PRESS DIGEST - Canada - Oct 9

Oct 9 (Reuters) - The following are top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL:

- President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.

Obama's name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president.

- The RCMP are alleging a senior health bureaucrat and a technology contractor schemed to defraud the British Columbia government as it moved to implement its eHealth initiative.

In a 99-page search warrant application, the RCMP allege former assistant deputy health minister Ron Danderfer committed breach of trust by approving inflated invoices from contractor Jonathan Burns, and accepted benefits from Jan. 13, 2006 to July 13, 2007.

Report on Business Section:

- The rapid erosion of the U.S. dollar is being felt across the globe, sparking fears the greenback's slide will hit export-driven economies as the world struggles to recover from recession.

The concerted dollar-buying managed to slow the greenback's decline but failed to halt its losses as the currency's continued weakness pushed the price of gold to yet another record and the Canadian dollar hit its highest level in a year.

- Competition is keeping the Kindle out of Canada. The much-anticipated electronic book reader is late coming to this country because the online retailer is shopping around among Canadian telecoms, looking for the best deal on the cost of running its wireless capability, sources say.

- Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's move this week to block banks from marketing insurance on their websites caps a furious lobbying campaign by the insurance brokerage industry.

NATIONAL POST:

- The Public Prosecution Service in Nova Scotia is denying a report that its provincial Crown attorneys conduct background checks on potential jurors and that the results are kept from the defence in criminal trials.

- The ringleader of an "al-Qaeda-inspired" plot to detonate powerful truck bombs in downtown Toronto pleaded guilty yesterday, becoming the most significant of the "Toronto 18" terrorists to be convicted.

Zakaria Amara, 24, acknowledged in an agreed statement of facts, which was read out in the Brampton courthouse, that he was part of a terrorist group that had planned attacks intended to "cripple" Canada.

Financial Post section:

- Mike Zafirovski, the former chief executive of Nortel Networks Corp (NRTLQ.PK) who presided over thousands of layoffs, billions in losses and the dissolution of one of Canada's most storied companies, has filed a claim for more than C$12 million in compensation he says he is owed.

- If there was ever any lingering doubt about the place of Canada's banks in the global financial system, Moody's Investors Service would like to put that to rest.

For the second year running, Canadian banks have scored the top spot in Moody's annual ranking of banks around the world, ahead of Singapore and Hong Kong.

- Amidst continuing financial problems, the country's broadcasting companies have gone public with their crusade to have cable and satellite operators that carry their TV signals for free finally pay up - or risk losing those channels altogether.