THE WORLD'S HOT NEWS ON MARCH 3RD, 2015

IN THE NEWS TODAY ON MARCH 3RD, 2015

The Nasdaq comes off its first close over 5,000 in nearly 15 years, sparking both optimism and worry on Wall Street. Many investors still remember the Nasdaq bubble bursting and a tumble down to the 1,114 level, but others point to more realistic valuations and actual revenue and profit among the companies involved. Though they did not get nearly as much attention as Nasdaq 5,000, the Dow and S&P 500 closed Monday at all-time highs. A Spanish official said Europe is considering a third bailout for Greece, but the European Union denied that claim and insisted it has not held talks on the matter. Spain's Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said such a bailout would set more flexible conditions for Greece. Springleaf Holdings is near a deal to buy Citigroup's OneMain Financial Unit for about $4.25 billion , according to the Wall Street Journal. The deal would make Springleaf the largest subprime lender in the United States. (MarketWatch) Taiwan said Alibaba violated investment rules for Chinese companies andmust withdraw or transfer its holdings from the country within six month. Alibaba said it will work with authorities to come into compliance and insisted regulators reclassified it as a mainland country following its IPO. (Reuters) Chinese handset maker Xiaomi announced it is entering the action camera market currently dominated by GoPro. On Monday, Xiaomi introduced the Yi Action Camera, which will retail for 399 yuan, or $64. (CNBC) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed the rift between telecoms and tech companies at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona on Monday, saying apps like WhatsApp may displace traditional carrier services but also drive up data usage. (CNBC) BlackBerry (BBRY) plans to release four new phones this year, including a touchscreen model called the Leap, a keyboard handset, and a curved-screen device with a slide-out keyboard. The 5-inch Leap will cost $275 unlocked and target the "career-builder," BlackBerry's Ron Louks said. (Re/code) Apple and Google could soon put an anti-poaching lawsuit behind them. A judge on Monday set a hearing to decide on a $415 million settlement after rejecting a $324 million agreement last year. Employees allege Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe suppressed wages by agreeing not to poach staff from one another. (Reuters) Five victims of accidents related to General Motors' faulty ignition switches have rejected settlement offers from the automaker. Those who do so retain the right to take GM to court. (CNBC) Popular dating app Tinder is seeking to drum up cash with a new premium service. Tinder Plus launched on Monday and gives users more options-including the ability to reverse a decision to accept or reject a potential date-for $9.99 a month. (CNBC) Two storms are forecast to move through the east in the next 48 hours, putting 134 million people under some type of winter weather warning. Blizzard advisories have been issued for Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. (NBC News)