Rio Tinto Says Q3 production falls on planned maintenance and safety pauses www.mining.com

Oct 16 (Reuters) – Global miner Rio Tinto Ltd said its third-quarter iron ore shipments fell about 5 percent, hurt by planned maintenance and safety pauses across all operations following a fatality.

Australian firm acquires Centerra Gold assets in Mongolia www.zgm.mn

Brisbane-based Australian firm OZD Capital has announced that the company is investing in Mongolia through its subsidiary OZD Asia PTE Ltd. In other words, the company is investing in Mongolia’s mining projects by acquiring Centerra Netherlands and Centerra Gold Mongolia LLC, which is the 100 percent direct shareholder of Boroo Gold LLC. OZD Capital is the parent company of OZD Asia PTE and focuses on emerging markets, specifically in mining and metal assets by financing and operating them. The company is largely owned by Australian, Singaporean and Mongolian stakeholders.

Russian Defense Minister to pay official visit to Mongolia www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, Army General S.Shoigu will pay an official visit to Mongolia on October 18 at the invitation of his Mongolian counterpart N.Enkhbold.

North Korea strengthens ties with Mongolia www.koreatimes.co.kr

North Korea is strengthening its ties with Mongolia, with Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga's inviting Chairman Kim Jong-un to visit the country to mark the 70th anniversary of North Korea-Mongolia diplomatic relations.

Azerbaijan sent an export mission to Mongolia www.azernews.az

An export mission to Mongolia will be organized through the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), an informed source told Trend on October 12.

The source noted that the export mission, which includes representatives of about 20 major Azerbaijani companies, will visit Ulan Bator.

“During the visit of the delegation, the Azerbaijan-Mongolia business forum will be organized at the beginning of the coming week. he meetings with officials of this country, as well as B2B meetings between representatives of business structures of the two countries will be held,” the source said.

The parties will discuss the issues of expanding cooperation between entrepreneurs of Azerbaijan and Mongolia and the possibility of exporting Azerbaijani products to this country.

The export missions play an important role in expanding non-oil exports and promoting the domestic made products. To date, Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) has organized 13 export missions to 10 foreign countries-Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Hungary, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.

Exhibitions, organized by the state bring excellent results. National entrepreneurs took part in different international exhibitions-Gulfood 2017, Prowein, ANUGA, Worldfood Moscow 2017 and the International Exhibition of Wines and Alcoholic Beverages in Hong Kong to promote the brand.

President Ilham Aliyev signed the decree on large-scale promotion of local non-oil products in foreign markets as “Made in Azerbaijan” on October 5, 2016.

This decree includes nine different support mechanisms to stimulate exports and promote “Made in Azerbaijan” abroad. Depending on the support mechanisms, the costs relating to their realization are fully or partially covered by the state budget.

Promotion of the “Made in Azerbaijan” brand on foreign markets became one of the priorities of the country’s foreign economic policy.

In January 2018, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on amending the procedure for determining and regulating the payment mechanism for part of the expenses paid from the state budget for organizing export missions to foreign countries, studying foreign markets and marketing activities, promoting the “Made in Azerbaijan” brand to foreign markets, the receipt by local companies of certificates and patents in foreign countries in connection with exports, research programs and export development projects.

According to the decree, this year the number of export missions that can be organized with the participation of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs in one calendar year has been increased from 10 to 25. Also, the number of international fairs and exhibitions, where a national stand can be presented with the participation of Azerbaijani businessmen was increased from five to ten.

Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Mongolia were established in 1992. Relations and cooperation between two countries are expanding not only at the bilateral, but also at the international and regional levels.

Deputy PM calls for stronger Vietnam-Mongolia ties across multiple fields www.vietnamplus.vn

Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh received Mongolian Minister of Justice and Home Affairs Tsend Nyamdorj, who is on a working visit to Vietnam, in Hanoi on October 15.

Noting the recent strides in the two countries’ traditional friendship and cooperation, Deputy PM Binh said that during the Mongolian official’s trip, the two sides will sign an agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons and negotiate another on extradition. He expressed his hope that both will finalise negotiations soon so as to sign the extradition deal in the near future.

He also called for stronger cooperation in security, defence, and the defence industry, while encouraging the speeding up of talks on and the signing of an agreement on the protection and exchange of classified information.

The host reiterated Vietnam’s foreign policy of enhancing bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as reinforcing the friendship and win-win cooperation with traditional friends, including Mongolia. He also expressed the country’s wish to tap into their time-tested friendship and cooperation potential so as to serve each side’s development and contribute to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.

The Deputy PM asked both countries to strengthen political trust through high-level visits and meetings as well as delegation exchanges between ministries and sectors to boost collaboration in all spheres.

They should also boost the sharing of information and experience in crime fighting; cooperate in enhancing the capacity of law enforcement; and actively work together to soon sign an agreement on classified information protection and exchange and another on extradition, he said, asking Mongolia to admit Vietnamese officers to training courses within the framework of the Khaan Quest exercise.

At the meeting, Binh noted that while economic and trade ties have recorded encouraging improvements, they still remain modest. He asked the two sides to promote economic-trade links on par with the sound political relations, in particular by importing goods their partner holds strengths in and creating optimal conditions for each other’s enterprises to make investments and do business.

[Infographics: Vietnam-Mongolia economic cooperation]

He also called on Mongolia to facilitate Vietnamese companies’ formation of joint ventures and investment in both wool and leather production, and mineral and petroleum mining.

People-to-people exchange – especially in terms of cultural, educational, and sports activities – should be increased as the two countries mark 65 years of diplomatic ties in 2019, he added, asking Mongolia to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese people in the country. He also said Vietnam is ready to send high-quality workers and experts to work in fields that Mongolia has demand in.

At the event, Deputy PM Binh urged the two countries to foster coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums, including the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movements, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), as well as in global issues of shared concern.

He also thanked Mongolia for supporting Vietnam’s candidacy for a non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, as well as in Vietnam and ASEAN’s stance on maintaining peace, security, stability, and the settlement of East Sea disputes in line with international law.

For his part, Minister Tsend Nyamdorj stated that the two sides are negotiating the extradition agreement and agreed to sign this deal soon. The countries will celebrate 65 years of their diplomatic ties in 2019, so they will be paying close attention to activities marking this anniversary.

He added that Vietnam’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Public Security have enhanced cooperation with the Mongolian Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs to bring bilateral relations to a new height.

His country wishes to continue to solidify these connections, especially in mutual legal assistance to create a favourable legal environment for the two countries’ citizens.–VNA

Mongolian National Olympic Committee host inaugural Beach Sports and Art Games www.insidethegames.biz

The Mongolian National Olympic Committee organised the inaugural Beach Sports and Art Games in the country.

On and off wind and solar power pushing coal plants to the brink www.mining.com

(Bloomberg) — The Gentleman coal plant was once the linchpin of Nebraska’s electricity grid, its twin smokestacks visible for miles across the prairie. Now, the state’s biggest power source is routinely pushed aside to make room for more wind and solar energy.

Operators ramp it down and then bring it back up again, often daily. That’s not how coal-fired power plants are supposed to be used — they respond more like oil tankers than speed boats — and the stress is taking a toll on the aging equipment.

The shift comes as a response to cheap natural gas and the growing use of wind and solar. All that intermittent power is forcing power providers to change the way they manage their fleets, and coal plants that were built to operate around the clock are now sometimes relegated to supplying power when the wind fades or the sun goes down.

“These plants were designed to run at, or near, full capacity,” Mick Spencer, a plant manager for Nebraska Public Power District, which operates the Gerald Gentleman Station near Sutherland, Nebraska. “We aren’t doing that much anymore.”

The Gentleman plant has 1,365 megawatts of capacity and burns as much as 800 tons of coal an hour when running at full strength. That’s not as common as it used to be. Its average daily output has only exceeded 1,300 megawatts 44 times since the beginning of the year, according to Nebraska Public Power District.

The facility is almost four decades old, and the swings in output can tax the equipment, Spencer said. The state-owned utility is seeking to minimize the impact, including replacing parts more frequently and scheduling inspections more often.

It’s either that or shut down for good. Almost 40 percent of the U.S. coal fleet has been shuttered or targeted for closure since 2010, either because they’re no longer profitable to run or require significant investments to meet environmental rules, according to the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a trade-group that represents utilities and mining companies.

“It’s very difficult for coal to compete in states like Nebraska and Iowa and North Dakota, where wind energy can reach over 50 percent of supplies,” said Todd Hagist, an analyst at Genscape. “This trend is spreading and it’s permanent. Wind isn’t going away.”

General Electric Co., which provides coal-power equipment around the world, is seeing more customers operating the facilities in new ways, according to Michael Keroulle, chief commercial officer for GE’s steam power unit. These companies typically are looking for ways to maximize revenue, as cheaper alternatives mean coal power often isn’t competitive during parts of the day. In some cases, they’re choosing to run the plants “closer to their limits,” he said.“It’s a big deal and a growing theme over the past three or four years.”

AES Corp., which provides power in 15 countries, is also adjusting the way it operates coal power. “It’s more difficult on the plant,” said Chief Executive Officer Andres Gluski, who estimates that ramping a facility’s output up and down can could take a decade off its useful life.

Utility giant American Electric Power Co., once the largest U.S. coal consumer, has throttled back on some coal plants it still operates, and plans to gradually replace them with a combination of solar, wind and other energy sources, said Mark McCullough, executive vice president of generation at AEP. Many facilities that “used to run flat out” now operate closer to 50 percent.

Increasing and decreasing output more frequently “does add a bit to wearing things down,” he said. “You’re moving valves and parts more than you did. You have to be aware of the long-term impact” of changing temperatures on steel.

Facebook tool makes UK political ads 'transparent' www.bbc.com

From today, if you want to advertise a political cause on Facebook in the UK, you'll have to obey new rules. You will need to prove your identity and location to the company, and each ad will carry a message saying who paid for it.

There will also be an online archive, showing all of your previous ads, roughly how much you spent, and who they have reached. The archive can be searched by anyone, whether or not they are a Facebook member.

The new system has already been in operation in the US and Brazil.

Facebook was forced to act following controversy about ads it displayed during the 2016 US Presidential election campaign and the UK's EU referendum.

In the United States, thousands of ads were bought by Russian groups trying to sow discord. Facebook has been under pressure to make sure the same thing did not happen in the run-up to November's mid-term elections.

Facebook stops sending staff to help political campaigns
Vote Leave's targeted Brexit ads released by Facebook
Electoral Commission demands social media transparency
Facebook insists that Russian spending on ads during the Brexit campaign amounted to just £0.73, although the Department of Culture Media and Sport Select Committee was unhappy with the level of information provided by the company.

The first time anyone wants to place an advert that talks about any live political issue in the UK or promotes any candidate, they will go through a verification process to prove their identity and that they are based in the UK. They will have to provide a passport, a driving licence or a residence permit, and these will be checked by a third-party organisation.

Searching the archive, you come across examples of ads that have been placed without the "paid for by" label.

Facebook then shows this message: "After the ad started running, we determined that the ad was related to politics and issues of national importance and required the label. The ad was taken down."

The system allows users to report a political ad as fake news, and if Facebook determines that it does contain falsehoods, it can be taken down. Adverts that have broken the rules remain in the archive, so that you can check just how many people it reached while it was on the site.

In a blog about the new policy, Facebook says that in the US and Brazil it is pleased with the progress made so far. But the company admits that it will not cut out abuse entirely.

"We're up against smart and well-funded adversaries who change their tactics as we spot abuse," it says.

Last week, the social network removed more than 500 pages and 250 accounts it said were spamming users with what it called "sensational political content" to gain attention as the US's mid-terms approached.

Facebook suggested the motives behind the material were financial rather than political, designed to get users clicking on adverts.

The new rules will not necessarily show who has broken the UK's laws on election spending. The message that must be displayed on any ad will only show who paid Facebook for it, not where their money came from.

That, says Facebook, would be a matter for the Electoral Commission to investigate. In July, the commission found that the Brexit campaign group Vote Leave had broken the law by funneling money for Facebook ads through a youth group BeLeave.

Facebook says in future spending on adverts will be more visible.

"The goal is to make it transparent, so that people can see that - not after the fact, but while the campaigning is going on," says Rob Leathern, the executive in charge of the initiative.

In the US, the library has recorded over one million political ads since it launched in late May.

Spending in the UK will presumably be pretty low for the time being - unless there is a snap election. But when a vote comes, we can expect Facebook's ad archive to become an essential tool - not just for the electorate but for parties trying to work out what their opponents are up to.

Hunnu Air begins to operate between Ulan-Ude and Manzhouli www.news.mn

Hunnu Air, a Mongolian-based operator, launched its first air route not involving its home market on 11 October, beginning a twice-weekly (Thursdays and Sundays) service between Ulan-Ude (UUD) in Russia and Manzhouli (NZH) in China.