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Shimla landslide that damaged apple orchards was ‘act of God’, NHAI tells National Green Tribunal
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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in its reply before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), on Wednesday termed the landslide in Shimla that allegedly damaged agricultural land and around 550 apple plants worth around Rs 40 lakh in Mashobra last year as an “act of God”. To support its submission, the NHAI placed on record a May 2025 report of the India Meteorological Department, stating that Shimla recorded 104.5 mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 69.8 mm during the period, reflecting a departure of nearly 50 per cent.The response was filed in a petition moved by orchardist Narender Singh Rathore from the Mashobra block, who moved NGT in 2025, stating that he suffered a huge loss due to the collapse of crate walls during NHAI’s construction work. The work was being carried out under the four-lane project in the Shakral Village-Dhalli section of the Kaithlighat-Dhalli stretch of National Highway-5 (NH-5).Rathore approached the NGT under provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, alleging large-scale environmental degradation and damage to his agricultural and orchard land due to the highway-widening project. The NHAI stated, “…Further, the rainfall on May 25, 2025 — the day when the landslide damaged the orchard — was widespread and vigorous in the State of Himachal Pradesh. Isolated hailstorm activity was also recorded in Shimla district on May 22 and May 25. This clearly establishes that heavy rainfall and the resulting landslides were an extraordinary natural event constituting an ‘Act of God’ or ‘Vis Major’, beyond the reasonable anticipation and/or control of NHAI and its concessionaire.” In the reply, the NHAI also disputed the assessment of the Himachal Pradesh Horticulture department, which informed the tribunal that the petitioner suffered a loss of approximately Rs 40L. The NHAI stated, “Our concessionaire conducted an independent site visit and found that only 40 apple trees were actually damaged, as against the 440 trees claimed. We requested the SDM Shimla to direct the Horticulture Department to re-examine the total damage.” The respondents in the matter include the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department, the State Government, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the NHAI, Gawar Construction Limited and Gawar Shimla Highway Private Limited. The matter is being heard by a Bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava, chairperson, and Dr A Senthil Vel, expert member. On May 19, the Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Department informed NGT that around 550 fruit-bearing apple plants were damaged due to the landslides and debris generated during the highway widening work. C. Paulrasu, Secretary (Horticulture), told the tribunal that inspections were conducted following complaints regarding damage caused by collapsing crate walls near the construction site.Story continues below this ad “The first inspection was carried out by the Horticulture Development Officer, Mashobra, on June 10, 2025. The value of the damaged fruit plants was calculated in accordance with the government-approved Harbans Singh Formula. A report submitted thereafter stated that 110 fruit plants had been damaged, causing losses estimated at Rs 7,65,650,” he stated. Paulrasu further informed the Tribunal that a second inspection was conducted on July 17, 2025, along with revenue officials and the landowner. During the inspection, it was found that a high-density apple plantation, along with old apple plants, had been buried under debris following the collapse. According to the revenue authorities, a total of 440 plants were affected, including 400 high-density apple plants and 40 Royal apple plants. The plants were found completely buried and totally damaged under the debris generated from the collapse. A second assessment report submitted on July 24, 2025, assessed the losses from the second incident at Rs 32,31,452. The State authorities informed the Tribunal that, combining both assessment reports, a total
The initiative reflects how smartphone filmmaking is democratising cinema and opening doors for fresh voices in independent filmmaking. (Image: MAMI)A new generation of filmmakers is redefining independent cinema through this year’s MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone programme, where four emerging directors used the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max to create visually distinct short films rooted in deeply personal stories. Organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), the initiative highlights how smartphone filmmaking is transforming not just the tools of cinema, but also the voices and narratives being brought to the screen. This year’s lineup explores themes ranging from queer romance in Mumbai and identity in Goa to spirituality in Kerala and psychological isolation in Bengal.Acclaimed filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, known for the award-winning film Andhadhun, served as a mentor for the programme alongside noted directors Chaitanya Tamhane, Dibakar Banerjee, and Geetu Mohandas. According to Raghavan, filmmaking today is increasingly about creative vision rather than expensive equipment, and smartphones are helping democratise the art form. One of the featured directors, Shreela Agarwal, returned to filmmaking after a career-ending boxing injury. Her short film 11.11 follows two women navigating Mumbai’s nightlife during a first date. Agarwal used the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s ProRes RAW capture and stabilisation features to shoot difficult low-light scenes across beaches and city streets while maintaining cinematic movement and fluidity. Ritesh Sharma’s She Sells Seashells takes viewers to Goa, where a teenage migrant girl dreams of entering an upscale seaside restaurant. Sharma used Cinematic mode on the iPhone to blur the lines between reality and imagination, creating dreamlike sequences that reflected the protagonist’s emotional world. The filmmaker also relied heavily on the device’s onboard audio tools and MacBook Pro integration to streamline sound recording and editing during production. Kerala-based filmmaker Robin Joy pushed the device further with Pathanam (Paradise Fall), a surreal story about an angel falling into the backyard of an atheist. The film involved outdoor shoots, action sequences, and visual effects-heavy scenes that Joy previously considered too ambitious for an independent production. Using Action mode and AI-powered editing tools on MacBook Pro, the team managed to complete complex sequences within tight deadlines.Story continues below this ad Meanwhile, Dhritisree Sarkar’s Kathar Katha (The Tale of Katha) explores the psychological breakdown of a television news anchor suffering from a rare condition that slowly seals her senses. Sarkar used the iPhone’s 8x optical zoom and Apple Log workflows to create emotionally intense close-ups and a retro cinematic aesthetic inspired by older Bengali cinema. MAMI director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur believes the initiative is inspiring more people to experiment with filmmaking. Previous films from the programme have crossed millions of views online and won festival recognition, proving that cinematic storytelling is no longer limited by access to traditional cameras or large-scale productions.
Landing an Apple contract would give Intel a steady stream of demand from one of the world's largest consumer electronics companies, bolstering both its reputation and a manufacturing business that has fallen behind TSMC in recent years. (Express Image/Agencies)Intel has reached a preliminary deal to make some chips for Apple devices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, in a potential boost to Intel’s contract manufacturing business and Washington’s push to shore up U.S. chip production. The companies were engaged in intensive talks for more than a year and they hammered out a formal deal in recent months, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.Intel’s stock extended gains to rise 15% on the news, while Apple shares were up about 1.7% in afternoon trading. Landing an Apple contract would give Intel a steady stream of demand from one of the world’s largest consumer electronics companies, bolstering both its reputation and a manufacturing business that has fallen behind TSMC in recent years. The Journal report said the U.S. government, which became Intel’s largest shareholder last year under a deal with its CEO Lip-Bu Tan, played a major role in bringing Apple to the negotiating table. An administration official said he could not speak to the reported Apple-Intel preliminary deal, but said the administration had generally been trying to bolster Intel. “In general, we want to and have been helping Intel,” the official said, adding the effort was not because of the equity stake in Intel, but because the company is a major U.S. semiconductor producer.Story continues below this ad “We have been trying to drum up business for Intel.” The tie-up would also further the Trump administration’s goal of bringing more chip production to the U.S. and strengthening domestic manufacturing. It is unclear which Apple products Intel would make chips for, according to the report. Intel and Apple declined to comment. For Apple, a deal with Intel could help diversify its manufacturing base as it seeks more chip capacity. The company relies heavily on TSMC, whose advanced production lines are also in high demand from AI chipmakers such as Nvidia and AMD.Story continues below this ad Apple CEO Tim Cook said on the company’s most recent earnings call that iPhone sales were held back by supply constraints at its contract manufacturer. The deal would also reunite the two companies, years after Apple moved away from Intel-designed processors for its Mac computers and shifted to its own custom silicon. Intel has spent the past year signing deals with the U.S. government and securing investments from Nvidia and SoftBank as Tan pushes to turn around the company. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met repeatedly over the past year with senior Apple officials, including Cook, as well as SpaceX chief Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, to encourage them to work with Intel, the WSJ reported.
Apple CEO Tim Cook says iPhone demand remains “off the charts” despite supply constraints. (Express Image/Agencies)Apple on Thursday touted blowout demand for its flagship iPhone 17 and the MacBook Neo that helped power a solid sales forecast and sent its shares up nearly 4 per cent after hours. Apple, though, warned of continuing chip supply constraints, and the forecast underscored how it was fending off supply-chain pressures and rising memory chip costs with strong demand for its new Mac Neo, resilient services growth and robust sales in China.The upbeat outlook and a fresh $100 billion share buyback offered reassurance to investors weighing Apple’s leadership transition amid intensifying competition in artificial intelligence. Apple executives said they expect sales growth of 14 to 17 per cent in the current fiscal third quarter, which was above Wall Street estimates of 9.5 per cent growth to $102.93 billion, according to data from LSEG. In the latest quarter, sales of the iPhone, still the company’s best-selling product nearly 20 years after its introduction, were $56.99 billion, slightly less than estimates of $57.21 billion. Apple CEO Tim Cook said iPhone sales were held back in the quarter by supply constraints for the advanced processor chips that form the brains of the device. The iPhone 17 family’s chips are made on a variant of the same TSMC chip manufacturing technology as many leading AI chips. “The demand was off the charts. And there’s just a little less flexibility in the supply chain at the moment for getting more parts,” Cook told Reuters.Story continues below this ad Less flexibility in supply chain Driving Apple results in the fiscal second quarter was alsothe MacBook Neo, which costs $500 for students. Analysts believe it could help Apple crack a new $20 billion market for lower-priced laptops now dominated by Google Chromebooks. Apple said Mac sales, which included several weeks of Neo sales, were $8.4 billion, compared with estimates of $8.02 billion. Sales and profits were $111.18 billion and $2.01 per share for the fiscal second quarter ended March 28, above analyst expectations of $109.66 billion and $1.95 per share. In the fiscal second quarter, existing inventory of memory chips helped Apple navigate rising prices for them. Apple said gross margins were 49.27 per cent, above estimates of 48.38 per cent. But memory costs will catch up to Apple starting in the current quarter ending in June. Apple forecast gross margins of between 47.5 per cent and 48.5 per cent, with a midpoint slightly down from the just-reported quarter. That is still above analyst estimates of 47.6 per cent. “We expect significantly higher memory costs,” Cook said during a conference call with analysts. “Where we don’t give color beyond June, I can tell you that beyond the June quarter, we believe memory costs will drive an increasing impact on our business.”Story continues below this ad Cook also said that Apple is seeking refunds for tariffs paid during the second administration of US President Donald Trump, and would reinvest those into US manufacturing. Apple holds its annual software developer conference in June, where it is expected to reveal more details about its AI plans. While Apple is not spending tens of billions of dollars per quarter on AI like its rivals, its research and development costs were up 33.5 per cent to $11.42 billion in the fiscal second quarter. Apple also said Thursday it is shifting back toward potentially holding more cash.Story continues below this ad It will no longer aim to bring its net cash – cash minus debt – to a net neutral position, Apple Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh said during a conference call. Apple embarked on that goal in 2018 but still had $54 billion in net cash at the end of the first fiscal quarter in January. D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria said the move was likely aimed at leaving Apple with more flexibility. “Not on
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