In this March 2, 2014 photo, an Oscar statue appears at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. (AP file photo).
MADRID (AP) --
Spain's film academy has selected for the first time a Basque-language movie titled "Loreak" (Flowers) as its entry for best foreign language film at next year's Oscars.
The film, chosen Tuesday, tells the story of a woman whose life undergoes change on receiving flowers at the same time every week from an anonymous person.
Basque is spoken in Spain's northern Basque region, famous for its cuisine and cities such as Bilbao and San Sebastian.
The film was directed by Jose Mari Goenaga and Jon Garano.
The U.S. film academy will select finalists for the Oscars in January, with the awards announced a month later.
Spain has won four Oscars for best foreign language film.
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
