Berlusconi estranged wife eyes $65 mln a year

ROME — Veronica Lario, the wife of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, is seeking 43 million euros (65 million dollars) a year in a divorce settlement, the Corriere della Sera newspaper said Thursday.

Berlusconi had rebuffed her demand, amounting to 3.5 millions euro per month, and countered with an offer of 200,000 euros a month, although he is ready to go as high as 300,000, the newspaper said.

Maria Cristina Morelli, lawyer for Lario, declined to confirm the report but the newspaper insisted that money had already changed hands between the estranged pair.

"Sources close to the head of government (Berlusconi) are also saying that 60 to 70 million euros have already been paid out to Veronica", it said.

Lario, 52, filed for divorce in May, upset over her notorious womaniser husband's reported dalliances with younger women.

The last straw came in April when 72-year-old Berlusconi attended the 18th birthday party of aspiring model Noemi Letizia, whose relationship with the prime minister has been the subject of months of intrigue.

Berlusconi met Veronica Lario in 1980 and the couple were married 10 years later. They have three children, Barbara, 24, Eleonora, 22, and Luigi 20.

With a fortune of around 6.5 billion dollars, media magnate Berlusconi is Italy's second-richest man and 70th in the world, according to this year's Forbes magazine.

UN committee targets Iran's rights violations

UNITED NATIONS — A key U.N. committee approved a resolution Friday urging Iran to halt the persecution of political opponents following the country's disputed presidential election and release those still detained.

Citing arbitrary arrests, detentions and the disappearance of Iranians exercising their right to freedom of assembly and expression following the June 12 presidential election, the General Assembly's human rights committee adopted the resolution by a vote of 74-48 with 59 abstentions.

The resolution must now be approved at a plenary session of the 192-member world body, where its adoption is virtually certain.

Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee called the resolution "highly politically charged and motivated" and stressed that the majority of General Assembly members — 118 — did not support it.

U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood, speaking in Washington, welcomed the result, calling it "the largest vote margin on such a resolution on Iran in the U.N. ever."

The resolution which criticized Iran's handling of human rights in general, expressed "particular concern" at the government's response following the declaration that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won reelection.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians joined street protests, supporting opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi's claims of fraud, until pro-government forces crushed the demonstrations with a crackdown in which hundreds were arrested.

The opposition says at least 69 people were killed and that many of those detained were abused, tortured and even raped in prison.

The resolution cited the "harassment, intimidation and persecution ... of opposition members, journalists and other media representatives, bloggers, lawyers, clerics, human rights defenders, academics, students and others exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and expression, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries."

It criticized the "violence and intimidation by government-directed militias," the government's reported use of forced confessions, its mass trials resulting in some death sentences, and the "escalation in the rate of executions in the months following the elections." It also criticized the severe restrictions on media coverage of public demonstrations and the arrest of employees of foreign embassies.

The resolution urges the Iranian government to end the harassment and persecution of political opponents and release those imprisoned for their political views, again singling out those detained after the presidential election.

In addition to the human right violations following the election, the resolution expresses "deep concern" at the government's increasing use of executions, death by stoning, torture, flogging and amputations, and its increasing discrimination against religious, ethnic and other minorities.

Iran's Khazaee called the claims about the election "entirely misleading and incorrect."

"The election was another display of the democratic nature and openness of the political system in the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said, noting that the country's election laws "provide adequate remedies for addressing any complaint or concern with regard to the results."

Canada's U.N. Ambassador John McNee told the committee human rights protections have continued to deteriorate in Iran over past year.

"What is routine is Iran's consistent failure to live up to its international human rights obligations," he said. "These failings were only made all the more evident following the June 12 presidential election."

John Keats By John Barnard

Google's digital book plan rides on revised deal

Google Inc.'s plans to add millions of copyright-protected books to its digital library are riding on a new legal settlement addressing the objections of U.S. government regulators who don't want Google to gain too much power over a new market.

The revisions, which were expected to be filed with a New York federal court late Friday, represent Google's latest attempt to resolve a four-year-old lawsuit with groups representing the interests of U.S. authors and publishers.

Google negotiated a $125-million-US truce nearly 13 months ago, only to have it fall apart as a chorus of critics protested to the federal judge whose approval is needed for the proposed settlement.

Among other complaints, the opposition said the plan would put Google in charge of a literary cartel that could illegally rig the prices of electronic books — a format that is expected to become increasingly popular.

The U.S. Justice Department chimed in with concerns two months ago, saying the settlement could diminish competition, drive up prices and trample over copyright laws. French and German officials have protested the settlement, arguing that it's so broad that it could infringe on copyrights in their countries.

Google plans to sell subscriptions to its digital library, as well as individual copies of books, with most of the proceeds going to the participating authors and publishers.

The Internet search leader has already gone into some of the largest U.S. libraries to scan about six million out-of-print books. So far, though, it has only been able to show snippets of those digital copies.

A court-approved settlement would clear the way for Google to sell all those out-of-print books and scan even more into its index.

The Justice Department urged Google, authors and publishers to come up with an alternative plan because it believes the public will benefit by having more books — including millions no longer in print — available to anyone with an internet connection.

Deadline extended

Coming up with changes acceptable to all the principals hasn't been easy. The revised settlement was due Monday but U.S. District Judge Denny Chin extended the deadline until Friday because Google said it needed more time after meeting Justice Department officials last week.

Even if the new agreement placates the Justice Department, Google could still face objections from powerful forces.

Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are part of a group called the Open Book Alliance that spearheaded the charge against the original settlement. The group vowed to keep fighting if dramatic changes aren't made.

Google, though, has indicated only minor tweaks will be needed to satisfy the Justice Department.

Critics are worried Google will get a monopoly on so-called "orphan works" — out-of-print books that are still protected by copyright but whose writers' whereabouts are unknown.

If the writers or their heirs don't stake a claim to their works, the original settlement calls for any money made from the sales of their books to go into a pool that eventually would be shared among the authors and publishers who had stepped forward to work with Google.

In its September filing, the Justice Department suggested any revisions should ensure that authors of orphan books aren't automatically covered by the settlement. Instead, the agency said, authors should be required to notify Google that they like the settlement — a process known as opting in.

The Justice Department also wanted Google, the authors and publishers to make it easier for potential competitors to obtain licensing agreements similar to the ones Google would have.

NKorea says SKorea faces consequences over clash

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea threatened South Korea on Thursday with possible punishment over a skirmish that left one of its warships badly damaged and a crew member dead.

The rival Koreas clashed at sea Tuesday for the first time in seven years, with each side accusing the other of violating the disputed western sea border and firing first.

South Korean officials claimed victory, saying a North Korean ship suffered heavy damage during the two-minute battle. They said a South Korean ship was lightly damaged and there were no casualties on their side.

A senior military officer told The Associated Press on Wednesday that one North Korean officer was killed and three others wounded. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter involved intelligence.

On Thursday, the North's government-run Minju Joson newspaper warned in a commentary that South Korea would face "costly consequences" if it continues to assume a confrontational posture against the North.

The commentary, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, did not specify what consequences the South would face if it continues to provoke tension and blame the North for the maritime incident.

North Korea's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper carried a similar commentary, according to KCNA, accusing South Korean "warmongerers" of "treacherous acts."

Minju Joson said the clash stemmed from a plot by the South to disrupt direct talks that are planned between Pyongyang and Washington by inspiring anti-North Korea sentiment among American officials.

President Barack Obama plans to send a senior envoy to Pyongyang by year's end for the first direct talks between the wartime foes during his administration. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in Singapore on Wednesday that the skirmish would not scuttle a planned visit to Pyongyang by special envoy Stephen Bosworth.

Stephen Bosworth's trip is aimed at persuading communist North Korea to return to six-nation nuclear disarmament negotiations. North Korea walked away from those talks earlier this year.

South Korea's 680,000-member military went on high alert following the naval clash to cope with possible retaliation. South Korean media reported the country has deployed up to four destroyers and warships near the sea border — the scene of two bloody skirmishes in 1999 and 2002.

"Our warship repelled the North Korean patrol vessel in a single stroke," Navy Chief of Staff Jung Ok-keun said in a speech Wednesday marking the 64th anniversary of the navy's foundation.

"We're fully prepared for North Korea's possible additional provocation and will unshakably, resolutely and sternly respond in any situation," he said.

South Korea's military said there has been no sign of suspicious activities from North Korean troops, but news reports said the North has also placed its 1.2 million-strong army on high alert.

Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told the National Assembly on Tuesday that he believed the North may take retaliatory actions, saying President Lee Myung-bak "also has such concerns."

The two Koreas have remained technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The U.S., which has never had diplomatic relations with North Korea, stations 28,500 troops in South Korea to deter potential North Korean aggressions.

Associated Press writers Kwang-tae Kim in Seoul and Matthew Lee in Singapore contributed to this report.

Salvadoran town hit by landslide buries dead

VERAPAZ, El Salvador — Tears streamed down Elsy Portillo's badly bruised face Monday as she walked behind coffins carrying her mother and only child in this town buried by a landslide, one in a series that killed at least 130 people in El Salvador.

Portillo's body was flung repeatedly against the walls as she fought to keep her 7-year-old son from being swept away in the powerful river of mud, boulders and floodwaters overtaking their home in the pre-dawn hours Sunday.

The 40-year-old woman survived but said she lost everything she had lived for.

"My little angel was taken away," she said, sobbing, her right eye swollen shut. "My little angel was taken away."

Days of heavy rains unleashed flooding and mudslides across this mountainous Central American country Sunday.

The country's congress voted Monday to declare a 3-day period of national mourning starting Tuesday. It also declared a state of disaster, a measure that allows President Mauricio Funes to use government funds for relief and to accept international aid.

Hurricane Ida's presence in the western Caribbean late last week may have played a role in drawing the rain-packed, Pacific low-pressure system toward El Salvador on the other side of Central America, said Dave Roberts, a U.S. Navy hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Ida weakened Monday as it lost strength over the water on its way to a landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

No place was harder hit than Verapaz, a poor, farming town of 7,000 people on the slopes of the Chichontepec volcano, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of the capital, San Salvador.

Boulders, many weighing more than a ton, littered the cobblestone streets Monday. Cars and homes protruded from mounds of mud. Bloated dead cows lay on rooftops after being hurled into the air — attesting to the force of the deluge that turned the normally picturesque coffee-growing town into a disaster zone.

Soldiers and townspeople continued digging through rock and debris to search for the 60 people who remained missing Monday. Collapsed walls and downed power lines prevented heavy machinery from entering. Many used their bare hands.

Hopes of finding survivors dimmed with each passing hour.

Funes flew in to survey the damage. He urged federal lawmakers to approve millions of dollars in loans from the Inter-American Development Bank, saying some of the funds would be redirected for reconstruction.

"The images speak clearly," said Funes, after stopping to talk to men shoveling more than a meter (3 feet) of mud from their homes.

Portillo was among 200 townspeople who spent the night at a church in the nearby town of San Isidro after losing their homes. Eight of the bodies, including those of her son and mother, were sent in coffins to the church as well.

While children slept on the floor, many of the adults passed the night praying and weeping over coffins lined up near the altar. Some would open them to see who was inside. One woman fainted. Small candles were lit and stuck to the coffins.

Portillo said the heavy rain woke her up Sunday. When she saw the deluge coming toward her home, she woke up her son and tried to get them up to the roof.

But when she opened her door, they were swept away by the fast-moving current that filled her home. She lost her grip on her son when her body was slammed against one of the cement walls.

"The current threw me about but I never lost consciousness," she said. "I swallowed so much mud."

Portillo said after everything calmed down, she found the bodies of her mother and son a few blocks away.

Mayor Jose Antonio Hernandez said rescuers found six more bodies in Verapaz, raising the town's death toll to 16.

Interior Minister Humberto Centeno said 130 people were confirmed dead, 60 were missing and 13,680 were homeless. Officials initially said 134 people had died.

Portillo's son, Francisco Alejandro Portillo, was the youngest victim found so far. Two girls, ages 13 and 15, and a woman who was eight months pregnant were also killed.

Portillo's sister Sonia Margarita made it to her roof with her four children. They sat huddled together in the rain and felt helpless as friends and neighbors were carried away, screaming in the darkness.

"My children are traumatized," she said. "If we had moved off of that roof, we would have died."

Matsui carries Yankees to 27th World Series title

Designated hitter Hideki Matsui returned to the New York Yankees lineup Wednesday night and drove in six runs to lead his team to its 27th World Series championship, 7-3 over the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Phillies starter Pedro Martinez played a huge part in Matsui's biggest World Series game. So, too, did Yankees teammate Derek Jeter and several other elite American League players.

At this year's all-star game, Jeter scored two runs in a 4-3 AL win over its National League counterpart to clinch home-field advantage for the AL representative in the 105th World Series.

Matsui, who was unable to play the outfield in Games 3, 4 and 5 in Philadelphia because of a bad left knee, returned to the lineup Wednesday night as New York's designated hitter and drove in four runs off Martinez and two off relief pitcher J.A. Happ to tie a single-season Series record.

It was more support than 37-year-old starter Andy Pettitte would need as he went 5 2/3 innings to earn his 18th career post-season win before 50,315 fans, the largest crowd in the inaugural season at the new Yankee Stadium.

Mariano Rivera recorded the final five outs against the Phillies to cement New York's 27th World Series title and first since 2000 when the Yankees downed the New York Mets in five games.

Kraft quarterly results could make a case to Cadbury

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Kraft Foods Inc (KFT.N) will need to show progress in cutting costs and improving organic revenue when it reports earnings on Tuesday, in a bid to convince Cadbury (CBRY.L) shareholders it is a viable deal partner.

Lower commodity prices and cost controls helped other consumer-staples companies beat analyst estimates in recent weeks, including Kellogg Co (K.N), Clorox Co (CLX.N) and General Mills Inc (GIS.N). They also came in slightly ahead of muted revenue expectations.

If that trend holds for Kraft -- which is due to present a formal takeover bid for UK confectioner Cadbury by November 9 -- it could boost the company's shares and make for a more compelling offer.

"The trend has been for food companies across the board to beat the number," Edward Jones analyst Matt Arnold said. "I haven't seen many companies in consumers staples post a miss lately."

Kraft is likely to stick by its initial cash and stock proposal to Cadbury shareholders that was disclosed on September 7, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.

That deal was valued at 745 pence a share, or 10.2 billion British pounds ($16.7 billion), at the time. The proposed bid was worth 733.4 pence, or 10.06 billion pounds ($16.5 billion) Monday afternoon based on the decline in Kraft shares.

The world's No. 2 foodmaker is scheduled to post third-quarter earnings after the New York Stock Exchange closes at 4 p.m. EST.

LETTING THE NUMBERS DO THE TALKING

Kraft Chief Executive Officer Irene Rosenfeld is not expected to take questions about the Cadbury bid when she talks to analysts about earnings on Tuesday, a spokesman said.

But the results will help set the stage for Kraft's bid.

The maker of Velveeta cheese and Oreo cookies is expected to post earnings of 48 cents a share in the quarter, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, up from 44 cents a year earlier, with lower commodity costs and its own cost-cutting measures helping boost profits.

But revenue is expected to fall to $10.32 billion from $10.46 billion, hurt by divestitures and strength in the dollar compared with a year earlier.

Cadbury chairman Roger Carr dubbed Kraft a "low growth conglomerate" in his letter to Rosenfeld rejecting the initial offer and analysts say Kraft will need to show sustainable growth prospects to overcome that perception.

In the past three quarters, Kraft has actually disappointed analysts in terms of revenue, with sales coming in 2 percent, 3 percent and 4.6 percent below expectations, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Earnings per share have been better, with the company reporting earnings of 4.4 percent more than analysts expected in the second quarter and 13.3 percent more than expectations in the first quarter.

Kraft's earnings' report comes almost two weeks after Cadbury reported a 7 percent rise in underlying sales for the third quarter, beating even the most bullish forecasts.

Watsa says top priority is to keep Fairfax finances 'really, really strong'

TORONTO — The head of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (TSX:FFH) says the insurance and investment company has accumulated significant amounts of cash that could be used to pay dividends or make acquisitions, although none is currently planned.

Any new acquisitions Fairfax makes in the future would be limited to "very strong companies, with good track record," Fairfax chairman and chief executive Prem Watsa said in conference call Friday morning.

"Our No. 1 priority is to keep our financial condition really, really strong. We won't do anything at the expense of our financial condition," he added.

Although remaining very profitable, Fairfax has made a number of major investments in struggling Canadian companies that have fared poorly during the recent economic downturn.

Among the missteps, which Watsa acknowledged at the Fairfax annual meeting in April, was its investment in shares of Canwest Global Communications Inc., which has put much of its operations under creditor protection and delisted its shares.

Although there has been speculation that Fairfax might be interested in Canwest's newspapers, which aren't under creditor protection, the subject was never raised in the morning conference call with analysts on Friday.

On Thursday Fairfax, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, announced it earned US$562.4 million or $30.88 per diluted share in its most recent quarter, up from $467.6 million or $25.27 per diluted share a year ago.

Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.21 billion, up from $2.16 billion in the same quarter last year.

"Our third quarter in 2009 was a key milestone in the history of Fairfax," Watsa said. "Besides excellent results, we have now privatized Odyssey Re and we financed it by issuing $1 billion of common stock."

Fairfax acquired the remaining shares of Odyssey Re Holdings Corp., a re-insurance company, in a deal worth about $960 million earlier this year.

Greg Taylor, Fairfax's chief financial officer noted that Odyssey, which will be issuing earnings next week, had a very strong quarter.

Fairfax said its third quarter had been bolstered by its insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries being strict about letting unprofitable businesses go.

"We are going to maintain underwritng discipline ... and maintain our focus on sound reserving practice," Taylor said.

The company also hedged a quarter of its equity investments in the quarter as a buffer to sudden drop in the stock market and large catastrophic events that could heavily impact its insurance side.

Shares in the company, which reported its results after the close of markets, traded Friday morning at $392.50, up $15 or four per cent on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Canadian soldier killed by IED remembered as 'easy-going Prairie boy'

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A bloody week for coalition forces in Kandahar got worse Wednesday when a Canadian soldier was killed and two others injured by an improvised explosive device in the ever-hostile Panjwaii district.

Lt. Justin Garrett Boyes, 26, of 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Light Infantry based in Edmonton, Alta., was only 10 days into his second tour in Afghanistan when his foot patrol was struck by the blast 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.

Boyes was leading a platoon tasked with mentoring Afghan National Police officers at the time of the explosion. The two other casualties were treated at the Role 3 Hospital at Kandahar Airfield and are listed in good condition.

"So early in the deployment, Justin's death is going to be difficult to accept by his brothers in arms, but will not deter any of us from continuing with our mission," said Brig. Gen. Jonathan Vance, the commander of Task Force Kandahar.

Boyes jumped at the chance to help train Afghan police in order to contribute to the "effort to provide stability to the population so we could, in concert with the Afghan government, extend basic services and humanitarian assistance to those in need."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement late Wednesday offering his condolences, "and those of all Canadians," to the slain soldier's family and friends, as well as wishing a speedy recovery on the two injured soldiers.

"The dedication, bravery and remarkable commitment of Canadians like Lt. Boyes will bring safety and stability to the people of Afghanistan," Harper said. "Their ultimate sacrifice will not be forgotten."

Boyes had only recently joined the Princess Pats as a member of the regular forces after spending six years in the reserves.

His death - the first for Canadian forces in nearly six weeks, and the 132nd since Canada's Afghan mission began in 2002 - darkens what has already been a bleak several days for international forces in Afghanistan.

Also Wednesday, a Canadian citizen suffered leg injuries in Kabul when Taliban suicide gunmen stormed a UN guest house in the Afghan capital, killing 11 people.

Eight American soldiers and an interpreter were killed in separate IED attacks on Tuesday in Kandahar's Arghandab district, an area that until earlier this year had been under Canadian control.

And 14 Americans, including 11 soldiers, were killed Monday in a spate of helicopter accidents that U.S. military officials said had nothing to do with insurgents.

Vance described Boyes as someone whose Saskatchewan upbringing left an unshakable mark on a family man devoted to his wife, Alanna, and three-year-old son, James.

"He was an easy-going Prairie boy who preferred sitting around the backyard with good friends, his family and a cold drink," Vance said.

Based at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar city, Boyes was a member of the Police Operational Mentor and Liaison Team, responsible for professionalizing Afghanistan's rag-tag police units.

Training ANP officers has proved one of the more formidable tasks for Canadian troops in Afghanistan, as the force remains beset by corruption and high desertion rates.

Their vulnerability makes them a favourite insurgent target, and they receive the brunt of Taliban attacks against the government.

The ANP, however, is seen as the linchpin of any future stability and their progress has become a matter of urgency as Canada prepares to withdraw its military presence in 2011.

Girl, 14, dies in Que. accident

A 14-year-old girl died early Sunday and a 15-year-old boy was left fighting for his life after a car accident in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que, police said.

The girl was in the trunk of the car while the gravely injured boy was in the backseat.

The car had been going the wrong way on the roadway called Chemins des Patriotes, police said. The car was neck and neck with another vehicle when the two vehicles hit each other.

The teenage girl was ejected on impact, said Martin Anctil, a spokesperson for police in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, 45 kilometres southeast of Montreal.

Four other young people suffered minor injuries in the accident. The five in the second car escaped injury.

Police said the drivers in both cars were 17 years old and that both will face charges including dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

Police said speed and recklessness — not alcohol — were responsible for the accident.

Sri Lanka sends home 41,000 war-displaced civilians

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka, under pressure to release 250,000 Tamil civilians displaced in the final defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels, has begun resettling some who fled their homes more than two years ago.

The top government administrator in the northern town of Vavuniya, P. S. M. Charles, said 41,000 civilians were being released from camps and allowed to return home.

"Those released fled their homes when fighting broke out in their areas over two years ago. Some of them will stay in school buildings in their areas till they are able to renovate their houses," Charles told AFP.

The government has given each family 25,000 rupees (230 dollars), roofing sheets, two weeks of food rations and cooking utensils.

The resettled civilians did not include more than 200,000 Tamils who were displaced by the massive final offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that ended the island's long-running ethnic conflict in May.

Under strong international pressure, the Sri Lankan government has promised to send at least 80 percent of them home by the end of this year.

NDP adds to majority in N.S. with byelection win; Tories win other

HALIFAX, N.S. — Premier Darrell Dexter's New Democrats have picked up another seat in the Nova Scotia legislature.

Maurice Smith of the NDP easily won a provincial byelection Tuesday in Antigonish, a riding previously held by the Conservatives and one never before won by the New Democrats.

"It's always thrilling when you win a seat that you haven't won before," Dexter said following Smith's win. "It's great for the team there.

"It's really a credit to Mo Smith and all the people who for many years have put in a lot of work in that riding."

In a second byelection, the Conservatives retained their seat in Inverness when investment adviser Allan MacMaster won the riding recently held by former premier Rodney MacDonald.

Smith, a legal aid lawyer, picked up 3,310 votes in Antigonish - 450 more than the second-place candidate Darren Thompson of the Conservatives. Liberal Miles Thompkins was third with 1,830 while Michael Marshall of the Greens had 74.

The result was much closer in Inverness, where MacMaster won by only 50 votes over Ian McNeil of the Liberals.

MacMaster finished with 3,155 votes to 3,105 to McNeil and 2,342 for Bert Lewis of the NDP. Green candidate Nathalie Arseneault had 223 votes.

The NDP win in Antigonish increases Dexter's majority in the legislature to 32 seats to 11 for the Liberals and nine for the Tories.

Dexter said he was disappointed by the result in Inverness, a riding he thought they had a chance to also win.

"We knew that was going to be a tight riding," he said. "They had three candidates, all of whom had a considerable profile. ... I think all the credit goes to Mr. MacMaster. I'm sure he'll make a great representative."

The byelections were called after MacDonald stepped down in Inverness while his former deputy, Angus MacIsaac, did the same in Antigonish.

Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000: govt

MANILA — The death toll from two devastating storms that struck the Philippines over the past month has risen to 858, with ensuing disease outbreaks killing 89 others, the government said Monday.

The latest National Disaster Coordinating Council toll is up from 818 on Sunday.

It said Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80 percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected 4.35 million people.

Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain in evacuation centres, it added.

Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.

The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.

The health department said leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can lead to kidney failure and is caused by exposure to animal urine in flood waters, later killed at least 89 people.

Even as the northern Philippines tries to recover from the twin disasters, another typhoon is threatening more devastation for the area.

Civil defence officials have put rescue teams on standby and stockpiled relief goods with Typhoon Lupit, packing winds of 175 kilometres (109 miles) an hour, forecast to start bringing bad weather to the region by Wednesday.

Latest KISS makeover pays off for tireless rockers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Paul Stanley surveys his home high in the hills overlooking Los Angeles and proudly dubs it "the house that bad reviews built."

But the KISS frontman is a mere visitor, relegated with his young family to a rental down the hill while contractors complete a renovation that's miraculously on-budget and on-time.

His own band has undergone quite a few make-overs since the costumed, face-painting quartet formed in New York 37 years ago, not all as smoothly executed.

Stanley, 57, and fellow bandleader Gene Simmons, 60, are the only two constants in KISS, touring relentlessly with a revolving cast of guitarists and drummers. Their last studio album, 1998's "Psycho Circus," was cobbled together with the help of outside songwriters and session musicians.

The duo, both sons of Jewish refugees who instilled them with vigorous work ethics, have formed one of the more enduring -- and lucrative -- bonds in rock 'n' roll. They even live about two minutes' drive from each other, although Stanley says he's been to Simmons' house perhaps four times in the past decade.

"We're very close as family," he said. "You can love your brother and not want to see him all the time."

3-DISC PACKAGE FOR $12

As the rock-star manse speeds toward completion, KISS also seems to be on a roll. A new studio album, "Sonic Boom," debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. pop chart on Wednesday, the band's highest ranking ever. Some 108,000 copies were sold in the first week.

Fans needed just $12 to buy the Walmart-only release, which consists of one disc with 11 new songs, another disc with re-recorded hits and a DVD.

KISS is also on the road at a U.S. venue near you, and it is even being considered for entry in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year.

Not bad for a band that launched a yearlong farewell tour in 2000 to cap a career that placed aggressive marketing of merchandise to its loyal fans in the "KISS Army" ahead of musical acumen.

Its current tour is designed as an homage to its 1975 live breakthrough "Alive!" Only one new song is thrown in, the first single "Modern Day Delilah."

"Nobody wants to hear new songs that they don't know," Stanley says. "It just doesn't make any sense."

His dismissive attitude is surprising given that he produced the new album himself for the first time, and wrote or co-wrote nine of the tracks.

Many of the songs -- celebrations of what Stanley calls "freedom, love of life, the value of friendship" -- are fist-pumping anthems that would seem natural contenders for big stadium or arena shows. He tantalizingly acknowledges as much.

"We played those songs during sound checks. They sound every bit as good as anything else. They have the soul," he said.

The new song "Stand," which Simmons and Stanley wrote together, is a tribute to their friendship, sure to bring tears to the eyes of emotional fans.

"The idea that we shouldn't revel in the idea of camaraderie or teamwork or what people can accomplish together is silly," Stanley said. "What we hope for in life is companionship, people we care about. It's timeless."

Another of their odes to teamwork, "All For The Glory," is sung by 51-year-old drummer Eric Singer, who adopts the stage persona originated by his ousted predecessor Peter Criss.

Many fans long for the return of the original lineup, which featured Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley, who was replaced by long-time KISS sidekick Tommy Thayer, 48. Not going to happen, says Stanley, who says they were not team players.

Frehley, 58, left the band for a second time in 2002, and just celebrated three years' sobriety. He released a solo album last month. Criss, 63, who had three stints in the band, was terminated in 2004. Stanley has not spoken to him since.

"It's so great to have a band of guys who all love the band, and all want to do what's best for the band, as opposed to further themselves at the band's expense," Stanley said.

"Anybody who would kid themselves into believing that 'Sonic Boom' could have been made by any four other members is out of their mind."