CANADA

North Koreans poured into the streets on Monday to mourn the death of leader Kim Jong-il and state media hailed his untested son as the Great Successor of the reclusive state whose atomic weapons ambitions are a major threat to the region.

As Apple's new ad shows Santa using Siri on his iPhone 4S, Google is using the Christmas elf to bring back Send A Call to Santa, where kids can get voice messages from Santa Claus, and to shower Google users Christmas easter eggs like Let It Snow. Here, watch a boy get a note from Santa via Google Voice, see Santa use Siri, and learn the Christmas easter eggs.

European leaders have not done enough to deal with the region's debt crisis and should probably use the International Monetary Fund to more closely monitor countries with the biggest problems, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Sunday.

His fans may be 'beliebers' but Justin Bieber was not a belieber in Santa Claus growing up thanks to his mom. My mom always told me there wasn't a Santa, Bieber said in an interview with AOL Music about his mother, Pattie Mallette.

One day after saying he favored the payroll tax reduction extension agreement approved by the U.S. Senate, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he and his caucus will oppose the tax reduction deal. Boehner said House Republicans now want additional budget reductions to finance the extension agreement.

Action adventure film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows led a trio of sequels at the box office over another underwhelming weekend that saw ticket sales fall from last year.

The U.S. Senate OK'd on Saturday a $1 trillion bill to fund the government and a two-month extension of the payroll-tax cut, capping a contentious political year while preparing the arena for a fresh battle in 2012.

Teemu Selanne skated onto Winnipeg ice for the first time in 15 years to a hero's welcome from Jets fans Saturday, as the Finnish Flash returned to the city where he started his National Hockey League career.

Senate Republicans claimed victory on Saturday for a bill that may force President Barack Obama to make a speedier decision on a Canada to Texas oil pipeline, but a White House official indicated quick approval of the project is not likely.

After the domestic box office's worst weekend since September 2008, the picture could be brighter entering this weekend, thanks to two strong showings Thursday night.

Deeply divided U.S. lawmakers on Friday eked out an agreement to extend payroll-tax cuts for just two months, and only after Democrats bowed to Republican demands on a controversial oil pipeline.

Southaven, Mississippi, Mayor Greg Davis, a Republican has come out after an investigation revealed that he used city funds to cover personal expenses including a visit to a gay adult store.

A Canadian sports doctor who treated top athletes and admitted bringing illegal performance-enhancing drugs into the United States was sentenced on Friday to probation for his role in transporting drugs across the border.

Two of Canada's biggest labor unions are discussing a merger, Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) National President Ken Lewenza said in an interview on Friday.

Moody's threat to downgrade Ontario's debt rating will likely spur the Canadian province to take bolder moves to rein in its C$16 billion ($15.4 billion) deficit.

Canada's National Energy Board said on Thursday that any company that wants to drill for oil and gas in Arctic waters will need to demonstrate it has the capacity to sink a relief well in the same drilling season to cope with possible well blowouts

A Manitoba judge rejected a request on Friday by former directors of the Canadian Wheat Board to suspend immediately a new law ending the board's grain marketing monopoly.

After two wretched weekends at the box office, sequels to Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks Mission: Impossible are riding in to rescue the domestic movie business.

Budget cuts in a program to spur commercial space taxis will likely keep the United States dependent on Russia to fly astronauts to the International Space Station until 2017, NASA's head of space operations said on Thursday.

Already, several firms have downgraded RIM on the news. BMO Capital downgraded the company Friday morning to Market Perform from Outperform over concerns related to BlackBerry 7.0 sales and the delay for BlackBerry 10.0 devices. The price target was lowered to $15 from $26. And Citigroup lowered its price target to $12 from $15 Friday morning.

South Korea has imposed fresh sanctions involving limiting of financial transactions on Iran to force it to scrap its suspected nuclear weapons programme.