Tuesday for a short stay that may be made shorter by the erupting Mount Merapi volcano. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, told reporters traveling aboard Air Force One from New Delhi that U.S. officials are working through Obama's schedule looking for ways to condense what had been planned as a 24-hour stay." ...

... Here's a pool report, mostly from a gaggle with White House staffers Ben Rhodes & Jeff Bader, via Time.

Politico: "President Obama has declined to meet with Nobel Peace Prize winners in Hiroshima on Friday, even though he’ll be in Japan."

Norimitsu Onishi for the New York Times: "When President Obama visits Jakarta on Tuesday, he will find a city that, in some ways, has changed beyond recognition. A city of one luxury hotel and one shopping mall when Mr. Obama lived here between 1967 and 1971, Jakarta is now the overextended and overcrowded capital of the world’s fourth most populous nation. But Jakarta’s neighborhoods, including the two where Mr. Obama lived, retain enough of their former selves that the president would quickly find his bearings."

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President & Mrs. Obama attended a state dinner Monday evening. Times of India story here.

President & Mrs. Obama met with President Patil Monday evening. No link.

President Obama spoke before the Indian Parliament today. Politico: "In a speech to India’s parliament on Monday, President Obama will strongly endorse the country’s bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, administration officials said." Updates: AP post-speech story here. The New York Times story, which is more expansive, is here. AND here's the full text:

President Obama met with Indian Vice President Ansari, with opposition leader Swaraj & with Sonia Gandhi. Washington Post: "More than 400 survivors of the 26-year-old Union Carbide gas leak protested on the streets in the heart of New Delhi on Monday and demanded justice from President Barack Obama, who spent the morning locked in meetings with senior Indian officials not too far away."

President Obama & PM Singh held a joint press conference earlier today. Washington Post: "President Obama pledged Monday to strengthen U.S.-India efforts to fight and prevent terrorism and to work with all South Asian nations to deny safe havens to terrorists." New York Times: at the press conference, "President Obama delivered a strong endorsement ... of the Federal Reserve’s decision to pump $600 billion into the American economy, and issued a veiled rebuke to China for maintaining a huge trade surplus while artificially controlling its currency." Update: see clip above.

Here's a clip from President Obama & PM Singh's joint press conference:

Politico: "Tensions between the White House press corps and Indian security boiled over on the third day of President Obama’s visit, prompting press secretary Robert Gibbs to threaten to pull President Obama out of his bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh." ...

... At one point, Gibbs literally had his foot lodged in the closing front door, asking if the Indian security officials pushing hard to shut it were going to break his foot. -- Pool Report ...

... Here's raw video of the Gibbs dust-up with Indian security forces:

President Obama attended a business leaders' luncheon Monday in New Delhi. No link.

President Obama & PM Singh held a bilateral meeting early Monday morning.

Times of India: "A large marquee open at the sides, a Navy band and no less than 30 camels greeted some 70 guests at a tasteful private dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and wife Gursharan Kaur for US President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama."

AP: "On the second of the three days he is spending in India, Obama arrived in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon in the company of his wife, Michelle. Among his airport greeters were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who apparently broke the normally rigid rules of protocol by making the trip to personally welcome Obama to the Indian capital." Times of India story here; with video. Update: more from the Wall Street Journal blog on the Obamas' visit to the Humayun Tomb.

Getty images.... Times of India: "US First Lady Michelle Obama, who has a reputation of being a fashionista, kept her sartorial choice for her India visit trendy but understated though some designers felt she should have opted for a saree at some events."

Heather Timmons of the New York Times: "While President Obama is wooing India with promises of increased trade and United Nations clout, his wife’s charm offensive has included serial hugs and a talent for Indian dance. The combination has been an unexpected success. An Indian public and news media that were lukewarm before the official three-day visit began on Saturday have since become exuberant Michelle Obama fans." ...

... Times of India: "Michelle Obama could well be crowned the `dancing queen'. Twice in two days, the First Lady demonstrated in Mumbai that she could swing to desi beats with the best of them, pulling off matkas and jhatkas like a seasoned performer. It came as no surprise when she revealed that she'd done the bhangra at the White House during PM Manohan Singh's US visit last year." ...

... Times of India: "President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle on Sunday danced spiritedly to a foot-tapping Marathi folk song as they participated in symbolic Diwali festivities with children at a city school. The US first couple took a break from their formal engagements to savour dance presentations by youngsters and visit a science exhibition at the Holy Name High School, close to the Hotel Taj Mahal where they are staying":

New York Times: President Obama faced tough questions "from students at St. Xavier’s College, a 140-year-old Jesuit institution in Mumbai."Clip:

... New York Times story here. Transcript of the full remarks of the President & First Lady on the White House site here. Times of India: "President Barack Obama today made it clear that the United States 'cannot impose' itself on Indo-Pak relations and called for a 'military response' in a 'significant ongoing way' against those who perpetrated terror attacks in Mumbai and New York."

AP: "Michelle Obama played hopscotch, danced and sang with 33 disadvantaged children from the Indian charity Make a Difference Saturday at the University of Mumbai.":

Reuters: "President Barack Obama will announce the easing of U.S. controls on exports to India when he addresses business leaders here on Saturday, in a move to boost trade between the two countries, the White House said." AP Update: "President Barack Obama says new trade deals between the U.S. and India will support more than 50,000 jobs in the U.S. He said the relationship between America and India should be a win for both sides — while acknowledging concerns in America about outsourcing." ...

... Reuters Update: "President Barack Obama announced $10 billion in business deals on Saturday as he arrived in India to boost U.S. exports and jobs after a mauling in mid-term polls, but he ran into immediate controversy over Pakistan":

President & Mrs. Obama visited the Mani Bhavan museum in Mumbai, once the home of Mahatma Gandhi.

President Obama made remarks about the 2008 terrorist attack. Times of India story here:

The President & First Lady meet with survivors of the 26/11 attacks & victims' families. This portion of the video begins about 5:15 min. in:

Via Time, here are U.S. pool reports from India.

New York Times: "President Obama arrived in ... [Mumbai] on Saturday morning for a 10-day, four-nation swing through Asia that will put a heavy emphasis on opening markets to American goods and creating jobs at home." Washington Post: story here.

Where the President won't be visiting:

AP: President Obama "was to depart Friday morning on Air Force One for Mumbai, India, where he was to arrive around noon local time Saturday after refueling in Germany. It's the first stop on a 10-day tour through India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan, the longest foreign outing of Obama's presidency.... The president ... will be accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama for the first part of the trip." Los Angeles Times story here.