News in Brief
Bitcoin falls to lowest level since March
CNBC – Bitcoin traded at its lowest level since mid-March on Friday as volatility, driven by low liquidity, continued to hit cryptocurrency markets.
Bitcoin was trading at $26,312.23 at around 5:09 a.m. ET, after dipping below the $27,000 mark on Thursday. That’s its lowest level since March 17.
Ether, the second-largest digital currency by market capitalization, also fell on Friday.
Japan selects zones for offshore wind farms
REUTERS – The Japanese government said on Friday it has chosen five sites off the coast of Hokkaido as “promising zones” for developing offshore wind farms, marking the second stage in a three-part selection process.
The move comes as Japan looks to accelerate development of renewable power to achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
No more cuts expected at OPEC+ June meeting
REUTERS – Iraq does not expect OPEC+ to make further cuts to oil output at its next meeting in June, its oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani said, in the first indication from an OPEC minister about a potential decision as oil prices slide.
“At the next meeting, which will be held on the 3rd and 4th (of June), there will be no additional reduction, and as for Iraq, we cannot reduce further,” Abdel-Ghani said in an interview, his first to foreign media since taking office last year.