US aircraft carrier to return to India despite protests

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HONG KONG, Aug 20 (AFP): A nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier will return to India next month despite angry protests, its commander said Monday, highlighting the closer military ties between the two nations.
The USS Nimitz, one of the world's largest warships, will head back to the Bay of Bengal the first week of September to participate in a joint exercise involving 25 ships from India, Australia and Singapore.
It will be the carrier's second visit to India in two months, having been near the country's southern coast in Chennai in July, which was seen as a landmark event in the growing defence ties between Washington and New Delhi.