News Dabba for 16 February 2026: Five stories for a balanced news diet

Indie Journal brings you the daily updates that the internet is talking about through various news websites. Here's a glance through some of the National and International news updates, from NGT's clearance to the Great Nicobar project, ex-Assam Congress chief's resignation and withdrawal, to Iran's talks with IAEA chief.

India Today on Ex-Assam Congress chief withdrawing resignation hours after quitting party

Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah on Monday submitted his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, only to withdraw it hours later, India Today reports. Earlier, it was reported that in his letter to Kharge, Borah wrote that he was being “ignored” by the party leadership and not given his due within the state unit. As soon as news of Borah’s resignation began doing the rounds, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, calling him the “last Hindu leader in the Assam Congress party,” said he would visit his house on Tuesday evening. Read the full report here.

NGT clears Rs 80,000-crore Great Nicobar project, Indian Express

A six-member special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Monday disposed of challenges to the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project, Indian Express reports. The bench concluded that it found “no good ground to interfere,” as there were “adequate safeguards” in the project’s environmental clearance (EC). The report adds that the bench also noted the “importance of the project, especially the strategic importance of the project,” and the issues were dealt with by a high-powered committee, which was earlier tasked by the Tribunal to revisit the project’s environmental clearance. Read the full report here.

The Straits Times: Myanmar expels East Timor envoy after rights group complaint against junta

Myanmar has ordered the head of East Timor's diplomatic mission to leave the country within seven days, state media quoted the foreign ministry as saying on Monday, The Straits Times reports. Myanmar has been in turmoil since 2021, when the military ousted the elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a wave of anti-junta protests that have morphed into a nationwide civil war. The report adds, Myanmar's Chin state Human Rights Organization (CHRO) last month filed a complaint with the justice department of East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, alleging that the Myanmar junta had carried out war crimes and crimes against humanity since the 2021 coup. Read the full report here.

Delhi court frames charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi in land-for-job case: Hindustan Times

The Rouse Avenue Court on Monday formally framed charges against former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi in the Land-for-Job CBI case. Hindustan Times reports that Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi appeared before the court, denied the charges, and stated they would face trial. This case pertains to the alleged offence of providing Railway Group D jobs to candidates in exchange for land. Read the full report here.

Iran’s Araghchi meets IAEA chief in Geneva ahead of nuclear talks with US, Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Geneva for high-stakes second round of nuclear talks with the United States aimed at reducing tensions and avert a new military confrontation that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned could turn into a regional conflict. Iran and the US renewed negotiations earlier this month to tackle their ⁠decades-long dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme as US deploys warships, including a second aircraft carrier, to the region as mediators work to prevent a war. The report says that Araghchi met with Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on Monday, after saying his team nuclear experts for a “deep technical discussion”. Read the full report here.