Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
The majority of low-income families in the European Union can't afford a summer holiday, according to a study by the the European Trade Union Confederation .
The organization, which represents 45 million members in 38 European countries, said many low-paid workers are among 35 million of EU citizens who don't have enough money for a break. The union used data from Eurostat, the EU's statistical office.
"A holiday should not be a luxury for the few. While many workers are away enjoying time off with friends and family, millions are missing out because of low pay," the confederation's deputy general secretary Esther Lynch said. "The rise in holiday inequality shows how the benefits of economic growth in Europe over the last decade haven't been shared fairly."
According to the study, 28% of those aged 16 or over living in the bloc of 450 million people don't have the means to enjoy a one-week holiday away from home. The study stressed that this rose to 59.5% for people whose income falls below Eurostat's at-risk-of-poverty threshold, which is set at 60% of national median income.
The worst situation is in Greece, where 88.9, Croatia (84.7 and Slovakia (76.1%).
ETUC said many people in the poverty group are unemployed or retired, but it also includes millions of low paid workers.
"Statutory minimum wages leave workers at risk of poverty in at least 16 EU member states and, according to the European Commission, 22 million workers make less than 60% of the median," the union said, adding that holiday inequality grew in 16 EU countries over the past 10 years.
The biggest divides in access to holidays between those with income below 60% of median and those with income above that threshold are in Croatia, Greece ,Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France and Romania, it said.
ETUC said it is working with European legislators to introduce a "threshold of decency" into EU law that would ensure statutory minimum wages could never be less than 60% of the median wage and 50% of the average wage of any EU nation. The union said the move would help deliver a pay rise to over 24 million people.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.