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☆ University of Florida students protest against Ben Sasse’s anti-LGBTQ past
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Hundreds of University of Florida students held protests this week criticizing the anticipated appointment of Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., to lead the school. Sasse has said that as university president, he would do his best to represent the views of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students. But for some, his candidacy has called to mind the university’s anti-LGBTQ history and the extent to which many of them feel it continues to sideline their needs and experiences, four LGBTQ students told NBC News. The university’s LGBTQ+ Affairs office, for example, has a high staff turnover rate, he said. He said a “silver lining” of the protests was that many LGBTQ students made their concerns more widely known.

☆ Superyacht struggle: Is Hong Kong now safe harbor for sanctioned Russians?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Marie Brockling | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

A superyacht linked to a Russian oligarch has produced the latest ripple of tensions between the United States and China after it moored in Hong Kong’s harbor. Hong Kong said Tuesday it would not seize the superyacht, defying Washington and raising fears that the global financial hub could become a haven for individuals sanctioned over the war in Ukraine. “Secondary sanction is more a practical matter rather than a legal or moral matter as Hong Kong banks handling Russian transactions could be sanctioned,” Sun added. The Hong Kong Marine Department did not respond to a request for comment on the number of Russian yachts in its harbors. “We will have to see how much money eventually flocks to Hong Kong and how they are being handled in order to assess the impact on U.S.-China relations,” Sun said.

☆ Taiwan says China looking at Ukraine war to develop 'hybrid' strategies
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TAIPEI, Oct 12 (Reuters) - China is looking at the experience of the war in Ukraine to develop "hybrid warfare" strategies against Taiwan including using drones and psychological pressure, a senior Taiwanese security official said on Wednesday. "This year, the communist military has borrowed from the experience of the Russia-Ukraine war to develop 'hybrid warfare' against Taiwan and strengthen its combat training and preparation against strong enemies," he told lawmakers. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chen said China's military threats had coalesced support from the United States and its allies for Taiwan to ensure what happened to Ukraine would not be repeated across the Taiwan Strait. This will enhance Taiwan's ability to deal with China and deter "their plots to attack Taiwan", he said.

She also outlined steps to boost the military including with mass production of precision missiles and warships. Xi is widely expected to win his third term at the one-every-five-years party congress. "When we say achievement, for Taiwan it's definitely not a good sign, it's not a good thing," Lin said. One senior Taiwanese security official said Xi's third term would bring "unpredictable tensions" across the strait. But China has refused to speak to his successor, Tsai, since she was first elected in 2016, believing her to be a separatist.

The doctor sent along the questions and answers and received a resounding “no” from the PR official: “We ask that you do not comment to the NY Times at this time.”“They’re censoring me,” the doctor told CNN. Even when they are permitted to speak about abortion as private citizens, these doctors say, their employers have made it clear that they would prefer the doctors not talk at all, and so they have hesitated to speak up. UT Southwestern isn’t the only medical center that has been hesitant to allow their doctors to speak with the media. About 10 hospitals and medical practices said no, Wade told CNN. And I thought we would use our position as a respected women’s health institution to continue to educate about the impact these laws have on women’s health,” she told CNN.

☆ China's top leaders are set for a reshuffle. Here are the names to watch
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

China's top leadership team around President Xi Jinping is set to change this month at a twice-a-decade congress. One of the most closely watched changes in the political reshuffle is the future of Premier Li Keqiang, who turned 67 this year. However, he could remain a standing committee member, JPMorgan analysts said, pointing to a precedent at the 15th party congress. Huang Kunming — Politburo member and head of China's propaganda department, who worked closely with Xi in the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, the report said. Yang Jiechi, a 72-year-old Politburo member and director of the party's central committee foreign affairs office, is widely expected to retire.

☆ Congress is still considering changes to the retirement system, including catch-up contributions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Tom Brenner | ReutersThere's still a decent chance that changes to the U.S. retirement system will be enacted before the end of the year. "There's still tremendous bipartisan interest in doing another retirement security bill," said Paul Richman, chief government and political affairs officer for the Insured Retirement Institute. Upping the catch-up contribution anteNosystem Images | E+ | Getty ImagesCurrently, retirement savers age 50 or older can make so-called catch-up contributions to their retirement savings. The House bill would expand the 401(k) catch-up to $10,000 for individuals who are age 62, 63 or 64. The Senate proposal differs by allowing people from age 60 through age 63 make the extra $10,000 catch-up contribution.

A Taiwan Coast Guard ship travels past the coast of China, in the waters off Nangan island of Matsu archipelago in Taiwan August 16, 2022. REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A Chinese blockade of Taiwan or the seizure of an offshore island would be considered an act of war and Taiwan would not surrender, a senior Taiwanese security official told Reuters using unusually strong and direct language. Chinese military action might not be as straightforward as a full frontal assault on Taiwan: it could include actions like a blockade to try to force Taiwan to accept China's rule, strategists say. To show its anger, China mounted military exercises around Taiwan that included firing missiles and steps to mount a blockade. "A blockade is an act of war; seizing an offshore island is an act of war," the official said, adding Taipei believed Beijing was unlikely to take either of those actions at the moment.

☆ China softens Taiwan rhetoric as U.S. and Canadian warships sail through strait
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The comments came a day after U.S. and Canadian warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait in their second joint transit in less than a year. Taiwan’s government says that as the island has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China, its sovereignty claims are void. A U.S. Navy warship and a Canadian frigate made a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the militaries of both nations said. “This operation though the Taiwan Strait is, even more, a concrete demonstration of the resolute opposition of democratic allies to China’s expansion attempts,” it said. The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who established the People’s Republic of China.

☆ China willing to make effort for peaceful 'reunification' with Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ann Wang/File PhotoBEIJING, Sept 21 (Reuters) - China is willing to make the utmost effort to strive for a peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan, a Chinese government spokesperson said on Wednesday, following weeks of military manoeuvres and war games by Beijing near the island. China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory. Taiwan's government rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future. China has been carrying out drills near Taiwan since early last month, after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, including firing missiles into waters near the island. Taiwan's government says that as the island has never been ruled by the People's Republic of China, its sovereignty claims are void.

☆ The U.S. retirement system gets a ‘C+’ grade, experts say — even though it’s worth $39 trillion. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The U.S. has a voluntary retirement savings system. But most IRA funds aren't contributed directly — they were first saved in a workplace retirement plan and then rolled into an IRA. 1 issue," Will Hansen, chief government affairs officer at the American Retirement Association, a trade group, said of workplace retirement savings. "[However], the retirement system is actually a good system for those who have access," Hansen said. In such cases, it may not be fair to place primary blame on the structure of the U.S. retirement system, Hansen said.

☆ The CEO of a cannabis company involved in a bitter dispute over a lucrative New York license blasts MedMen and says the feud makes the entire industry look bad
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-14 | by ( Jeremy Berke | Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ascend Wellness and MedMen are stuck in a heated feud over a lucrative New York cannabis license. Ascend CEO Abner Kurtin said the feud made the whole industry look bad at a critical time. Ascend Wellness CEO Abner Kurtin said the feud had taught New York regulators that cannabis companies couldn't be trusted. Last year, MedMen agreed to sell its New York cannabis retail license to Ascend Wellness Holdings for $73 million. Ascend Wellness HoldingsAscend filed a lawsuit in the state's Supreme Court in January, accusing MedMen of having seller's remorse.

☆ Preparing for Category 6 hurricanes, a new facility will test winds of 200 mph and storm surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-07 | by ( Jennifer Gray | Cnn Meteorologist | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

Hide Caption 1 of 99 Photos: Hurricane Dorian Homes are in ruins one week after Dorian hit Marsh Harbour. Hide Caption 11 of 99 Photos: Hurricane Dorian Waves crash into boats in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as Hurricane Dorian approached on September 7. Hide Caption 27 of 99 Photos: Hurricane Dorian Emerald Isle employees work to clear a road after a tornado hit. Hide Caption 67 of 99 Photos: Hurricane Dorian Dorian left heavy damage at this resort in Hope Town, Bahamas. Hide Caption 74 of 99 Photos: Hurricane Dorian Palm trees blow in strong winds prior to Dorian's landfall in Freeport.

☆ How Chipotle's chief people officer steered the chain through a tumultuous year by focusing on employee well-being
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-29 | by ( Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Marissa Andrada is chief diversity, inclusion, and people officer at Chipotle. When Andrada, now the chief diversity, inclusion, and people officer at Chipotle, was growing up, her parents encouraged her to pursue a career in medicine. In 2020, Chipotle promoted nearly 11,000 employees, HR Dive reported, and more than 70% of the chain's general managers came up internally. In a statement provided to Insider, Chipotle Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Laurie Schalow said the lawsuit was a "dramatic overreach." Between March and September 2020, according to Chipotle, the number of employees using Chipotle's EAP and advocacy services increased fourfold.

☆ I'm a photographer who covered 9/11 and its aftermath. Here are the most gripping photos I took, and the stories behind them.
▼ + stars: | 2001-09-11 | by ( Alan Chin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

A month after that, I got an assignment to go to northern Afghanistan. Their soldiers had repelled a Taliban offensive in 1997, and massacred thousands of the Taliban prisoners they had captured. Air Force flights from as far away as Germany were dropping American military and humanitarian food packets in an effort to win hearts and minds. This was taken aboard the ferry connecting the east and west sides of the American military base. Even as the American war in Afghanistan ends in both ignominy and relief, the conflicts there and in dozens of other places continue.

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