Foreign media headlines: South Korea considers closing Bitcoin exchanges, causing Bitcoin to plummet

Bitcoin plunged $1,000 on Thursday as South Korea considers shutting down Bitcoin exchanges

Bitcoin prices plunged on Thursday, with spot prices falling more than $1,000 to $1,430.74, or 9.3%, to $13,947.54 on the CoinDesk trading platform, reducing its market value to $234 billion. Just 11 days ago, the currency was trading at nearly $20,000, up more than 1,800% from the previous year, driven by a month-long buying frenzy. The bitcoin plunge came as the South Korean government proposed new legislation that could ban anonymous cryptocurrency accounts and shut down the country's bitcoin exchanges starting next month. The move is seen as an attempt by the government to further curb widespread speculation in the bitcoin market.

Reuters

Venezuelans protest pork shortages as Maduro blames Portugal

Hundreds of Venezuelans in the slums of Caracas took to the streets late at night to protest against the extreme shortage of pork supply, which made it difficult for people to eat pork even for the traditional Christmas dinner. Venezuelan President Maduro had previously promised to provide subsidies for daily necessities, but this has not been realized in many areas, and people's dissatisfaction has reached a peak. Maduro has another explanation for the shortage of pork supply. He believes that this is due to the "economic war" deliberately launched against him by some countries. He said in a speech on national television, "Why is there a shortage of pork supply? I can tell you the culprit of this situation - Portugal. We signed an agreement to buy pork from them, but they failed to fulfill it." Maduro did not give more details, but the Portuguese Foreign Minister said, "The Portuguese government certainly has no right to interfere in pork exports. We are a market economy country. It is the company, not the country, that is responsible for pork exports."

Apple faces another lawsuit in Paris for allegedly accelerating product aging

After admitting that the update slowed down the response speed of old iPhones, Apple has aroused the anger of Apple fans around the world. In addition to the United States and Israel, Apple recently faced another lawsuit in Paris, France. However, this time Apple is not alone. The Japanese printer giant Epson was also sued. The two companies were sued in court for allegedly accelerating the aging of their products to stimulate purchasing demand. The lawsuit was filed by a local French consumer rights protection organization called "HOP". According to French law, companies suspected of deliberately shortening the life of products to stimulate user purchasing demand may be fined up to 5% of the total product sales.

Financial Times

Global M&A transaction volume exceeds US$3 trillion for the fourth consecutive year

In 2017, global M&A transactions reached $3.5 trillion, exceeding $3 trillion for the fourth consecutive year, continuing the M&A boom in recent years. The United States remains the most active region for M&A transactions, with M&A transactions reaching $1.4 trillion in 2017. Although the M&A transaction value fell 16% from a year ago, the number of US M&A transactions reached last year climbed to 12,400, a record high, thanks to more small transactions with M&A values ​​below $1 billion. European M&A transactions increased 16% from last year to $856.3 billion. M&A transactions in the Asia-Pacific region reached $911.6 billion, an increase of 11% year-on-year, although China's overseas M&A scale did not reach a historical high.

CNBC

Apple and Amazon reportedly in talks with Saudi government over investment

Two people familiar with the matter said that Apple and Amazon are in talks with the Saudi Arabian government, hoping to invest locally. The two people familiar with the matter said that attracting investment from technology companies is also part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan to develop high-tech industries. Previously, Saudi Arabia was relatively conservative in attracting technology investment, and Salman tried to change this image. A third person familiar with the matter confirmed that Apple did contact the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). SAGIA is mainly responsible for foreign investment in Saudi Arabia. Currently, Apple and Amazon already sell their products in Saudi Arabia through third parties. In contrast, many other multinational technology companies have not entered the Saudi Arabian market.

Bloomberg

Italian president dissolves parliament for elections, may see hung parliament next year

Italian President Sergio Mattarella dissolved parliament on Thursday, setting up a national election on March 4 next year that could result in a hung parliament and a period of political turmoil. Italy is the eurozone's third-largest economy, but the country's economic recovery has lagged behind most of the eurozone, and Italy is likely to face a hung parliament after the election. Polls show the anti-establishment Five Star Movement ahead of Paolo Gentiloni's Democratic Party and a group of parties that could form a center-right coalition, including former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia. Potential political risks ahead have been priced into Italy's fixed-income asset markets in recent months. Italy's main stock index, the FTSE MIB, fell 0.4% on Thursday. The index has risen 15% this year.