Forbes – by Ryan Mac and Brian Solomon

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group filedregistration documents on Tuesday to go public in the U.S. in what may be one of the biggest initial public offerings in American history.

While the average U.S. consumer may be unfamiliar with Alibaba and its operations, Tuesday’s F-1 filing gives a clearer look into a business that accounts for 80% off all Chinese e-commerce and will rank among the world’s largest technology firms–among them IBM IBM -0.34% and Oracle ORCL -0.98%–once it goes public. Analysts recently polled by Bloomberg News valued the company at nearly $170 billion, while some expect that valuation to surpass $250 billion, once it starts trading.   Continue reading “Chinese E-commerce Giant Alibaba Files For IPO”

Politico – by Lauren French

The U.S. Capitol Police are investigating threatening emails against Rep. Trey Gowdy, the South Carolina Republican recently tapped to lead a special panel probing the Benghazi terrorist attacks.

The investigation comes after POLITICO reporters and journalists at other outlets received two emails on Tuesday warning that Gowdy would be harmed because of his role in investigating the 2012 attacks.    Continue reading “Police investigate threats against Trey Gowdy”

Fox News

The head of the American Legion called Monday for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and other top VA officials to resign over a series of scandals that have rocked the agency.

Decrying what he described as “poor oversight and failed leadership,” the group’s National Commander Dan Dellinger said the problems with the department need to be addressed at the “highest level,” starting with new leadership. He said this is the first time the organization has called for such resignations in more than 30 years.    Continue reading “American Legion calls on VA secretary to resign amid scandals”

BmpRfPSCYAEOLMNSent to us by a reader who said: My name is Tim I’m Ukrainian and live in UK at a moment. West blocks the truth about the situation there. We need help to bring the truth to people. As you may know there was mass killing in Odessa on Friday. The truth is that all the people were killed first and burnt after. Over a hundred of them. There are photos, videos and witnesses that can prove that. And lots of other info about nazis crimes in Ukraine. We just need people to see what really happening there.    Continue reading “How the thugs killed Odessa inhabitants in the Trade Unions House – the details of bloody scenario”

American flag shirt / CBS news screenshotThe Daily Caller – by Robby Soave

Students in a California school district will not be allowed to wear American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo, due to concerns that such displays of patriotism would inflame racial tensions by offending Mexican students on their holiday.

The district’s policy concerned many free speech advocates, but was upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.    Continue reading “Students, It’s Illegal To Wear An American Flag Shirt On Cinco De Mayo”

PBS Newshour – by Lara Jakes

KINSHASA, Congo — The United States is prepared to give Congo $30 million in aid for stability and democracy-building – but wants President Joseph Kabila to agree to step down at the end of his current term in office, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday.

Kerry said Congo’s government also needs to schedule elections soon. The vote is tentatively set for 2016, although a firm date has not yet been set.   Continue reading “U.S. pledges $30 million to Congo for democracy-building”

Image: A wildfire burns in Oklahoma.NBC News – by Alexander Smith

Thousands of people fled a deadly wildfire burning across 4,000 acres in Oklahoma, officials said early Monday.

Some 30 fire departments battled the blaze overnight.

A 56-year-old man died after he chose not to evacuate his home near Guthrie, Okla., the city’s Fire Chief Eric Harlow said.   Continue reading “Oklahoma Wildfires Turn Deadly, Destroy Homes”

Yahoo News

Simferopol (Undefined) (AFP) – Several dozen Russian planes including what appeared to be strategic bombers and fighter jets have been spotted in the sky above the Moscow-controlled peninsula of Crimea, witnesses and experts said.

According to Russian media, President Vladimir Putin is poised to visit Crimea on Friday after overseeing the main military parade on Red Square when Russia celebrates its victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.   Continue reading “Russian bombers, fighter jets ‘seen over Crimea’”

SmartSystem_iP1-Pistole_1.jpgFox News

A Maryland firearms shop owner is backing away from plans to sell a smart gun after backlash from gun rights advocates who fear the technology in the high-tech firearm will be used to curtail their Second Amendment rights.

Andy Raymond, owner of Rockville gun store Engage Armament, told The Washington Post he is backing down from selling the gun after word about his plan was spread online by gun rights blogs. He said he even received a death threat.   Continue reading “Maryland gun dealer drops plans to sell ‘smart gun’ after backlash”

Gulf Times

Israeli officials have confirmed that the Tel Aviv regime has conducted an airstrike on Syria, following speculations by US officials that the Israeli regime had carried out the aerial assault.

The officials speaking on condition of anonymity said on Saturday that the Israeli fighter jets targeted a shipment of “game-changing” weapons in Syria on Friday.   Continue reading “Israeli officials confirm Syria strike”

FRANCIS GARY POWERSNBC News – by Andrew Blankstein

A relic from the Cold War appears to have triggered a software glitch at a major air traffic control center in California Wednesday that led to delays and cancellations of hundreds of flights across the country, sources familiar with the incident told NBC News.

On Wednesday at about 2 p.m., according to sources, a U-2 spy plane, the same type of aircraft that flew high-altitude spy missions over Russia 50 years ago, passed through the airspace monitored by the L.A. Air Route Traffic Control Center in Palmdale, Calif. The L.A. Center handles landings and departures at the region’s major airports, including Los Angeles International (LAX), San Diego and Las Vegas.   Continue reading “Spy Plane Fries Air Traffic Control Computers, Shuts Down LAX”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

In the aftermath of several recent events such as i) the issuance of new mega batch of $12 billion in bonds by a suddenly domestic-cash strapped Apple, ii) the repatriation of $9 billion in offshore profits (and payment of $3 billion in taxes) by eBay, iii) the flurry of pharma M&A deals and reverse mergers in which US companies are redomiciled offshore (in low corporate tax hosts like Ireland) to avoid paying US taxes, and iv) the outright use of offshore funds to buy offshore companies such as the GE-Alstom deal which bypasses the US treasury entirely, two questions emerge: who has the most offshore cash, and who is most likely to be the next US corporation to engage in one or all of the above listed transactions which merely seek to optimize a company’s offshore cash holdings.   Continue reading “These Are The 15 US Companies With The Most Offshore Profits”