Canada
Jim Chu, a 28-year veteran with the Vancouver Police Department, has been appointed chief constable, making him the first officer of Chinese descent to achieve that post. When Chu signed up in 1979 he was one of only three Chinese-Canadian officers. Chu moved from Shanghai to Canada with his parents when he was 3.

For the 2007 season of its Summer Heritage Theatre series, the Parks Canada Players employed two deaf performers and three American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. John Muggleton, artistic director for the 12-member troupe, told the Ottawa Citizen that the two plays using the deaf actors were “an amazing visual experience.” The Parks Canada Players perform in the Ottawa region.

The Ottawa Police Service has hired its first Afghan-Canadian officer. Ahmad Hafizi was also the first Afghan-Canadian hired by Corrections Canada when he worked as a guard at Millhaven Institution. The constable is a devote Muslim who speaks four languages—Pushto, Persian, Urdo and English—and is learning Arabic. OPS considers him a bridge between the Afghan community and the police.

Australia
Because his cabinet is split, Prime Minister John Howard will have to make the final decision on whether same-sex partners should have the same rights as heterosexual couples. Unequal treatment of gays was recently brought to the fore by High Court judge Michael Kirby who pointed out that if he should die before Johan van Vloten, his partner of 38 years, van Vloten would have no access to Kirby’s pension. Under current law, when a retired judge in a heterosexual relationship dies, 62.5% of his pension goes to his partner.

China
A recent survey by the China Alumni Association showed that 40% of the highest scoring undergraduates are choosing to study abroad despite the country’s rapid development in the last 20 years. Scholarships and better employment opportunities were cited as the main attractions of foreign universities. Cai Yanhou, head of the survey team, pointed out that “top in exams” did not equal “top in career” since none of the top scorers in the college entrance exams turned out to be China’s top experts. UNESCO statistics show that 14% of international student population is Chinese with the US, Britain and Japan as the most popular destinations.

United Kingdom
For the first time in history, a woman will most likely become the leader of the Scottish Labour Party. Wendy Alexander is the only serious candidate to replace outgoing Jack McConnell who lost the election in May. Her only rivals for the job, former health minister Andy Kerr and former communities minister Margaret Curran, both stepped out as soon as Alexander’s candidacy was confirmed. She is expected to be elected unopposed.

According to a recent survey, there was a 70% increase in the recruitment of workers with disabilities into mainstream jobs during the first three months of the year. The figure, which represents a record high, suggests a changing attitude by employers who may be doing more to accommodate disabled employees. Bob Warner of Remploy, the company that published the statistics, said that the new figures show that “investing in preparing and training disabled people for mainstream employment works.”

After failing to meet their diversity targets, executives at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have sacrificed their bonuses worth £350,000. The BBC had set targets in 2004 of increasing black and minority ethnic staff to 12.5% and senior management to 7% by the end of 2007. The corporation had made some progress but could not meet its goals. Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC, who set up a diversity leadership council at the corporation in 2005, is still set to receive a bonus as determined by the remuneration committee of BBC Trust.

United States
Nike Inc. has agreed to pay $7.6million to settle a class action race bias suit. The giant sportswear supplier was accused of discriminating against African-American employees in hiring and promotion, benefits and generally unfair employment practices. As part of the settlement, Nike must also hire an employee ombudsperson, review its corporate human resources practices, conduct diversity training sessions, set equal opportunity objectives, and create a formal mentoring program for black employees.