Delhi Demolition Drive: MCD Targets Illegal Floors After Collapse

Municipal Corporation of Delhi authorities have initiated the demolition of a tilted five-floor residential building in the Indra Vihar area of Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar. The action comes two days after India Today reported on the dangerous structure, which had developed visible cracks and posed a severe collapse risk to the surrounding student-dense locality. Although civic authorities had previously pasted a notice classifying the residential complex as a dangerous building and directed occupants to vacate the premises, no structural demolition action had been taken for years. Following the broadcast detailing the imminent threat to residents and the large population of Civil Services examination aspirants residing in nearby accommodations, civic authorities initiated the demolition process by removing railings and beginning the teardown of the unsafe five-storey structure.

The Karnataka High Court has quashed an earlier lower court order and directed a special court dealing with cases against elected representatives to reconsider the matter regarding land allotment to the Siddarth Vihar Trust, associated with the Kharge family. The complainant, Vijay Raghava Marathe, challenged previous proceedings and sought a Lokayukta Police probe into allegations of claiming a 50 percent concession by asserting Dalit status and lacking required aerospace experience for Devanahalli Aerospace Park land. Although the trust previously returned the land, the High Court direction paves the way for a potential Lokayukta investigation.

A major political controversy erupted following a hand gesture made during an assembly address regarding historical emergency events. Opposition parties and alliance members strongly condemned the action, alleging that it mocked past police brutality and amounted to body shaming. Following widespread condemnation across the political spectrum over the remarks and gestures in the house, an official clarification was issued stating that the body language displayed during the response speech on departmental grant requests was inadvertent, was not intentional, and was not meant to cause personal hurt to anyone.

Apple is set to announce its latest hardware lineup at its upcoming event, with major updates expected across devices and leadership. The event is anticipated to feature the debut of Apple's first book-style foldable smartphone, reportedly named iPhone Ultra, featuring a slim build, reduced screen crease, side-mounted Touch ID, and dual 48-megapixel cameras. The flagship iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are expected to introduce the two-nanometre A20 Pro chip, a reduced dynamic island, variable aperture camera lenses, and larger batteries. Standard iPhone 18 models may be moved to a spring launch window. Additional anticipated unveilings include the Apple Watch Series 12, an Apple Watch Ultra 4 ceramic edition, AirPods 5 with heart rate tracking, and a dedicated smart home hub. The event could also mark a significant executive shift with Tim Cook transitioning to executive chairman and John Turners taking over as Chief Executive Officer.