In a Sunday Jan. 27, 2013 file photo, Sacha Baron Cohen, left, and his wife Isla Fisher pose in the audience at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) --
Actors Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife, Isla Fisher, are donating $1 million to Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee to support victims of the conflict in Syria.
Save the Children has announced that one-half of the sum will fund a program vaccinating more than 250,000 children against a potential measles outbreak in Northern Syria.
The other half of the donation will go toward supporting families, with a special concern for women and children, both inside Syria and in neighboring countries. That money will go toward education, health care, shelter and sanitation, Save the Children said.
Cohen, 44, starred in comedy features including "Borat" and "The Dictator." Fisher, 39, appeared in "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and the Netflix comedy series "Arrested Development."
Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.
In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
"Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion … could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More
