Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours

FGN36 UK-NIRAVMODI-LDALL ARREST Nirav Modi arrested in UK; court remands him in custody till March 29

London: Nirav Modi, the main accused in the USD 2 billion PNB scam case, has been arrested in London where a court on Wednesday remanded the fugitive diamantaire in custody till March 29, saying there are "substantial grounds" to believe that he would fail to surrender if granted bail. By Aditi Khanna

UN-LD INDIA Security Council progressively undermined authority of UN General Assembly: India

United Nations: India has accused the UN Security Council of "progressively" undermining the authority of the General Assembly on matters of what constitutes a threat to international peace and security and said the blame for this lies partly with the 193-member UN body for focusing on procedures rather than addressing substantive issues. By Yoshita Singh

FGN37 UN-HAPPINESS-RANKING India loses 7 spots in global list of happiest nations, ranks 140th

United Nations: Indians are not as happy in 2019 as they were in 2018 and the country figures at 140th place, seven spots down from last year, on this year's UN World Happiness Report released Wednesday which is topped by Finland for the second year in a row.

FGN38 PAK-PM-MILITARY Pak PM discusses security situation with top military leadership

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister on Wednesday discussed the security situation in the country, including on the eastern border with India, with the top leadership of the Army, Navy and Air Force, sources said, amid tensions between the two nations after the Pulwama attack. By Sajjad Hussain

FGN30 PAK-SC-TERRORISM Pak SC Chief Justice constitutes larger bench to define 'terrorism'

Islamabad: Pakistan will soon have a definition to the word 'terrorism'. This was decided by Supreme Court Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on Wednesday when he constituted a seven-member bench to determine the definition of 'terrorism' and the cases that fall within the category, Pakistani media reported.

FGN31 UK-MAY-2NDLD BREXIT Britain has requested Brexit delay until June 30: PM

London: Britain has asked EU leaders to delay Brexit until June 30, Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament on Wednesday, on eve of an EU summit in Brussels. (AFP)

FGN39 UK-BREXIT-POUND Pound slides after UK requests Brexit delay

London: The British pound fell Wednesday on simmering Brexit tensions after Prime Minister Theresa May asked EU leaders to delay the nation's departure until June 30. (AFP)

FGN29 EU-GOOGLE-LD FINE EU fines Google USD 1.7 billion for abusing online ads market

Brussels: European Union regulators have hit Google with a 1.49 billion euro (USD 1.68 billion) fine for abusing its dominant role in online advertising. (AP)

FGN25 PAK-KARTARPUR-VILLAGERS Kartarpur Corridor: Villagers demand compensation for their land

Lahore: As Pakistan and India discuss the alignment of the Kartarpur Corridor, some 600 villagers who are facing "forcible eviction" due to the project say they will block the development work if denied compensation of their land on commercial rates. By M Zulqernain.

FGN12 CHINA-INDIA-LD BRI India signals to boycott China's Belt and Road Forum for 2nd time

Beijing: India on Wednesday signalled that it will boycott China's second Belt and Road Forum for a second time, saying no country can participate in an initiative that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity.By K J M Varma MRJ MRJ