First pedestrian death from self-driving car in US
San Francisco: Video of the first self-driving car crash that killed a pedestrian showed how the autonomous Uber failed to slow down as it fatally hit a 49-year-old woman walking her bike across the street.
The newly released footage of the collision that killed Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, Arizona, on Sunday night has raised fresh questions about why the self-driving car did not stop when a human entered its path and has sparked scrutiny of regulations in the state, which has encouraged testing of the autonomous technology.
“It’s just awful,” Tina Marie Herzberg White, a stepdaughter of the victim, told the Guardian on Wednesday. “There should be a criminal case.”
Police have released two videos of the case – one outside and one showing the interior of the Volvo SUV. The four-second exterior video showed the car driving down a somewhat dark and largely empty street as it collided into the woman walking directly in its path.
The 14-second video inside the car showed the operator, identified by police as Rafaela Vasquez, 44, appearing to look at something inside the vehicle and not at the road at the time of the collision. She alternated between looking down and looking forward and appeared shocked at the last minute just as the car failed to stop.
Local prosecutors will decide whether criminal charges are warranted. Some have argued that under new rules issued by Arizona’s governor, a strong proponent of the technology, a company like Uber could possibly be criminally liable if an autonomous car negligently killed someone. But police chief Sylvia Moir suggested in an interview that she believed Uber wasn’t at fault.
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Minister Muniyappa asks hotels to wait for a week to overcome LPG crunch
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa on Wednesday said the state is facing an acute shortage of LPG cylinders for commercial use, with limited supplies forcing the government to prioritise essential sectors while asking hotels and eateries to temporarily switch to alternative arrangements.
He said the crisis has arisen due to supply constraints at the national level, with shipments stuck overseas, and that the state is making efforts to manage distribution until the situation normalises.
“We have very limited supply for restaurants, dhabas, hotels and industries, only about 1,000 cylinders. It has become very difficult to decide who should get how much from these 1,000 cylinders,” Muniyappa said in the Karnataka Legislative Council.
Citing the reason behind the shortage, he said, “The Central government is making efforts and is in constant touch with Iran. Around 16 ships are in queue and are not being released. If they are released, the situation will ease and return to normal.”
The minister said the government has urged commercial establishments to adjust operations.
“I have called a meeting of hotel owners and told them that for a week they must adjust, even if it means using electricity. This is a difficult situation, a war-like scenario, and the hoteliers should manage by using electricity for the time being,” he said.
Muniyappa said the state plans to streamline supplies by pooling available stock over a week.
“We will consolidate these 1,000 cylinders over a week and increase them to around 10,000 to 15,000 cylinders. I will call the association and discuss how to distribute them,” he said, adding that further consultations will be held next week.
Emphasising that domestic consumers remain the top priority, he said household supply will not be disrupted under any circumstances. “Priority is for domestic use. Household supply cannot be stopped at any cost. Every day, about 3,52,921 cylinders are being consumed,” he said, noting that oil marketing companies are continuing daily distribution.
The minister said the main challenge lies in commercial allocation, which has been capped by the Centre.
“The central government has allowed only 20 per cent allocation. The daily requirement for commercial cylinders is 44,000. Arrangements have been made to supply about 9,000 cylinders,” he said.
He detailed the prioritisation plan evolved in consultation with oil companies.
“We are providing 4,200 cylinders to educational institutions, student hostels, hospitals and other essential institutions,” he said.
In addition, about 1,200 cylinders are being supplied to government-run facilities and key public service points.
“For government PHU institutions, canteens located at airports, railway stations and bus stations, as well as Indira canteens, we are supplying about 1,200 cylinders as per their full requirement."
According to Muniyappa, certain sectors critical to the economy are also being supported.
“For seed processing, food processing, agriculture and allied sectors, pharmaceutical industry, fisheries, zoological parks, sports and sports hostels. Around 500 cylinders are being provided,” he said.
Responding to concerns raised by legislators, he said temporary relief measures have been extended during the ongoing Assembly session.
“As long as the Assembly session continues, we will provide about 50 per cent of their requirement. We cannot provide more than that, but considering the urgency, this arrangement has been made,” he added.
