India, Nepal prime ministers meet to deepen ties as China’s influence grows in region

NEW DELHI (AP) — Nepal’s prime minister has held talks with his Indian counterpart as India and its rival China bid for influence in the tiny Himalayan nation as part of a greater regional power struggle. Pushpa Kamal Dahal met Narendra Modi in New Delhi during a four-day visit to India, his first trip abroad since taking office last December. After the meeting, the two prime ministers remotely inaugurated several projects, including a cargo railway line and two border checkpoints, and oversaw the signing of a slew of agreements. Modi said they agreed to further deepen their historic ties and “take our relations to Himalayan heights.”