Cuba inaugurates center to preserve Castro writings

Issued on: 25/11/2021 

A law banning the use of Fidel Castro's image has not stopped the proliferation of posters and murals in his memory YAMIL LAGE AFP

Havana (AFP) – Cuba on Thursday inaugurated a center to preserve the writings of its revolutionary hero Fidel Castro as part of commemorations marking the fifth anniversary of his death.

The Fidel Castro Ruz center in Havana is the first and only Cuban building to carry his name.

A law passed a month after his death in 2016 prohibits the naming of institutions, squares, parks, roads or other public places after the former president and Communist Party leader.

Also banned, in accordance with Castro's wishes, is the erection of monuments, busts, statues or plaques in his name or image -- though this has not prevented the proliferation of murals and placards in honor of the late leader on the streets of Havana.

The only exception to the rule are institutions created solely for "the study and dissemination of his thinkings and work."

Maduro makes surprise visit to Havana as Cuba marks Castro’s death anniversary

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made a surprise appearance in Havana Thursday at the inauguration of the Fidel Castro Ruz centre, which preserves the late president's writings, five years after his death.

© Ariana Cubillos, AP

Maduro, who had not traveled to Cuba since December 2019, accompanied his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel at the ceremony, which was broadcast by state television. With them was Castro's brother and former president Raul Castro.

The Fidel Castro Ruz centre in the capital Havana is the first and only Cuban building to carry his name.

A law passed a month after his death in 2016 bans the naming of institutions, squares, parks, roads or other public places after the former president and Communist Party leader.

Also banned, following Castro's wishes, is the erection of monuments, busts, statues or plaques in his name or image – though this has not prevented the proliferation of murals and placards honouring the late leader on the streets of Havana.

The only exceptions to the rule are made for institutions created solely for "the study and dissemination of his thinkings and work".

'It inspires me'

A national hero for most Cubans, but a villain to the West, Castro fell ill in 2006 and handed power to his brother and fellow revolutionary fighter Raul.

Castro led the revolution that ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and is credited with creating Cuba's social welfare system, which provides healthcare and education for all.

Cuban President Diaz-Canel, who took over from Raul Castro in 2018, tweeted on Thursday that Fidel Castro's office at the seat of government, the Palace of the Revolution, "is as he left it on his last day there".

"I try to imagine him in the midst of the hard battles of so many challenging years. It inspires me, it excites me. And I'm still fighting," the president said.

FRANCE 24 / AFP

A national hero for most Cubans, but a villain to the West, Castro fell ill in 2006 and handed power to his brother and fellow revolutionary fighter Raul.

Castro led the revolution that ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and is credited with creating Cuba's social welfare system, which provides healthcare and education for all.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who took over from Raul Castro in 2018, tweeted on Thursday that Fidel Castro's office at the seat of government, the Palace of the Revolution, "is as he left it on his last day there."

"I try to imagine him in the midst of the hard battles of so many challenging years. It inspires me, it excites me. And I'm still fighting," the president said.

© 2021 AFP

Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood on Canada stamp

Issued on: 25/11/2021 - 

This handout photo obtained by AFP on November 25, 2021 shows a Margaret Atwood stamp issued by Canada Post in Canada. The postal service celebrated the 60-year writing career of "The Handmaid's Tale" author by featuring an image of her "thinking" on the stamp. Handout Canada Post/AFP


Ottawa (AFP) – Canada's postal service on Thursday celebrated the 60-year writing career of "The Handmaid's Tale" author Margaret Atwood by featuring her image on a stamp.

At a ceremony at a Toronto library, Ottawa-born Atwood reacted with humor to the "unexpected honor," welcoming friends and family, and "those who intend to make fun of me for being on a stamp."

"On a stamp, really, the nerve," she quipped dryly. "How ever will I live it down... How cringe. How eye-rolling."

"Be prepared for a bunch of jokes about licking and sticking, not to mention cancelation and especially not to mention philately," she said, recalling her childhood collection of stamps ripped off envelopes pulled from trash bins.

The new stamp features a picture of Atwood -- eyes closed and one hand on her cheek -- with the lines "A word after a word after a word is power," from her poem "Spelling."

Atwood also used the unveiling to advocate for causes, recounting a friend's vow to slap the stamps with her likeness on letters to lawmakers in Canada and the United States, calling for action on climate change and an end to gender discrimination.

The award-winning writer has 50 works to her credit, including novels, short fiction and poetry, and has sold millions of books translated into more than 30 languages.

"The Handmaid's Tale" -- about a totalitarian regime that forces fertile women to reproduce for barren elite couples -- was published in 1985 but remains relevant, and in the public consciousness thanks to Hulu's Emmy-winning television adaptation.

© 2021 AFP

Philippines opposes Nobel Prize winner Ressa going to Oslo

Issued on: 25/11/2021 

Ressa, co-founder of news website Rappler, was awarded the Nobel prize in October Handout Rappler News/AFP

Manila (AFP) – Philippine government lawyers have opposed Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa going to Oslo next month to collect her award in person, describing the journalist in court documents as "a flight risk".

Ressa, co-founder of news website Rappler, and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov were awarded the prize in October for their efforts to "safeguard freedom of expression".

The former CNN correspondent, who is on bail pending an appeal against a conviction last year in a cyber libel case, has applied for court approval to travel to Norway for the December 10 ceremony.

But the solicitor general has filed an objection to the Court of Appeals arguing that Ressa's right to travel was "not absolute" and she had not shown a "compelling reason" for going to Oslo, according to a copy of the document seen by AFP on Thursday.

"Her recurring criticisms of the Philippine legal processes in the international community reveal her lack of respect for the judicial system which consequently makes her a flight risk," the solicitor general said in the document dated November 8.

A ruling by the Court of Appeals is pending.

Ressa has been a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte and his government's policies, including a drug war that has killed thousands.

Since Duterte was swept to power in 2016, Ressa and Rappler have endured what media advocates say is a grinding series of criminal charges, investigations and online attacks.

She faces a total of seven court cases, including the appeal against a conviction in the cyber libel case, for which she faces up to six years in prison.

Ressa, who is also a US citizen, is currently in the United States after receiving court approval to travel there.

The Nobel Institute said it was a "disgrace for any nation not to release its citizens to travel to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize".

© 2021 AFP

PATRIARCHY IS FEMICIDE

Thousands join global outcry over violence against women


Thousands of protesters hit the streets of Europe and Latin America on Thursday to demand an end to violence against women, with police in Turkey firing teargas to disperse the demonstrators.

© Adem ALTAN Police fired teargas on the Ankara protesters

The rallies took place to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, with thousands marching through Madrid and Barcelona, while others gathered in Paris and London and more rallied in Guatemala and Honduras.

 

© GABRIEL BOUYS People hold a banner reading "Sex is not gender. The Constitution protects us" during a demonstration in Madrid

Protesters were also expected to hit the streets in Chile, Mexico and Venezuela.

But things turned ugly in Istanbul after riot police fired tear gas to break up a demonstration by hundreds of protesters urging the government to rejoin an international treaty designed to protect women.

The Turkish government had abandoned the landmark Istanbul Convention earlier this year on grounds its gender equality principles undermined traditional family values, in a move that angered women campaigners.

So far this year, 345 women have been killed in Turkey, rights groups say.

In Spain, where the government has made the fight against domestic violence a national priority, thousands hit the streets of Madrid and Barcelona in a sea of purple flags, while others rallied in Valencia, Seville and other cities around the country.

In the Spanish capital, marchers wearing purple masks, hats and scarves walked behind a huge banner reading "Enough of male violence against women. Solutions now!"

"Not all of us are here, the murdered are missing," they chanted as they marched past the Cibeles fountain and other historic buildings that had been illuminated in purple, holding signs reading "Not even one more death".

- 'A global scourge' -

"On a global level, it remains a scourge and a huge problem," Leslie Hoguin, a 30-year-old student and actor told AFP.

"It's high time that patriarchal violence against our bodies, our lives and our decisions came to an end."

Many were fed up of the ongoing abuse faced by women.

"We are sick of the ongoing violence against us which takes many different forms," said Maria Moran, a 50-year-old civil servant.

"We want to see prostitution abolished and an end to the murders, the abuse and the rapes."

Back in 2004, Spain's parliament overwhelmingly approved Europe’s first law cracking down on gender-based violence.

"Eradicating sexist violence is a national priority," tweeted Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a self-described feminist whose cabinet is dominated by women.

"We will only be a just society when we are done with all kinds of violence against women."

- 'Living in danger' -

So far this year, 37 women in Spain have been killed by their partners or ex-partners, and 1,118 since 2003 when the government started keeping a tally.

Nearly one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence, mostly by someone they know, according to UN Women, the United Nations' organisation for gender equality.

"Violence against women is a global crisis. In all of our own neighbourhoods there are women and girls living in danger," executive director Sima Bahous said in a video message.

Pope Francis also weighed in.

"Women victims of violence must be protected by society," he tweeted.

"The various forms of mistreatment that many women suffer are cowardly and represent degradation for men and for all of humanity. We cannot look away."

burs-hmw/ach

The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. To mark this occasion, our reporters went to the "Breaking the Silence Festival" in Lyon, a key annual event in the fight against domestic violence.

French app fighting violence against women brings a ‘revolution’ to Morocco

A French app called The Sorority, aimed at preventing violence against women, was launched a year ago and has recently made its debut in Morocco. It has been a breath of fresh air for its early adopters in the North African country, who denounce what they see as a society plagued by sexual violence. 

“If we can help female victims of violence in France, we can do it in every country,” said Priscilla Routier Trillard, a 34-year-old Parisian, describing her decision to export The Sorority to the other side of the Mediterranean. 

Launched in France in September 2020, The Sorority became available in Morocco on October 16. The app relies on women to protect each other from violence – whether at home, at work or on the street – with an alarm system that sends an alert if someone nearby is in imminent danger using geolocation technology. Instant messaging then allows the victim to contact other users and get help immediately. The messaging function also allows users to get moral support from other women.

 ‘A real social problem’ 

Sarah*, 32, was one of the first Moroccan women to join The Sorority. From the age of 14, she faced regular harassment when walking to and from school. A boy physically attacked her younger sister Amal*, who was 13 at the time. 

The two sisters grew up in the upscale Les Princesses area of Casablanca. But in Morocco, Sarah said, “you can be harassed anywhere by any type of man”.

Asma El Ouerkhaoui was similarly quick to join The Sorority upon its launch in Morocco. A 39-year-old computer scientist living in Rabat, she dresses like a tomboy. “It would be too risky to wear a skirt,” she said. “But traditional dress doesn’t protect you either; friends of mine who wear a veil are also targeted.” 

Sarah said that “the moment an abuser recognises you’re a woman, you’re screwed. It doesn’t matter what type of fabric is covering you.” 

She never felt such a “threat” when living in France, said Sarah, who studied law in Bordeaux. “There’s a real social problem in Morocco; we need to stop hiding our faces with veils.”  

Like all the Moroccan Sorority members who spoke with FRANCE 24, Sarah said that harassment started as soon as she went through puberty.

“As a Moroccan woman, it becomes clear that you’re no longer a child when certain men – men your father’s age – look at you with a lustful gaze.” 

Victim-blaming 

The list of recent sexual assault incidents in Morocco is staggering: Sexual abuse is filmed and broadcast on the Internet by the perpetrators; a string of incest cases hushed up by families; the rape of children; a 96-year-old woman sexually abused by a group of young people. 

The figures are striking too: A 2019 survey by Morocco’s Ministry of the Family showed that more than half of Moroccan women say they have been victims of sexual violence. But only 6 percent of them have dared to file an official complaint – and less than 10 percent of female victims of domestic violence leave abusive spouses. 

All the people contacted by FRANCE 24 said they know women who have been raped or beaten by their husbands. None of them felt they could speak on the record, despite a promise of anonymity. 

Zainab Aboulfaraj, a journalist from Casablanca, said this was unsurprising. “The most conservative fringe of Moroccan society manages to propagate the idea that many women who have been raped deserved what happened to them – whether because of their behaviour or because of what they were wearing.” Consequently, it is deemed “extremely shameful” for women to talk about rape, she continued. 

Working on a project in the spring of 2020, Aboulfaraj thought it would be impossible to talk to rape victims about what they went through. “The victim support associations I contacted thought I was crazy,” she said. After several months, four women finally agreed to talk to her. But they kept their first names and details of where they lived a secret even from her.   

Thus the web series #TaAnaMeToo (“#I am also MeToo”) was born. Four rape victims broke their silence through the anonymity provided by the animated format. 

Aboulfaraj had long hidden her own trauma as if it were a form of shame. Before now she had never dared tell anyone about the day when a gang of boys surrounded, attacked and groped her in Rabat when she was 14.

“I healed my own wounds by helping other women heal theirs,” she said.  

A small audience, for now 

“If only I could have used an app like The Sorority in 2004,” said Loubna Rais, an international development consultant. One night that year, Rais miraculously survived an attempted rape and found herself all alone in an unfamiliar town. 

Along with other activists from the Masaktach (“We won’t be silent”) association, Rais had long dreamed of an app like The Sorority.  

Now she is one of 117 Moroccan women who have downloaded the app. But only about 40 of them – mainly in the major cities of Rabat and Casablanca – have actually registered on The Sorority 

Morocco enjoys relatively good Internet access, and 75 percent of Moroccans own a smartphone. But there may be an intrinsic flaw in the app.

With the monthly minimum wage at 2,929 Dirham (€271) and Internet access costing 10 Dirham (€1) per gigabyte, what percentage of the Moroccan population can actually afford to participate in The Sorority, asked Raw, the creator of Sobisate.tv, an Instagram channel dedicated to feminist causes in North Africa.

“Let’s also not forget that this is a French-language app, so it doesn’t reach the majority of the Moroccan population, who either read only in Arabic or are illiterate,” said Raw, who uses a pseudonym and who has nevertheless signed up with The Sorority. 

But victim-blaming remains a big problem. In January 2021, the well-known Moroccan dancer Maya Dbaich mocked some rape victims by saying “they were asking for it”. 

In September, a video of the sexual assault of a young woman in Tangier in northern Morocco was shared online by a 15-year-old boy. That gave rise to a widely viewed interview on the ChoufTV network in which a female neighbour of the attacker came to his defence and blamed the woman. 

The Moroccan media has made much of the fact that women also blame the victims. But Sarah said it is important not to fall into the simplistic trap of thinking that “women are the worst enemy of other women”. 

“The society in which we live instils in everyone the idea that women are at fault,” Sarah said. “And some women have internalised this way of thinking.” 

Although the picture looks gloomy, “the winds of change are blowing in Morocco”, according to Aboulfaraj. 

“The Moroccan youth was once quite reserved, but now they have social media,” she said. She, too, decided to join The Sorority after speaking to FRANCE 24.  

Instagram accounts such as Sobiaste.tv and La vie d’une Marocaine (“The Life of a Moroccan Woman”) have relayed hundreds of testimonies about the abuse suffered by women and girls in Morocco. 

But these posts aren’t just shining a light on sexual violence – they are also denouncing the Moroccan state and the cultural norms that help cover it up. 

Patriarchal societies in general, and Morocco in particular, try to instill a belief that women should see other females – first and foremost – as rivals, Sarah said.

“But The Sorority is bringing a kind of revolution in Morocco, because it shows us that isn’t true.” 

The people behind the app have been holding training sessions to prepare people for situations in which they have to help women under attack. During one early test, Sarah sent out a false alarm. Several app users immediately got in touch with her, ready to take action to get her out of harm’s way.

“I understood then that The Sorority could inspire women to travel for miles to rescue a complete stranger,” she said. “That filled me with renewed strength.” 

*Names were changed to ensure anonymity.

This article was translated from the original in French.

ALBERTA
Province proposes public online teacher database

The province is proposing legislation that would create a public and searchable online database of Alberta teacher information.

The database would include the status of teachers' certificates including any that have been suspended or cancelled due to unprofessional conduct or professional incompetence.

The Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) says that a number of the changes to the legislation are ones that it has worked on with the province and have been best practices of the industry.

“We're welcoming the changes and we recognize that the (province) is modernizing our process and actually doing a lot to modernize the government's process that it uses for private charter schools and superintendents,” Jonathan Teghtmeyer, spokesperson for the ATA, told the News.

The province says that making the process more transparent will ensure the safety of students and create more confidence for parents, who will be able to see if a teacher has been disciplined for a serious matter.

“We think that the public should have confidence that issues related to teacher behaviour and teacher conduct have been handled effectively and appropriately, both in the past and going forward,” said Teghtmeyer.

“This legislation is really about modernizing the processes and taking a look at processes that really haven't been re-examined for many, many years.”

Education minister Adriana LaGrange said the vast majority of teachers across Alberta are “incredible, hard-working educators who have the best interest of their students at heart.”

However, she said where instances of professional misconduct or criminal wrongdoing arise, they “need to be dealt with quickly and transparently.”

The province says if a teacher is convicted of a serious indictable offence under the Criminal Code that threatens student safety, the proposed legislation will ensure a quick process to cancel the teaching certificate.

“The (ATA) believes the public should have confidence that teacher conduct is being handled effectively and appropriately by the association,” said Teghtmeyer. “If this legislation helps bolster that confidence, that's a good thing.”

The legislation will require school authorities to conduct criminal record and vulnerable sector checks upon employing a teacher or teacher leader, and then every five years onward while employed.

Teghtmeyer said that these checks are currently done at different stages of employment as well; if a teacher is convicted of an offence, it is reported to the school board and the ATA.

“It has been the practice of school boards to require criminal record and vulnerable sector checks,” said Teghtmeyer.

“It has been the practice of the government to require criminal record checks in order to get certification.

“When the minister says that it's not been in legislation before that is technically true, it hasn't been required by law, but it's important to note that it generally has been the practice.”

The proposed legislation hopes to reduce the judicial review of disciplinary decisions from six months to 60 days.

The legislation will also require the ATA to notify Alberta Education's registrar at various stages of a complaint process.

“We think that the public should have confidence that matters related to teacher behaviour and conduct have been handled effectively and appropriately both in the past and going forward,” said Teghtmeyer.

“We look forward to continuing to enhance our processes to ensure that our ability to uphold high standards of conduct to protect the public interest and contribute toward public assurance or maintained.”

Jesse Boily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Town & Country News

Liberals introduce bill with targeted pandemic aid for businesses, workers


OTTAWA — The Trudeau Liberals have outlined their latest aid package for an economy recovering from COVID-19, proposing targeted support to severely affected businesses, locked-down workers, and extra weeks of benefits that expired just days ago.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The legislation introduced Wednesday in the House of Commons is one of four bills the government wants MPs to pass before the middle of December ahead of a scheduled winter break.


The Liberals are proposing to send $300 per week to workers who find themselves off the job because of a pandemic-related lockdown between now and spring 2022.

The bill would let cabinet decide which regions are considered in lockdown, defined as an order for businesses to close and workers to stay home for at least 14 straight days. It would block benefits to those who refuse to get vaccinated.

Payments would be retroactive to Oct. 24 when the Liberals let a pandemic-era benefit for the unemployed expire. The Canada Recovery Benefit's siblings — sickness and caregiver benefits — would each get revived after expiring this past weekend with two more weeks of eligibility until May 7.

Wage and rent subsidies for businesses would be more generous and targeted over that same period to the still-hurting tourism, culture and hospitality sectors, as well as a long list of establishments such as movie theatres, arcades, casinos and gyms.

All would need to prove a deep and prolonged revenue loss to qualify.

Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, praised the extended list of eligible companies but said the high bar for revenue losses would leave out too many small businesses.

Similarly, Restaurants Canada asked the Liberals to lower the revenue-loss requirement over worries that many financially viable operations won't survive the pandemic.

"We have been asking for months for sector-specific support and we just got a small portion of what we asked," said Olivier Bourbeau, the association's vice-president of federal and Quebec affairs.

The government also wants to extend to May a hiring credit for companies that add to their payrolls by boosting wages, rehiring laid-off workers, or new hires. The credit doesn't require as deep a revenue loss to qualify.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the economy is no longer in the same crisis that gripped the country at the onset of the pandemic when three million jobs were lost over March and April of 2020.

"I see this legislation as very much the last step in our COVID support programs. It is what I really hope and truly believe is the final pivot," Freeland said.

Employment has since rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, although the ranks of Canada's unemployed, including those who have been without a job for six months or more, remain higher than before COVID-19.

The mix of high unemployment and labour shortages helps explain why the government wants to target aid, hoping it jump-starts job hiring.

An analysis of survey data by job-posting site found more respondents were actively looking for work last month compared to July, August and September, and most described their search as "urgent."

Senior economist Brendon Bernard wrote that urgent job searches are usually linked to financial difficulties, suggesting the findings may be an early warning of strain for households.

The minority Liberals estimate the new aid package would cost $7.4 billion, and the government needs parliamentary approval to spend the money.

The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois separately on Tuesday suggested they may support the bill — the former because benefits will go where needed most, the latter because it would mean help for cultural workers.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday his party wouldn't support the bill unless the government reversed drops in income-tested benefits for low-income seniors and families who received aid last year, which boosted their overall income.

In a letter Wednesday, NDP finance critic Daniel Blaikie asked House Speaker Anthony Rota for an emergency debate to press the government on a plan to help "these financially vulnerable Canadians before they lose their home."

Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough told reporters later in the day that the government was searching for a solution, but didn't want the fix to create extra inequities for those whose benefits were rolled back because they simply earned more without aid.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2021.

Jordan Press, The Canadian Press

Finland plans to let workers see what their colleagues earn in order to reduce the gender pay gap, and one leading expert says it could help people negotiate pay rises

sjones@insider.com (Stephen Jones) 

© Provided by Business Insider Helsinki, Finland. Lingxiao Xie / Getty Images

Finland announced proposals to let workers know how much their colleagues earn.
Ministers hope that the extra transparency will help to reduce the country's gender pay gap.

Some studies suggest that being open about pay can improve pay equality,

Politicians in Finland have proposed a bill that would let workers see how much their colleagues earn.

Equality minister Thomas Blomqvist told Reuters that the proposed policy aims to reduce Finland's gender pay gap. Men in Finland earned, on average, 17.2% more than women in 2020, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Some Finnish employer groups have criticized the proposals, saying it would lead to conflict between workers — a view commonly expressed by opponents of pay transparency, which is still seen as a taboo in many workplaces in the UK and US. Some workers are even gagged from telling their colleagues how much they're paid.

But being more transparent can help reduce pay gaps, Almudena Sevilla, professor of economics and public policy at University College London and chair of the Royal Economic Society Women's Committee, told Insider.

According to her research into the impact of pay transparency within UK universities, the gender pay gap reduced by 4.37% in the years after the salaries of academics were made publicly available in 2007. This fall was driven largely by female academics negotiating higher wages or moving to universities where pay was more equal, per the research.

"When pay transparency is there, when you know your wage, then individual's react and they ask for either higher wages or they change companies to get those higher wages," Sevilla told Insider.

The gender pay gap is the difference in gross annual earnings between men and women. It's influenced by multiple factors, including that there are more men in senior positions.

When it comes to the wider impact of pay transparency, studies tend to be split. Some suggest employees are less motivated when they know their colleagues are paid more — other studies disagree.

Another working paper found pay transparency led to lower average wages within some organizations. Employers refused to negotiate with any one single employee in order to avoid having to increase the pay of others, the paper found.

Sevilla said the impact of pay transparency depends on how fair a person perceives their organization to be, and how individual companies communicate with their staff.
Finland's policy represents "the next step" in pay legislation

Finland isn't the first country to advocate for gender pay gap transparency.

In Denmark, for example, companies with 35 or more employees have to publish gender specific pay information.

In the UK, companies with more than 250 employees have had to publish their gender pay gap since 2017. The gender pay gap has decreased over time, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics, although reporting was disrupted by the pandemic.

In the US, certain states — including California, Connecticut, Nevada, Colorado, and Rhode Island — have either introduced or are in the process of introducing legislation that says employers must provide job applicants with more information about how much they pay their existing employees. Colorado is going the furthest by requiring employers to provide salary ranges in every job advertisement.

Finland's proposal, which is still being drafted and which the government hopes to pass before April 2023, could be "the next level" in pay transparency, Sevilla said, because it will give people more specific data with which to negotiate pay rises.

Pinterest puts $50 million into diversity programs and releases former employees from NDAs in a settlement with shareholders following harassment claims

ajoyner@businessinsider.com (April Joyner) 

 Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann. 

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Pinterest will invest $50 million into DEI initiatives as part of a settlement with its shareholders, the parties announced Wednesday.

The company will also no longer enforce non-disclosure agreements when employees discuss mistreatment.

The shareholders claimed Pinterest breached its fiduciary duty by failing to respond sufficiently to discrimination allegations.

Pinterest is committing $50 million to diversity, equity, and inclusion reforms after a group of shareholders filed suit against its board following claims of a toxic environment for women and Black workers at the company. The terms of the settlement were announced late on Wednesday after market close.

As part of those reforms, the social image-sharing company will not enforce non-disclosure agreements for former employees who speak out about workplace mistreatment or harassment. Earlier this year, Pinterest said that it would no longer require outgoing employees to sign them.

Additionally, Pinterest will designate a member of its board to co-sponsor DEI initiatives alongside CEO Ben Silbermann and undergo audits twice a year to examine pay equity. The company will also set up an office, run by a third party, where employees can go for advice in pursuing complaints.

These measures come as a result of a settlement with three of Pinterest's shareholders — the Employees' Retirement System of Rhode Island, Stephen Bushansky, and Sal Toronto, a trustee of the Elliemaria Toronto ESA — who had filed suit against the company's board of directors last December, claiming that it breached its fiduciary duty by failing to respond sufficiently to discrimination allegations.




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Each of the three complainants are smaller shareholders with less than 5% of the company, according to a recent proxy statement. Silbermann, Pinterest's CEO, owns nearly 8% of the company, according to Bloomberg.

Rhode Island's treasurer, Seth Magaziner, who acted on behalf of the state's employee retirement system, announced the settlement. The law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC represented both parties.

Pinterest has come under controversy for its treatment of employees and what some have called a "toxic" workplace for women and Black employees. Last year, two Black former employees, Ifeoma Ozoma and Aerica Shimizu Banks, publicly alleged that they were paid unfairly and were retaliated against by their supervisors. Insider spoke with 11 former employees who described an environment in which workers were publicly humiliated and subject to sudden firings.

Later that year, Françoise Brougher, Pinterest's former COO, filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the company, alleging that she was paid less than male executives and left out of important meetings and events, including the company's initial public offering roadshow. The company paid her $22.5 million in a settlement.

Pinterest's latest settlement with its shareholders codifies several DEI initiatives the company has put in place since the allegations put forth by Ozoma, Shimizu Banks, and Brougher. Last December, for instance, the company announced the formation of an inclusion advisory council, which has representatives from organizations such as the NAACP, The National Transgender Center for Equality, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

The company already releases a diversity report, which will now come twice a year for the next two years and annually thereafter, according to the settlement.

Pinterest will now have a dedicated inclusive product team staffed with current employees across its departments. It already has a head of inclusive product and has rolled out several features, such as skin-tone searches, to make its product more inviting to people from different backgrounds.

The company will also pay a set stipend to the leads of its employee resource groups, who will have term limits. Co-presidents of those groups will receive $5,000 per year, and vice presidents will receive $2,500 per year.

Afghan girl from famous cover portrait is evacuated to Italy

ROME (AP) — National Geographic magazine’s famed green-eyed “Afghan Girl” has arrived in Italy as part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country, the Italian government said Thursday.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The office of Premier Mario Draghi said Italy organized the evacuation of Sharbat Gulla after she asked to be helped to leave the country. The Italian government will now help to get her integrated into life in Italy, the statement said.

Gulla gained international fame in 1984 as an Afghan refugee girl, after war photographer Steve McCurry’s photograph of her, with piercing green eyes, was published on the cover of National Geographic. McCurry found her again in 2002.

In 2014, she surfaced in Pakistan but went into hiding when authorities accused her of buying a fake Pakistani identity card and ordered her deported. She was flown to Kabul where the president hosted a reception for her at the presidential palace and handed her keys to a new apartment.

Italy was one of several Western countries that airlifted hundreds of Afghans out of the country following the departure of U.S. forces and the Taliban takeover in August.

In a statement announcing Gulla’s arrival in Rome, Draghi’s office said her photograph had come to “symbolize the vicissitudes and conflict of the chapter in history that Afghanistan and its people were going through at the time.”

It said it had received requests “by those in civil society, and in particular by non-profit organizations working in Afghanistan” backing Gulla's plea for help to leave the country.

Italy organized her travel to Italy “as part of the wider evacuation program in place for Afghan citizens and the government’s plan for their reception and integration,” the statement said.

The Associated Press