1 MONGOLIA MARKS CENTENNIAL WITH A NEW COURSE FOR CHANGE WWW.EASTASIAFORUM.ORG PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      2 E-MART OPENS FIFTH STORE IN ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA, TARGETING K-FOOD CRAZE WWW.BIZ.CHOSUN.COM PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      3 JAPAN AND MONGOLIA FORGE HISTORIC DEFENSE PACT UNDER THIRD NEIGHBOR STRATEGY WWW.ARMYRECOGNITION.COM  PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      4 CENTRAL BANK LOWERS ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECAST TO 5.2% WWW.UBPOST.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      5 L. OYUN-ERDENE: EVERY CITIZEN WILL RECEIVE 350,000 MNT IN DIVIDENDS WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      6 THE BILL TO ELIMINATE THE QUOTA FOR FOREIGN WORKERS IN MONGOLIA HAS BEEN SUBMITTED WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      7 THE SECOND NATIONAL ONCOLOGY CENTER TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN ULAANBAATAR WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      8 GREEN BOND ISSUED FOR WASTE RECYCLING WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/19      9 BAGANUUR 50 MW BATTERY STORAGE POWER STATION SUPPLIES ENERGY TO CENTRAL SYSTEM WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/19      10 THE PENSION AMOUNT INCREASED BY SIX PERCENT WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/19      КОКС ХИМИЙН ҮЙЛДВЭРИЙН БҮТЭЭН БАЙГУУЛАЛТЫГ ИРЭХ ОНЫ ХОЁРДУГААР УЛИРАЛД ЭХЛҮҮЛНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     "ЭРДЭНЭС ТАВАНТОЛГОЙ” ХК-ИЙН ХУВЬЦАА ЭЗЭМШИГЧ ИРГЭН БҮРД 135 МЯНГАН ТӨГРӨГ ӨНӨӨДӨР ОЛГОНО WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     ХУРИМТЛАЛЫН САНГИЙН ОРЛОГО 2040 ОНД 38 ИХ НАЯДАД ХҮРЭХ ТӨСӨӨЛӨЛ ГАРСАН WWW.NEWS.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     “ЭРДЭНЭС ОЮУ ТОЛГОЙ” ХХК-ИАС ХЭРЛЭН ТООНО ТӨСЛИЙГ ӨМНӨГОВЬ АЙМАГТ ТАНИЛЦУУЛЛАА WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     Л.ОЮУН-ЭРДЭНЭ: ХУРИМТЛАЛЫН САНГААС НЭГ ИРГЭНД 135 МЯНГАН ТӨГРӨГИЙН ХАДГАЛАМЖ ҮҮСЛЭЭ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     “ENTRÉE RESOURCES” 2 ЖИЛ ГАРУЙ ҮРГЭЛЖИЛСЭН АРБИТРЫН МАРГААНД ЯЛАЛТ БАЙГУУЛАВ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     “ORANO MINING”-ИЙН ГЭРЭЭ БОЛОН ГАШУУНСУХАЙТ-ГАНЦМОД БООМТЫН ТӨСЛИЙН АСУУДЛААР ЗАСГИЙН ГАЗАР ХУРАЛДАЖ БАЙНА WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     АЖИЛЧДЫН САРЫН ГОЛЧ ЦАЛИН III УЛИРЛЫН БАЙДЛААР ₮2 САЯ ОРЧИМ БАЙНА WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/19     PROGRESSIVE EQUITY RESEARCH: 2025 ОН “PETRO MATAD” КОМПАНИД ЭЭЛТЭЙ БАЙХААР БАЙНА WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/19     2026 ОНЫГ ДУУСТАЛ ГАДААД АЖИЛТНЫ ТОО, ХУВЬ ХЭМЖЭЭГ ХЯЗГААРЛАХГҮЙ БАЙХ ХУУЛИЙН ТӨСӨЛ ӨРГӨН МЭДҮҮЛЭВ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/19    

Events

Name organizer Where
MBCC “Doing Business with Mongolia seminar and Christmas Receptiom” Dec 10. 2024 London UK MBCCI London UK Goodman LLC

NEWS

64x64

Game company seeks to block Facebook from using virtual reality code www.reuters.com

 
Video game publisher ZeniMax Media Inc., which earlier this month won a $500 million verdict against Facebook Inc.’s (FB.O) Oculus virtual reality unit for unauthorized copying of computer code, has asked a federal judge to block Oculus from using the code in its products.
 
ZeniMax made its request for an injunction in papers filed on Thursday in federal court in Dallas. It was the same court where jurors on Feb. 1 issued the verdict against Oculus and its founders Palmer Luckey and Brendan Iribe.
 
Tera Randall, a spokeswoman for Oculus, said the company was continuing with its plan to ask the judge to set aside the verdict, which she called "legally flawed and factually unwarranted."
 
Lawyers for ZeniMax declined to comment.
 
If granted, the injunction could limit the number of games available for sale for Oculus' Rift VR headset. Such a move would be a blow to a product still in its infancy and on which Facebook has made a big bet for the future.
 
Oculus has already made the disputed code available to companies that develop games, and it is embedded in many of the games available for use on the Rift, as well as Samsung Electronics Co's (005930.KS) Gear VR, a smartphone-compatible device developed through a partnership with Oculus.
 
Mark Romeo, an Irvine, California-based intellectual property lawyer not involved in the case, said the potential disruption from an injunction, if granted, would put an "incredible amount of pressure on Facebook to enter into some sort of settlement."
 
The litigation stemmed from Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey's 2012 correspondence with video game designer John Carmack, well-known for creating the Doom series. Carmack, who at the time was employed by a ZeniMax subsidiary, subsequently agreed to help develop software for the Rift. In 2013 he left ZeniMax and joined Oculus as its chief technology officer.
 
ZeniMax sued Oculus in 2014, less than two months after Facebook paid $3 billion for the start-up, claiming Carmack developed crucial Rift technology while he was a ZeniMax employee. ZeniMax also argued that Luckey breached a non-disclosure agreement.
 
The case culminated in a three-week trial in which ZeniMax sought $6 billion in damages. Jurors rejected a claim by ZeniMax that its trade secrets were stolen, but it found that Oculus used the copyrighted code without permission and violated the non-disclosure agreement.
...


64x64

10 clinics to be built with Turkish aid www.mongolia.gogo.mn

 
Sh.Ankhmaa, City Governor’s Office’s deputy in charge of social affairs received the delegations led by Ismail Hakki Turunc, the Chief Advisor of the Governor of Istanbul, Turkey. The sides discussed the project on the establishment of 10 hospitals using the non-refundable aid of Turkey. Within the project framework, 9 family clinics and a dialysis clinic will be established
Sh.Ankhmaa expressed her gratitude towards the delegates for providing aid in Ulaanbaatar and said “Many projects are being implemented through foreign investment in Mongolia. But this project is one of the relatively few non-refundable aid”.
A total of 152 family clinics are operating in 152 district committees throughout the city. And because of the scarce apparatus and obsolete facilities, the clinics are in dire need for reconstruction. Therefore, the renovation of nine clinics will be a relieving aid for Mongolia. The project is planning to commence with the construction season in April and Hakki Turunc mentioned that the construction work will be handled by Mongolian companies. Also, the project indicates that 10 medical apparatus will be installed in the Dialysis Clinic.
City Governor’s Office has prepared the construction sites of the clinics. Specifically, 5000 m2 area of Dialysis Clinic in Khan-Uul district and 1000 m2 for each Family Clinics are planned by the Governor’s ordinance. As for the Family Clinics, 600 m2 areas will be used for the facility and 400 m2 will be composed of green areas.
By the estimation of the Turkish side, each Family Clinics are expected to have 6 doctors that will provide medical service for 1800-2000 people which means they are capable of providing medical service to 12 thousand people. After visiting the selected construction areas, the delegates of Istanbul have met the authorities of Ulaanbaatar. Also, Sh.Ankhmaa noted that the Governor’s office will provide support in every way possible to hasten the project.
...


64x64

Leave-work-early campaign kicks off www3.nhk.or.jp

 
Many employees across Japan will be leaving work at around 3 pm on the last Friday of each month, starting this week.
 
This is part of a new campaign called "Premium Friday," led by government and business officials. The aim is to boost the country's sluggish consumption.
 
Industry groups and companies, as well as local shopping areas, are expecting the campaign to bring them more customers.
 
Officials at a joint public and private sector council say about 4,000 firms and organizations have applied for permission to use the campaign's logo.
 
But quite a few employers are not completely on board.
 
Some may give the campaign a miss to avoid disruptions in their customer-support services. Others say they are already encouraging their workers to use their vacation days.
...


64x64

Mongolia and China to extend swap arrangement www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Bank of Mongolia and the People’s Bank of China have agreed to extend the local currency swap line during the meeting between Deputy Governor Lkhagvasuren Byadran and Deputy Governor Yi Gang on February 22, 2017 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China.

Currently, the two central banks have RMB 15 billion swap line, maturing in 2017. It is expected that the maturity will be extended to 2020 by the agreement.

The central banks first entered into the swap arrangement in 2011 with RMB 5 billion. The swap line was expanded two times in 2012 and 2014 to RMB 15 billion.

...


64x64

Mongolian coal miners bet on ’One Belt, One Road’ to feed demand www.news.mn

Coal miners operating in Mongolia are betting on China's massive 'One Belt, One Road' programme to improve access to existing markets in China and Russia and enter new ones as far afield as Eastern Europe.

Although Chinese demand for coking coal, or metallurgical coal – a key steelmaking ingredient – has recovered, infrastructure constraints in Mongolia, particularly a lack of rail capacity continues to cause 'bottlenecks' and delays in getting product to markets, said David Paull, managing director of ASX-listed Aspire Mining Ltd.

In the longer term, China's efforts to re-invent the Silk Road trading route for the modern era, connecting Asia to the Middle East and Europe will shift the balance.

"One Belt, One Road and investment in Mongolian rail will provide capacity, allowing greater penetration of the Chinese and Russian markets 'and eventually Eastern Europe," Paull told CNBC in a telephone interview on Feb. 21st.

Despite the longer-term appeal of new growth markets, Mongolian-focused miners like Aspire remain cautious.

"The coking coal market certainly has stabilized," Paull said. "The capital markets were completely closed to us" during the depths of the commodity price collapse in 2014.

"We reduced ourselves to a skeleton crew to keep ourselves in the game. We're still very much in that mode but more confident in sources of funding if you can point to the fact you can move to the development stage quickly."

In the near term, China's ban on North Korean coal imports is boosting demand for Mongolian coking coal, said Thomas Hugger, founder and CEO of Asia Frontier Capital. "Naturally, Mongolia should be the main beneficiary of this." (CBSN)

...


64x64

Germany overtakes UK as fastest-growing G7 economy www.theguardian.com

 
 
Germany overtook the UK as the fastest growing among the G7 states during 2016. Europe’s largest economy expanded at the fastest rate in five years, showing growth of 1.9% last year.
 
The expansion pushed Britain into second place among the G7 industrialised nations, after the Office for National Statistics revised down annual UK growth to 1.8%, from an initial estimate of 2%.
 
In the final quarter of 2016 Germany’s economy grew by 0.4%, improving on 0.1% growth in the third quarter. It was fuelled by domestic demand as government and consumer spending rose.
 
Germany proved the International Monetary Fund wrong, after the Washington-based fund predicted the UK would outpace its G7 peers.
 
Alan Clarke, economist at Scotiabank, said the economies of both countries had turned out a decent performance last year, and pointed out that UK growth of 0.7% had outpaced Germany in the fourth quarter.
 
He said: “UK economic growth in 2016 was fractionally below that of Germany – no longer the fastest growing in the G7. In the big scheme of things 0.1 percentage points between friends isn’t something that anyone is going to notice. And if anyone wanted to pick a fight, you are only as good as your last game and the UK scored 0.7% growth in the fourth quarter. Both economies are doing pretty well and survey indicators for [each] suggest more good news early 2017.”
 
Germany’s statistics office, Destatis, described the country’s economy as “solid and steady”. The figures suggested German consumers had so far shrugged off the uncertainty created by Britain’s decision to leave the European union.
 
In the final quarter, government spending in Germany rose 0.8%, and household spending increased by 0.3%. Trade was a drag on GDP however, as the 3.1% growth in imports outpaced exports growth of 1.8%.
 
Jennifer McKeown, chief European economist at Capital Economics, said: “German GDP was growing at a healthy pace at the end of last year, driven mainly by consumer spending. While business surveys suggest that growth will accelerate further in the near term, March’s dip in consumer confidence may be an early sign of a slowdown in spending to come. In all, the German economy remains in good health. But we doubt that it will go from strength to strength.”
 
A strong economic backdrop has helped Germany post a record budget surplus of €23.7bn in 2017, fuelled by higher tax revenues, rising employment and low debt costs. It was the highest budget surplus since reunification in 1990 and the third successive year the government has had a budget surplus.
 
Olga Tschekassin, an economist at Barclays, said government and state spending would continue to be the main drivers of growth in the coming quarters. “However, external factors such as Brexit and US trade policy, and a series of upcoming elections in the euro area, will likely increase uncertainty and could harm investment.”
...


64x64

Daimler to invest in Mercedes-Benz plant in Russia, creating over 1,000 jobs www.rt.com

 
German vehicle producer Daimler will invest 15 billion rubles (about $250 million) in an assembly plant in Russia’s Moscow region, according to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Minpromtorg).
 
The plant will produce premium class passenger cars and be completed by 2019. Daimler will localize welding, painting, and assembly of vehicles, as well as logistics in Russia.
 
"According to the contract, Daimler guarantees to invest at least 15 billion rubles in the project. The investment contract has been signed for nine years. The launch is scheduled for 2019; the plant's production capacity will be over 20,000 cars a year. The project will create more than a thousand jobs," Minpromtorg said in a statement.
 
Russia will contribute to the project by giving government support and will offer a favorable tax environment, the ministry added.
 
The plant will be built by the newly-created Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing RUS (MBMR) division.
 
“Russia is a strategically important and rapidly developing market for Mercedes-Benz," said Mercedes-Benz Cars board member Markus Schäfer. He added that the localization of production will make the company more competitive in the global market.
 
Minpromtorg deputy head Aleksandr Morozov said the German car producer is investing in Russia despite the short-term deterioration of relations between Moscow and the European Union.
 
The agreement to build the plant was signed last year during the St. Petersburg Economic Forum (SPIEF). Daimler will start building it next year.
 
Daimler has long had plans to build a car assembly plant in Russia. The company was considering locations in St.Petersburg or Nizhny Novgorod but decided on Solnechnogorsk, 40 kilometers from Moscow.
 
The German carmaker will produce the S, E, ML, GL and A class vehicles in Russia.
...


64x64

Government to submit bill on budget amendments www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Today February 23, an irregular cabinet meeting was held to discuss adjustments to the state budget of 2017. The Cabinet approved to submit the bill to the Parliament.

Though it is clear that the Parliament has to call irregular session to discuss the budget amendments, the date of the session has not been announced yet. Sources said, the irregular session of the Parliament would be called most probably soon after the Lunar New Year-Tsagaan Sar.

...


64x64

Former Mongolian MPs arrested by anti-corruption body www.news.mn

The Independent Authority Against Corruption of Mongolia has arrested two former members of parliament, namley N.Batbayar and B.Garamgaibaatar on suspicion of wrongly channelling money from the country's sovereign debt fund.

B.Garamgaibaatar is one of the major debtors to the Development Bank of Mongolia. N.Batbayar, then Minister of Economic Development was arrested on charge of abuse of power and embezzlement of Samuria and Chinggis bonds.

...


64x64

Popular British brands embracing WeChat www.chinadaily.com.cn

 
Popular brands, including Burberry, Mulberry, British Airways and Durex, are among British companies successfully using instant messaging application WeChat in the Chinese market.
 
Christopher Bailey, Burberry's chief creative officer, said: "WeChat opens up a huge new world of opportunity in the digital space. The exciting thing for us is the deeper and more meaningful way that we are able to tell our stories using this platform."
 
Burberry lets users view London Fashion Week catwalk shows on the app, listen to translated interviews with executives, and snap up digital vouchers and promotions.
 
British companies know they can reach Chinese consumers through social media. In 2016, WeChat had 768 million daily logged-in users, and 60 percent of Chinese shoppers searched Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter, for brand information.
 
But cracking Chinese online platforms is a tough task. Many Western brands have learnt the hard way that engaging Chinese users is not as simple as copying and pasting a translated post from Instagram or Facebook.
 
While British people might use Facebook to connect with friends, Twitter to share an article, and Apple Pay to buy a coffee, Chinese users might rely on WeChat to do all of them, and more.
 
Anne-Marie Verdin, brand director at Mulberry, said: "We are constantly looking for new platforms to communicate the depth and breadth of the Mulberry brand and tell the Mulberry story to our consumers.
 
"WeChat's advanced functionality and prominence in the daily lives of consumers means this will be a central tool to communicate with our audience in China."
 
Despite such success stories, WeChat is not a surefire way to crack the Chinese market, according to Domenica di Lieto, CEO of Emerging Communications, a digital agency with offices in London and Shanghai.
 
"There is a lot of misunderstanding about WeChat, people think it's the holy grail," said Di Lieto. "WeChat will only work if you've built up a following in the first place."
...