room for improvement: Sure, there was room for improvement: some expense claims were too vague, and a few travel claims couldnt be explained. But the upper chamber generally seemed to be running smoothly. The report made few waves. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Wallin likely on the hook for further expenses When Canadas auditor-general last took a close look at the Senate in 2012, he came away with a largely positive view. Top auditor to review entire Senate as probe of spending scandal widens (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

National Security Agency: Most of the infractions involved unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by law and executive order, the paper said. , according to Reuters. The Post said the documents it obtained were part of a trove of materials provided to the paper by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been charged by the United States with espionage. He was granted asylum in Russia earlier this month. WASHINGTON - The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since 2008, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing an internal audit and other top-secret documents. They ranged from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. emails and telephone calls, it said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Senate: Sure, there was room for improvement: some expense claims were too vague, and a few travel claims couldn't be explained. But the upper chamber generally seemed to be running smoothly. The report made few waves. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Thanks to a relentless barrage of expense scandals, Canadians have soured on the Senate. Editorial pages are clogged with angry letters to the editor. Talk radio phone lines light up in anger. Polls show a steady growth in public appetite for reform. A Canadian Press-Harris Decima survey this spring suggested Canadians were warming to the idea of amending the Constitution to reform the Senate. OTTAWA - When Canada's auditor general last took a close look at the Senate in 2012, he came away with a largely positive view. What a difference a year makes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Dave Gaudreau: Dave Gaudreau, who represents the Winnipeg-area riding of St. Norbert, made a comment on Thursday during question period that remarked on the sexual orientation of St. Paul PC MLA Ron Schuler. Manitoba NDP MLA apologizes for personal remark about Tory, according to CBC. He was immediately reprimanded by other PC party members as well as some of his own and Manitoba NDP MLA David Gaudreau has been relieved of his caucus duties following homophobic comments he made in the legislature. Gaudreau said he had seen conservative MLA Ron Schuler with his "male friend" at one of the pavilions for Folklorama, a multicultural festival in Winnipeg. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Edward Snowden: Most of the infractions involve unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, which are restricted by law and executive order, according to documents leaked by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden and first published Thursday in The Washington Post, according to The Chronicle Herald. The report was the latest in a series by various media on once-secret surveillance programs, based on information provided by Snowden, who fled the U.S. and is now in Russia after having been granted temporary asylum there. His status has strained the already tense relationship between the U.S. and Russia, and President Barack Obama has called off a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for next month and WASHINGTON The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the U.S. intelligence agency broad new powers in 2008. In one case, telephone calls from Washington were intercepted when the citys area code was confused with dialing codes for Egypt and Cairo. They range from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. emails and telephone calls, the Post said, citing a May 3, 2012, internal audit and other top-secret documents provided it earlier this summer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Morning Business Briefing: The loonie rose 0.23 of a cent to 97.05 cents U.S. , according to Globe and Mail. Morning Business Briefing Canada #039;s Goldilocks housing market: Balanced and well-behaved, pickup seen in 2014 The Canadian dollar trekked upward Thursday as commodities prices moved higher. The price of oil hit a two-week high with the September crude contract settling up 48 cents at $107.33 a barrel as supply concerns returned following renewed unrest in Egypt. More Related to this Story (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Federal Reserve: WASHINGTON - The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell to a near six-year low last week and consumer prices rose broadly in July, which could draw the Federal Reserve closer to trimming its massive bond-buying program. , according to Reuters. While data on manufacturing was less encouraging, economists were little fazed and said it merely suggested the improvement in factory activity was slower than had been anticipated. By Lucia Mutikani The government reports on Thursday suggested an acceleration in job growth in early August and hinted at pockets of pricing power in the sluggish economy, which could ease concerns among some Fed officials that inflation was too low. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jacob Deng: When Jacob Deng was seven years old, Sudans civil war reached his village of Duk Padiet, resulting in the murders of his mother and five brothers, according to CTV. His journey to Canada started 10 years ago when Deng was 21. While visiting the Canadian Embassy in Kenya, he caught the attention of a Canadian diplomat and relocated to Halifax soon after and A Halifax man who grew up in Sudan has kept a promise he made to the children of the war-torn African country. Deng escaped death but grew up alone in refugee camps. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

investment: Its safe to say no Nova Scotia government has ever provided a business subsidy without rousing a squall of skepticism about whether taxpayers will see a return on, or return of, the investment, according to The Chronicle Herald. But we d be worse off if governments decided the way to avoid Syscos was to steer clear of Michelins, too, and never share any investment risk. Better, surely, if they learn, like good generals, to reinforce success, not defeat and Understandably so. Governments have made plenty of bad investments, though they ve made productive ones, too. Assistance for Michelin has clearly yielded positive returns in employment, incomes and taxation. Its equally obvious billions poured into Sydney Steel were a failure. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Andrew MacDougall: Andrew MacDougall, Harpers seventh communications director, will depart in September amid a retrenching of senior staff in the PMO. After this summers cabinet shuffle, Harper is seeking to once again hit the re-boot button on his government, according to The Star. After 16 months as Harpers spokesman, MacDougall leaves during a difficult period. Harpers trade agenda has stalled , key oil and gas pipeline proposals are stumbling amid widespread protests, and the uproar has grown over Senate expenses and OTTAWA Prime Minister Stephen Harper is losing his chief spokesman as the Conservative government struggles to manage a string of controversies and a sense of policy drift in the crucial two-year run-up period before the next election. The bilingual MacDougall will join Publicis Groupe in London, part of MSL GROUP, as a senior strategist, the British firm announced in a release Tuesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.