Google in India. The company plans to build its largest artificial intelligence (AI) hub outside the United States in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state, Google Cloud’s CEO said today. Parent company Alphabet will invest $15 billion over the next five years in the hub’s construction. India’s large consumer base and low data costs have attracted the attention of data center investors.
Madagascar leader flees. President Andry Rajoelina fled the country due to safety threats amid ongoing anti-government protests, he announced yesterday in a social media broadcast from an undisclosed location. Today, he said he dissolved the national assembly. Radio France Internationale reported that Paris aided Rajoelina’s escape; the French foreign ministry did not comment. Madagascar is a former French colony.
China-Netherlands chip tensions. China’s foreign ministry yesterday criticized the Dutch government takeover of Chinese-owned semiconductor company Nexperia, suggesting national security justifications were being misused. The Dutch government said it was acting to protect crucial Dutch and European tech knowledge. Court filings published today showed Washington had warned it would place export controls on Nexperia if the company’s Chinese CEO remained.
Scant deforestation progress. A goal to end global deforestation by 2030, set by 127 countries at the UN climate conference in 2021, is severely off track, according to a new report by an international monitoring commission. Meeting the goal would require a roughly 10 percent drop in deforestation each year, but since 2021, deforestation numbers have effectively plateaued. Countries are expected to discuss deforestation targets at the annual UN climate conference next month.
Venezuela shutters Oslo embassy. Venezuela is closing its embassy in Norway after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to opposition leader María Corina Machado. The Norwegian government called the closure “regrettable” but did not provide an official reason for the decision. Machado blamed President Nicolás Maduro’s administration for the shooting of two Venezuelans, an activist and a political consultant, in Colombia yesterday. Maduro’s government did not immediately comment on the matter.
China’s detention of pastors. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called for China to release dozens of recently detained Christian pastors from underground churches. Beijing said yesterday it opposed interference in its internal religious affairs. Last month, new Chinese government rules banned unauthorized preaching and religious training. Tens of millions of Chinese Christians are estimated to be members of churches that are not registered with the government.
UK espionage alert. The United Kingdom (UK) intelligence agency warned public officials yesterday they could be targeted by spies from China, Iran, and Russia. Last month, a former leader of the right-wing Reform UK party pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for issuing statements favoring Russia.
Zambia’s debt restructuring. The country has reached deals to restructure some of its Chinese debt as part of a yearslong post-pandemic debt overhaul, its finance minister told Bloomberg. Zambia was the first African country to default on its sovereign debt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese banks were some of the last to make restructuring deals with Zambia, which has now reached agreements covering 94 percent of the debt it hoped to rework.
