Italian screenwriter and film director Ettore Scola attends a TV show in Milan, Italy, in this Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 file photo. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
ROME (AP) --
Ettore Scola, one of the last greats of Italian film, has died at age 84.
RAI state radio and the ANSA news agency say Scola died late Tuesday at a Rome hospital after falling ill on Sunday.
Scola, who started out as a screenwriter, won best director in 1976 at the Cannes Film Festival for "Brutti, Sporchi, Cattivi" ("Ugly, Dirty and Bad").
But he was perhaps best known for "We All Loved Each Other So Much," his 1977 tableau about post-war Italy, and the Oscar-nominated "A Special Day" featuring Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren as neighbors who meet during Hitler's visit to Italy in 1938.
Premier Matteo Renzi said Scola had an incomparable way of reading Italian society and said in a tweet that his death "leaves an enormous hole in Italian culture."
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 โฆ 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
