CANADA

The wish of the anxious Android fans was fulfilled on Dec. 15 (Thursday) as Verizon began selling the long-awaited Android 4.0-powered (Ice Cream Sandwich) Galaxy Nexus. The handset sells for $299 with a 2-year Verizon contract. No doubt, it will get scooped up like hot cakes as the smartphone is being touted as an iPhone killer but the billion dollar question is - is it really worth buying?

The most wanted Android smartphone, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), will finally hit Verizon Wireless stores on Thursday (Dec. 15) and will sell for $299.99 with a two-year contract. The Verizon version of Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be available in Verizon stores across the US and online starting from 1 a.m. EST.

There's still nothing official spinning in the Galaxy Nexus rumor Mill, but Verizon has launched a simulator on their Website that takes an in-depth look at the phone's features, which suggests the carrier is gearing up for an official release.

Congress passed new legislation on Tuesday that would give the Federal Communications Commission the authority to auction off television companies' broadband spectrum, so it can be reallocated for mobile and internet companies.

The debt burden on Canadian households rose to a record high in the third quarter as mortgage and consumer credit increased but the net worth of households fell, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday.

Canada's energy regulator has failed to make adequate checks to ensure pipeline operators fix safety problems uncovered at their facilities and keep emergency procedures up to date, the country's Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development said on Tuesday.

First Solar Inc cut its 2011 sales and profit forecast for the second time in two months Wednesday and said next year's profits would fall below Wall Street's view, sending its shares tumbling more than 20 percent.

Facebook launched a new suicide prevention tool on Tuesday, giving users a direct link to an online chat with counselors who can help, the company said.

Canada and Japan have agreed to decide soon whether to negotiate a bilateral economic partnership agreement, and Canada also aims to complete a free trade agreement with India by 2013, government officials said on Wednesday.

NB Power said a radiation alert at the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station in Canada's New Brunswick province on Tuesday was caused by a small spill in the reactor building.

The Canadian Wheat Board said on Wednesday that it will ask a court to stop the federal government from ending its 68-year-old grain marketing monopoly.

Canada's top finance officials will try at a meeting next week to come to grips with the thorny problem of how to limit the rising costs of the country's universal public health-care system in the face of an aging population.

Canadian factory sales slumped in October after three months of gains, confirming suspicions the final stretch to the end of the year will see a slowdown from the brisk economic growth of earlier months.

Fire River Gold Corp said it resumed operations at its Nixon Fork mine in Alaska on Tuesday night, three days after it suspended operations at the mine and mill as bad weather prevented fuel-carrying aircraft from landing at the site.

Paris Jackson told Ellen she thought it was stupid when her father made she and hiw other two children wear masks. She said she understood why he did it, covering them from the constant probe of paparazzi.

The royal family will embark on a global tour next year as part of celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth's 60th year on the throne, Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday.

Facebook launched a new suicide prevention tool on Tuesday, giving users a direct link to an online chat with counselors who can help, the company said.

Facebook launched a new suicide prevention tool on Tuesday, giving users a direct link to an online chat with counselors who can help, the company said.

The law will likely prompt legal challenges, based on religious freedom provisions in the constitution.

Silent film The Artist and animated movie Hugo led nominations for Hollywood's Critics' Choice Awards on Tuesday, in a key week that will firm up the field of likely Oscar contenders.

It seems the long hard wait for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is drawing to a close. Verizon continues to hold its silence, but the phone has already surfaced in some Best Buy stores and the next stop appears to be Costco on Dec.15, according to the stores internal pricing guides.