Month: June 2010

Toronto, June 23: India and Canada are set to sign a civil nuclear agreement that will allow New Delhi to secure uranium, nuclear equipment and technology to meet its energy needs during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit in Toronto for the upcoming G-20 Summit.

The four-day visit commences on June 26.

Canada will become the latest country with which India shall have civil nuclear deal since the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) allowed New Delhi to resume global nuclear trade in September 2008.

New york, June 23: A man fatally shot a 3-month-old child in front of troopers during a standoff outside an upstate New York home today morning, then was shot and wounded by officers, state police said.

The man was outside the home in Blossvale, east of Syracuse and about 200 miles northwest of New York City, when troopers arrived after getting an emergency call about a domestic dispute, police said.

Washington, June 23: A US judge Tuesday lifted a government moratorium on offshore oil drilling that President Barack Obama put in place in response to the ongoing BP Plc spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Judge Martin Feldman of the US District Court in New Orleans granted a preliminary injunction against the moratorium, finding it overly broad and insufficiently justified.

The administration would appeal the ruling, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Los Angeles, June 23: New York City, which has America’s highest population of 8,391,881, is the largest city in the US, followed by Los Angeles, latest official statistics said.

Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the US, with a population of 3,831,868, Xinhua reported citing estimates released by the US Census Bureau Tuesday.

The rest of America’s 10 most populous cities are: Chicago, 2,851,268; Houston, 2,257,926; Phoenix, 1,601,587; Philadelphia, 1,547,297; San Antonio, 1,373,668; San Diego, 1,306, 301; Dallas, 1,299,543; and San Jose, 964,695.

–IANS–

Madrid, June 23: The Spanish parliament Tuesday approved a controversial labour reform in a vote marked by the abstentions of most legislators.

The reform is meant to make Spain’s rigid labour market more flexible in an attempt to slash the country’s 20-percent unemployment rate and to restore market confidence in the sluggish economy.

The trade union confederations UGT and CCOO, however, said the reform increased the vulnerability of workers without improving productivity.

Tegucigalpa, June 23: Honduras has declared a state of national emergency due to proliferation of dengue, which has already caused 10 deaths and over 11,000 infections across the country.

An emergency cabinet meeting agreed to establish an inter-institutional commission, coordinated by the health secretariat, which will develop a plan to combat the epidemic, Prensa Latina reported.

Mexico City, June 23: Plastic bottles, dead livestock and other wastes are used to build houses for poor as part of a climate conservation campaign in Latin America.

Glass and plastic bottles mixed with honey and sand can be turned into a decent accommodation. Such dwellings are called “ecological houses” because they are made of natural elements that cause no damage to the environment, said Ingrid Vaca Diez, a Bolivian environmentalist.

Nicosia, June 23: Cyprus has detained a vessel loaded with unspecified military cargo reportedly meant for Sudan and Singapore.

The ship named “Santiago”, carrying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, was detained when it anchored off Cyprus’ southern port of Limassol, requesting permission to enter for refuelling.

New York, June 23: Boeing has said it will recommend more frequent inspections of its long-range 767 aircraft after American Airlines found cracks in the pylons holding the engines onto the wings on two airplanes.

Boeing was working with American Airlines to resolve the problems and in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the issue, the aircraft manufacturer said Tuesday in response to a query.

Boeing cannot force any airlines to inspect their aircraft more often. But recommendations from manufacturers generally are adopted into airline guidelines.

Washington, June 23: The United States has asked India to address what it called “longstanding impediments” like investment caps, agricultural market access barriers and high tariffs as they work on accelerating their bilateral economic relationship.

US Trade Representative Ron Kirk also listed “intellectual property rights, and the need for continuing regulatory streamlining and transparency” among the impediments at a meeting Tuesday with Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, according to an official US readout.