via AFP Personnel Writers
Mumbai, India (AFP) Feb 17, 2026
India’s environmental court has given the go-ahead to the strategically vital Nice Nicobar infrastructure project in spite of well-liked considerations of ecological injury to the island within the Andaman Sea.
The Nationwide Inexperienced Tribunal on Monday disregarded a batch of petitions objecting to the mega project on ecologically sensitive Nice Nicobar island, pronouncing “good enough safeguards” were taken under consideration.
The infrastructure plan comes to development a transshipment port, airport, energy plant and a township on the island, situated with reference to the Strait of Malacca, probably the most global’s busiest transport lanes.
Top Minister Narendra Modi’s executive is having a look to pour billions of greenbacks into connecting the island to world industry routes, after the project used to be granted preliminary environmental approvals in 2022.
India’s setting minister remaining September known as it a project of “strategic, defence and nationwide significance” which might grow to be Nice Nicobar into a big hub of maritime and air connectivity within the Indian Ocean area.
The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago has additionally lengthy been noticed inside of India as key to countering China’s rising affect within the area.
However activists say the infrastructure pressure would possibly adversely have an effect on the ecology of the island, consequence within the felling of loads of hundreds of bushes and hurt the pursuits of native tribal teams.
The Nicobarese group has expressed fears over dispossession in their ancestral land, which used to be devastated within the 2004 tsunami.
Lawmaker Jairam Ramesh from the opposition Congress birthday celebration known as the tribunal’s approval “deeply disappointing”.
“There may be transparent proof that the project could have disastrous ecological affects,” he mentioned in a put up on X, caution of “long-term penalties”.
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India plans AI ‘data city’ on staggering scale
New Delhi (AFP) Feb 15, 2026
As India races to slim the factitious intelligence hole with america and China, it’s making plans a limiteless new “knowledge town” to energy virtual expansion on a staggering scale, the person spearheading the project says.
“The AI revolution is right here, no 2d ideas about it,” mentioned Nara Lokesh, data generation minister for Andhra Pradesh state, which is positioning the town of Visakhapatnam as a cornerstone of India’s AI push.
“And as a country… we now have taken a stand that we have got to include … read more
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