Tesla Wins 1st US Suit That Blamed Its Autopilot Feature For Fatal Crash

Tesla Wins 1st US Suit That Blamed Its Autopilot Feature For Fatal Crash

Representatives for Tesla and the plaintiffs did not immediately comment on the verdict.

Tesla on Tuesday won the first US trial over allegations that its Autopilot driver assistant feature led to a death, a major victory for the automaker as it faces several other similar lawsuits across the country.

The case, in a California state court, was filed by two passengers in a 2019 crash who accused the company of knowing Autopilot was defective when it sold the car. Tesla argued human error caused the crash.

The 12-member jury on Tuesday announced they found the vehicle did not have a manufacturing defect. The verdict came on the fourth day of deliberations, and the vote was 9-3.

Representatives for Tesla and the plaintiffs did not immediately comment on the verdict.

The civil lawsuit alleged the Autopilot system caused owner Micah Lee’s Model 3 to suddenly veer off a highway east of Los Angeles at 65 miles per hour (105 km per hour), strike a palm tree and burst into flames, all in the span of seconds.

The 2019 crash killed Lee and seriously injured his two passengers, including a then-8-year-old boy who was disemboweled, court documents show. The lawsuit, filed against Tesla by the passengers, accuses the company of knowing that Autopilot and other safety systems were defective when it sold the car.

Tesla denied liability, saying Lee consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel. The electric-vehicle maker also claims it was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash.

Tesla has been testing and rolling out its Autopilot and more advanced Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which Chief Executive Elon Musk has touted as crucial to his company’s future but which has drawn regulatory and legal scrutiny.

Tesla won an earlier trial in Los Angeles in April with a strategy of saying that it tells drivers that its technology requires human monitoring, despite the “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” names.

That case was about an accident where a Model S swerved into the curb and injured its driver, and jurors told Reuters after the verdict that they believed Tesla warned drivers about its system and driver distraction was to blame.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Tamil Nadu govt moves Supreme Court against Governor for not clearing pending bills


Tamil Nadu Government has moved the Supreme Court urging it to issue direction to the Governor to clear the bills and various files

Published Date – 12:30 PM, Tue – 31 October 23


Tamil Nadu govt moves Supreme Court against Governor for not clearing pending bills



New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu Government has moved the Supreme Court urging it to issue direction to the Governor to clear the bills and various files forwarded by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and Government which are pending with his office within a specified timeframe.

In the petition, the Tamil Nadu Government has sought to direct the Governor to dispose of all the Bills, files and Government orders forwarded by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and Government which are pending with his office within a specified timeframe.

The petition has been filed through an advocate on record Sabarish Subramanian.

The petition sought to declare that the inaction, omission, delay and failure to comply with the constitutional mandate by the Governor of Tamil Nadu/ first Respondent qua the consideration and assent of the Bills passed and forwarded by the Tamil Nadu State Legislature to him and the non-consideration of files, Government orders and policies forwarded by the State Government for his signature is unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary, unreasonable besides malafide exercise of power.

The Governor by not “signing remission orders, day to day files, appointment orders, approving recruitment orders, granting approval to prosecute Ministers, MLAs involved in corruption including transfer of investigation to CBI by Supreme Court, Bills passed by Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly” is bringing the entire administration to a grinding halt and creating adversarial attitude by not cooperating with the State administration, Tamil Nadu government said.

Thereby the state government sought to issue directions to stipulate the outer time limit for the 1st Respondent governor to consider Bills passed by the Legislature and sent for assent qua Article-200 of the Constitution in light of the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission.

“The refusal to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers or deliberate inaction in acting on the Bills or on the files on the part of the Governor including any delay, will defeat the parliamentary democracy and the will of the people and consequently violates the basic structure of the Constitution,” the petition said.

The state government said that the current Writ Petition addresses the specific issue that the Government and Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu are facing amendments or changes as he thinks appropriate.

“If, on such reconsideration, the Bill is passed again, with or without amendments, and is presented to the Governor for assent, he has to accord his assent. The second proviso says that if in the opinion of the Governor, any Bill presented to him derogates the powers of the High Court so as to endanger the position that the High Court is designed to fill by the Constitution, he is bound to reserve the Bill for the consideration of the President,” the petition said.

Tamil Nadu Government said that by denying sanction when the investigative authorities have found prima facie evidence of corruption and have asked for permission to prosecute, the first respondent governor is engaging in politically motivated conduct. This includes the CBI inquiry that this Court has approved and that the Madras High Court ordered.

The Governor’s inactions have caused a constitutional deadlock between the Constitutional Head of the State and the Elected Government of the State and by not acting upon their Constitutional functions, the Governor is toying away with the citizen’s mandate, the state government said.

Hence, the state government has sought to issue appropriate directions laying down guidelines stipulating the outer time limit for the 1st Respondent to consider Bills passed by the Legislature and sent for assent qua Article-200 of the Constitution in light of the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission.

It also sought to issue directions laying down guidelines stipulating the outer time limit for the 1st Respondent to consider files, policies, and Government orders sent for signature in the discharge of his constitutional functions.

Editorial: Quota conundrum


The raging quota stir in Maharashtra has once again brought into focus the need for a comprehensive caste census

Published Date – 11:30 PM, Tue – 31 October 23


Editorial: Quota conundrum

Agitators burn tyres and other inflamable items during a protest on Pune-Bangalore Expressway to press for Maratha reservation, in Solapur, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. (PTI Photo)

The escalating violence in the ongoing agitation demanding reservation for the Maratha community is proving to be a big challenge for the Maharashtra government. The raging quota stir has once again brought into focus the need for a comprehensive caste census to ensure social justice by fine-tuning the affirmative action programmes in tune with the level of backwardness of various communities. Given the harsh social realities, it would be prudent to have robust caste data as it will be useful to establish statistical justification for reservation. It is also a legal imperative because the courts want quantifiable data to support the existing levels of reservation. The caste-wise data would put to rest the unreasonable demands for inclusion in the OBC lists. In Maharashtra, the Maratha reservation issue has become a weapon in the hands of the political parties to score brownie points against each other. As the agitators have been targeting public properties and attacking the houses of MLAs, leading to the imposition of curfew in Dharashiv district, the Eknath Shinde government is facing the heat from the opposition combine. The Marathas, a politically dominant community accounting for one-third of the population, have been staging protests in different parts of the State seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category. All major parties in the State have sought to garner political mileage out of the agitation at various stages. The previous Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government had approved the OBC quota for Marathas after violent protests rocked the State in 2017-18. Based on the findings of the Backward Class Commission, it gave its nod for reservation to Marathas under a special provision — Socially and Educationally Backward Class Act.

The reservation policy gave BJP a political edge over the then rival Congress-NCP. Now, the issue is coming back to haunt the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) coalition government. Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, is now the target of the attacks by opposition parties riding the quota politics. Two MPs loyal to Shinde have since resigned over the reservation issue, which is turning into a political hot potato. While the Bombay high court had upheld the quota move in the past, the Supreme Court, in a key judgment in May 2021, scrapped the Maratha reservation calling it unconstitutional and questioning the rationale behind it. The five-judge constitutional bench found that there were no ‘exceptional circumstances’ or ‘extraordinary situation’ in Maharashtra which required the government to break the 50% reservation ceiling limit set by the apex court. In November last year, after the SC upheld the 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections, the government said that until the issue of the Maratha reservation is resolved, economically weaker members of the community can benefit from the EWS quota. In the meantime, it is planning to file a curative petition before the Supreme Court over the issue.

Babar Azam Hopes Win Against Bangladesh Will Raise Pakistan's Confidence

After Pakistan registered a 7-wicket victory against Bangladesh, captain Babar Azam lavished praise on his team’s outstanding performance in all three departments and said that his side will hope to carry the confidence into the next two games. Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in Kolkata to register their third win in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. With this brilliant victory, Pakistan broke their four-match losing streak in the ongoing tournament and moved to 5th in the points table with 6 points. Meanwhile, the ODI World Cup semifinal dream remained unfulfilled for Bangladesh.

“Credit to the boys, the way they played in all three departments. This win hopefully gives confidence in the coming matches. Shaheen started well with the ball. After 15-20 overs, they built a partnership. But our main bowlers struck. The main thing was our bowlers hit good lengths and took wickets,” Babar Azam said during a post-match presentation.

Babar lavished praise on Fakhar Zaman and stated that if the opener bats for 20 to 30 overs, the game would be different. Fakhar made a strong comeback in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, scoring 81 against Bangladesh. This achievement was especially notable given his past troubles with form, which resulted in his expulsion from the team.

“We know how well Fakhar plays when he’s going. Good to see him do it. We are trying to win our remaining matches and see where we stand,” Babar said.

Babar thanked the Indian fans for their support of him and Pakistan during the match. Former player Ramiz Raja reminded the Pakistan skipper of the support his team received at Eden Gardens, for which he expressed gratitude.

“I want to thank the fans for supporting me and Pakistan throughout the World Cup,” he said.

Talking about the match, openers Zaman and Shafique scored 81 and 68 respectively while Mohammad Rizwan slammed an unbeaten 26, guiding their team to a 7-wicket triumph. For Bangladesh, Mehidy Hasan Miraz bagged a three-wicket haul.

Earlier, Pakistan pacers Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf with sensational spells wreaked havoc on Bangladesh batters to restrict the Bangla Tigers to a low total of 204. Wasim Jr and Shaheen Afridi were the chief destructive duo as they bagged three-wicket hauls respectively while pacer Haris Rauf came together to help the Men in Green bowl Bangladesh out for a low total.

Pakistan will next face New Zealand on Saturday at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Topics mentioned in this article

Yemen's Houthi Rebels Claim Attacks On Israel, Vow More To Come

Yemen's Houthi Rebels Claim Attacks On Israel, Vow More To Come Amid War

It said Huthi rebels “launched a large batch of ballistic missiles” towards Israel on Tuesday.

Sanaa:

Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels on Tuesday pledged more attacks against Israel if its war on Hamas in Gaza continues, saying it had already fired drones and ballistic missiles in three separate operations.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces… confirm they will continue to carry out qualitative strikes with missiles and drones until the Israeli aggression stops,” said a Huthi military statement aired on the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV.

It said Huthi rebels “launched a large batch of ballistic missiles… and a large number of armed aircraft” towards Israel on Tuesday, in the third such operation since the Gaza assault began on October 7 after Hamas militants staged the worst attack in Israel’s history.

Earlier, Israel’s military said a “hostile aircraft intrusion” had set off warning sirens in Eilat, its Red Sea resort, later saying it had intercepted a “surface-to-surface missile” fired toward Israeli territory, that was “successfully intercepted by the ‘Arrow’ aerial defence system”.

“All aerial threats were intercepted outside of Israeli territory,” it said.

Abdelaziz bin Habtour, prime minister of the Huthi government, on Tuesday said the rebels were “part of the axis of resistance” against Israel, which includes Tehran-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and were fighting with both “words and drones”.

“It is one axis and there is coordination taking place, a joint operations room, and a joint command for all these operations,” he said.

“We cannot allow this arrogant Zionist enemy to kill our people.”

– Fears of regional conflict –

The Huthis seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and control large swathes of the country. They have previously carried out strikes in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which carried out a military campaign against the rebels.

The United States, which has tense relations with Iran but has welcomed a de facto truce in Yemen’s bloody civil war since April 2022, responded carefully to the Huthi announcement.

“Anyone thinking about joining this conflict should not do it,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington.

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder confirmed that Israel took down a medium-range missile fired by the Huthis.

“As we’ve said before, we want to prevent a broader regional conflict,” Ryder said.

Israel had blamed the Huthis for a drone attack on Friday, saying its aircraft had intercepted “hostile targets” headed for southern Israel.

At the same time, six people were lightly injured when debris hit a building across the border from Eilat in the neighbouring Egyptian resort of Taba, the Egyptian army said at the time.

On October 19, the US Navy said it shot down three land-attack cruise missiles and “several” drones fired by the Huthis, possibly at Israel.

Israel has been pounding Gaza since the October 7 attack when Hamas gunmen stormed across the border and killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped more than 230 others.

Since then, Israel’s bombardments have killed more than 8,500 people, over 3,500 of them children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, an impoverished slice of land which is home to 2.4 million people.

Concerns are high over a regional conflagration, especially as Iran — which financially and militarily backs Hamas but insists it had no involvement in the October 7 attack — has loyalists and proxy fighters in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Since the Gaza conflict began, there have been a string of attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria as well as almost daily exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

On Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned on X, formerly Twitter, that Israel had “crossed the red lines, and this may force everyone to take action”, without elaborating.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

4 Detained For Waving Palestinian Flag During Pak-Bangladesh Match: Cops

4 Detained For Waving Palestinian Flag During Pak-Bangladesh Match In Kolkata: Cops

The Kolkata police found out that they were protesting in support of Palestine. (Representational)

Kolkata:

 Four people were detained for waving the Palestinian flag during the Pakistan-Bangladesh World Cup cricket match at Eden Gardens stadium on Tuesday, police said.

Two of them are residents of Jharkhand, while the other two are from Kolkata’s Ekbalpore and neighbouring Howrah, a senior police officer said.

“We have detained two of them for waving the Palestinian flag near gate number 6 and the other two at Block G1. We are trying to find out their motive,” the IPS officer told PTI.

The four were detained by law enforcers from Maidan police station and they were being questioned, he added.

“Policemen posted there at first could not understand what the protesters were up to. Then they waved the flag of Palestine and were detained. They, however, did not raise any slogan,” he elaborated.

Sources in the Kolkata Police said that the initial probe found out that the four people, who are in their mid-twenties, were protesting the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and chose the international match for their stir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

4 Detained For Waving Palestinian Flag During Pak-Bangladesh Match In Kolkata: Cops

4 Detained For Waving Palestinian Flag During Pak-Bangladesh Match In Kolkata: Cops

The Kolkata police found out that they were protesting in support of Palestine. (Representational)

Kolkata:

 Four people were detained for waving the Palestinian flag during the Pakistan-Bangladesh World Cup cricket match at Eden Gardens stadium on Tuesday, police said.

Two of them are residents of Jharkhand, while the other two are from Kolkata’s Ekbalpore and neighbouring Howrah, a senior police officer said.

“We have detained two of them for waving the Palestinian flag near gate number 6 and the other two at Block G1. We are trying to find out their motive,” the IPS officer told PTI.

The four were detained by law enforcers from Maidan police station and they were being questioned, he added.

“Policemen posted there at first could not understand what the protesters were up to. Then they waved the flag of Palestine and were detained. They, however, did not raise any slogan,” he elaborated.

Sources in the Kolkata Police said that the initial probe found out that the four people, who are in their mid-twenties, were protesting the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and chose the international match for their stir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Maratha quota agitation: Panchayat body office torched in Jalna


Police rushed to the spot quickly and doused the flames, but some important documents and furniture in two rooms of the office were damaged

Published Date – 01:15 PM, Tue – 31 October 23


Maratha quota agitation: Panchayat body office torched in Jalna

Police rushed to the spot quickly and doused the flames, but some important documents and furniture in two rooms of the office were damaged

Jalna: A group of people set ablaze a panchayat samiti office in Maharashtra’s Jalna district during the ongoing agitation over the demand for reservation to the Maratha community, police said on Tuesday.

Some quota supporters chanting “Ek Maratha Lakh Maratha” reached the panchayat samiti office at Ghansawangi in the district on Monday night, vandalised the premises and set it on fire, they said.

Police rushed to the spot quickly and doused the flames, but some important documents and furniture in two rooms of the office were damaged, an official from Ghansawangi police station said.

In a separate incident in Jalna, some youth from the Maratha community tried to block trains at a railway gate in Shelgaon village of Badnapur tehsil on Monday afternoon, a railway official said.
The protesters sat on the railway tracks in a bid to disrupt train services.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and other railway officials rushed to the spot and spoke to the protesters, explaining the legal consequences of obstructing train services.

“The protesters left from the spot after the interaction,” RPF sub-inspector Sandeep Kumar said.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has been continuing his indefinite fast in support of the reservation demand at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district since October 25.

On Monday, Jarange urged protesters to refrain from engaging in violence and arson.

Maratha community members have been staging protests in different parts of the state seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category.

UNRWA chief condemns Israel over ‘collective punishment’ of Palestinians

The commissioner general for the main UN agency in Palestine has told the UN Security Council Israel is carrying out “collective punishment” of the entire population of Gaza.

In his address to the 15-member council on Monday, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said Israel forced the displacement of Palestinians from the north of Gaza to the south – where they are still not safe.

Lazzarini warned that basic services are crumbling while medicine, food, water and fuel are running out in the besieged territory.

“Most of the people of Gaza felt abandoned. This is dangerous – an entire population is being dehumanized,” he said.

He added that nowhere is safe in Gaza from Israeli bombardment, not even the south where the regime has been pushing the people to go.  

The UN commissioner said not even churches, mosques, hospitals, and UNRWA facilities sheltering displaced people have been spared.

More than 600,000 displaced Palestinians fled to the UNRWA schools across the enclave seeking safety and assistance amid the intensified Israeli onslaught against Gaza.

Israel’s bombardment has already pushed Palestinians in the besieged enclave into smaller areas and spaces.

Lazzarini warned that a further breakdown of civil order in the territory would make it “extremely difficult if not impossible” to deliver more aid.

He said a ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions.

UNRWA mourns dozens of its staff killed in Gaza since Oct. 7

At least 8,610 Palestinians have now been killed in Israel’s attack, who Lazzarini said included 64 UNRWA staff.

He said that a UN worker named Samir, as well as Samir’s wife and eight children, were killed just hours before the meeting.

“My UNRWA colleagues are the only glimmer of hope for the entire Gaza Strip … but they are running out of fuel, water, food and medicine and will soon be unable to operate,” said the Swiss-Italian official.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 8,306, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said Monday.

“The fatalities include 3,457 children and 2,136 women, while more than 21,048 people were injured,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told a news conference in Gaza City.

Also addressing the UNSC’s Thursday session, a senior UN aid official, Lisa Doughten, said more than one border crossing was needed to deliver aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, but Kerem Shalom, controlled by Israel, is the only one equipped to take enough trucks.

Aid trucks have been trickling into Gaza from Egypt over the past week via Rafah.

The speakers detailed a breakdown in civil order, the loss of clean water and the death rate of children that matches the number of children killed in conflict in the last four years.

The UAE ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh said the council may be broken altogether if it ignored the will of most of the world as expressed through the general assembly’s Friday vote.

She said there had been 76 attacks on healthcare bodies in Gaza with 20 hospitals damaged. “Let me be clear, these sites are protected by international law,” she said, adding that warnings before attacks did not alter hospitals’ protected status.

Dangerous and unrealistic evacuation orders had to end, she said, describing them as “cruel and reckless, and so is our delay as a security council”.

Israel’s plan for forced eviction of Palestinians

Meanwhile, WikiLeaks has issued documents revealing Israel’s plan for forced eviction of Palestinians amid over three weeks of onslaught against the besieged Gaza Strip.

The verified ten-page document from Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence was issued a week after the unprecedented operation al-Aqsa Flood.

The advisory document outlines a four-stage forced expulsion and resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza to northern Sinai in Egypt.

According to the document, Tel Aviv would initially instruct the Palestinians to evacuate north Gaza ahead of its land invasion.

The plan envisions the Israeli military launching land operations from the north in order to force the Palestinians to leave Gaza via the Rafah Crossing.

The outline also includes the establishment of tent cities before the construction of permanent settlements for Palestinians in Egypt. An official from Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence has verified the document issued in Hebrew.

"I Think Someone Pranked Opposition Leaders": Minister On Hacking Row

'I Think Someone Pranked Opposition Leaders': Minister Piyush Goyal On Hacking Row

This will be investigated, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said. (File)

New Delhi:

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday dismissed the allegations in connection with Apple’s ‘state-sponsored attack’ message to some Opposition leaders and said that someone might have played a prank on them.

“I think perhaps someone played a prank on the Opposition leaders. They should lodge an official complaint and the Government will take appropriate action on that basis,” Mr Goyal told ANI.

Hitting out at the Opposition leaders, the Union Minister said that the Opposition is going through a weak phase, thus they see conspiracy in everything.

“I think the Opposition is going through a very weak phase these days, so they see conspiracy in everything. The reality is that Apple has itself cleared that this was some sort of malfunction and this message has reached people in 150 countries. It seems that this was an error from Apple’s end, hackers too are active across the world. This will be investigated. Apple too has been told to join in,” he said.

“They (Opposition) can claim anything they want but the country knows their situation, they are so tangled in their infighting. They should look at their weaknesses first instead of commenting on us. It is clear that the government has no role in this and the government doesn’t need to do anything like this,” the Union Minister added.

Earlier in the day, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and party’s General Secretary organisation KC Venugopal also received the “Apple warning message” on their phone on Tuesday along with other opposition leaders from the INDIA bloc, sources said.

The leaders of the opposition parties have alleged that the Government was behind this attempt to breach their devices.

After receiving the warning messages, multiple political leaders have alleged that their Apple devices have been the victim of alleged hacking. The leaders shared the screenshot of the warning received on their devices.

“This is not an allegation. The message has already been received. What is happening? They want to see who is talking to whom…We have not heard anything from the government. I have not heard a single word from the government’s side. They should clarify,” RJD MP told ANI on Tuesday.

AAP MP Raghav Chaddha also got the alleged hacking notification on his phone and claimed that this was an attack on the people of India.

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who also claimed alleged hacking of her phone alleged that this is a sponsored program of the Central Government.

“The way I received a warning last night, shows that this is a sponsored program of the Central Government and that I need to take precautions. The warning clearly says that these attacks are ‘state-sponsored’. Why are the leaders of the Opposition only getting such messages? This shows that large-scale surveillance is underway. There should be an investigation on this, and the Centre needs to give a clarification on the same,” Priyanka Chaturvedi told ANI.

However, according to the Apple support page on its website, State-sponsored attacks are highly complex, cost millions of dollars to develop, and often have a short shelf life. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks.

Apple says if it discovers activity consistent with a state-sponsored attack, it will notify the targeted users in two ways. A Threat Notification will be displayed at the top of the page after the user has signed in to appleid.apple.com. Additionally, Apple will send an email and iMessage notification to the email addresses and phone numbers associated with the user’s Apple ID.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)