OTTAWA (Reuters) - A European Union plan to label crude from the Alberta oil sands as dirty is unfair and could damage Canada's bid to find new export markets, the Canadian resources minister said at the start of a mission to lobby against the idea.

As part of a plan to cut greenhouse gases from transport fuel, the EU's executive commission has developed a Fuel Quality Directive that would single out oil from Alberta's tar sands as more polluting than conventional crude.

Canada, whose oil sands are the world's third-largest proven reserves of crude, strongly opposes the move.

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, speaking at the start of a week-long trip to Paris, Brussels and London, said the directive should be changed to ensure it does not discriminate against crude from the oil sands.

"We think that's critical as an alternative to what we view as a flawed and ineffective approach that's proposed by the commission," he told Reuters in an interview from Paris.

Extracting crude from the clay-like Alberta oil sands requires more energy than conventional oil production. Environmentalists say that increases greenhouse gas emissions, making the oil sands a top target for the green movement.

Ottawa is unhappy the directive would not penalize Russia, which both burns and releases natural gas while extracting oil. Oliver said this means Russian crude extraction produces at least as many emissions as tar sands oil, if not more.

"If you're giving a free pass to a high emitter who happens to be one of the biggest exporters into the Union, then how are you achieving your objectives? This is all very logical, it's hard to argue against," he said.

Last year, amid heavy Canadian lobbying, the EU held an inconclusive vote on the directive and then decided to assess the full impact of the plan. That assessment is due in the next few months, paving the way for another vote.

Although Canada sends almost no crude to the EU now, that could change if proposals to create pipeline capacity from Alberta to Canada's East Coast are successful.

"We're not exporting to the EU at the moment but we don't want to see our crude oil stigmatized, which could possibly have implications elsewhere," said Oliver, adding that Canada did not oppose the goals of the fuel quality directive.

"What we want is a scientific fact-based approach that makes its judgment based on the scientific realities and not sort of a preconceived idea ... that our oil should be treated differently," he told Reuters.

Canada sends 99 percent of its oil exports to the United States. But a glut of supply and full pipelines are cutting prices, a problem that underlines the Canadian industry's need to find new markets.

The EU vote on the directive last year ended in stalemate amid misgivings from Britain and the Netherlands. Both nations have stakes in Royal Dutch Shell Plc, which operates in the oil sands, as does France's Total SA.

Oliver is meeting senior executives from both companies during his mission, as well as officials from the European Commission and industry groups. He declined to predict how successful his trip would be.

"I've got this great hand but the final results aren't yet in. We're arguing from logic and we're arguing from equity, in all fairness. You hope that prevails," he said.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Galloway)

Cuba has never before launched WTO litigation. Its challenge follows similar complaints about Australia's tough tobacco packaging rules by Ukraine, Honduras and Dominican Republic.

By taking the first step in a dispute, Cuba has triggered a 60-day window for Australia to try to resolve the problem in talks with Cuba. After that Cuba could ask the WTO to appoint a panel of adjudicators to judge its complaint.

Australia's law came into force last December, banning cigarette logos and requiring packets to be plain olive green with graphic health warnings. It was seen as a precedent for others considering a similar move, including the European Union, India, Norway, South Korea, New Zealand and Canada.

To bring in the world's toughest rules on tobacco packaging, Australia had to win a court fight against cigarette makers British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco.

It was not immediately clear why Cuba took more than a year to follow Ukraine, which launched its complaint in March 2012. The three existing complainants could press ahead with their cases at any time in the future, but unless they do so their challenges will remain inactive on the WTO's books.

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Pravin Char)

Mounties in that North Okanagan city say they are still sorting out a bizarre fight that erupted Tuesday night in the downtown core.

They say several men in their early 20s squared off, but the situation became much more pointed when one of the men ran into a nearby specialty shop and emerged with two swords.

That's when a second suspect smashed the would-be musketeer in the head with a skateboard.

Fortunately, the sabre-rattler was not seriously hurt and everyone involved was rounded up.

Not surprisingly, they spent the night sobering up and, as clearer heads emerge, police hope to learn what sparked the unorthodox duel. (CKIZ)

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The World Jewish Congress urged Hungary on Tuesday to crack down on the far-right Jobbik party and called on governments in Europe to consider banning neo-Nazi parties threatening democracy and minority rights.

The WJC plenary assembly, held in the Hungarian capital rather than Jerusalem to highlight rising anti-Semitism in Hungary, passed a resolution saying Budapest must recognize that Jobbik poses "a fundamental threat to Hungary's democracy.

"Decisive action by all democratic forces against these contemporary expressions of extremism must now be taken," it said, adding a request that Prime Minister Viktor Orban sign an international declaration on combating anti-Semitism.

Jobbik, which openly vilifies Hungary's Roma minority and has accused Jews of buying up property to take over Hungary, has been a central issue at the three-day WJC assembly, which brought together Jewish leaders from about 100 countries.

Orban addressed the opening session of the assembly on Sunday evening, issuing a strong denunciation of anti-Semitism but avoiding any mention of Jobbik.

"He missed a golden opportunity," said WJC President Ronald Lauder, who while introducing Orban had specifically asked him to denounce the populist party.

Lauder later apologized, saying he had not been aware of comments made by Orban to the Israeli paper Yedioth Ahronoth before the congress, in which the prime minister said Jobbik was a real danger to democracy.

"I want to put it on the record that the prime minister really did make a strong statement against Jobbik," Lauder said in his closing remarks to the congress.

Jobbik, which won 17 percent of the vote in the 2010 election and has 43 of the 368 seats in parliament, held an "anti-Zionist and anti-Bolshevik" rally in Budapest to protest against the WJC meeting being held in the Hungarian capital.

Orban's Fidesz party has a two-thirds majority in parliament, but has lost ground in opinion polls since it took power in 2010. It still has a strong opinion poll lead however and has a good chance of winning next year's election. Support for Jobbik meanwhile has hovered around 10 percent this year.

GREECE AND GERMANY

Robin Shepherd, author of a study for the WJC on neo-Nazi parties in Europe, told the assembly Fidesz was not anti-Semitic but it competed with Jobbik for votes among nationalists frustrated by the economy and resentful of foreign influence.

"If Orban goes too hard against Jobbik, he's worried he won't be able to scoop up Jobbik's voters," he said.

The assembly also debated the rise of far-right parties such as Golden Dawn in crisis-stricken Greece, which came from nowhere to win about seven percent in elections there last year.

Shepherd said support for Golden Dawn had risen in opinion polls since the election and the Athens government was so concerned about the country's economic crisis that it did not immediately respond to the challenge it presented.

David Saltiel, leader of the Greek Jewish community, agreed and told the assembly: "Our country was caught by surprise."

But Saltiel said the government, after lobbying by the WJC, had assured him it would soon pass a tough hate speech law that would outlaw incitement against people because of their race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation, and impose up to six years in prison on offenders.

Parliamentary deputies would not be excluded, he said, and parties that receive public funding would see it suspended if their leaders publicly deny the Holocaust - which Golden Dawn leaders have done in the past.

"We think with this law, (Golden Dawn) will be brought back to the small numbers it had before," he said.

The resolution also urged Germany and other countries with neo-Nazi parties to consider banning them.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided not to seek a ban on the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) because it is not clear whether such a ban would be constitutional.

But the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament that represents the 16 federal states, has begun its own effort to ban the party, he said.

(Reporting by Tom Heneghan; Additional reporting by Sandor Peto; Editing by Jon Hemming)

NEW YORK (AP) -- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is reportedly nearing a deal to buy Life Technologies Corp., a maker of genetic testing equipment, for almost $12 billion.

Thermo Fisher's bid for Life Technologies topped $70 a share, beating out bids from other suitors, including the Blackstone Group, the Carlyle Group and other private equity firms, according to published reports. Life Technologies' stock closed Friday at $68.

Life Technologies, based in Carlsbad, Calif., said in January that it had hired Deutsche Bank and the boutique bank Moelis & Co. to help with its strategic review. That's usually a sign a company is considering putting itself up for sale. Since that announcement, the company's stock has climbed 24 percent.

Calls to Life Technologies and Thermo Fisher, based in Waltham, Mass., were not immediately returned.

Zynga management on Wednesday pleaded for more time for the turnaround effort, saying that the company's business, although stabilized, may not pick up until the latter half of the year.

Analysts said until the company showed more progress on its mobile strategy, it would have to fall back on its popular "Farmville" game and new games such as "Draw Something 2" to draw in and retain gamers and investors.

"Zynga keeps hinting at meaningful changes to come ... profitably, on mobile, but we will need to see it before we can give them credit for it," Macquarie Equities Research analyst Ben Schachter said.

The company now gets 22 percent of its revenue from its mobile platform, up from 12 percent a year earlier, but that share remains modest compared with similarly sized technology companies such as Twitter Inc, which gets more than half of its revenue from mobile users.

"Zynga is unlikely to ever dominate the mobile gaming market in the same way that it has the web-based gaming market for many years," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said.

The company aims to tap gamers on smartphones as it loses users on PCs but doubts remain over whether this can sustain its revenues and profits.

"Zynga's path toward renewed growth is uncertain and fraught with competitive and internal risks," Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson said in a research note to clients.

The company has also said it would tap into potentially lucrative new revenue streams, after it revised its once-lucrative business partnership with Facebook Inc.

Zynga has in recent months sought to establish a more independent network even at the risk of less visitor traffic from the social media giant and is looking to launch real-money casino games around the world, starting with Britain.

Analysts said though real-money gambling games is a good long-term opportunity, it is unrealistic to think it would boost Zynga's prospects anytime soon.

"Zynga must overcome significant competitive and legislative issues, among others. The near-term impact of real money gaming should be limited," Wedbush's Pachter said.

Shares of the company fell to $3.01 in early trading on Thursday. The company's stock, which listed on the Nasdaq in February 2011 at $10, has lost nearly a third of its value over the past year.

(Reporting by Sayantani Ghosh in Bangalore; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

LONDON (Reuters) - Frankfurt Opera was crowned the world's best opera company on Monday at the inaugural International Opera Awards which were set up to promote opera to a wider audience as it comes under increasing financial pressure.

The award was one of 21 prizes announced at a ceremony in central London to kick off "The Operas", annual awards set up by Opera Magazine and British businessman Harry Hyman.

German Jonas Kaufmann, often described as the "new king of tenors", was crowned the best male singer after strong reviews from productions of "Carmen" and with his solo albums, Verismo Arias and Wagner, becoming bestsellers within weeks of release.

Swedish soprano Nina Stemme, who received raves in Munich, Milan and Paris for her Wagner, beat five others including Joyce DiDonato and Sarah Connolly to be named best female singer.

Briton Antonio Pappano, music director of Britain's Royal Opera House, won the award for best conductor.

The winners list said that under its intendant Bernd Loebe, the Frankfurt Opera had established itself as one of Europe's best, with houses almost regularly filled to capacity for a mix of rarely performed works and more mainstream repertoire.

Opera Magazine editor John Allison said he hoped the awards would bring more recognition to opera at an economically tough time when many opera houses were struggling due to a drop in private sponsorships and state subsidies.

"Very few opera companies in the world are immune to the financial pinch," Allison said, adding that this could stifle creativity and tempt opera companies "to play it safe".

Hyman said the awards were intended to broaden the audience for opera and encourage new talent by creating bursaries.

"I hope they will become the Oscars of opera," he said.

The awards received 1,500 nominations from 41 countries and the winners decided by a 10-member jury made up of opera critics, opera house chiefs and singers.

The award for the best new production went to "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov that was performed by the Netherlands Opera and directed by Russia's Dmitri Tcherniakov, who also won the award for best director.

The award for best world premiere was won by the favorite, "Written on Skin" by George Benjamin which premiered at the Aix-en-Provence festival in France before runs in several major opera houses.

The young singer award went to British soprano Sophie Bevan and the best newcomer, conductor or director, was won by Italian conductor Daniele Rustioni.

A lifetime achievement award was given to George Christie, former chief executive of the British opera house Glyndebourne.

Here is a list of winners in key categories. OPERA COMPANY: Frankfurt Opera CONDUCTOR: Antonio Pappano MALE SINGER: Jonas Kaufmann FEMALE SINGER: Nina Stemme YOUNG SINGER: Sophie Bevan DIRECTOR: Dmitri Tcherniakov WORLD PREMIERE: "Written on Skin" by George Benjamin, Aix-de-Provence NEW PRODUCTION: "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh," Netherlands Opera and Dmitri Tcherniakov LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: George Christie NEWCOMER (CONDUCTOR OR DIRECTOR): Daniele Rustioni ORCHESTRA: Metropolitan Opera CHORUS: Cape Town Opera

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith; Editing by Michael Roddy)

The actor-director's crowd-funding campaign follows Rob Thomas' wildly successful use of Kickstarter to finance a movie of the defunct TV series "Veronica Mars." Thomas pulled in $2 million in less than a day, eventually gathering more than $5.7 million in 30 days.

But some observers have criticized Hollywood stars for using the Kickstarter website to dip into the pockets of their loyal fans. Braff has said this is the only way for him to direct his first film since "Garden State" with final cut and his desired casting.

After passing his goal Saturday, the "Scrubs" star said on Twitter: "I will not let you down. Let's go make a killer movie."

HOUSTON (AP) -- John Reynolds and the four others aboard the Nite Owl weren't worried when the thunderstorms made it impossible for the commercial fishing boat to return back to shore. They'd seen this kind of weather before.

They did what they normally would, tying the boat to an oil rig off the Texas Gulf Coast and going to sleep. But early Friday morning, "a rogue wave, a freak wave or something hit the side of the boat," Reynolds said.

"It just collapsed the cabin ... where the captain sleeps," he said in a telephone interview Sunday as the U.S. Coast Guard announced it was calling off the search for the other four people who were aboard the Nite Owl."When it hit, it tore the whole top of the boat off."

The captain was sent overboard, and within two minutes, the 50-foot vessel sunk. One crew member tried to reach the captain, while Reynolds and the two others saw a life raft. Reynolds was the only one who reached it.

He then spent about two hours floating in the Gulf of Mexico before the Coast Guard rescued him.

The Coast Guard scoured a 5,400-square-mile area with planes, helicopters and boats looking for Reynolds' four crewmates before calling off its search Sunday.

"I'm just sorry they didn't find anybody. I wish all the guys would have been in the life raft with me," Reynolds told The Associated Press.

The Coast Guard has identified three of the missing fishermen as Don Windom, Duoc Dan Nguyen and Jamie Esquivel. Larry Moore, the boat's owner, identified the fourth missing man as Charles Patrick, the vessel's captain.

What became a harrowing journey for Reynolds and the four other men began Thursday when the Nite Owl left Port Bolivar, located near Galveston, for what was to be an eight to 12 day fishing trip, said Moore, who runs M.L.T. Seafood Inc. in Golden Meadow, La. The Nite Owl is the company's only fishing boat.

Reynolds, 56, from Gaston, Ala., said that after the boat was hit by the "freak wave," he and three other crew members who had been sleeping below deck, climbed upstairs, pushing debris out of the way. Realizing Patrick was missing, they began calling out for him. Patrick answered them back once, although they couldn't see him.

"The first and only thing I heard him say was he told us to get our life jackets on," Reynolds said.

The life jackets had already been washed away and the men were soon in the water as the boat quickly sank about 115 miles southeast of Galveston.

Reynolds and the three other crew members clung to debris to try to stay afloat.

One of the crew members tried to swim to where they had heard Patrick's voice coming from, while the others stayed close to Reynolds.

"I spotted the life raft. I told the other two guys that were right there with me, 'I see the life raft. I'm going to swim for it. You all follow me,'" Reynolds said.

Reynolds said one of his crewmates appeared to be in shock and didn't seem to want to let go of some debris he was clinging to. The other crewmate, who was not a good swimmer, seemed to follow Reynolds.

"I got in the raft. I heard them call out. There was a little ring inside there with a 60 foot line on it. I threw it in the direction I heard the guy hollering from, hoping he could grab a hold of it and pull himself to the life raft," he said. "Apparently he couldn't get a hold of it."

Reynolds said as he was trying to get his crewmates into the raft, he was also bailing water out of it. The 10 to 12 foot waves soon swept the raft away from his crewmates.

Reynolds spent about two hours floating in the water, firing flares twice into the air, before a Coast Guard jet flew overhead. Reynolds was eventually flown to Houston, having suffered only minor injuries.

Reynolds, who has been a fisherman for 35 years, said he is grateful to the Coast Guard for saving his life but is still dealing with the loss of his crewmates and friends.

Moore said he had worked with Patrick for about eight years and thought of him "like a brother."

"To all the families of the guys that are gone, if I could trade places with any one of them I would," Moore said.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano at http://www.twitter.com/juanlozano70

NEW YORK (AP) -- Short on glam, slim on glitter and no sign of Manti Te'o, the NFL draft was still a solid B-plus.

As in Big, as in Brawn, as in Bulk, as in Beefy.

We're talking a scale-busting 600 pounds at the outset Thursday night with offensive tackles Eric Fisher of Central Michigan and Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M.

The first seven picks were all linemen: four on offense, three on defense.

''That's a lot of love for the big boys up front, which we usually don't get,'' Fisher said.

None of the teams making the first 32 selections went for Te'o, not even Minnesota, which had three first-round picks. The All-America linebacker's poor performance in Notre Dame's loss to Alabama in the national championship game surely was a factor. Still to be determined is how much the fake girlfriend hoax cost him.

Unlike the last few years when bumper crops of quarterbacks reigned, this was pure muscle, and lots of it.

Actually, not a single QB was selected until Florida State's EJ Manuel went to Buffalo at No. 16 - the lowest since 2000, when Chad Pennington went 18th to the Jets.

No running backs were chosen, either, for the first time since 1963.

---

CYCLING

PARIS (AP) - The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency wants Lance Armstrong to come forward with information detailing the alleged complicity of cycling's governing body in his doping.

Travis Tygart appeared at a French government hearing in Paris to discuss ways to improve the fight against doping.

After the USADA'S scathing report on systematic doping by Armstrong and his teams, he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from elite sport for life.

Cycling body UCI has been accused of covering up suspicious samples from Armstrong, accepting financial donations from him and helping him avoid detection in doping tests. It denied those accusations in a statement Thursday.

During the French Senate hearing, Tygart said he had ''evidence of the UCI's involvement in this affair,'' and Armstrong could hold the key to revealing the extent of that involvement.

---

BASEBALL

NEW YORK (AP) - Don't count out the captain.

Derek Jeter is certain he will return to the New York Yankees this season at the same level that made him one of baseball's most revered players.

In a jocular mood and wearing pinstriped pants, a practice jersey and hat, Jeter expressed frustration in learning last week that there was a new break in the ankle, an injury that has sidelined him since Game 1 of the AL championship series. He likely will be out until after the All-Star break.

Still, he never wavered in his confidence that he will run - without a limp - to the shortstop position that has been his since 1996.

NEW YORK (AP) - Major League Baseball won't change its schedule to boost the sport's chances of getting back into the Olympics.

Baseball was an Olympic medal sport from 1992-2008, then was dropped for last year's London Games. IOC President Jacques Rogge says baseball should make its top athletes available, as they are in basketball and hockey.

''Look, we can't stop our season in August. We just can't,'' baseball Commissioner Bud Selig told the Associated Press Sports Editors. ''You can't say to your fans: 'We'll see you in the next period of time. Your club loses some players but yours doesn't.'''

HAVANA (AP) - Put another candle on the very crowded birthday cake of Conrado Marrero, the oldest living former major league player.

The Cuban pitcher celebrated his 102nd birthday at his modest Havana apartment surrounded by family and friends, an unlit Cuban cigar in his mouth and a baseball cap on his head.

In addition to his longevity, the former Washington Senator has much to celebrate this year. After a long wait, he finally received a $20,000 payout from Major League Baseball, granted to old-timers who played between 1947 and 1979.

---

AUTO RACING

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Mild-mannered Matt Kenseth is spitting mad at NASCAR.

The driver for Joe Gibbs Racing spoke out one day after his team was slapped with some of the harshest penalties in NASCAR history because his race-winning car at Kansas last week failed post-race inspection.

The failure came because one of eight connecting rods in the engine was too light - by 2.7 grams, according to Kenseth, who said the rods collectively weighed more than necessary by about 2.5 grams each.

''I think the penalties are grossly unfair,'' Kenseth said. ''I think it's borderline shameful.''

Kenseth was docked 50 driver points in the standings, two more than he earned for the victory. He said he's more upset about the penalties given to car owner Joe Gibbs and his crew chief, Jason Ratcliff.

Gibbs also was docked 50 points and suspended for six weeks during which he will earn no owner points, essentially taking the No. 20 car Kenseth drives out of contention for winning an owner's title.

Ratcliff was suspended for six weeks and fined $200,000.

The team is appealing the penalties.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Denny Hamlin wishes he didn't need medical clearance to race.

The 32-year-old NASCAR star sustained a compression fracture of a vertebra in his lower back in a last-lap accident at California on March 24. Doctors said he'd miss at least five races, but Hamlin was hoping to be cleared to return this weekend at Richmond, his home track where he has won twice.

Doctors have the final say and Hamlin says if he's not driving full-time when the series gets to Darlington in two weeks, it might be time to consider having surgery and writing off the season.

---

PRO BASKETBALL

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) - Steve Blake won't play for the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, and fellow guards Steve Nash and Jodie Meeks are doubtful.

The Lakers are running out of healthy guards, and they're increasingly out of ideas on how to stop the Spurs from ending their tumultuous season.

Blake has a strained right hamstring that will keep him out indefinitely, and coach Mike D'Antoni said that the backup point guard won't play in Game 3.

NEW YORK (AP) - The founder of an investment firm that handled the National Basketball Players Association's investments and finances has been charged with fraud.

Federal prosecutors in New York unveiled a three-count complaint against Ohio-based Prim Capital Corporation founder Joseph Lombardo.

The 72-year-old was charged with attempted wire fraud, attempted mail fraud and obstruction of justice. Prim principle Carolyn Kaufman was charged with obstructing justice.

MIAMI (AP) - NBA MVP LeBron James is trying to raise money for families affected by the December massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The sneakers he wore in Miami's game against Washington on Dec. 15 - one day after the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., where 20 first-graders and six educators were killed - are up for grabs in an online auction that runs through Saturday.

Proceeds will benefit the Newtown Memorial Fund, through the LeBron James Family Foundation.

NEW YORK (AP) - Boston coach Doc Rivers was fined $25,000 by the NBA for publicly criticizing game officials after the Celtics' loss to New York on Tuesday night.

When asked about two fouls on Kevin Garnett in the first 3:20 of the Celtics' 87-71 loss in Game 2 of the playoff series, Rivers called them ''horrendous.''

The Knicks lead the series 2-0. Game 3 is Friday night in Boston.

---

SOCCER

NEW YORK (AP) - Major League Soccer hopes to announce plans in four to six weeks for a stadium in Queens for a 20th team.

The league and New York City have been involved in negotiations to build a stadium on a site in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. MLS hopes a team there would start play in 2016 and be rivals of the New York Red Bulls, who play in Harrison, N.J.

''If we get this done, it will be in Flushing Meadow Park. There is no Plan B,'' MLS Commissioner Don Garber told the Associated Press Sports Editors.

NEW YORK (AP) - Major League Soccer has decided goal-line technology is over the line - the league's budget line.

After saying last year the league was ''open to using goal-line technology as soon as it is made available,'' MLS Commissioner Don Garber said it's not worth the cost.