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The economic pain has intensified the pressure to ease pandemic restrictions to salvage the flagging economy and restore some semblance of normal life. The current Covid outbreak, the most widespread since the start of the pandemic in 2020, has painted Xi Jinping, China’s president, into a corner. He has refused to budge on the government’s strict Covid approach. If he loosens restrictions and infections skyrocket, there is the risk of mass casualties and an overwhelmed health care system. But keeping the current policies in place and limiting infections with widespread lockdowns would inflict further damage to an already slowing economy.

☆ It's been a volatile year for the market: These are the key things to know before rebalancing your portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

After a volatile year for the stock and bond markets, it may be time to rebalance your portfolio by shifting assets back to match your original goals, according to experts. As of Nov. 28, the S&P 500 Index was down roughly 17% year-to-date, and the U.S. bond market has dropped by around 13%, leaving many investors with significantly different allocations than one year ago. Typically, you choose an initial percentage of stocks, bonds and other assets based on risk tolerance and goals, said certified financial planner Anthony Watson, founder and president of Thrive Retirement Specialists in Dearborn, Michigan. More from Personal Finance:3 lesser-known ways to trim your 2022 tax bill or boost your refundHere's how the BlockFi bankruptcy may affect your crypto taxes for 2022What to know about the latest payment pause extension on student loansBut as the markets fluctuate, the allocation of each type of asset may shift, and without periodic rebalancing, "the portfolio starts to look very different," he said. For example, if your target is 50% stocks and 50% bonds, those percentages could eventually drift to 70% stocks and 30% bonds, which is "far riskier" than the original allocation, Watson said.

☆ Bob Iger signals support for LGBTQ rights on company call. Here's why that's so important for Disney's future.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On a company call Monday, Disney CEO Bob Iger said inclusion is a "core value." Iger told employees that inclusion and acceptance are among the "core values" at the company, according to CNBC. Florida lawmakers voted to rescind the special tax status of Disney World in Orlando. Disney/PixarMost Americans support LGBTQ rightsFor Disney's leadership, losing the company's special tax status in the state carries financial repercussions. He's also bold and wildly empathetic," Don Hall, director of "Strange World," told Variety, speaking about the film's openly gay main character.

☆ China Clamps Down on Protesters Against Zero-Covid Policies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Cao Li | Elaine Yu | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chinese authorities tightened controls in reaction to rare nationwide protests against the country’s zero-tolerance approach to Covid, dispatching phalanxes of police to prevent fresh gatherings as state media reiterated support for leader Xi Jinping ’s stringent pandemic strategy. The demonstrations exploded in several large cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, during the weekend. They followed a deadly fire on Friday in Urumqi, capital of the remote region of Xinjiang, which officials said killed 10 people. Some residents suggested that pandemic restrictions contributed to a delay in putting out the fire.

☆ Chinese Stocks Drop as Covid Protests Intensify, Cases Surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Shares in mainland China and Hong Kong slid on Monday morning, after protests against the country’s zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19 gathered steam. Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index, which is dominated by Chinese stocks, was down more than 4% after the market opened. It recovered some ground in the morning but was still around 2% lower by midmorning. The Chinese domestic CSI 300 index was down 1.6%.

☆ Chinese Protests Put Xi Jinping in a Bind
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Lingling Wei | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Xi Jinping faces a difficult choice between loosening China’s zero-tolerance Covid-19 policy or doubling down on restrictions that have locked down neighborhoods and stifled the country’s economy over the past three years. Neither option is a good one for a regime focused on stability. Stock markets around the globe declined Monday as protests in China fueled worries among investors about the outlook for the world’s second-largest economy.

☆ Disney CEO Bob Iger addresses 'Don't Say Gay' fallout, importance of LGBTQ inclusion in stories
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Following criticism of its past handling of LGBTQ issues, Disney CEO Bob Iger on Monday told employees that inclusion and acceptance are among the "core values" of the company's storytelling. Disney's recent inclusion of unambiguously gay characters in animated films has also drawn criticism from anti-LGBTQ activists. On Monday, Iger told employees that he is still getting up to speed on the upcoming dissolution Reedy Creek district. On Monday, Iger pointed to films like "Black Panther" and "Coco" as examples of Disney projects that "changed the world for good." Iger said that the company's creative decisions won't make everyone happy, but that its studios will not lessen their core values.

☆ Access to alternative investments have never been easier, but some VCs don't think that's a good thing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider's Asia Martin spoke to some VCs who were skeptical about startups broadening access into these risky, illiquid assets. It's a common dilemma in fintech, as Asia pointed out to me, as access often takes precedence over education. Click here to read more about opening up access to alternatives and why some VCs are questioning it. From political donations to sports teams, this is everything the FTX founder spent money on. We asked top VCs to identify the best startups that help developers build apps for the cloud.

☆ UAE's ADNOC to cut 5% of Dec crude volumes to term-buyers in Asia - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) will cut 5% of the December crude oil supply to some term-lifters in Asia but will provide full contractual volumes in January, five sources with knowledge of the matter said on Monday. ADNOC exports the bulk of its crude to Asia and its grades include Murban, Umm Lulu, Das and Upper Zakum. "The output cut has to be reflected in the market. And it makes sense that oil producers want to hold off selling at such oil prices," a Singapore-based trader said. read moreSpot premiums of Middle Eastern crude, Oman, Dubai and Murban, slid this month as market sentiment soured amid oversupply fears.

☆ Chinese Protests Spread Over Government’s Covid Restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Lingling Wei | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Protests against Covid-related restrictions have broken out in several Chinese cities, including in Urumqi, Xinjiang, as shown in this image taken from a video. Protests are erupting in several major cities in China over President Xi Jinping ’s zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19, an unusual show of defiance in the country as the economic and social costs from snap lockdowns and other strict restrictions escalate. The protests followed demonstrations on Friday in Urumqi, the capital of the remote region of Xinjiang, where a deadly fire enraged city residents who had struggled with lockdowns of more than 100 days. Residents flooded social media with comments suggesting the government’s Covid restrictions contributed to a delay in putting out the fire, in which officials said 10 people died.

☆ 36 high-paying jobs for people who don't like stress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

One of the characteristics measured is stress tolerance, which O*NET describes as jobs requiring "accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations." O*NET scores job characteristics like stress tolerance on a scale from 0 to 100, where a 0 means stress tolerance is not at all necessary for an occupation, and 100 suggests a job with a very high-stress environment. We ranked occupations from most to least stressful using O*NET's stress tolerance score, with lower scores indicating less stressful jobs. The above jobs were ranked from most to least stressful. In the case of a tied stress tolerance score, we ranked by average annual wages.

☆ Kenya scrambles to stave off athletics ban after more doping cases
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Tommy Wilkes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We will not allow unethical individuals to ruin Kenya's reputation through doping," Kenya's minister for sports, Ababu Namwamba, said on Twitter on Friday. This week Kenya's government wrote to World Athletics to try and ward off a potential ban. A spokesperson for World Athletics confirmed to Reuters receipt of the letter. Fifty-five Kenyan athletes are currently banned and eight provisionally suspended, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), an independent body formed by World Athletics to combat doping in the sport. Kenya is a 'Category A' country under World Athletics' Anti-Doping Rules, which means its athletes must undergo at least three no-notice, out-of-competition urine and blood tests ahead of major events.

☆ Germany replace supermarket logo with OneLove in press centre
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AL SHAMAL, Qatar, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Germany replaced the logo of a supermarket chain that pulled its sponsorship over the 'OneLove' diversity armband controversy with that of the armband itself at their World Cup press centre on Friday. The background wall of the German press conference room that displays all the team's sponsors at their training base in north Qatar on Friday included the 'OneLove' logo and rainbow in place of the REWE supermarket chain that pulled out. Germany initially said team captain Manuel Neuer would wear the armband but they made a U-turn after the FIFA threat a day before their first game at the World Cup on Wednesday. As a result of Germany backing down, major grocery chain Rewe scrapped its advertising campaign with the German Football Association (DFB). Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Photos: See How NASA Trains Its Astronauts to Go to the Moon
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Since 1959, more than 350 people have become NASA astronauts. Since NASA announced its first class of astronauts in 1959, more than 350 people have become astronauts. An astronaut nurse takes a blood sample from NASA astronaut John Glenn in 1961. NASAEarly on, NASA used a large machine called a human centrifuge to test gravitational stress on astronauts training to go to the moon for the first time. As more humans ventured into space, NASA began to understand the mental burden of space travel.

☆ 'They are untouchable': Microsoft employees say 'golden boy' executives are still running wild, 8 years after the company vowed to clean up its toxic culture
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

The Microsoft executive walked into the small, windowless room in Studio C at about 8 o'clock that evening. Despite Nadella's public stance against those he has called "talented jerks," many inside the company say Microsoft retains a nearly unlimited tolerance for bad behavior by its top rainmakers and developers. "The Microsoft of 2021 is very different from the Microsoft of 2000 to me and to everyone at Microsoft," Nadella said. But some women say the investigations drag on for months or even years, with no clear timeline for resolution. What's more, some employees say Microsoft's efforts to promote racial equity often smack of tokenism.

☆ Russia is on the verge of passing an expanded version of its notorious anti-LGBTQ bill that bans promotion of 'non-traditional sexual relations'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The revised bill bans spreading "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to people of any age. The bill prohibiting the promotion of "non-traditional sexual relations" builds upon a notorious law passed in 2013, which took aim at "propaganda" spread to minors. Under the new law passed by the State Duma, films, and advertisements depicting same-sex relationships could be banned. Russian citizens found to have spread propaganda about "non-traditional sexual relations" could face a fine of up to 400,000 rubles, or $6,600 at current exchange rates. Human-rights organizations have condemned Russia for the so-called "gay propaganda" law since its introduction.

☆ A new NY law lets sexual assault survivors file new lawsuits, even if the statute of limitations has expired
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A new New York law lets survivors of sexual assault file new lawsuits regardless of how far in the past the abuse occurred. The Adult Survivors Act went into effect on Thursday, giving survivors a one-year window to file civil suits. The Adult Survivors Act, which New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law in May, went into effect on Thursday. "Dearest friends, tonight, a few minutes after midnight, we filed the rape suit against the former president," Carroll said in a statement. The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision previously told Insider that it has "zero tolerance for sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and unauthorized relationships."

☆ French sports minister urges national team to speak up in armband row
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The French sports minister urged the national football team on Thursday to make themselves heard amid a row over FIFA's threat of sanctions for the "OneLove" armband. France are not among the seven teams, with French football federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet saying it would "follow the guidelines of FIFA". "I think that FIFA's decision to ban the One Love armband will be talked about for a while. "Are there still spaces of freedom where our French team can continue to express their commitment to human rights? Asked if he would wear the armband ahead of France's opening game against Australia, which they won 4-1, captain Hugo Lloris had said, "FIFA organises the competition and defines a framework and rules.

The U.S. Justice Department, in a report this September, said many crypto exchanges still "make little or no effort to comply" with know-your-customer requirements. These sites often included links for users to pay via crypto exchanges, the IWF told Reuters, declining to name companies. While banks and payment platforms demanded more details from online merchants, many crypto exchanges for years requested little or no information from clients. Asked at his trial for his opinion of crypto, Mohammad noted, "Privacy is something that a lot of users value." The IWF received more reports last year of websites selling child abuse imagery for crypto than any year prior.

"We continue to be on high alert and will aggressively remove any violative content," TikTok, which is owned by the China-based firm ByteDance, said in a statement. TikTok said it had been in contact with Malaysian authorities on severe and repeat violations of its community guidelines since the lead-up to the election. One of the alliances hoping to form a government is a conservative, largely ethnic Malay, Muslim group led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin. SULTANS TO MEETReuters reviewed about 100 videos on TikTok, some of which featured people displaying weapons such as knives and machetes. In response, a flood of videos explaining the history of the May 13 violence have surfaced with many ethnic Malay users calling for unity and criticising those inciting violence.

☆ 'OneLove' anti-hate armbands sell out after FIFA World Cup ban
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A worker carries One Love armbands, which are banned by FIFA at the World Cup Qatar 2022, in Utrecht, Netherlands November 23, 2022. The "OneLove" armbands FIFA banned at the World Cup in Qatar are suddenly selling like hotcakes. Now the company that makes the bands in Utrecht, the Netherlands, says it is sold out after shipping 10,000, mostly in the past two weeks. "The big boom came actually with the World Cup coming up and for sure the statement of FIFA to not allow these captain bands on the field", said Badge Direct BV CEO Roland Heerkens in an interview. A new batch of 10,000 will be sold on the KNVB web shop and Voetbalshop.nl when it becomes available.

☆ Germany players cover mouths in team photo amid armband row
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Germany players placed their hands over their mouths during a team photo ahead of their game against Japan for their World Cup Group E on Wednesday as the row over FIFA's threat of sanctions over the "OneLove" armband continued. Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, sitting next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the stands, sported the armband as she chatted with the football administrator. Earlier, she had criticised FIFA, saying the threat of sanctions was a mistake and not acceptable behaviour. "In today's times it is incomprehensible that FIFA does not want people to openly stand for tolerance and against discrimination. A statement from the German Football Association (DFB) said: "We wanted to use our captain’s armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect.

☆ After Club Q attack, LGBT venues grapple with safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Kendall Allen holds a sign as she attends a vigil with her wife Kaycie Franks after a mass shooting at the Club Q LGBTQ nightclub, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., November 21, 2022. Those bars and other LGBT spaces around the country are again weighing how to keep their staff and patrons safe after a gunman killed five people and injured 17 more at an LGBT club in Colorado Springs. "It was definitely an eye-opening moment," said Eric Sosa, co-owner of C'mon Everybody and Good Judy in New York City. But as queer venues grapple with safety, several LGBT activists and club owners said no amount of security personnel or technology would protect them from the anti-LGBT rhetoric they blame for stoking such violence. Raimo still performs for adults, including a drag bingo night he was hosting on Tuesday at a Nashville gay bar.

It was a game that produced another World Cup shock as Japan came from behind to win 2-1. “We wanted to use our captain’s armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect,” the DFB said. Germany captain Manuel Neuer also did not wear the armband on Wednesday. Before the game, Faeser had criticized FIFA, slamming the threat of sanctions for wearing the armband. “In today’s times it is incomprehensible that FIFA does not want people to openly stand for tolerance and against discrimination.

Easing Covid measures means accepting a rise in cases that is likely to get worse as winter approaches. Residents buy medications at a pharmacy in Shijiazhuang, China, last week. “There will always be complaints.”Though many people in China still support “zero-Covid,” the strict measures have also stoked growing resentment. China is thus now facing a dual challenge, said Donald Low, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “You’re going to see the Hong Kong story played out on a much larger scale” in mainland China, Low said.

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