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The Canadian Press Budget for Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009(Canadian Press DataFile Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The following is a complete list of coverage plans for top news from The Canadian Press. If you have any questions, contact CP's National Desk at 416-507-2150. Copy moves by 18:00 ET unless otherwise noted; all times ET. HALIFAX _ Canadian troops can return home in 2011 assured that U.S. forces will be able to handle security for Canada's continuing diplomatic and development mission in Kandahar, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Friday. MacKay said he's had talks on the matter with the Americans, but no firm conclusion has been reached. 500 words. By Murray Brewster. BC-Afghan-MacKay. Moved. TORONTO _ Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the Conservative government doesn't plan to undertake any major new spending initiatives in next year's budget. Rather, it will continue with the $61 billion in stimulus spending announced in January. In a speech to the Empire and Canadian clubs, Flaherty said Friday that switching gears now would be a ``misguided'' move that would put the Canadian economic recovery at risk. 650 words. By Kristine Owram. BC-Flaherty-Economy. Moved General (G) and Business (B). MONTREAL _ Who's been firebombing all those Italian coffee shops in Montreal? Police are stumped _ and the victims aren't talking. At least five bars have been hit by Molotov cocktails in less than a month and police aren't ruling out any hypothesis _ including a Mafia turf war, or a brazen street gang trying to take over the Mob's turf. But the cops aren't getting much help from the shop owners who've been targeted. 450 words. By Sidhartha Banerjee. BC-CRIME-Italian-Cafes. Moved. OTTAWA _ A lesbian who deserted from the U.S. army and fled to Canada must have another chance to plead her case for refugee status, the Federal Court ruled Friday. Judge Yves de Montigny says the board erred last February when it rejected Bethany Smith's bid for refugee status. 550 words. By John Ward. BC-Lesbian-Deserter. Moved. MONTREAL _ Arts groups must more aggressively pursue new funding sources like private industry and donors instead of relying on government, participants told a symposium on the effects of the recession on the cultural industry. Heritage Minister James Moore pointed out there are as many tax incentives for donating to the arts as there are for giving to political parties. 600 words. By Nelson Wyatt. BC-Arts-Recession. Moved General and Entertainment. CHURCHILL FALLS, N.L. _ Atlantic Canada's premiers emerged from a meeting Friday in Labrador divided over the proposed sale of New Brunswick's 89-year-old public power utility company to Hydro-Quebec. The premiers of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador want New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham to guarantee their respective provinces the ability to ship power through his province in the future. 600 words. By Kevin Bissett. BC-NB-Power-Premiers. Moved. HALIFAX _ A hearing committee of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society is grappling with the free speech rights of lawyers who are also politicians. The committee is considering an allegation of professional misconduct against John Morgan, a lawyer and the mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, over remarks he made about the municipality's legal action against the province in a 2008 radio interview. 550 words. By Melanie Patten. BC-Mayor-Free-Speech. TORONTO _ Ontario should extend film tax credits to live shows like dance, theatre and the opera to create more jobs and boost the live performance industry, just like New Orleans did in the wake of hurricane Katrina, artists and New Democrats said Friday. 500 words. By Romina Maurino. BC-Live-Shows-Tax-Credit. Moved. TORONTO _ One year ago, young people with red hair were the targets of violence after a campaign to ``kick a ginger'' spread over social networking site Facebook. The bullying, apparently inspired by an episode of the animated TV show South Park, led to the suspensions of 13 students in Calgary and an RCMP investigation into the 14-year-old administrator of one Facebook group. This year, however, redheads are experiencing a new message online _ that it's better to be hugged than harassed. 500 words. By Trevor Pritchard. BC-Hug-A-Ginger. Moved. HINTON;Alberta;Canada _ Joel Chell sat in stunned horror, watching in his rear-view mirror as a stolen minivan that had just whizzed by him on the wrong side of an Alberta highway blew apart after slamming head-on into a pickup truck on the road behind him.The 50-year-old felt slightly sick as a ball of orange flames bloomed through the wrecked remains of the two vehicles. It was like something on a television show. 847 words. Alta-Fiery-Crash. VANCOUVER _ British Columbia's highest court says Vancouver Olympic officials have no power to include women's ski jumping in the 2010 Olympics, so they can't be found to be violating the athletes' rights.The B.C. Appeal Court dismissed the jumpers' case last week, but the reasons for the unanimous decision weren't released until today. 500 words. By James Keller. OLY-SKI-Women-Jumpers. Moved. CP is also following... SASKATOON -- The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan determines the fate of Dr. Darius Tsatsi, a radiologist whose work prompted a review of 70,000 exams. Suitable for weekend use (Moved Thursday) OTTAWA _ Members of Parliament are scrambling to climb aboard the Twitter bandwagon _ and getting elbowed by controversial, satirical and even phoney postings. Victims of fake Twitter accounts now include Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Senator Mike Duffy, the former CTV journalist. 750 words. By Craig Wong. With QuickFacts. EDs: For anytime use, but intended for weekend editions. BC-Tweeting-Parliament. Moved Thursday. SQUAMISH, B.C. _ Carved out of British Columbia's rugged coastal mountains, where the winding highway from Vancouver kisses the waters of Howe Sound one last time before rising up toward Whistler, the logging town of Squamish once billed itself as the ``Heart of 2010.'' That is, until Olympic officials ordered the community to stop, arguing the slogan violated their fiercely guarded trademarks. While many in the community mid-way between Vancouver and Whistler are enthusiastic about the Games, many others can't wait to gt out of town, saying they're disappointed by the whole Olympic experience. 1,000 words. By James Keller. See CP photos. For use any time but intended mainly for weekend. OLY-2010-Squamish. Moved Thursday. BUSINESS OTTAWA _ After hunkering down throughout most of the recession, Canadian businesses began lining up with consumers at the bankruptcy office in September, new data shows. The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy reported Friday that 489 businesses had filed for insolvency during the month, a 31.6-per-cent increase from August. 451 words. By Julian Beltrame. BC-Bankruptcies-Economy. Moved. MONTREAL _ Canadian tour operator Transat A.T. (TSX:TRZ.B) is hoping to expand its presence and revenues in France by signing a commmercial agreement to affiliate its Look Voyages agency with a co-operative representing 1,170 agencies. 550 words. By Ross Marowits. BC-Transat-France, 2nd Writethru. Moved. MONTREAL _ A $250-million loan between Canadian and U.S. subsidiaries of AbitibiBowater is forcing the company to juggle its corporate structure to avoid a big tax bill. The Montreal-based company, which is operating under court protection from creditors, faces $55.25 million withholding tax in Canada, and potentially more in the United States, unless it is able to repay an inter-company loan this year. By Ross Marowits. BC-AbitibiBowater, 2nd Writethru. Moved. MONTREAL _ There are great deals on digital cameras and Blu-ray DVD players and the price of video game consoles also dropped. Overall spending on consumer electronics is down in Canada this year and although prices are falling it's in specific pockets of products and consumers are generally looking to upgrade what they have, says the NPD Group. 500 words. By LuAnn LaSalle. BC-Consumer-Electronics-Prices, 2nd Writethru. Moved Businss (B) and General (G). CALGARY _ Agrium Inc.'s (TSX:AGU) reluctant U.S. takeover target, CF Industries Holdings Inc. (NYSE:CF), is making headway in a hostile bid of its own. Illinois-based fertilizer producer CF says it successfully got three of its nominees elected to Terra Industries Inc.'s (TSX:TRA) board of directors by a ``substantial margin.'' 500 words. By Lauren Krugel. Agrium-CF-Terra, 3rd Writethru. FRANKFURT _ Although it is too early to say the crisis is over, it is time to withdraw some of the policy measures that supported the financial system through the credit crunch, the European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said Friday. By Michael Bauer and George Frey. See AP Photo NYBZ166. BC-EU-European Central Bank, 1st Ld-Writethru. Moved. NEW YORK _ Natural gas prices have dropped by more than 15 per cent in the past month as the country continues to sip at its energy reserves and a balmy November allowed many homeowners to leave the heat off. By Chris Kahn. BC-Oil-Prices, 2nd Writethru Budget. Moved. FRANKFURT, Germany _ General Motors Co. said it expects to release a full restructuring plan for its Opel and Vauxhall operations in mid December, but did not specify the amount of cuts to capacity and jobs it would seek. By George Frey. BC-EU-Germany-GM-Opel, 1st Writethru Budget. Moved. WILMINGTON, Del. _ Refineries from New Mexico to New Jersey are under severe economic pressure because of falling demand for fuel, with a number of facilities closing down in recent months. Valero Energy, which shuttered a major refinery over the summer, said it would permanently close its Delaware oil refinery and lay off 550 workers. By Business Writer Randall Chase. BC-US-Refinery-Troubles. Moved TOKYO _ Japan's government highlighted the danger of deflation for the first time in three years Friday, warning that falling prices and a further worsening of the labour market could drag on the weak recovery. By Shino Yuasa. BC-AS-Japan-Economy, 1st Writethru Budget. Moved. NEW YORK _ Hershey Co. may make a US$17-billion bid for UK candy company Cadbury PLC, topping the recent $16.5-billion hostile offer by Kraft Foods Inc., the Wall Street Journal reports Friday.The bid wouldn't be ready for two weeks and the terms are in flux, the newspaper says people close to the matter have said. 584 words. US-Hershey-Cadbury. NEW YORK _ The U.S. has finally become a nation of savers. Yet Americans are getting little for our efforts. As banks rush to buy safe government debt, interest rates are sinking to near zero for the first time since last year's market meltdown. That's helping dampen consumer spending as bank deposit holders get less for their money. 600 words. By Stevenson Jacobs. BC-Rock-Bottom-Rates. Moves Datafile only. The Canadian Press is also following: TORONTO _ The Toronto stock market closed slightly lower Friday, pressured by falling energy stocks as demand concerns and a rising U.S. dollar pushed crude prices down.The S&P/TSX composite index shed 20.97 points to 11,579.33, down for a second day on another rising tide of concern about whether the market has advanced too quickly relative to the strength of the economic rebound. 730 words. By Malcolm Morrison. Dollar-Markets. QUEBEC _ Cossette Inc. (TSX:KOS) said Friday that hostile bidder Cosmos Capital Inc. is prepared to pay $8.10 per share, topping a friendly deal the advertising agency has signed with a U.S. private equity investor, depending on the outcome of a review of the company's books. BC-Cossette-Cosmos, 1st Writethru. Moved. QUEBEC _ Novik Inc. (NVK) reports income of $93,000 or less than a cent a share in the third quarter, down from more than $900,000 or two cents per share in the comparable 2008 period. Revenue for the quarter was $4.9 million, down from $7.2 million last year. BC-Novik, 1st Writethru. MONTREAL _ Montreal La Presse says it has reached an agreement in principle with three more of its eight unions, making it increasingly likely the newspaper will not be shut down on Dec 1. La Presse said in a statement this morning the tentative deal covers editorial and office employees. 141 words. Moves Business (B) and General (G). BC-CRAFT-La-Presse. MONTREAL _ Saputo (TSX:SAP) and Kraft have appealed a Federal Court ruling that upheld new federal cheese regulations. The large cheese makers want the Federal Court of Appeal to overturn an October ruling that dismissed their objections to rules regarding the content of both domestic and imported cheese. BC-Cheese-Makers-Court, 2nd Writethru. Moved. MONTREAL _ Medical device company ART Advanced Research Technologies Inc. (TSX:ARA) said Friday it has signed a deal to be acquired by Dorsky Worldwide Corp. and restructure the company under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.Under the proposal, the company's unsecured creditors will share in $375,000. 93 words. ART-Advanced-Research. TORONTO _ Ontario Power Generation Inc. had a $259-million profit in its latest quarter, although the provincial Crown corporation continued to feel the impact of reduced demand for electricity. The profit for the three months ended Sept. 30 were an improvement on the $142-million net loss for the same period of 2008. 91 words. BC-Ontario-Power-Generation, 3rd Writethru. TORONTO _ Hotelier Northampton Group Inc. (TSXV:NHG) blamed the decline in domestic and U.S. overnight travel as well as price cutting within the industry for the slump in its fiscal second-quarter results. BC-Northampton-Group, 1st Writethru. Moved. TORONTO _ HydraLogic Systems Inc. (TSXV:HLS) has reported a narrower third-quarter loss despite a sharp decline in revenue. BC-HydraLogic, 1st Writethru. Moved TORONTO _ Liuyang Fireworks Ltd (TSXV:FWK), a Chinese company has been listed on the TSX Venture Exchange since June, reported Friday that its third-quarter sales were up and its profit was down from the same time last year. Liuyang's net income fell to $402,000 or one cent per share in third quarter, down from $478,000 a year earlier, when the company was still a private company. 179 words. BC-Liuyang-Fireworks, 1st Writethru. TORONTO _ Roxmark Mines Ltd (TSXV-RMK) said Friday it plans to amalgamate with Ontex Resources Ltd. (TSX:ONT) in an all-stock transaction to form a new company that will eventually be called Goldstone Resources Ltd. BC-Roxmark-Ontex, 1st Writethru. Moved. TORONTO _ Nortel Networks Corp. starts auction for optical networking and carrier ethernet business; Nokia Siemens Networks is second bidder, says a source familiar with the process. BC-Nortel-Auction. TORONTO _ Jannock Properties Ltd. (TSXV:JPL.UN) declares a cash distribution of 10 cents per unit as a result of an ongoing delay in the company's dissolution. It had a third-quarter loss of $260,000 or a penny a share, reversing year-earlier profits of $436,000 or a penny a share. Revenues was $2,000, down from $50,000. BC-Jannock-Properties, 1st Writehtru. TORONTO _ AirIQ Inc. (TSXV:IQ.H) reduces loss by 65 per cent from a year ago, to $397,000 from $1.16 million. On a per-share basis, the loss was less than a cent compared with one cent last year. Revenue also declined, to $2.6 million from $3 million. BC-AirIQ, 1st Writethru. TORONTO _ An Ontario court judge deciding whether a class action lawsuit against Scotiabank (TSX:BNS) over unpaid overtime should be dismissed has reserved his decision.Lawyer Louis Sokolov said that arguments wrapped up on Thursday. 241 words. Scotiabank-Overtime-Suit. TORONTO _ Brookfield Renewable Power Inc. said Friday it has signed a 20-year contract Ontario Power Authority to sell all of its output from 16 of its Ontario hydro facilities. The contract, set to begin Dec .1, increases the amount of Brookfield's generation currently under long-term contract from approximately 50 per cent to 70 per cent, reducing its reliance on shorter-term contracts. 171 words. Brookfield. TORONTO _ The Pennsylvania Department of Insurance filed a complaint in Commonwealth Court Friday to force Kingsway Financial Services (TSX:KFS) to unwind a set of alleged ``sham transactions'' involving charitable donations.Kingsway shares were hammered earlier this week after the company said authorities in Pennsylvania would seek to unwind the donations. 247 words. Kingsway-Financial. TORONTO _ Timminco Ltd. (TSX:TIM) said Friday it has closed a $5.3-million private placement with its largest shareholder that has increased AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group's stake in the company to 46 per cent.AMG acquired 3.8 million shares at a price of $1.38 per share to increase its stake to 67.8 million common shares of Timminco. 66 words. Timminco-Financing. --- CALGARY _ Angle Energy Inc. (TSX:NGL) is making an all-cash offer to acquire Stonefire Energy Corp. (TSXV:SFE) in a friendly deal valued at $75 million, the companies announced Friday. The transaction would include the assumption of $25.3 million in net debt by Angle and transaction costs. 392 words. BC-Stonefire-Angle-Energy, 1st Writethru. CALGARY _ Alternative Fuel Systems Inc. (TSXV:AFS) says it lost $110,149 in the July-September period, contrasting year-ago profits of $277,266. The autoparts maker's revenues dropped almost 70 per cent to $429,510 from $1.3 million. BC-Alternative-Fuel-Systems. CALGARY _ Leader Energy Services Ltd. (TSXV:LEA) felt the brunt of a harsh oil and gas market, but the company was able to narrow its third-quarter losses due to a reduction in interest and amortization charges from their year-ago levels. The company, which provides well stimulation services, reported a net loss of $791,000 in the quarter ended Sept. 30. That compared to a year-ago net loss of $1.2 million. 212 words. BC-Leader-Energy-Services, 1st Writethru. CALGARY _ Calgary-based Traverse Energy Ltd. (TSXV:TVL) reported a third-quarter loss of $515,000, or two cents per share on Friday, down from a profit of $122,000 or one cent per share in the same quarter last year. BC-Traverse-Energy, 1st Writethru. Moved CALGARY _ Cordy Oilfield Services Inc. (TSXV:CKK) cancelled a controversial $4.8-million private placement of units on Friday.The company said the money will be refunded to subscribers without interest or deduction and the common shares and warrants will be returned to treasury for cancellation. 409 words. Cordy-Oilfield-Services. OKOTOKS, Alta. _ Mullen Group Ltd. (TSX:MTL) said Friday it allowed its takeover bid for Livingston International Income Fund expire and walked away from its attempt to acquire the customs broker and logistics firm after failing to win enough unitholder support for the deal.Mullen, had offered 0.566 of a share for each trust unit of Livingston, in an attempt to beat out a friendly offer for Livingston by group led by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. 206 words. Mullen-Livingston. VANCOUVER _ Vancouver-based MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX:MDA) signs contract worth over $200 million to provide satellite solutions to Russian Radio Research and Development Institute. BC-Macdonald-Dettwiler, 1st Writethru. VANCOUVER _ Voice Mobility International Inc. (TSX:VMY) saw sales plunge in the third quarter as it underwent management and marketplace changes, but managed to narrow its net loss compared with the comparable period last year. The Vancouver-based developer and provider of messaging solutions reported a net loss of $514,000 or a penny per share in the quarter ended Sept. 30. That was an improvement from a year-ago net loss of $821,000 or a penny per share. 306 words. BC-Voice-Mobility-International, 1st Writethru. VANCOUVER _ IND DairyTech Ltd. (TSXV:IND) plans a $30.8-million financing with SAIF Partners LP to raise funds for business expansion and operations, the company announced Friday Under the transaction, SAIF will purchase up to 59.7 million convertible preferred shares of IND through a private placement at about 52 cents per share. 109 words. BC-IND-Dairy-Tech, 1st Writethru. RICHMOND, B.C. _ Catalyst Paper (TSX:CTL) announced Friday that it has reached an arbitration settlement terminating its 20-year energy services agreement with Island Cogeneration No. 2. Inc.Subject to subdivision approval, Catalyst said that under the settlement it has agreed to transfer to Cogen land currently leased by Cogen upon which its energy facility is located. 206 words. Catalyst-Paper. SPORTS FOOTBALL UNDATED _ He has earned three CFL all-star nominations during his 10-year career and earned the reputation of being one of the league's top cornerbacks. But missing from Omarr Morgan's football resume over his nine seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders is a Grey Cup championship ring. 800 words. By Dan Ralph. FBO-CFL-West-Final. Moved. MONTREAL _ Stopping versatile quarterback Casey Printers is the top priority for the Montreal Alouettes when they face the B.C. Lions in the CFL East final, and noseguard Eric Wilson is confident the league's best defence is up to the task. 600 words. By Bill Beacon. FBO-CFL-East-Als. Moved. HALIFAX _ When the St. Mary's Huskies and Calgary Dinos play the Uteck Bowl on Saturday, there's more than a trip to the Vanier Cup at stake. It's also a chance for two students to beat their former teachers. 600 words. By Matt Semansky. FBO-CIS-Uteck-Bowl. 1st Writethru. Moved. See also: _ FBO-CIS-Mitchell-Bowl. Moved. UNDATED _ If there's ever a good time to play the New England Patriots, it definitely is not when they are coming off what happened in Indianapolis. The New York Jets will be in the way Sunday when the Patriots try to take full control of the AFC East _ and ease the continuing stream of criticism for coach Bill Belichick. 600 words. By Barry Wilner. See AP Photos. FBN-NFL-This-Week. Moved. See also: _ FBN-Dolphins-Williams. Moved Datafile only. DENVER _ The Denver Broncos have already outdone themselves. Last year, they blew a three-game lead over San Diego with three games left, costing Mike Shanahan his job. Over the last month, they've seen their 3{-game cushion in the AFC West whittled away by the Chargers, who come calling Sunday. They'll find a team reeling from three straight losses and wondering who will start at quarterback. By Arnie Stapleton. See AP Photos. FBN-Chargers-Broncos. UNDATED _ ``You play to win the game.'' That phrase has echoed throughout the NFL for years, ever since Herm Edwards uttered it while coaching the New York Jets. It's exactly what Bill Belichick was doing in Indianapolis last Sunday night. And as for delivering any sort of messages of distrust in his defence, maybe it was just the opposite. 700 words. By Barry Wilner. See Photos. FBN-On-Football-Belichick's-Gamble. Moved Datafile only. EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. _ Halfway through his first season in Minnesota, Brett Favre has found a favourite receiver in Sidney Rice. In his third NFL season, Rice has become the true first go-to guy the Vikings have had in the passing game since Randy Moss left nearly five years ago. Rice has made up for any lack of speed by learning how to play the position, manoeuvring his body properly to make tough catches and, with guidance from Favre and receivers coach George Stewart, figuring out how to best run his routes. FBN-Vikings-Rice-Is-Nice. Moved Datafile only. ST. LOUIS _ Kurt Warner last played for the St. Louis Rams in 2003 and he's getting ready to face his former team for the seventh time. His No. 13 jersey has never gone out of fashion. It didn't take long for the ubitiquous kiss-cam promotion at last week's home game against the Saints to find a husband and wife who haven't forgotten the two-time NFL MVP's role in the Rams' glory days. By R.B. Fallstrom. FBN-Warner-Redux. See AP Photos. Moved Datafile only. NEW YORK _ Fantasy and reality collided at the 1-yard line for Maurice Jones-Drew. The Jaguars running back passed up a sure touchdown and took a knee before the goal line, helping seal a win against the New York Jets last Sunday _ and causing thousands of fantasy football owners to pound their heads against their laptops. Jones-Drew knows how they felt. He cost himself a win in his own fantasy league. 700 words. By Dennis Waszak Jr. FBN-Fantasy's-Reality. Moved Datafile only. SOCCER LONDON _ FIFA rejected Ireland's request to replay its World Cup qualifier against France on Friday, while Thierry Henry said a rematch would be ``the fairest solution'' to resolve the furor over his extra-time hand ball that set up the deciding goal. Turning down an appeal by the Football Association of Ireland as well as pressure from lawmakers and football figures in both countries, FIFA said it could not interfere and the referee's decision to allow the goal stands. 600 words. By Stuart Condie. See Photos. SOC-FIFA-Replay, 7th Writethru. Moved Sports (S) and World (W). See also: _ SOC-FIFA-Rankings. Moved. _ SOC-FIFA-Iraq, 1st Writethru. Moved Datafile only. SEATTLE _ It's important for Major League Soccer to have its highest profile team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, in the league championship game. While all the focus is on big-name Galaxy, the story of how their opponent, Real Salt Lake, got to the finals might be even more compelling. 600 words. By Tim Booth. SOC-MLS-Cup-The-Other-Guys. Moves Datafile only. FIGHTING LAS VEGAS _ Tito (The Huntington Beach Bad Boy) Ortiz and Forrest Griffin have both played their part in securing the future of mixed martial arts. On Saturday night, the two ground-breakers square off for the second time in a UFC 106 main event that is crucial to both men on a personal level. 1,800 words. By Neil Davidson. See Photo. MMA-UFC-106-Ortiz-Forrest. Moved. LAS VEGAS _ The New York Bad Ass is back.Phil Baroni (13-11) returns to the UFC on Saturday night after an absence of almost six years, putting his experience and hell-of-leather style against Amir Sadollah (2-1) at UFC 106. 900 words. By Neil Davidson. MMA-UFC-106-Baroni. Moved Datafile only. LAS VEGAS _ Manny Pacquiao proved he can be a box office hit. Now it's up to he and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to see what they can do together. 600 words. By Tim Dahlberg. See AP Photos. BOX-Pacquiao-Mayweather. WINTER SPORTS UNDATED _ Zina Kocher wishes she'd had her swine flu vaccine by now, but Canada's top female biathlete departs for Europe on Saturday and won't be able to get it in Canada. That's precisely the scenario the Canadian Olympic team's chief medical officer wanted to avoid. Dr. Bob MacCormack is watching Canada's medal hopefuls get on planes for other parts of the world unprotected from the H1N1 flu. 700 words. By Donna Spencer. OLY-Canada-Swine-Flu. Moved. KITCHENER, Ont. _ Patrick Chan makes his Olympic season debut when he takes the ice for the men's short program at the HomeSense Skate Canada International on Friday, while Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir return to the event after missing last year. 700 words. By Lori Ewing. See CP Photos. FIG-Skate-Canada. 4th Writethru. Moved. Developing from compulsory dance at 6:30 p.m., and men's short program at 7:55 p.m. See also: _ FIG-Skate-Canada-Langlois-Hay. Moved. CALGARY _ The World Cup luge season was set to begin Friday night with the doubles competition at Canada Olympic Park. 500 words. By Dean Bennett. LUG-World-Cup. Race begins at 8 p.m. ET. UNDATED _ Petter Northug emerged as cross-country skiing's biggest star last season with an unrivaled sprinting ability matched only by his unwavering confidence that he is unbeatable in the late stages of a race. The brash Norwegian gets a chance to enhance his status as the skier to watch in Vancouver when the World Cup opens this weekend. 600 words. By Mattias Karen. SKI-Cross-Country-Preview. Moves Datafile only. OTHER SPORTS MONACO _ The governing body of track and field is working behind the scenes with Caster Semenya and the South African government to resolve issues about the 18-year-old runner's gender and career.The IAAF said Friday it cannot confirm the South African sports ministry's claims of a deal allowing Semenya to keep the 800-metre world title and prize money she won in August and maintain privacy over her gender-test results. 500 words. By Graham Dunbar. See AP Photos. ATH-IAAF-Semenya, 1st Writethru. Moved. RICHMOND, Texas _ Lorena Ochoa takes a one-shot lead into the second round of the LPGA's season-ending Tour Championship, though rain threatened to delay the tournament. 700 words. By Chris Duncan. See AP Photos. GLF-LPGA-Tour-Championship. UNDATED _ For so many years, the formula for winning a Cy Young Award was pretty simple: Win a lot of games. That, a good ERA and a bunch of strikeouts often brought home the hardware. But the perception of pitching has changed, with fans and voters now relying more heavily on new-age stats such as WHIP and FIP. 600 words. By Ben Walker. BBO-Cy-Young-A-New-Look. Moves Datafile only. ENTERTAINMENT OPRAH WINFREY ANNOUNCES THE END OF HER SHOW... Chicago;Illinois;United States _ Holding back tears, Oprah Winfrey told her studio audience Friday that she would end her show in 2011 after a quarter-century on the air, saying ``prayer and careful thought'' led her to her decision. Winfrey told the audience that she loved ``The Oprah Winfrey Show,'' that it had been her life and that she knew when it was time to say goodbye. ``Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and feels right in my spirit,'' she said. 1236 words. By Caryn Rousseau. See Photo. US-Winfrey-Show-Ending. NEW YORK _ Is it too soon to begin missing Oprah?Why put it off? In less than two years, she will vanish from sight as a five-hours-weekly broadcast TV fixture. How could we not be feeling early pangs of withdrawal and loss? Let's go ahead and start our seven stages of grief. 667 words. By Frazier Moore. See Photo. US-AP-on-TV-Missing-Oprah. Datafile only. LIFESTYLES Washington;District of Columbia;United States _ New guidelines by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually to catch slow-growing cervical cancer. The change comes amid a separate debate over when regular mammograms to detect breast cancer should begin, in the 40s or the 50s. The timing of the Pap guidelines is coincidence, said ACOG, which began reviewing its recommendations in late 2007 and published the update Friday in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. 645 words. By Lauran Neergaard. US-MED-Fewer-Pap-Smears, 2nd Writethru. Moved. Taipei;;Taiwan _ Confronted with an ever-growing pile of old newspapers, Taiwanese fashion designer Colin Lin came up with the idea of using them to make shoes and tote bags for her environmentally friendly footwear company.Lin, 50, says they are now hot items in Taiwan as well as markets from the United States to Europe, finding a niche with green-minded customers who have a fondness for novelty. 400 words. By Annie Huang. See AP Photos. AS-Taiwan-Paper-Shoes. Moved. AMES, Iowa _ The sign sits on a wooden chair, more an invitation than a provocation: ``Ask an Atheist.'' The students manning the booth at Iowa State University smile and wave, eager to dispel the notion of the angry atheist in their bid to carve out a place for religious skeptics on campus. Across the country, campus atheist groups are exploding in number. But the group at Iowa State, like the atheist movement in miniature, is also trying to find itself. The students want a voice but fear coming off as militant separatists _ and as independent thinkers, they doesn't always agree, either. By Eric Gorski. AP Photos. Atheists-on-Campus, Advance. Moved datafile only. (c) 2009 The Canadian Press |