Obama announces $10bn worth Indo-US deals

Mumbai, Nov 6 (PTI) US President Barack Obama today announced that "several landmark" deals worth USD 10 billion (nearly Rs 44,000 crore) have been reached between the two countries for creating about 50,000 jobs in the US.

Expressing confidence that he was absolutely sure that relationship between the two countries was going to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century, he asked India to reduce trade barriers, while committing to reciprocate.

"There is no reason why India cannot be our top trading partner (from 12th position now)... I'm absolutely sure that the relationship between India and the US is going to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," President Obama said addressing the US India Business Council meet as he started his three-day maiden visit to India.

"Several landmark deals have been done shortly before my arrival here.

The mysterious case of Twinkle's tears | The Girl Who Cries Blood

This is the girl who has baffled top doctors because she spontaneously bleeds from her pores up to 50 times a day.

Twinkle Dwivedi, 14, has strange disorder which means she loses blood through her skin without being cut or scratched. Terrified twinkle has even undergone transfusions after pints of it seeped through her eyes, nose, hairline, neck and soles of her feet.

Dr George Buchanan, a leading hematologist who has worked in Britain, travelled to India to look into the startling case. The teenager from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, has been suffering the frightening episodes up to 50 times a day for the last three years.

She said: "I bleed from my eyes, my hands, my head and from everywhere. From my ears, nose and eyes as well. "It doesn't hurt when the bleeding starts. But it makes me tired and sometimes I have headaches."

Dr Buchanan, an American pediatric blood specialist, visited twinkle's family at the Jaslok hospital in Mumbai where he observed her bleeding. He said: "I’ve never seen a case of someone who bleeds spontaneously from their scalp or their palms, or read about it in medical history.

"I was interested to see if I could help twinkle." The doctor was called to the family's hotel room to witness bleeding which began from her hair parting. He was shocked to find no signs of cuts, bruising or redness.

Dr Buchanan said: "it doesn't seem physically possible for blood to seep through intact skin.  "but I saw no signs of cuts or bruising anywhere on her body."  Dr Buchanan and his team carried out a series of tests including cutting twinkle's skin to time how quickly the bleeding stops.

Tests show she may have a mild form of a clotting disorder, which means her platelets do not stick together properly. But this is not enough to explain the spontaneous bleeding.  Dr Buchanan is also investigating whether twinkle or her mum cause the bleeding themselves.

Twinkle, a Hindu, said: "I am not causing this. Why would I want to make myself bleed?  "I don't want to be like this. I want to go to school and have a normal life." The unlucky girl has missed at least two years of education after two schools banned her from classes because of the bleeding.

She has been the subject of numerous medical research studies and TV shows such as BodyShock and a National Geographic documentary. The mysterious case of twinkle's bleeding is fully examined in a new body shock documentary.  It also shows twinkle's family visiting a local mystic, being examined by a Christian bishop for stigmata, and bathing in the river Ganges.