The advancement of the internet in South Korea has brought some advantages as well as social issues. Internet addiction has been a concern in the country, and the government is helping to solve the issue with some programs, including rehabilitation camps.
Legal & Regulatory
Uninsured Young Adults Get Bigger Fines, Doubled From Last Year
With the increase of the penalty for uninsured people that will soon be applied, young adults are having a hard time to choose between the high cost of insurance or the bigger fines for not having premiums. The fine amount is now doubled compared to the one in 2015. This is an effort by the administration to encourage people to get health coverage.
New Mexico sues Volkswagen over violation of clean-air state laws and trade malpractices
New Mexico has become the first US state to sue the German automaker, Volkswagen, for breaching the Clean Air Act with huge levels of emissions as well as for trade malpractices. The allegation is the company sold as many as 4000-10000 faulty models whose nitrogen-oxide emissions exceeded the limits by 40%, which could cost VW almost $20 billion in fines.
Facebook India: Free Basics Internet Program Still Struggles Against India Regulators
The program aims to provide limited internet access to users, but the concept has raised concerns regarding internet neutrality. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has asked Facebook to discontinue the service until they provide more information on the program as requested. Facebook has responded with a campaign, but the program's ban has not yet be lifted.
Malaysian Prime Minister cleared of corruption as the fund received is a 'gift' from Saudi royal family
Najib Razak has been cleared of corruption case of over $681 million as the money is a 'gift' from Saudi royal family. According to the Attorney General Apandi Ali, the sum in prime minister’s personal bank account has no link to troubled state fund 1MDB.
Latest News
HMRC has been conducting multiyear investigation to unearth Google’s tax dodging events. Though denied earlier, a Google spokesperson has narrated a deal with the Britain’s tax authority to pay taxes of £130 million due for over a decade. The deal is significant since many countries around the globe are conducting scrutiny to ascertain dodged tax amounts of Google and other multinationals. Investigations in accordance with OECD guidelines may also help France to establish its claim for $1 billion as unpaid taxes.
cloudControl, German owning entity of dotCloud, has filed for bankruptcy this week. To facilitate operation for the European brand, it has decided to shut down the operation of dotCloud. The PaaS has sent mails to its users regretting its failure to continue service and expresses gratitude for keeping trust on the brand. The startup that has once independently backed Silicon Valley’s prominent startup, Y Combinator, is going to end its path on February 29.
The timeframe to this plan is still unknown, but the central bank claims that the process has been going on since 2014. China has stated some benefits for having a digital currency in their financial system, including transparency, digital track-recording, as well as reducing transaction costs. Bitcoin, a global digital currency, gained popularity in China in 2013 but has also brought some controversies about the risks.
In an Oracle court proceedings against Google, it was revealed that the search engine company could be paying Apple at least $1 billion in revenue-shares. The payment was made to keep Google's search bar on Apple devices. A source named the sharing percentage for Apple to be 34 percent, but it's yet to be officially confirmed nor denied.
Pennsylvanian small-animal dealer Holmes Chinchilla Ranch and Other Small Animals Inc is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture over substandard conditions of facilities.
Tesla Motors Inc. sued German parts supplier Hoerbiger Automotive Comfort Systems for failing to deliver the promised falcon door for the Model X based on the carmaker’s standard.
The new regulation is being established initiated by the San Bernardino shooting in California that killed 14 people and left 22 wounded. It has drawn many concern and dismay among European citizens, especially those with the dual nationalities as mentioned. Europe could also reciprocate, restricting American with the same duality to enter Europe.
The move to legalize online poker started six months ago and a few changes have been seen since then. The legalization is expected to stop illegal online gambling that has been going on in the country since the activity was banned, and in turn, could also increase tax revenues for Russia. The rest of terms and time measures on this remain unknown.
The survey revealed that one of the top concerns defining most U.S companies' tough times doing business in China is uncertain regulations that they perceived as unwelcoming to foreign companies. The slowing of China's economic growth also remains a concern, along with rising labor costs, censorship, and air pollution. However, China is still most foreign countries' investment priority among other markets.
