AKIPRESS.COM - Hawaii's Supreme Court has approved construction of what will be one of the world's largest single telescopes, on the controversial site of Mauna Kea, BBC news reports.

Work on the $1.4bn (£1bn) Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) had paused in 2015 after protests from some native Hawaiians, to whom the land is sacred.

The state's top court ruled 4-1 in favour of the scientists on Tuesday.

Mauna Kea already has 13 telescopes; activists say their construction has interfered with cultural practices.

For years, protesters - including some environmentalists - have said building what is planned to be the world's biggest telescope on a site already saturated with observatories would further desecrate and pollute the sacred mountain.