Amid high drama, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, who is leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly, was today marshalled out of the House which saw continued uproar over his party legislator O P Sharma's alleged derogatory remarks against ruling AAP MLA Alka Lamba. Speaker Ram Niwas Goel initially asked Gupta to leave the House till 4 pm after he entered into a war of words with AAP's women MLAs over the week-old issue. When he refused to budge, marshals were called in who took Gupta out forcibly. The BJP MLA resisted attempts by the marshals to remove him and tried to hold on the bench but the staff jostled with him and evicted him from the House. Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia today introduced the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill in the house.

2.46 lakh patent applications pending due to manpower shortage
About 2.46 lakh patent applications and 5.32 lakh trademark registrations are pending with the government due to shortage of manpower, parliament was informed today. "There is pendency in patent and trademark applications, which are disposed of with the available manpower and infrastructure. The pendency as on November 1, is 2,46,495 in patent applications and 5,32,682 in trademark applications "This pendency is primarily due to shortage of manpower. The government has taken measures to augment available manpower and other necessary infrastructure," commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitahraman said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

Mumbai now under CCTV surveillance
Asserting that digital intervention will help increase efficiency in policing, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said the Mumbai city surveillance project of installation of over 6,000 CCTVs would be completed before the 26/11 terror attacks anniversary next year. Addressing a gathering after launching the first phase of the project covering south Mumbai - from Colaba to Worli - where 1,381 cameras have been installed, he said the CCTV network would boost crime crime prevention, early response, detection, prosecution and conviction. The entire project to install CCTVs at all the crucial places in the city is expected to cost around Rs 949 crore.

Plea for ban on Volkswagen vehicles' sale: NGT notice to Centre
The National Green Tribunal today sought response from the central government and the German automobile firm Volkswagen on a plea seeking a ban on manufacture and sale of its vehicles in the country for allegedly flouting emission norms.A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notice to the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Central Pollution Control Board and Volkswagen group,  asking them to reply by December 23.The directions came while hearing a plea by Saloni Ailawadi, a Delhi based school teacher, who had sought directions to disallow "manufacturing, assembly and sale" of vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen and its group companies until it is established that they are as per the prescribed norms in India.

Forced to leave cinema hall for refusing to stand for national anthem
A family of four members was forced to leave a cinema hall after they refused to stand up when the national anthem was played just before the movie's screening.A video, which has gone viral both on YouTube and on microblogging site Twitter, shows some people arguing with the man who refused to stand when the national anthem was played. Some reports said the incident took place in a cinema hall in Kurla, Mumbai.Initially, the man refused to stand up saying that he didn't want to stand, but later changed his statement to say that he had a problem with his knee. Even as he is arguing with the rest of the audience, a woman is seen trying to pacify the agitated crowd."You just leave the theatre. Come ... just leave," another one is heard saying. "Sir, main aapko achche se bol rha...please chale jayie," someone from the crowd is heard telling the man.The video shows the man trying to pacify the agitated crowd but to no avail. He finally leaves the cinema hall along with his family after an official of the theatre intervened and asked him to leave. In the video, people can be heard cheering and clapping when the family leaves the hall.The movie didn't start till the family left the hall.

A new sensor breakthrough can now enable smartphones to detect air pollution
A team of Australian and Chinese scientists have developed a all-new sensor capable of detecting potentially harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide, while being extremely cheap to manufacture.The primary source of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide is attributed to the burning of fossil fuels as in vehicular exhausts, industrial pollution, petroleum refineries and coal-fired thermal power stations.In a communication with Mashable Australia, Australian scientist Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh, a professor at RMIT’s Centre for Advanced Electronics and Sensors, stated he helped discover how the material tin disulphide can be effectively used to accurately detect the level of nitrogen dioxide in the air. Stemming from a personal experience, Kalantar-zadeh became involved in the quest for effect methods at detecting this noxious gas when his then pregnant wife was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a debilitating condition for both mother and child that some scientists associate with nitrogen dioxide related poisoning.

Supreme Court dismisses PIL on Rahul Gandhi's citizenship row
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking a direction to CBI to register a case against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for allegedly declaring himself as a British national before company law authorities there. A bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy questioned the "authenticity of the document" attached with the PIL and the manner in which the papers were procured."Can we start making roving inquiries," the bench asked while turning the petition as "frivolous".

Smog chokes Bejing, New Delhi as climate talks begin
The capitals of the world's two most populous nations, China and India, were blanketed in hazardous, choking smog on Monday as climate change talks began in Paris, where leaders of both countries are among the participants.China's capital Beijing maintained an "orange" pollution alert, the second-highest level, on Monday, closing highways, halting or suspending construction and prompting a warning to residents to stay indoors.In New Delhi, the U.S. embassy's monitoring station recorded an air quality index of 372, which puts air pollution levels well into "hazardous" territory. A thick smog blanketed the city and visibility was down to about 200 yards (metres).Air quality in the city of 16 million is usually bad in winter, when coal fires are lit by the poor to ward off the cold. Traffic fumes, too, are trapped over the city by a temperature inversion and the lack of wind.In Beijing, a city of 22.5 million, the air quality index in some parts of the city soared to 500, its highest possible level. At levels higher than 300, residents are encouraged to remain indoors, according to government guidelines.

Oil set for 10 per cent fall as supply glut persists
Oil prices on Monday were on course to end November some 10 percent lower as a global supply glut showed no sign of easing and weak stocks and a strong dollar further weighed on prices.Most analysts do not expect OPEC to cut production, but they are mindful that Saudi Arabia could be inching towards the idea of working on price support measures with other oil producers.

Road deaths cause 3% loss to GDP every year: Nitin Gadkari
The increasing number of road deaths in the country is causing a loss of 3% to the GDP every year, Roads Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said.Speaking at the Hyundai Motors roads safety event, Gadkari said that the economic loss was to the tune of Rs 55,000 crore annually as 1.5 lakh people are killed in road crashes every year.India has the highest number of roads fatalities in the world, with one person being killed in a road mishap every four minutes."We are working on a plan to reduce the number of roads death. The plan includes stringent safety norms and identifying the accidental spots across the country," Gadkari said.

Social media brings people to the streets over poor roads in Bengaluru
About 8000 people were estimated to have gathered today near the International Tech Park (ITPL) in Whitefield in Bengaluru in a peaceful protest against the apathy of the local government authorities to the bad state of the infrastructure in the area.The movement, called " Save Whitefield", promoted extensively through social media by the citizen movement Whitefield Rising, brought together aggrieved residents and employees of companies in Whitefield, Marathahalli, Nellurahalli, Graphite Junction,  Hoodi, KTPO, ITPL, Varthur village.People gathered at 7 nodal points, formed human chains and after an hour, they all headed towards towards ITPL."Spontaneous and multiple announcements for protest dates starting pouring in on the Whitefield Rising Facebook and through WhatsApp two weeks back," said Gautam Mishra, who works in a multinational Company.

Modi-Sharif handshake in Paris
Amid ongoing turbulence in Indo-Pak relations, prime minister Narendra Modi chose to take a step further and shake hand with Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif ahead of Climate Conference in Paris on Monday.Followed by a warm handshake, Modi-Sharif were seen talking to each other briefly.  It was not clear that what transpired between them. So far there are no planned talks between both the leaders. But keeping in view of recent statement of Nawaz Sharif that he was ready for an unconditional talk with India, nothing can be ruled out for now.