21 killed in Iranian coal mine explosion www.nhk.or.jp

A gas explosion at a coal mine in northeastern Iran has left 21 miners dead. More than 30 are trapped.

Facebook nears two billion monthly users www.bbc.com

Facebook's profits have jumped in the first three months of the year, as the social network closes in on two billion users, according to its latest results.
The number of people using Facebook each month increased to 1.94 billion, of which nearly 1.3 billion use it daily, the company said.
The US tech giant reported profits of just over $3bn (£2.4bn) in the first quarter, a 76% rise year-on-year.
However, it warned that growth in ad revenues would slow down.
The company has also come under sustained pressure in recent weeks over its handling of hate speech, child abuse and self-harm on the social network.
On Wednesday, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced it was hiring 3,000 extra people to moderate content on the site.

Preliminary results reveal Kh.Battulga as DP’s presidential candidate www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Following their registration of 6 presumptive nominees for the upcoming Presidential Election on May 2, Democratic Party held an all-member poll nationwide on May 3, Wednesday, the preliminary result of which was disclosed last night that Battulga Khaltmaa was elected as the party’s presidential candidate.

Speaker of the Parliament M.Enkhbold to represent MPP in presidential election www.gogo.mn

VII meeting of Mongolian People`s Party (MPP) to select a presidential candidate is being held today at the Independence Palace, gathering its 259 members. 
The majority or 85.7 percent of the members voted for Speaker of the Parliament M.Enkhbold. 
Thus, M.Enkhbold announced as the MPP’s presidential candidate. He won over Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Ts.Nyamdorj. 
Members of MPP concluded that presidential candidate selection conducted open, fair and democratic. 
Currently, the members of MPP to discuss the platform for presidential election.

Mongolia's Steppe Road and China's Belt and Road initiatives to be harmonized www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ During its meeting held on May 2, yesterday, the Cabinet discussed and backed a draft memorandum of understanding between the Governments of Mongolia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on coordinating the initiatives ‘Steppe Road’ and ‘The Belt and Road’.

Road in route Tosontsengel and Uliastai to be built with Chinese soft loan www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ At its yesterday’s meeting, the cabinet approved a draft of revised Government resolution on projects to be implemented with a soft loan of USD500 million, granted from the Government of the People’s Republic of China to the Government of Mongolia.

'Khovd Thermal Power Station' company to be established www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The cabinet held its meeting yesterday, on May 02 and made a decision to establish ‘Khovd thermal power station’ company in charge of production, transfer and distribution of electricity and heating.

Mongolia and China to develop ecological, energy and research cooperation www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ On May 2, D.Regdel, Academician and President of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS) and Bai Chinli, professor and President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) signed a memorandum of cooperation at the Tuushin Hotel in Ulaanbaatar.

In the frames of the memorandum, the two sides will collaborate in studies of biotechnology, coal chemistry and technology, environment and desertification, materials science, nuclear physics, paleobiology and pollution in residential areas.

ШУА-ийн Ерөнхийлөгч, академич Д.Рэгдэл хэлэхдээ, “Энэ санамж бичгийг БНХАУ-ын шинжлэх ухаан, технологийн амжилт дэлхийг гайхуулж буй үе болон Монгол Улс эдийн засгийн хүндрэлтэй нөхцөлд байгуулж буйгаараа онцлогтой. БНХАУ-ын шинжлэх ухаан, техникийн боломжийг ашиглаад Монголын судлаачид Хятадын тэргүүлэх эрдэмтэдтэй хамтран Монголын газар нутгийг судлах, экологи, түлш эрчим хүчний асуудлыг шийдвэрлэхэд хариулт өгөх юм

Өмнөх санамж бичиг байгуулснаас хойших 18 жилийн хугацаанд нэлээн амжилт олсон. 2019 онд хоёр улсын хооронд дипломат харилцаа тогтоосны 70 жилийн ой гэхэд эхний үр дүн гарах болов уу. Өнгөрсөн хугацаанд хоёр орны эрдэмтдийн хувьд туршлага бий болсон. Үүндээ үндэслээд илүү хурдтай ажиллана.

D.Regdel said that “This memorandum is being established during the current period of scientific and technological achievement of China is to well known in the world and Mongolia is facing economic challenges in recent years. Mongolian researchers have opportunities to use scientific and technological success of China, cooperate with Chinese leading scientists in order to seek for ways to solve challenges of energy and ecology and to study Mongolian territories. We have achieved more success since the establishment of the first memorandum of cooperation between Mongolia and China in the last 18 years”.

He believes that first result of the memorandum will be seen within in 2019, the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In the last decade, the two countries’ scientists have had many experiences based on which they can more actively work in the future.

Moreover, he continued that “The President of CAS told us that Chinese side is ready to finance large projects of cooperation in Mongolia. Today, we met with the Speaker and the Prime Minister of Mongolia and they expressed their opinions to provide all types of supports such as financing and organization. According to an action plan of the Mongolian People’s Party, the political party in power has a plan to increase expenditure of scientific and technological actions of Mongolia by five times until 2020”. All of those work and actions to be joined for becoming effective measures that believes D.Regdel.

The Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have been cooperating in the scope of the scientific cooperation agreement in 1991, protocols and memorandums of cooperation in 1991 and in 1999. 
B.Oyundelger

Mongolia to revise new law after IMF postpones bailout www.asia.nikkei.com

ULAANBAATAR -- Following last Friday's postponement of a much-needed bailout from the International Monetary Fund, the Mongolian government on Tuesday moved to assure the fund that it was ready to make adjustments to a controversial new regulation.

The IMF board decided to delay voting on the loan due to concerns over new rules in Mongolia's 2017 budget requiring foreign companies operating in the landlocked central Asian country to bank with local institutions.

According to the Mongolian ministry of finance, Rio Tinto, the biggest investor in the country and 56% owner of the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine which is 34% owned by the government, filed a complaint to the IMF. It objected to the recent budget which, as well as introducing tax increases and other changes ostensibly to meet the IMF's bailout conditions, also required foreign investors to use Mongolian commercial bank accounts for sales transactions.

Khayankhyarvaa Damdin, head of the ruling Mongolian People Party's parliamentary caucus, said: "Without the grant from the IMF Mongolia can't move forward ... [The MPP] has decided that we will change the new regulation again. Because the economy is in a dire state, Mongolia first needs to be part of the grant, after that we will discuss whether foreign investment should go through a Mongolian bank."

Mongolia was expecting to receive $440 million from the IMF after its board members met last Friday. Following approval of the loan, Mongolia will also be able to get an additional $5 billion from IMF partners including Japan, South Korea, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank over the next 10 years in order to tackle the country's budget deficit and debt crisis.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the IMF's local representative Neil Saker said: "The IMF will approve Mongolia's loan in the next two to three weeks. The IMF is unable to comment on the Mongolian government's agreement with a certain company." He said the IMF was proceeding with caution because of the effect of the recent regulation on the country's foreign investment environment. "Mongolia must provide a friendly environment for foreign investment which is good for economic growth," he said.

IMF representative Neil Saker told reporters Tuesday that his institution expects to approve its planned loan for Mongolia within three weeks. (Photo by Odbayar Urkhensuren)
Rio Tinto currently uses Mongolian bank accounts only to pay local employees' salaries and local taxes. The miner spent $6.4 billion on open-pit mining at Oyu Tolgoi between 2009 to 2013, contributing to the country's 17% economic growth over that period. But a commodities slump has hit the mining-reliant country.

Rio Tinto told the IMF and Mongolia's finance ministry that it would only use banks with at least AA rating from international agencies such as Moody's and Fitch. No Mongolian bank falls into this category. It highest-rated bank is Japanese-owned Khan Bank, with a rating of Caa1 from Moody's and B- from Fitch.

Rio Tinto representatives at its local office declined to answer questions from the Nikkei Asian Review.

The lawmakers who proposed the amendment believe the new regulation will allow Ulaanbaatar more insight into how much the Oyu Tolgoi mine project earns and spends and can tax it accordingly. According to Damdin, parliament will not remove the new regulation entirely, but some parts will be changed.

Davaasuren Tserenpil, a member of parliament who proposed the FDI change, said that the new regulation did not currently encompass sales related to the Oyu Tolgoi mine. But he stressed the importance of raising the country's foreign currency reserves. "I want foreign investment to come through Mongolian banks, in essence increase the foreign currency reserve, which will stabilize the value of the domestic currency."

In its latest budget, Ulaanbaatar dropped some of its social welfare offering by raising the retirement age and cutting allowances to children and pensioners. It also increased the duty on alcohol, tobacco, automobiles and petrol despite heavy opposition from businesses and other groups.

Temasek and Jack Ma fund lead $75m round for Chinese genomic company www.asia.nikkei.com

SINGAPORE -- Singaporean state investor Temasek Holdings and private equity firm Yunfeng Capital, backed by Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba's founder Jack Ma, have led a $75 million funding round for WuXi NextCODE, a Chinese genomics data company.