Moore, 37, will be the Conservative government's point person on whether to allow foreign enterprises to buy domestic companies. This would give him a crucial role if outsiders were try to take over smartphone maker BlackBerry, a Canadian innovation success story now fallen on hard times.

He will also take the lead on issues related to telecommunications, where the government has said it will reject any sales of wireless spectrum that would lead to further concentration in a market already dominated by three big players.

Moore, a tall, imposing figure, is no stranger to controversial files after five years in charge of the politically charged heritage portfolio.

As heritage minister, Moore was responsible for funding the arts and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, neither of them popular causes among the more right-wing sections of the Conservative government' political base.

But his tenure at heritage was marked by few signs of unhappiness from party supporters, which government officials say is a testament to Moore's deft handling of the two files.

Canada, a bilingual country wary of Americanizing influences from its powerful southern neighbor, gives special weight to cultural and heritage issues, while the idea of foreign takeovers of Canadian companies is also unpopular for many.

There are strict limits on foreign investment in the telecommunications and banking sectors, and the industry minister may block foreign takeovers if they are not seen as being of net benefit to Canada. It is up to the minister to determine exactly how to apply that opaque "net benefit test".

Canada has blocked only a handful of foreign takeovers in recent years, one of them a blockbuster bid from global mining giant BHP Billiton for fertilizer company Potash Corp, which faced tough opposition from politicians in the Prairie province of Saskatchewan, where the crop nutrient potash is mined.

Moore would face difficult decisions if a foreign company were to bid for all or part of BlackBerry.

The company, under its old name of Research In Motion, thrived for a decade as the inventor of successful devices for on-your-hip email, and Moore's predecessor in the industry department, Christian Paradis, said he hoped it would survive as a Canadian company.

But BlackBerry has faced a big loss of share of an increasingly competitive market. Last month it reported disappointing sales and a wider-than-expected quarterly loss, reviving speculation that it may be forced to seek a buyer.

(Writing by Janet Guttsman; Editing by Peter Galloway)

The military tally of prisoners on the hunger strike was still at 102, but 99 of them had eaten a meal within the past 24 hours, according to Army Lt. Col. Sam House, a detention center spokesman.

They were still considered hunger strikers because the military requires several days of sustained eating and a minimal caloric intake before a prisoner is removed from the list. In addition, some men were receiving meals in a controlled manner because they had been receiving liquid nutrients and can't safely resume consuming food at a normal pace, House said.

It wasn't clear whether prisoners intended to abandon a protest that has roiled Guantanamo for more than four months and prompted President Barack Obama to renew his efforts to close a prison that holds 166 men.

Navy Capt. Robert Durand said most of the prisoners took part in a meal of lamb to break the first day of the traditional fast during the Muslim holy period of Ramadan, which lasts through the month. He also said it had been unusually peaceful in the camps, largely free of conflict between guards and prisoners.

"We are just pleased that they are for the most part eating and for the most part we are having good order and discipline in the camps," Durand said.

Ramadan, an important period in the Muslim calendar in which the observant abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, has typically been a relatively tranquil period at Guantanamo. Prison officials issued a "pardon" that erased the men's accumulated disciplinary infractions and permitted many of them to pray together this week after having spent recent weeks largely isolated from each other.

Durand declined to speculate about whether the hunger strike might flare again after Ramadan. "I don't pretend to understand the psychology of the detainees and they don't always necessarily declare their motives."

Another possible factor is that prison officials recently allowed dozens of the men to return to communal living under certain new restrictions, including that they refrain from hunger striking.

The military said 45 of the prisoners were still on the "enteral feed list," meaning they can be strapped down and fed a liquid nutrient mix through a nasogastric tube. A U.S. federal judge on Monday called it a "painful, humiliating and degrading process," in a ruling in which she said she had no authority to order it stopped.

The military earlier said it would carry out the feedings only at night during Ramadan out of respect for the prisoner's religious beliefs.

Prison officials moved most of the prisoners out of communal units and into single, solid-walled cells, during a violent clash in April after prisoners covered the security cameras that allowed guards to monitor them.

Lawyers for prisoners have accused the military all along of undercounting the hunger strike numbers and they remained skeptical of the latest reports. "They have tried to downplay this from the beginning," said Carlos Warner, an Ohio public defender who represents 11 prisoners.

"All I hear from my clients is that they are going to keep going and they are not going to stop," said David Remes, a Washington-based attorney who represents five prisoners who were being force-fed. "Getting the president's attention isn't enough. Getting him to start sending detainees home is what he has to do."

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- The sting of higher tuition will be slightly smaller next year for students at Oregon's seven public universities.

The State Board of Higher Education voted Friday to reduce planned tuition increases from an average of 4.8 percent to 3.5 percent.

The change reflects $15 million in additional public funding that the Legislature approved on its final day in session. Lawmakers required that the additional money be used to offset tuition increases.

A full-time student will save $90 next year at the University of Oregon, $63 at Portland State University and $106 at Southern Oregon University.

Now that an owner is all but in place, the Coyotes were able to make the kind of big-splash signing that should give them a big boost on and off the ice.

Landing one of the most coveted offensive players at the start of the free agency period, the Coyotes signed forward Mike Ribeiro to a four-year, $22 million contract on Friday.

"Since I came here six years ago, we've been searching for a playmaking center iceman, someone who could make his wingers better," Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. "Certainly, Mike's skill set, his ability to pass the puck, vision on the ice was an area we had ideally been looking for, so to be able to bring him to the desert is a really good day for us."

The Coyotes took a big step toward stability this week when the Glendale City Council approved an arena lease agreement with prospective owner Renaissance Sports and Entertainment.

Headed by George Gosbee, Anthony LeBlanc and Daryl Jones, RSE still needs to complete the lease agreement with Glendale and its purchase of the Coyotes (by Aug. 5), but has already loosened the purse strings for the front office.

In addition to Ribeiro, the Coyotes signed free agent goalie Thomas Greiss to serve as a backup to Mike Smith and re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Kyle Chipchura to a multi-year deal. They also signed multi-year deals with forward Lauri Korpikoski and defensemen Michael Stone, both restricted free agents, and signed defenseman Chris Summers to a one-year deal.

On top of that, Phoenix was working on locking up a few more players within in the organization and still has the flexibility to sign or trade for others.

It added up to a new free agency experience for Maloney and assistant GM Brad Treliving.

"What was interesting was that there wasn't a pending free agent in the marketplace that didn't call us and want to talk about coming to Arizona to play hockey," Maloney said. "That's the one thing I was really encouraged by. Normally, Brad and I are banging at the phones, 'will you please call us' ... and that gets a little old after a while, so this was such a totally different experience for Brad and I."

Their big move was landing the kind of front-line center they had been seeking almost since moving to the desert in 1996.

The 33-year-old Ribeiro has been a consistent scorer during his 14-year career, topping 50 points in a season eight times. He had 49 points, including 36 assists, in 48 games with Washington last season.

Ribeiro played three seasons under Coyotes coach Dave Tippett in Dallas and spent six seasons with Montreal after the Canadiens picked him in the second round of the 1998 NHL draft.

He could play on the first line with captain Shane Doan and Mikkel Boedker or could allow Tippett to mix things up with his top lines.

"Obviously, his relationship with Dave Tippett was a huge factor in this decision," Maloney said. "They developed a very strong relationship when they were together in Dallas and we've monitored his status and feel like he has lots of life left in him."

Landing Ribeiro was the biggest move, but locking up some of the team's own players also was key, particularly since the team had struggled to do that in the past with the NHL running things.

The 27-year-old Chipchura gave the Coyotes toughness and skill on the fourth line, with five goals and nine assists last season.

Korpikoski, 26, has developed into a solid playmaker on the left wing, scoring 40 and 37 points the previous two seasons before dropping to 11 during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season while battling injuries.

The 23-year-old Stone spent most of the 2011-12 season in the AHL, but developed into one of Phoenix's best defensemen the last half of the 2012-13 season, finishing with five goals and four assists.

The Coyotes also are hoping to re-sign Boedker, a restricted free agent.

The Coyotes weren't able to retain forward Boyd Gordon, one of their top offseason priorities, when he signed a three-year deal with Edmonton. Backup goalie Jason LaBarbera also signed with the Oilers.

"Boyd was a great player for us and I'm happy for him to get his contract," Maloney said. "That's the business and they (the Oilers) certainly value him and had enough in their payroll budget that they could spend what they wanted to spend. We liked Boyd with us, we would have liked to keep him, it just got to a point where we decided we're going to have to go another direction."

Losing Gordon was tough, but unlike previous seasons when key players left, the Coyotes have the support from an owner to get someone else to take his place.

O'Bannon and his lawyers asked a federal court judge to turn their antitrust lawsuit into a class action, representing thousands of former and current college athletes. The lawsuit demands that the NCAA find a way to cut players in on the billions of dollars earned by college sports from live broadcasts, memorabilia sales, video games and in other areas.

U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken didn't rule on either the merits of O'Bannon's case or his demands to turn the case into a class action. It could take weeks, even months, before Wilken rules.

Instead, she ordered O'Bannon's lawyers to revise the lawsuit to fix some legal technicalities, including explicating adding current players to the lawsuit. Lawyer Michael Hausfeld said he will file a new lawsuit that includes current players, but will seek to keep their names confidential.

"They are afraid of retaliation," Hausfeld told the court.

NCAA lawyer Greg Curtner is against certifying the lawsuit as a class action, arguing that the claims of thousands of collegiate athletes are too different to be treated the same. For instance, certain athletes bring in more revenue than others and have different legal claims at stake.

The NCAA argues that many of the athletes receive scholarships in exchange for playing sports and to pay student athletes would ruin amateur athletics. To pay athletes more than that would ruin collegiate sports, the NCAA argues.

The debate over compensating college players is almost as old as the NCAA, founded in 1906. Amateurs have been expected to compete for free and the love of sport or at least the cost of a scholarship and the pursuit of an education.

The NCAA is steadfast in its position that student-athletes are prohibited from receiving payment for participating in sports. It also says it has done nothing wrong in marketing itself for the benefit of its member schools and will continue to vigorously contest the lawsuits

But the NCAA's revenues have skyrocketed in recent years it recently signed a $10.8 billion, 14-year television deal for basketball and so have the demands of athletes to share in the money.

"I'm doing this for change," O'Bannon said outside court.

The star of the NCAA 1995 basketball champion UCLA Bruins traveled from his Las Vegas home to attend the hearing Thursday.

He said he first became aware that others were profiting from his image in 1995, when he visited a friend's house and was shown an avatar resembling O'Bannon playing for the 1995 Bruins in the game. Two years later, he filed a lawsuit that focused attention from lawmakers, college administrators and others on just how much money the NCAA and its member schools earn each year.

The schools argue that money-making sports like football and baseball help support sports such as volleyball and gymnastics with smaller fan bases.

That may be, O'Bannon said, but he still thinks student athletes who help generate the revenues are entitled to a cut.

"I believe the kids coming through the system can do better than I did," he said. "I never thought this lawsuit would get this big, but now that it has, I hope it forces big changes."

I am a childless man, but I have owned my dog for 12 years. I work from home and we are together constantly. Honestly, Abby, he is the joy of my life.

My problem is I live in constant fear of losing him. I know it will break my heart, and I'm not sure I can deal with it. At night, when I rub his belly at bedtime and see the love in his eyes, I can't sleep for thinking about the day when he will no longer be with me.

I know he's "just a dog," but he has been my kid for all this time. Do you have any advice for me? -- AFRAID OF THE LOSS

DEAR AFRAID: I understand your feelings. I doubt there is any pet owner who hasn't had one special departed pet who lives on forever in his or her heart.

My advice to you is to not spoil one more precious second you have with your dog by worrying about what will eventually happen. You knew going in that your dog would have a certain life span. That's the "deal" we make when we become animal guardians.

When the time comes, talk to your veterinarian about support groups in which you can share your feelings. And don't be surprised when you find out you are one of many.

DEAR ABBY: I have this co-worker, "Sam," who is no longer performing 100 percent at work. It started shortly after he moved out of town and he was forced to start commuting. Sam complains a lot about the commute because he doesn't allow enough time for it and he ends up being late to work.

Lately I have noticed that he has also started to slack off on his daily tasks. He'll sit down, prepare to do something, then get up and disappear for 20 to 25 minutes. He'll come back for a few minutes, then disappear again. I don't know where he's going. All I know is we generally have to pick up the slack when he gets to the end of his shift and realizes he hasn't accomplished everything.

Is this something I should report to my managers? I feel it's unfair that Sam gets paid for the same amount of time that I do, while I'm doing my work at full capacity and he's putting in less than half. -- FRUSTRATED CO-WORKER IN ILLINOIS

DEAR FRUSTRATED: If it won't have a negative impact on your job ratings, you and the others on your shift should stop picking up the slack for Sam. It will then become apparent to your managers that he's not doing his share, and he will cook his own goose.

DEAR ABBY: When I was 11, I lived with my dad and stepmom. My 14-year-old brother lived with our grandparents in another town, but they would visit every couple of months.

After one visit, as they were leaving, my grandmother said, "Come here and give your brother a kiss and tell him you love him." My brother and I looked at each other and, in typical kid fashion, said, "YUCK!!"

Abby, I never saw my brother again. He died the next week from a congenital brain aneurism.

It taught me a lesson. The words we say to our loved ones should be sweet, because they may be the last words from us they will ever hear. My brother died 55 years ago and I miss him still. -- STILL MISSING HIM

DEAR STILL MISSING HIM: Please accept my sympathy for your loss. The life lesson you learned from your brother's untimely death was an important one. I am sorry it is one you had to learn at such a tender age.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

To receive a collection of Abby's most memorable -- and most frequently requested -- poems and essays, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby -- Keepers Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price.

NUERBURGRING, Germany (Reuters) - World champion Sebastian Vettel was pushed all the way but finally tasted Formula One victory on home soil on Sunday in a German Grand Prix that sent him 34 points clear of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Championship rival Kimi Raikkonen was second for Lotus, only a second adrift, after a late tire change left him hunting down the Red Bull in a thrilling final few laps while team mate Romain Grosjean was third.

Alonso, who started eighth on an adventurous tire strategy, finished fourth. The Spaniard now has 123 points to Vettel's 157 after nine of 19 races. Raikkonen has 116.

There were none of the explosive tire failures that raised safety fears at last weekend's race in Britain, with the subsequent threat of a driver boycott, but there were still moments of concern on a hot afternoon at the Nuerburgring.

A stray wheel from Mark Webber's car injured a cameraman in the pit lane, costing Red Bull a 30,000 euro ($38,500) fine from the FIA while, on track, Jules Bianchi's car momentarily caught fire and then rolled towards oncoming traffic after the Frenchman had scrambled out.

That incident brought out the safety car but Vettel hung on for his 30th grand prix win.

The triple champion had never won in Germany or in July but, days after his 26th birthday and a week after mechanical failure forced an agonizing retirement at Silverstone, ripped up the statistics to the delight of thousands of flag-waving fans.

"Thank you boys, that was a tough one. They gave me a run for my money. Yes, yes, yes and yes again," he shouted over the radio.

He later said: "I'm very happy the race ended at 60 laps not 61 or 62."

Fernando Alonso, who like Raikkonen had quicker tires than Vettel in the closing stages after starting on mediums, chased Grosjean home.

The main drama happened in the first 25 laps of the race.

Both Red Bulls jumped pole sitter Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes at the start, coming close at the first corner but avoiding contact, and Vettel took command from Australian Mark Webber.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa also got past Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo into sixth place but spun at the same tricky turn one at the start of the third lap and, with the engine cutting out, had to retire.

Paul Di Resta and Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso then almost collided in the pits with Force India releasing the Briton as the Frenchman was coming in. The incident was probed by stewards and Force India fined 5,000 euros.

CAMERAMAN HIT

Hamilton - the 2011 winner here - came into the pits for his first tire change on lap seven, earlier than the other contenders, and Vettel followed him after the next trip round.

Vettel's team mate Webber then entered the pits on lap nine but the rear right wheel was not attached properly and came away as he accelerated, hitting the cameraman and knocking him over.

An FIA statement said the Briton was conscious and had been taken to hospital by helicopter and was under observation.

Webber's wheel was put back on and he returned well down the field. The Australian, who quits for endurance racing at the end of the year, ended up seventh on the track where he first won a grand prix in 2009.

"We always need to improve safety. We need to learn from it," said Alonso, almost hit by tire debris at Silverstone.

While fans at the rural west German track - famous for the old Nordschleife loop no longer used in Formula One - were coming to terms with the Webber incident, Bianchi's Marussia came to a halt and flames flared out of the back.

The Frenchman quickly jumped out but before a tractor could remove the car, the Marussia rolled back onto the track into the path of drivers.

Fellow French driver Grosjean, who started fifth, enjoyed a superb race and came out second behind Vettel after his first pit stop with his pace surprising almost everyone.

However, when the safety car went back in he failed to put pressure on Vettel at the front and had to settle for third and his second podium of the season after allowing Raikkonen past under team orders.

Alonso had a superb early battle for fifth with Hamilton, who despite problems with the Mercedes managed to slow the Ferrari after the Italians took a gamble in qualifying to save tires for the race.

Hamilton's team mate Nico Rosberg, who won in Silverstone last weekend and was hoping to wow his home crowd in the Silver Arrows, qualified 11th after a team misjudgment on Saturday and failed to make any impact in the race to end ninth.

Mercedes have generally failed to match strong qualifying performances with race pace this season and Hamilton was again easily passed by Vettel on lap 45 of 60, on his way to fifth.

($1 = 0.7792 euros)

(Editing by Alan Baldwin)

A deal proposed by the district would require teachers to prepare lesson plans containing various mandatory details such as learning objectives and pacing references,the Eagle.

The current labor contract requires teachers to make lesson plans “only in sufficient detail to provide guidance to the teacher,” which leaves room for a range of different planning methods. Teachers must also provide their lesson plans and other teaching materials to school principals if asked.

Leaders of United Teachers of Wichita, which represents some 4,000 currently vacationing teachers, call compulsory daily lesson plans “busy work.”

“That’s going to take away the art of teaching, and it almost becomes like they’re doing cookie-cutter lessons,” Randy Mousley, president of the teachers union, told the Eagle.

“Good instruction starts with good planning. We’re not going to deny that,” the union leader said. “But there’s only so many hours in a day.”

Mousley argues that the requirement to create formal lesson plans on a daily basis adds unnecessary red tape that does nothing for students.

“You’ve got to decide which is most important: Is it to produce a piece of paper to satisfy a principal? Or is it putting stuff down — your thoughts about what you’re going to do to impact students in a positive way?”

John Allison, superintendent of Wichita Public Schools, disagrees.

“I don’t want to get on a plane and have my pilot not have done his checklist and be prepared,” Allison told the Eagle. “That’s very intentional and specific, and education is no different.”

The superintendent suggested that a number of teachers are already doing what the proposal mandates.

Also, as EAGnews.org, a school reform advocacy website, , teachers typically aren’t recreating the wheel each year. They can save effective lesson plans on their computers and use them again and again.

Wichita is no stranger to unhappy teachers. Last year, a federal mediator had to intercede to bring labor peace between the union and the school district. The resulting contract gave teachers their first salary increase in four years.

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Liang, his country's most successful golfer with 18 tournament victories worldwide, joins triple major winner Padraig Harrington and 2007 LPGA champion Suzann Pettersen as Working for Golf Ambassadors.

"Liang was the first player from his country to play in the British Open in 2008," the R&A's Duncan Weir said in a news release. "He has led the way for golf in China and will bring a great deal of experience and expertise to his new role.

"The R&A is already working hard with the China Golf Association to encourage people to learn more about golf and its values. Liang will help us to communicate these messages to an even wider audience."

The R&A jointly governs the sport worldwide along with the United States Golf Association and also organizers the British Open.

This year's Open will be staged at Muirfield, Scotland next week.

(Writing by Tony Jimenez; editing by Justin Palmer)