Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
Buckingham Palace has for the first time released figures on the ethnic makeup of its staff, following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's allegations of racism in the royal family.
The Royal Household said Thursday that 8.5 per cent of its staff come from ethnic minorities, compared with a target of 10 per cent by next year.
The latest census data shows that ethnic minorities account for about 13 per cent of the U.K. population. The staffing figures were released as part of an annual report on royal finances.
A senior palace source said publishing the figures was an effort to ensure greater accountability because there would be "no place to hide" if diversity goals aren't met. The source acknowledged that much more needed to be done.
"We are not where we would like to be despite our efforts," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity as is customary for royal officials. "It is not that we have not been progressing diversity and inclusion initiatives during this period, it is that simply the results have not been what we would like."
Buckingham Palace struggled to quiet criticism after comments made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, also known as Prince Harry and Meghan, during a March interview with Oprah Winfrey. The interview was the couple's most significant since they stepped away from royal duties and moved to California.
Meghan, who is biracial, said an unidentified member of the royal family had raised "concerns" about the color of her baby's skin before she gave birth to her first child. The couple also alleged that Meghan was the victim of callous treatment during her time as a working member of the royal family.
The palace responded at the time by saying the allegations about race were "particularly concerning" and would be "addressed by the family privately." But critics called the 61-word statement made on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II "too little, too late."
Prince William, Harry's older brother, was forced to respond after reporters shouted at him demanding comment during a visit to an East London school.
"We're very much not a racist family," William said as his wife, Kate, walked by his side.
The figures on ethnic minorities were released along with data on employment at the palace. As of March 31, public money paid the salaries of 556 crown employees, down from 580 a year earlier.
While the total staff was equally split along gender lines, men dominated the senior ranks. Of 34 senior employees, 25 were men.
The figures were part of the annual report and accounts for the Sovereign Grant, the public financing mechanism that funds the public activities of the queen and her family.
The report showed that Harry and Meghan paid 2.4 million pounds (US$3.35 million) to reimburse the crown for refurbishment of their home near Windsor Palace, which was financed with public money when they were working members of the Royal Family.
They were required to repay the money when they decided to step away from royal duties.
The Queen's official expenditures rose 26 per cent to 87.5 million pounds (US$122 million) last year. That included 31.6 million pounds for the repair and remodeling of Buckingham Palace, almost double the previous year's figure.
Work on the 10-year, 369-million-pound (US$515 million) project accelerated because most public events were canceled due to COVID-19.
The Sovereign Grant is public money that funds the royal family's official work. It is calculated as a percentage of the profit generated by the Crown Estate, lucrative real estate holdings that are owned by the queen by virtue of her role as monarch and must be passed on to her successor. In return for the grant, the Crown Estate's profits are turned over to the national treasury.
Under current rules, the grant equals 25 per cent of the estate's profit two years previously, with three-fifths of the money funding basic expenditures and two-fifths financing the Buckingham Palace project.
The Sovereign Grant rose 4.2 per cent to 85.9 million pounds last year. The crown also pulled 1.6 million pounds from reserves.
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
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.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.