Jack Ma’s Ant Group Fintech Firm Seeks Dual Listing Of IPOs On Hong Kong And China Exchanges

Ant Group owns the popular mobile-payments network Alipay which has 900 million users in China

Ant Group, which owns the popular mobile-payments network Alipay

Alibaba currently owns about a 33% stake in Ant Group

Ant Group Co., a Chinese fintech company controlled by Alibaba (BABA) cofounder and billionaire Jack Ma is seeking to stage dual initial public offerings on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges, thereby avoiding the New York bourses.

The company hopes to conduct the IPOs later this year and hopes to achieve a market valuation of $200 billion.

Ant Group, which owns the popular mobile-payments network Alipay, said it hopes the offerings will boost its growth both in China and abroad, while also accelerating “its goal of digitizing the service industry in China.”

Alipay has more than 900 million active users in China who use its app for online investing or to pay for groceries and utility bills.

Ant Group also has a large consumer lending unit, operates a private credit-scoring business and even manages one of the world’s largest money-market mutual funds.

In 2017 Ant Group attempted to purchase the U.S. money-transfer company MoneyGram International for $1.2 billion, but the transaction was nixed by a U.S. national-security panel.

In mid-2018, Ant Group was valued at $150 billion during a round of private fundraising from domestic and international investors.

Ant Group, a profitable firm, is domiciled in mainland China and will require the approval of Chinese regulators to list its shares in foreign markets.

The dual listing will occur amid a backdrop of rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, which has led to threats by U.S. lawmakers of delisting Chinese equities from American exchanges over accounting irregularities and lack of transparency. The U.S. has also criticized Beijing for its imposition of new security laws in Hong Kong.

A listing on Hong Kong will likely attract U.S. investors anyway since many U.S.-based money managers already hold Hong Kong-listed stocks.

https://www.ibtimes.com/jack-mas-ant-group-fintech-firm-seeks-dual-listing-ipos-hong-kong-china-exchanges-3014214

Reminder

Jack Ma receives honorable doctoral degree at Tel Aviv University in Israel

2018-05-04

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/04/c_137156341.htm

Jemele Hill says all Trump voters are racists, and there's 'no wiggle room.' Her mother voted for Trump.

That's uncomfortable.

Writer and podcast host Jemele Hill said everyone who votes for President Donald Trump is a racist, leading many people to remind her that her own mother voted for Trump in 2016.

On Sunday morning, Hill tweeted a perfectly clear message that, regardless or race or reason, if you vote for Trump, you're a racist.

"If you vote for Donald Trump, you are a racist. You have no wiggle room," Hill wrote.

Her tweet appeared to have come after Hill watched Fox News' Chris Wallace interview the president, as she wrote just a few minutes earlier, "Fox News truly doesn't deserve Chris Wallace."

A retweet after her original tweet about Trump voters provides some clarity about how Hill defines racism.

"I love [Boston University professor and Atlantic writer Ibram X. Kendi's] definition of racist," former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith wrote. "RACIST: One who is supporting a racist policy through their actions or inaction or expressing a racist idea. It's very clear."

What about her mother? In 2017, Hill tweeted that her mother was her total opposite when it came to politics.

"I love my mother but we could not be more differently politically," Hill said, while discussing with another user how a parent's politics might influence their children's views. "Polar opposites."

"Yes, my mother voted for Trump," Hill said. "She's been voting Republican since post-Bill Clinton."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/jemele-hill-mom-trump-voters-racists

Queens, N.Y., Primary Gives Us a Preview of the Mayhem Mail-in Voting Could Create in November

Democrats are pushing mail-in voting for the November election using the pretext of COVID-19. Mail-in voting differs from absentee ballots because it requires no action on the part of the voter. Instead, it pushes ballots out to registered voters no matter how inaccurate the voter rolls are.

Commentator Tim Pool did a summary of some of the glaring issues with mail-in voting. Everything from a dead cat receiving a voter registration application to fraud prosecuted by the DOJ:

A Disaster in the Making

Now there is an example of how disastrous a statewide or national election could be if mail-in voting is utilized at scale. At a minimum, it will delay results. Worst-case scenario, mail-in voting will cause widespread mistrust in the outcome of an election. Democrats know this and don’t care, even when it affects a primary for their own party.

In a June congressional primary in Queens, N.Y., nearly 20 percent of voters may have their ballots thrown out due to technical issues. From The Intercept:

As part of the effort to mitigate the exploding pandemic in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed voters toward casting their ballots by mail, which New Yorkers did in record numbers. But while hundreds of thousands of ballots were cast, there has been significantly less energy invested in counting those votes. The election was held on June 23, but more than three weeks later the state is nowhere near a final tally and is disenfranchising an extraordinary number of voters along the way.

The fate of several critical elections hangs in the balance. Board of Election documents obtained by The Intercept show that in New York’s 12th Congressional District, which covers Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, 20 percent of mail-in ballots will be thrown out for a variety of reasons. The documents represent a “preliminary staff review” of ballots, and official decisions are ongoing.

According to the article, the primary reason ballots are being rejected is the lack of a postmark. This error is something the voter has no control over, yet it could cause their vote to be thrown out. The missing postmarks seem to be related to the fact that the return envelopes for ballots are postage-paid. Those envelopes are not typically postmarked.

Even though specific instructions were given to postmark ballots, many still fell through the cracks in some post offices or with particular clerks.

According to the article, 77,453 ballots were requested and 47,635 were returned. However, even some of those who requested ballots did not receive one.

https://pjmedia.com/election/stacey-lennox/2020/07/20/widespread-mail-in-voting-would-pour-gasoline-on-the-fires-already-raging-in-our-streets-n663239

Senate Transcripts: Joe Biden Quoted N-Word 13 Times in 1985 Hearings

The presumptive 2020 Democrat presidential nominee, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, used the N-word 13 times in a 1985 hearing series, U.S. Senate transcripts reveal.

Video of one such instance where Biden used the N-word twice when he was quoting someone else already surfaced late last month. The Senate hearing series during which Biden repeatedly used the offensive term was when he was questioning William Reynolds, then-President Ronald Reagan’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, when Reynolds was under consideration for a promotion to be associate attorney general. In particular, Biden was asking Reynolds about his role in providing clearance for a redistricting plan in Louisiana that courts later struck down.

A memo was submitted to Reynolds before he approved the redistricting plan that included a racist quote from someone described as a “key legislator” in defeating the alternative redistricting plan. According to this memo, that legislator, then-Republican Rep. Charles Emile Bruneau of New Orleans, allegedly said he opposed the left’s desired redistricting plan for Louisiana in starkly racial terms. We already have a n* mayor (in New Orleans), and we don’t need another n*** bigshot,” Bruneau was quoted in that document as saying.

In his line of questioning Reynolds in these 1985 hearings—which stretched over multiple days—Biden repeatedly brought up this exact quote and kept using the N-word. In fact, U.S. Senate transcripts from the time demonstrate that Biden used it a grand total of 13 times.

The first instance occurred during the morning of June 4, 1985, when Biden first used the term twice. A later instance, from the next day, June 5, has already had widely circulating video of Biden reciting the derogatory term from the quote twice. While some people circulating the video left out the context that includes proof Biden was not using the N-word himself but quoting someone else saying it, the mere question as to if that is even acceptable has dogged politicians for some time. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, for instance, faced questions last year over his use of the word in a book in the late 1990s, especially from leftists and Democrats on Twitter:

”They were given ‘niggers’ to hate and look down on, ‘niggers’ who couldn’t vote, drink at their water fountains…” I get what @BernieSanders was writing about white Southern workers, but he didn’t need to go full Tarantino. Or be defensive about it now. https://t.co/xRC46I2qbU

— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) September 7, 2019

Hey white people?

Stop saying ‘nigger’. Unless you are directly quoting someone, do not say that word. EVER.

Briahna Joy Gray’s attempted defense of Bernie Sanders’ use of that word is such an embarrassment. Jesus Christ.

What is even happening.

— Imani Gandy ☄️🌏🔥 (@AngryBlackLady) September 7, 2019

Let me just explain where we are right now.

I have had Bernie stans in my mentions for 3 days explaining how it’s ok that he used the word nigger in 1997, and then again in 2015 when he reprinted the book and released an audio version.

That’s where we are. So we’re all clear.

— Imani Gandy ☄️🌏🔥 (@AngryBlackLady) September 9, 2019

Ridiculous defense. Sanders wasn't critiquing racism – he was excusing it in the pursuit of an economic argument. And the use of the N word was gratuitous, and wildly unecessary. He was quoting no one. https://t.co/fhbCl98Z2e

— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) September 7, 2019

In fact, MSNBC’s Joy Reid—who on Monday evening takes over the primetime slot that former anchor Chris Matthews vacated—has repeatedly argued publicly that it is never acceptable for white men to use the N-word even when quoting someone else. Biden will appear on Reid’s new primetime program, The ReidOut, at 7:00 p.m. on Monday night—and it is unclear if she will ask him about this. Biden’s campaign has not responded to requests for comment from Breitbart News about these instances of his repeated use of the N-word in U.S. Senate hearings. But Reid has called out other politicians, including former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), when they have used it and has a long history of being opposed to any white people using it in any context, even if quoting someone else:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/07/20/senate-transcripts-joe-biden-quoted-n-word-13-times-1985-hearings/

>>10025536

Wonder how many times he'll use the phrase 'baseless conspiracy theory'

Florida's Broward County Orders Residents To Enforce Mandatory Mask Rules At Home: Virus Updates

Summary:

Texas numbers hit

Broward County makes mask mandatory.

Gov Newsom expected to announce that more businesses can operate outdoors

California cases climb by less than 7-day average

Controversy over 'Pandemic Pods' flares

NJ Gov says schools will reopen in September

Houston ICU census hits 2-week low

Arizona cases fall for 3rd day

Florida deaths top 5,000

NYC begins Phase 4 reopening

Cuomo warns about risks to reopening as NYC enters Phase 4

Stocks turn red despite Oxford-AZ vaccine data

Scientists warn of 2nd wave in Sweden as COVID-19 deaths dwindle

India suffers 40k+ new COVID cases in new record

Global death toll tops 600k

Cases top 14.5 million

China reports 16 new cases

Victoria outbreak could take "weeks" to subside

Pfizer reports incremental vaccine results

Tokyo confirms 168 new infections

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/indias-daily-covid-19-tally-tops-40k-1st-time-worst-hit-us-states-see-promising

Report: Ghislaine Maxwell Believes Jeffrey Epstein Was Murdered, Fears She’s Next

Ghislaine Maxwell believes her former boss Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in his New York City prison cell and fears she will also be killed, a family friend of the alleged madame told The Sun.

The Sun reports:

A family friend told The Sun On Sunday Maxwell, 58, fears she will be bumped off inside the brutal New York jail which warders describe as a “hellhole”.

Another source said: “It’s the same as Guantanamo Bay — lights on, noise and constant interruption of sleep”.

[…]

Maxwell’s friend said: “Everyone’s view including Ghislaine’s is Epstein was murdered. She received death threats before she was arrested.”

The report comes after a judge denied bail for Maxwell last Tuesday, ruling that she is a flight risk and may try to flee the country instead of facing charges for allegedly recruiting young girls for Epstein to engage in sexual acts with.

U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan said even the most restrictive form of release would be insufficient to ensure Maxwell would not flee, particularly now that she knows a conviction could result in up to 35 years in prison.

As the judge explained her reasoning for denying bail, Maxwell dropped her head repeatedly, appearing dejected. At one point, she appeared to wipe a tear from underneath one eye as she sat alone in a room at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where she has been housed since last week.

Maxwell, 58, has been held without bail since her July 2 arrest at her million-dollar New Hampshire estate, where prosecutors say she refused to open the door for FBI agents, who busted through to find her in an interior room.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/07/20/report-ghislaine-maxwell-believes-jeffrey-epstein-was-murdered-fears-shes-next/

Stage setting for bail application 2.0

Dr. Anthony Fauci Praises New York’s Coronavirus Response: They Did It ‘Correctly’

Dr. Anthony Fauci last week praised New York for its response to the Chinese coronavirus, asserting that the state responded “correctly,” despite having the highest number of cases and fatalities in the United States.

Speaking to PBS NewsHour, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases praised New York for its response to the virus, suggesting that states with surging cases look to the Empire State as a guide.

“Again, we have a problem. We need to admit it and own it. But we have got to do the things that are very clear that we need to do to turn this around, remembering we can do it,” Fauci told anchor Judy Woodruff.

“We know that, when you do it properly, you bring down those cases. We have done it. We have done it in New York. New York got hit worse than any place in the world. And they did it correctly by doing the things that you’re talking about,” he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D-NY) administration came under fire early on over its initial handling of the virus, particularly over the order directing nursing homes to accept recovering coronavirus patients. That decision led to thousands of deaths within nursing homes across the state.

Despite Cuomo’s stringent restrictions, it still boasts the highest number of cases in the country, reporting 411,515 total cases and 32,187 deaths as of Monday morning, according to the New York Times’ rolling tally. While it is true that the cases are no longer on the rise and the positivity rate remains low in New York, the state still comprises 23 percent of the United State’s total coronavirus-related fatalities.

All eyes have switched to Florida in recent weeks, which has seen the addition of thousands of cases consistently per day. Fauci has criticized the Sunshine State, telling FiveThirtyEight’s Podcast-19 that some states “just opened up too quickly.”

“Certainly Florida I know, you know, I think jumped over a couple of checkpoints,” Fauci said.

Despite the rising number of cases and increasing critiques, the fatality rate has not followed suit in Florida, dropping to 1.4 percent as of Monday.

While critics have observed that Fauci and President Donald Trump appear to be at odds on several points, both have denied tension. Fauci told PBS NewsHour that he believes he has the full backing of the president and White House.

“We’re all on the same team, including Dr. Fauci,” Trump said last week. “I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci and we’re all on the same team. We want to get rid of this mess that China sent us.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/07/20/dr-anthony-fauci-praises-new-yorks-coronavirus-response-they-did-it-correctly/

AG Barr decries ‘lawless, evil action’ after shooting attack of federal judge's son, husband

The shooting occurred at the North Brunswick, N.J., home of Judge Esther Salas

Attorney General Bill Barr on Monday decried the “lawless, evil” shooting that led to the death of a federal judge's son and injury of her husband, and said he’d ordered an FBI investigation.

“On behalf of the entire Justice Department, I send my deepest condolences to Judge (Esther) Salas and her family on the death of their son and wish her husband a swift and complete recovery,” Barr said in a statement. “This kind of lawless, evil action carried out against a member of the federal judiciary will not be tolerated, and I have ordered the full resources of the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service to investigate the matter.”

On Sunday, a gunman believed to be wearing a FedEx driver’s uniform killed the son and wounded the husband of Salas, a federal judge linked to high-profile cases involving Jeffrey Epstein, a "Real Housewives of New Jersey" couple and gangs, according to authorities.

The shooting occurred at Salas' North Brunswick, N.J., home around 5 p.m. on Sunday. Her 20-year-old son, college student Daniel Anderl, was fatally wounded by gunfire, and her husband, defense lawyer Mark Anderl, 63, was injured. Salas was in the basement of her home at the time and was not injured.

The gunman fled in a car, officials said.

On Monday a man possibly involved in the fatal shooting was found dead in New York’s Sullivan County.

The man, an attorney from New York City, is being investigated in connection with the shooting, a law enforcement official and a judiciary official told the Associated Press. The man had appeared before the judge in the past, the officials said.

Trooper Steven Nevel, a spokesperson for New York State Police's Troop F, told Fox News the FBI was on the scene in the town of Rockland to determine if the body found there was linked to the shooting at Salas’ home.

The man was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, law enforcement officials said. Additional information was not immediately available.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/barr-new-jersey-shooting-judge-son-husband

>>10025653

Barr is a cover up artist, he did this repeatedly during his Bush years

Damascus targeted in missile strike, Syrian state media blames Israel

Syrian air defenses have engaged incoming “hostile targets” in the capital city of Damascus, state media reported. Footage circulating online shows explosions in the skies above the city.

Damascus came under an apparent missile strike late on Monday. Sirens were heard across the city, while air defense systems intercepted incoming projectiles.

The missiles flew from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights region, Syrian state media reported, pinning the blame for the attack on Tel Aviv.

Several videos from the scene show projectiles streaking through the sky. Footage suggests that the Syrian military scored at least one hit on the targets.

No information on potential casualties and damage on the ground has emerged so far.

Syria’s capital city, as well as other locations across the country, routinely come under mysterious missile strikes. While the Syrian government attributes such attacks to Israel, Tel Aviv rarely comments on its involvement.

In a rare exception, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu last year openly bragged about his military carrying out “hundreds” of air strikes on the Syrian territory, citing the need to prevent Iran from entrenching there. Syria hosts a number of Iranian military advisers, who have been invited by Damascus to help the country in its fight against international terrorism.

https://www.rt.com/news/495332-syrian-army-hostile-targets-damascus/

Portland Rioters Break Through Barricade At Courthouse, Trap People Inside, Light Fires

In what seems like perpetual “protests” that turn into riots, the antifa terrorists in Portland Sunday night tore down the large fence barricade that was erected around the Hatfield federal courthouse, then used parts of it to barricade the walls and doors to trap people inside, while at the same time setting a fire on the steps.

Jorge Ventura from Daily Caller was on the ground and has this footage:

Pro antifa terrorism videorapher Robert Evans has been out nearly every night covering the chaos. Here are some shots of the scene from view:

All the while the wackjob elected leaders in the Portland area, such as “mayor” ted wheeler and US Senator jeff merkley (intentional lower case), refuse to condemn the riotous acts committed by the terrorists, and instead complain that it’s the federal officers who are inciting and escalating the situation.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/07/portland-rioters-break-barricade-courthouse-trap-people-inside-light-fires-video/

>>10025472

ISRAEL gets a pass again baker

Twitter Eviscerates Trump’s Hypocrisy After Firing Off ‘Patriotic’ Pro-Mask Tweet

Twitter users chewed out US President Donald Trump on Monday for a post claiming wearing a face mask is “patriotic” after months of slamming the sanitary precaution, which health officials say can stem the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Trump’s poll numbers are falling, and COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing.

“We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance,” Trump said in a Monday tweet showing him wearing a mask. “There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President!”

We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President! pic.twitter.com/iQOd1whktN

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2020

​Since April, health officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the surgeon general have urged the wearing of face masks in public places, revising an earlier policy which had recommended masks only for medical workers and people who were confirmed to have COVID-19. Whether manufactured surgical masks or home-fashioned fabric ones, a barrier over the mouth and nose has been shown to effectively slow the spread of COVID-19, especially in conjunction with social distancing.

However, Trump’s calls have fallen totally flat on the politicos roaming the depths of Twitter, who remember that Trump has belittled reporters and pushed criticism of his election rival, former US Vice President Joe Biden, for wearing a mask. Trump himself was only seen for the first time wearing a face mask in public barely a week ago.

107 days after Biden encourages people to wear face masks, Trump finally admits that Joe Biden was right!

— Mrs. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) July 20, 2020​

It took three months for you to wear a mask in public after your own CDC recommended it.

You're not leading, you're failing. And it's costing lives.

— DNC War Room (@DNCWarRoom) July 20, 2020​

Moment captured of the actual engineering of this tweet. pic.twitter.com/2Vbz5qUDvf

— Czechano (@Czechano1) July 20, 2020

​Some pointed to the surging US cases of COVID-19 in connection with Trump’s past disdain for masks. According to CDC data, for the last 19 days, the US has recorded more new daily infections than the highest one-day total during the first pandemic wave, with 465,000 new cases in just the last seven days. In all, more than 140,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

How many thousands of people died unnecessarily because they refused to wear masks in the 4.5 months that you kept telling people not to wear masks? https://t.co/GMStVA4GSY

— Bruce Bartlett (@BruceBartlett) July 20, 2020​

He's saying this now because there have been massive spikes in red states and his election fortunes is tied to it.

— Chidi®️ (@ChidiNwatu) July 20, 2020

​Others noted Trump’s poll numbers were slipping, too: a new survey published by ABC and the Washington Post shows the Democratic candidate Biden with a 15% lead over the president.

The power of negative poll numbers: https://t.co/wJvvnuBkbf

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) July 20, 2020

​However, Chen Weihua, a bureau chief for Beijing’s China Daily newspaper, took aim at Trump’s use of the term “China virus” to refer to the novel coronavirus. Chen dropped a laconic “racist” at the president and quipped COVID-19 should really be called the “Trump virus” because of the huge US death toll caused by his policies, including refusing to wear a mask.

Racist

— Chen Weihua （陈卫华） (@chenweihua) July 20, 2020​

It is the Trump Virus that caused the death of 150,000 Americans.

— Chen Weihua （陈卫华） (@chenweihua) July 20, 2020

​“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else,” former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill once quipped. Trump, too, said he would eventually be right, one Twitterer noted.

Well he told Chris Wallace " I will eventually be right "

— Toolman927 (@Toolman9271) July 20, 2020

​Maybe Americans should just be thankful Trump finally put on a mask, after months of letting the mask slip.

https://sputniknews.com/viral/202007201079939709-twitter-eviscerates-trumps-hypocrisy-after-firing-off-patriotic-pro-mask-tweet/