Mel Lastman Square: Fireworks, according to CTV. North Yorks Mel Lastman Square will offer a free concert starting at 8 p.m., followed by a fireworks finale at 10:15 p.m and The Canada Day long weekend typically turns Toronto into a bit of an abandoned city as people migrate north to relax by the lake. But for those who are in Toronto for the countrys 146th birthday, News has put together a list of top events in the GTA: From Mel Lastman Square to Richmond Hill further north, an artillery of fireworks will be launched after dusk to mark Canadas birthday. Heres a round-up of events across the GTA: (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Dilma Rousseff: For the first time, polling shows she would be forced into a second-round runoff vote in next year's presidential election, according to CTV. The government's popularity was down throughout the country, including in the northeast where the ruling Workers Party is strong. Her rating dropped there from 64 to 40 per cent there and SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Public approval of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's government has suffered a steep drop in the weeks since massive protests broke out across this country, according to Brazil's first nationwide poll released since the unrest began. Published Saturday by Folha de S. Paulo, the country's biggest newspaper, the Datafolha survey found 30 per cent of respondents rated Rousseff's government as "great/good," a sharp fall from the 57 per cent who gave it that rating three weeks ago before the demonstrations began. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rafael Correa: Rafael Correa, in a weekly television address, offered little sympathy for the Obama administrations view that Snowden is a criminal who should be swiftly returned to the U.S. At the same time, he vowed to seek American input on any asylum request and suggested Snowden will have to answer for his actions, according to 660 News. Julian Assange, founder of the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, has been given asylum in Ecuadors embassy in London and WASHINGTON Vice-President Joe Biden has asked Ecuador to turn down an asylum request from National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, the countrys president said Saturday. The Friday phone call between Correa and Biden its the highest-level conversation between the U.S. and Ecuador to be disclosed since Snowden began seeking asylum added to the confusion about Snowdens status. Facing espionage charges in the U.S., Snowden is believed to be holed up in a Moscow airports transit zone and seeking safe passage to Ecuador, the country seen as likeliest to shelter Americas most wanted fugitive. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Vulnerable Youth Policy: The Criminal Justice Branch said Friday in a statement it has changed its Child and Vulnerable Youth Policy to ensure senior justice officials review cases involving children where procedural or investigation barriers could affect a prosecution, according to Huffington Post. The changes arise after a 2012 report by B.C.'s representative for children, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, revealed that 13 sex abuse-related charges against a father were stayed in January 2010 even though family members reported the alleged incidents to authorities and were prepared to testify and VICTORIA - A horrific child sexual abuse case thrown out of court after police and Crown officials bungled evidence has prompted the Criminal Justice Branch to amend its policy in handling sensitive prosecution cases. The branch and police also developed mutually-accepted guidelines to address issues of language translation requirements. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rimsha Masih: Rimsha Masih and her family left Pakistan in March, after she had been locked up in maximum security prison for several weeks last August, according to CTV. She was later acquitted, after a local Muslim cleric was thought to have framed her and Immigration minister Jason Kenney tells News he personally intervened to help a young Christian girl, Rimsha Masih, who has fled Pakistan with her parents and settled in Canada due to concerns for her safety. The girl, believed to be between the ages of 11 and 14, was accused of burning Islams holy book. Her case drew international attention to Pakistans severe blasphemy laws. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rona Ambrose: Ambrose said the Mississauga, Ont., teen sought help at a shelter, but was returned to the care of her parents, according to Huffington Post. It was a situation the shelter had not experienced before, she said and VANCOUVER - The death of 16-year-old Asqa Parvez at the hands of her own family was top of mind for federal Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose on Friday, as she announced funding for a program that will try to tap the perpetrators of so-called "honour" crimes for information on how to prevent them. "Unfortunately, the violence was being perpetrated by the family, in general, by the father and the brother. She ended up being killed," Ambrose said at a news conference in Vancouver. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

York Region: But just beyond the edge of development, tucked between farm fields along the Yonge St. corridor, a shelter for homeless families is a stark reminder that amid rising affluence in Torontos northern suburb, poverty is increasing, too, according to The Star. In the past 30 years, York Region has dramatically changed, from a collection of rural communities to booming suburbs. But as the sprawl marches on, new research from the University of Toronto shows that deep socio-economic divisions have emerged and A trip through the sprawl that has galloped north across York Region to the border of East Gwillimbury has increasingly become a tour of monster homes, luxury car dealerships and exclusive golf clubs. Most people are unaware of the issue, said Patti Bell, executive director of Blue Door Shelters. Theres a huge, growing gap. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

public sector pensions: But budget measures and ministerial musings about everything from public sector pensions to the collective bargaining process and even sick leave may obscure the bureaucracy sprawl under the Conservative watch, according to Huffington Post. The PBO spread sheets reveal the number of individuals on the federal payroll rose 14 per cent between the end of the 2005-06 fiscal year, when Harper's Conservatives came to office, and 2012 and OTTAWA - The Conservative government has made it clear that curbing public service costs is a key part of its agenda as it heads into the second half of Stephen Harper's majority mandate. New data published by the Parliamentary Budget Office has tracked annual civil service payroll numbers by job classification and by federal department, and both are illuminating. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Der Spiegel: Der Spiegel cited from a September 2010 "top secret" document of the U.S. National Security Agency NSA which it said fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden had taken with him and which the weekly's journalists had seen in part, according to Reuters. The document explicitly called the EU a "target" and BERLIN - The United States bugged European Union offices and gained access to EU internal computer networks, according to secret documents cited in a German magazine on Saturday, the latest in a series of exposures of alleged U.S. spy programs. The document outlines how the NSA bugged offices and spied on EU internal computer networks in Washington and at the United Nations, not only listening to conversations and phone calls but also gaining access to documents and emails. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

public sector pensions: But budget measures and ministerial musings about everything from public sector pensions to the collective bargaining process and even sick leave may obscure the bureaucracy sprawl under the Conservative watch, according to 660 News. The PBO spread sheets reveal the number of individuals on the federal payroll rose 14 per cent between the end of the 2005-06 fiscal year, when Harpers Conservatives came to office, and 2012 and OTTAWA The Conservative government has made it clear that curbing public service costs is a key part of its agenda as it heads into the second half of Stephen Harpers majority mandate. New data published by the Parliamentary Budget Office has tracked annual civil service payroll numbers by job classification and by federal department, and both are illuminating. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.