EU top team in India to boost ties

NEW DELHI, Feb 27 (AFP): The EU's top team arrived in India on an "unprecedented" visit Thursday, aiming to broaden commercial and diplomatic ties and hedge against souring relations with the United States.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and her college of commissioners are to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi during the two-day trip.

"In this era of multiplying conflicts and intense geostrategic competition, Europe wants to strengthen its partnership with India, one of its most trusted friends," Von der Leyen said in an interview printed in the Times of India on Thursday.