Edward Snowden: Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia, three weeks after arriving at one of Moscows international airports from Hong Kong. The United States wants him sent home to face prosecution for espionage, according to 660 News. On a visit to the Siberian city of Chita on Wednesday, Putin said we have warned Mr. Snowden that any actions by him connected with harming Russian-American relations are unacceptable, according to Russian news agencies and MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin says NSA leaker Edward Snowden has been warned against taking any actions that would damage relations between Moscow and Washington. Granting Snowden asylum would add new tensions to U.S.-Russian relations already strained by criticism of Russias pressure on opposition groups, Moscows suspicion of U.S. missile-defence plans and Russias resistance to sanctions against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Electronic Frontier Foundation: The lawsuit was filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which represents the unusually broad coalition of plaintiffs, and seeks an injunction against the NSA, Justice Department, FBI and directors of the agencies, according to 660 News. The lawsuit comes after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked details about NSA surveillance programs earlier this year, revealing a broad U.S. intelligence program to monitor Internet and telephone activity in search of terror plots and U.S. rights activists, church leaders and drug and gun rights advocates found common ground and filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the federal government to halt a vast National Security Agency electronic surveillance program. It challenges what the plaintiffs describe as an illegal and unconstitutional program of dragnet electronic surveillance. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Drop Entertainment Group: Chris Browns most recent legal troubles wont scuttle his appearance on Dartmouths waterfront next month, the concert promoter says, according to The Chronicle Herald. We ve been in touch with his management team and those closest to him who say this is not going to impact his ability whatsoever to perform , Steve Tobin, the head of Drop Entertainment Group in Halifax, said during a telephone interview Monday evening and UPDATED 9:20 p.m. Monday The R B and hip-hop artist is slated to be the headline act at Energy Rush 2013 on Aug. 31. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The email, obtained by several media outlets, was sent July 4 by Erica Furtado in the Prime Minister's Office and shows a checklist for what should be in the transition binders. , according to Huffington Post. The request for a list of problematic bureaucrats was subsequently dropped according to the email, posted online by Global News. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office asked staff to include a list of "friend and enemy stakeholders" in their transition binders for new ministers appointed in Monday's cabinet shuffle, according to a leaked email. "Who to avoid: bureaucrats that can't take no or yes for an answer" is on the list, as well as "Who to engage or avoid: friend and enemy stakeholders." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Peter MacKay: OTTAWA Peter MacKay is Canadas new justice minister after a major federal cabinet shuffle, according to The Chronicle Herald. MacKay, the member of Parliament for Central Nova, becomes justice minister and attorney general of Canada exactly 22 years after being called to the bar and UPDATED 9:03 p.m. Monday MacKay swapped places with Rob Nicholson, who becomes Canadas new defence minister at a time when Afghanistan operations are winding down. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Canadian experience: Employers and professional regulators who require Canadian experience from newcomers when they apply for a job or accreditation could run afoul of Ontarios Human Rights Code, according to The Star. Although employers and professional regulatory bodies cant exclude anyone based on race, ancestry, colour, place of origin and ethnic origin, the new policy targets the requirement that newcomers have Canadian experience when searching for jobs and professional accreditation and The Ontario Human Rights Commission OHRC on Monday launched a new policy directive denouncing the requirement for so-called Canadian experience as discriminatory. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The major cabinet makeover elevates eight MPs to the front bench including four women and creates new portfolios for multiculturalism and social development, according to CBC. Harper said the government will continue to focus on key priority areas the economy and job creation, public safety, celebrating Canada's history and promoting the country's interests on the world stage. He touted the government's economic record during a prolonged period of global uncertainty, and said new policy directions are on the way and A mix of young talent, veteran experience and more women at the cabinet table signals a "generational change" as the government prepares for a major policy reset with a fall speech from the throne, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said after unveiling his new inner circle. "I think this is a good mixture of some young and promising talent we have in our caucus and some experienced hands," Harper said after the swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall on Monday morning. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Edward Snowden: First person My day with Edward Snowden at the Moscow airport, according to Globe and Mail. Putin says U.S. has trapped Snowden in Russia Video Edward J. Snowden, the former intelligence contractor on the run from U.S. authorities, formally applied Tuesday for temporary asylum in Russia, citing fears that he could face torture or the death penalty if extradited to the United States, according to a Russian official who assisted in preparing the documents. More Related to this Story Guardian journalist says Snowden has blueprints on how NSA operates (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

unemployment rate: PARIS Unemployment rates in Canada and the United States will fall significantly by the end of next year but the overall rate among some of the worlds advanced economies will remain high, the OECD forecasts in a report issued Tuesday, according to The Chronicle Herald. In Canada, which weathered the latest recession better than many other advanced countries, the unemployment rate was 7.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year and is projected to fall to 6.7 per cent by the end of 2014 and For the 34-country Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, overall unemployment is projected to fall slightly next year to 7.8 per cent from eight per cent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Scott Brison: Opposition critics were using words like creepy and paranoid in reaction to reports that government staffers had armed ministers with lists of people, organizations and public-service projects to avoid in their new jobs, according to The Star. Liberal MP Scott Brison, a former cabinet minister, said no such blacklists existed in any documents prepared for him when he served in government and OTTAWA Prime Minister Stephen Harpers government is facing demands to reveal who it has placed on enemy lists reportedly compiled for new ministers after Mondays cabinet shuffle. It shows a prime minister who has a really kind of creepy viewpoint of Canadian political life, which is really not something we ve seen before, said NDP MP Charlie Angus. That should send red flags. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.