Italian mozzarella producers welcome Brussels’ reprieve

MONDRAGONE, Italy (AFP) — For Italian mozzarella producers, the European Commission’s decision to back off from a threatened import ban on the cheese prevented the crisis in the industry from becoming a real disaster.

“Things are going a little better, but we went really close to a catastrophe and it will take us at least a month to get back to normal,” said Giuseppe Mandara, one of the biggest mozzarella producers in the Campania region.

The scare began last week when samples of mozzarella, which is made from buffalo milk, were found to have raised levels of the toxic compound dioxin.

‘Pandemonium’ after woman shot in subway

Toronto’s first ever victim of a shooting on a subway train is a young woman who took a bullet during a fight with a trio of men as the train rolled into Spadina station.

The shot was fired by one of three men with whom the woman and a female companion argued then fought on the northbound train at about 8:45 p.m. yesterday.

The woman, 18, was taken to St. Michael’s Hospital where she is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Cities Switch Off Lights for Earth Hour

CHICAGO (AP) — From the Sydney Opera House to Rome’s Colosseum to the Sears Tower’s famous antennas in Chicago, floodlit icons of civilization went dark Saturday for Earth Hour, a worldwide campaign to highlight the threat of climate change.

The environmental group WWF urged governments, businesses and households to turn back to candle power for at least 60 minutes starting at 8 p.m. wherever they were.

The campaign began last year in Australia, and traveled this year from the South Pacific to Europe to North America in cadence with the setting of the sun.

“What’s amazing is that it’s transcending political boundaries and happening in places like China, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea,” said Andy Ridley, executive director of Earth Hour. “It really seems to have resonated with anybody and everybody.”

Canada, China to meet for third time at world women’s curling championship

VERNON, B.C. — In order to win her country’s first world championship, Bingyu Wang of China will need to beat Canada on its own turf in front of thousands of curling-hungry fans.

She wouldn’t have it any other way.

The personable skip leads her surprise Chinese team into Sunday’s final against Canada’s Jennifer Jones (CBC, 1:30 p.m. ET). Wang has already beaten Canada twice in the tournament, and a third victory over the home team would cement China’s status as the top team in the world.

Wang said she wanted Canada to reach the final – a feat Jones’s foursome accomplished in dramatic fashion, rallying to beat Japan 9-8 in 11 ends in Saturday’s semifinal.

A CBC without an orchestra can be sound step for Radio 2

Don’t mess with what we know and love – especially if it’s our music.

We treat our radio stations like an infant who has grown attached to her first teddy bear.

CBC Radio 2 has for years been the favourite plush toy for the country’s classical music listeners.

Like many a teddy, our radio network has lost its eyes somewhere along the way. The fur is stained and matted. The ripped fabric around the neck has let some stuffing spill out.