Ten news updates on President #Barrack #Obama India visit

1. PM Modi greeted President Obama with a hug and the leaders shook hands, before the US President and his wife got into their special car, called the Beast, that had driven up to the tarmac. The car has both the US and the Indian flags on it today.

2. President Obama has been invited by PM Modi to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations tomorrow. He will be the first US president to be chief guest at the Republic Day parade. He is also the first US president to visit India twice.

3. The US President and his wife have now reached their hotel, ITC Maurya. They will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at about noon at the Rashtrapati Bhawan by the President and PM Modi. Mr Obama will then pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

4. President Obama will join PM Modi for a working lunch at the Hyderabad House this afternoon. The two leaders will have an expanded delegation level meeting expected to last for about an hour.

5. A one-on-one walk is also planned at the Hyderabad House. With progress in talks on a stalled nuclear deal, India is optimistic that a key breakthrough will be made, officials said.

6. President Obama will attend a state banquet hosted by President Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan this evening. Sources said 250 guests have been invited for the banquet.

7. Tomorrow, President Obama will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade at Delhi’s Rajpath. Later, the Obamas will attend an ‘at home’ reception hosted by President Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

8. On Monday afternoon, President Obama and PM Modi will participate in a CEO forum roundtable and address the US-India Business Summit. On Tuesday, the US President will give an address at the Siri Fort Auditorium before leaving for Saudi Arabia.

9. President Obama has cancelled a visit the Taj Mahal in Agra; he is cutting short his visit to fly to Saudi Arabia following the death of King Abdullah. Saudi Arabia is a longstanding US ally and the world’s leading oil exporter.

10. In a message to President Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of Republic Day, President Obama said he and his wife Michelle were looking forward to the India visit and enjoying the “generosity, hospitality, and beauty that marked our last visit” in 2010.