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98.11¢US 13,058.2 +/-0.00¢ US +48.2

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YAHOO BID NO SIGNAL:Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer,above, broke off talks with Yahoo.Inc. Saturday for its US$42.3 billion bid to buy the Internet icon.

Microsoft looks away

Microsoft Corp. withdrew its US$42.3 billion US bid to buy Yahoo Inc. on Saturday, scrapping an attempt tosnap upthe tarnished Internet icon in hopes of toppling online search and advertising leader Google Inc. The decision to walk away from the deal came after lastditch efforts to negotiate amutually acceptable sale price proved unsuccessful. The talks reached abreaking point after Jerry Yang and David Filo, the co-founders of Sunny-

DOW

AP vale-based Yahoo, flew to Seattle in the morning to meet personally with Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer and Kevin Johnson, who runs the software maker's unprofitable online services division, according to someone familiar with the talks. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be identified. "Clearly adeal is not to be,? Ballmer wrote to Yang in aletter sent late Saturday. -The Associated Press FERTILIZER

Agrium posts Q1 profit of $195M

Fertilizer producer Agrium Inc. (TSX:AGU), which is in the process of taking over UAP Holding Corp., said late last week its first-quarter profit rose to US$195 million and reversed ayear-ago loss of $11 million. The Calgary-based company also announced it expected earnings per share of between $1.92 and $2.22 for the second quarter, or $3.15 to $3.45 per share for the first half of the year. -THE CANADIAN PRESS

S&P/TSX

14,280.28 +214.47 STOCKS

Big week ahead for dollar markets?

The Toronto stock market could be set for another positive week with investors feeling some major relief that the United States might just be dodging the recession bullet, says Doug Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns. "The market has definitely taken heart from that as well as continued signs that we may -may -bejust past the worst of the credit crisis,? Porter said. -THE CANADIAN PRESS SYNCRUDE

Apologyrufflesfeathers

The company behind agiant oilsands plant in northern Alberta has taken out full-page ads in several Canadian newspapers to apologize for the deaths of an estimated 500 ducks that landed on atoxic wastewater pond near Fort McMurray, Alta., earlier this week. But groups like Greenpeace say such apologies are "hollow" unless there's afirm commitment by the company, and others, to change their procedures to protect birds and other wildlife. Syncrude Canada Ltd., the largest oilsands operation in the world, said in the advertisements which appeared Saturday that it's committed to making the necessary changes to its long-established practices to ensure a "sad event? like this one never happens again. The oilsands operator said it will learn from what happened, will improve its practices and will meet the public's expectations for "responsible development.? The open letter-style ads, which appeared in several newspapers -including the Globe and Mail -are signed by the chief executive of Syncrude Canada Ltd.,

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TomKatinas. "We know this sad event has garnered alot of attention across the country and that Canadians have expressed their concerns regarding it,? Syncrude spokesman Alain Moore said in an interview Saturday from Fort McMurray. "We wanted to let people know how sorry we are this happened on our site and our resolve to help ensure it doesn't happen again.? Noise-making cannons are usually in place to deter flocks of migratory birds from landing on the toxic ponds, but Moore said that due to aheavy winter snowstorm last month, company employees couldn't properly deploy them. Migratory bird experts have suggested that the 500 ducks may represent afraction of the birds that perish each year near the oilsands, and say tougher environmental rules are needed to deal with the billions of litres of poisonous sludge the plants produce. -THE CANADIAN PRESS Criminal Record? Avoid embarrassment, job loss, arrest, deportation, property seizure. Cnd Pardon seals record. Travel Waiver allows legal U.S. entry. No-Fault Divorce? No Fault Divorce. Simple, Fast &Inexpensive Owed money? DEBT Collections S.C.C. to $25,000 Open Sat by Appt 456-3760 /1-800-347-2540 0302-14899 0810-15037

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