AMERICA’S FIRST COUPLE Barack and Michelle Obama arrived in Mumbai, India, today for the first part of their 10-day Asian tour which will also take in Indonesia, South Korea and Japan.

The Obamas marked the beginning of their visit by visiting a memorial dedicated to the 166 victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, according to the AP.

The couple are staying at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, one of the scenes of the 2008 terrorist attack in the city.

Obama then turned to the main focus of his visit: increasing trade Indo-American trade. The president announced that US businesses are in the final stages of agreeing a $10bn export deal (€7.13bn) with India, according to Reuters.

The White House says that the deals, including the sale of new Boeing jumbo jets and military planes and bomb detection equipment, will help to support almost 54,000 US jobs.

The Wall Street Journal has compiled a list of deals confirmed by the White House.

Enthusiastic crowds turned out to greet the Obamas upon their arrival in Mumbai. Global Post’s Mumbai correspondent Hanna Ingber Win tweeted earlier: “crowd going officially nuts trying to catch glimpse of obama getting into his car, climbing trees, onto shoulders”.

Left parties have planned a nation-wide protest against the presidential visit, saying that the US is continuing a policy of global domination which acts against the interests of other nations, the Times of India reports. The protests are a demonstration against US pressure on India to open up for foreign direct investment.