1 MONGOLIA DRAGGED ITS WILD HORSES BACK FROM EXTINCTION – CAN IT SAVE THE REST OF ITS WILDLIFE? WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      2 FOUR KILLED BY HEAVY SNOW IN MONGOLIA WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      3 CHINA-MADE BUSES TO HIT THE ROAD IN MONGOLIA'S CAPITAL WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      4 MONGOLIA'S GDP EXPECTED TO GROW BY 6.2% IN 2024 - WORLD BANK WWW.AKIPRESS.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      5 CHINA'S IMPORTS OF MONGOLIAN COAL SET TO RISE AS TRANSPORT IMPROVES WWW.REUTERS.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      6 RUSSIA BOOSTS FUEL EXPORTS TO CENTRAL ASIA, AFGHANISTAN AND MONGOLIA IN 2023 WWW.REUTERS.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/13      7 MONGOLIA'S INFLATION DOWN TO 7.9 PCT WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2024/01/11      8 PRESIDENT OF MONGOLIA INVITED HEADS OF STATE OF TWO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2024/01/11      9 63.2 PERCENT OF MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS DOMESTICALLY SOURCED WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/01/11      10 ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS TO BE BUILT AT 25 LOCATIONS IN ULAANBAATAR WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/01/11      ИНФЛЯЦЫН ТҮВШИН 7.9 ХУВЬТАЙ ГАРЛАА WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     АЮУЛТ ҮЗЭГДЭЛ, ОСЛЫН ТОХИОЛДОЛ ӨМНӨХ ОНООС 4.3 ХУВИАР ӨСЖЭЭ WWW.EAGLE.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     ОЛОН УЛСЫН ЗАХ ЗЭЭЛЭЭС 225 САЯ АМ.ДОЛЛАРЫН БОНДЫГ АМЖИЛТТАЙ АРИЛЖААЛЛАА WWW.IKON.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     "МОНГОЛЫН ХӨРӨНГИЙН БИРЖ" ХК НЭГ ЖИЛИЙН ХУГАЦААНД 15.1 САЯ ТОНН НҮҮРСИЙГ ₮7.4 ИХ НАЯДААР АРИЛЖЖЭЭ WWW.IKON.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     ИНФЛЯЦЫГ ТОГТВОРЖУУЛАХАД ЧИГЛЭСЭН МӨНГӨНИЙ БОДЛОГО ХЭРЭГЖҮҮЛНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     ИРЭЭДҮЙН БЭЛЭН БАЙДЛЫН ИНДЕКСЭЭР МОНГОЛ УЛС 124 УЛСААС 75 ДУГААРТ ЭРЭМБЭЛЭГДЭВ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     XII САРД ШИНЭ ОРОН СУУЦНЫ ҮНИЙН ӨСӨЛТИЙН ХУРД ҮЛ ЯЛИГ СААРЧ, 9.9 ХУВЬ БОЛОВ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     БҮХ ТӨРЛИЙН ТЭЭВРЭЭР 105 САЯ ТОНН АЧАА ТЭЭВЭРЛЭЖЭЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/14     ИНФЛЯЦ 3 САР ДАРААЛАН НЭГ ОРОНТОЙ ТООНД ХАДГАЛАГДАВ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/11     ӨНГӨРСӨН ОНД НҮҮРСНИЙ ЭКСПОРТЫН 92 ХУВИЙГ АВТО ЗАМЫН ХИЛИЙН БООМТООР ГАРГАЖЭЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN  НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/01/11    

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”ТОКИОГИЙН ЗАГВАРЫН ЕРТӨНЦ” ҮЗЭСГЭЛЭН ЯАРМАГ RX Japan Tokyo

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Coking coal, iron ore prices resume surge www.mining.com

The rise in the price of coking coal shows no signs of running out of steam with the Australian export benchmark price climbing again as Chinese traders return from a weeklong holiday with renewed confidence in the the health of the world's second largest economy.
 
Metallurgical coal was exchanging hands at $218.10 on Tuesday, up $4.70 since the start of the week according to data provided by Steel Index. Steelmaking coal prices are up nearly three-fold since hitting multi-year lows in November last year.
 
Coking coal, iron ore prices resume surgeCoal used in power generation has also experienced an unexpected jump this year with seaborne prices for thermal coal up more than two-thirds since the start of the year to exchange hands for just over $84 a tonne on Monday, up 8% since the start of October.
 
The rally was triggered by Beijing’s decision to limit coal mines' operating days to 276 or fewer a year from 330 before as it seeks to restructure the industry. Safety closures and weather related supply curbs in China and Australia only added fuel to the fire.
 
Iron ore also enjoyed renewed interest adding nearly 4% this week to trade at $56.50 a tonne on Tuesday. The price of iron ore is up 32% this year and like coking coal the resurgence comes against expectations of further declines as Chinese steelmaking peak after three decades of growth.
 
In 2011 floods in key export region in Queensland saw the coking coal price touch $335 a tonne. The iron ore price peaked in February that same year at $191.50 a tonne. Despite iron ore rally, the iron ore/coking coal ratio is now at its lowest level this century after peaking at 1.2x during 2010.
 
 
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Self-driving car tested for first time in UK in Milton Keynes www.theguardian.com

A driverless car has been tested for the first time on UK streets in the latest development in self-driving technology in Britain.
 
The trial saw a two-seater LUTZ Pathfinder travel 1.25 miles (2km) through pedestrianised areas of Milton Keynes, reaching speeds of up to 15mph while having to cope with walkers and cyclists for the first time. A driver was on board to take over in case of emergency.
 
The cars, built by Transport Systems Catapult (TSC), used virtual maps of the Buckinghamshire town to navigate the area around the train station and business district.
 
Google and Uber have tested autonomous vehicles on American roads, but previous UK trials have involved a human manually operating the vehicle.
 
Although fully automated cars are not expected to be in use in the UK for about 10 years, the government is keen to ensure that Britain is at the forefront of developing driverless technology.
 
Earlier this year, ministers launched a consultation on changes to motor insurance rules and the highway code. This is aimed at allowing self-driving cars to be on the roads by 2020.
 
The business secretary, Greg Clark, said: “The global market for autonomous vehicles presents huge opportunities for our automotive and technology firms.
 
“The research that underpins the technology and software will have applications way beyond autonomous vehicles.”
 
A computer on board the vehicle senses the surrounding environment with cameras and lidar, a similar system to radar that uses light from a laser, to avoid accidents.
 
The demonstration marks the end of 18 months of development by TSC, a not-for-profit research organisation funded by a combination of public money and private sector investment.
 
TSC said the Milton Keynes trial had been a success and the vehicles had operated as expected.
 
The test was also designed to gauge the public reaction to the technology and begin work on the regulatory architecture that will govern autonomous vehicles.
 
TSC said it had worked with Milton Keynes council on safety planning and hoped that the trial showed driverless vehicles could be used for transportation in other towns.
 
“Driverless vehicles are coming to Britain and what we have demonstrated today is a huge step on that journey,” said Neil Fulton, the TSC programme director.
 
He said successful tests in Milton Keynes would pave the way for further research and trials participated in by UK universities and small businesses.
 
The software in charge of the vehicle, Selenium, was developed by scientists, mathematicians and engineers from the Oxford Robotics Institute, through a company called Oxbotica.
 
Driverless car tests have had mixed results in the US, where the technology is further developed than in the UK.
 
Uber has raced ahead of its competitors, deploying Ford Fusions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which do not require hands on the wheel, as part of the company’s regular taxi service.
 
It is also developing a driverless car in partnership with Swedish carmaker Volvo.
 
But electric car company Tesla raised concerns about the implications of driverless vehicles in May, after one of its cars using autopilot mode was involved in a fatal crash.
 
Last month, a Google self-driving car collided with another vehicle after the latter ran through a red light.
 
Ministers want the UK to be a world leader in the driverless vehicle market, which could be worth £900bn by 2025, according to a KPMG study.
 
In the budget in March, the then chancellor George Osborne said self-driving cars could be tested on British motorways next year.
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Apple's iPhone 7 allegedly explodes in China www.chinadaily.com.cn

While the explosion of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is not far behind us, a video of an iPhone 7 exploding in China surfaced online on Monday, The Paper reports.
 
In the video, a man from Zhengzhou, central China's Henan province, said that his rose-gold iPhone 7 suddenly exploded as he was shooting a video with it last week. The phone exploded into two parts and left his hands swollen and his face with some injuries.
 
Unlike the Galaxy Note 7's explosion, which smoked excessively after burning, this iPhone 7 exploded leaving no burn marks, and the battery remained in good condition.
 
Apple China reported the incident to its headquarters, says The Paper.
 
This is the first known iPhone 7 explosion in China, but it was not an isolated incident within the world. An iPhone 6 Plus in California, US, exploded with black smoke as it was charged and the phone was completely, the ABC News reported.
 
Earlier this week, an iPhone 6 Plus belonging to Darina Hlavaty, an American student, burned suddenly during a class, leaving a burnt hole in her jeans.
 
For now, there is no evidence that these are isolated incidents and will not happen again. Apple Inc has not disclosed the measures it will take to resolve this issue.
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Samsung shares slide further after Note 7 crisis www.bbc.com

Shares in Samsung fell further on Wednesday after the smartphone maker said it would scrap production of its flagship Note 7 model.
Shares fell 3% at the open, adding to Tuesday's 8% fall.
The company has seen more than $20bn wiped off its market value in two days.
The Note 7 was recalled over exploding batteries in September but as new phones showed the same problems, the South Korean firm has now scrapped the device entirely.
The drop in shares marks a one-month low for Samsung as concerns grew that the current crisis will go beyond the costs of the recall and affect the brand's overall reputation.
Analysts are suggesting the Note 7 crisis could cost Samsung in the long run, particularly coming just as rivals, including Google and Apple, have announced new high-end smartphones.
The Note 7 had been seen as the main rival to Apple's new iPhone 7 model. Samsung's woes have sent Apple's shares to a 10-month high.
In September, Samsung recalled around 2.5 million phones after complaints of exploding batteries.
It later insisted that all replaced devices were safe. However, that was followed by reports that those phones were catching fire too.
But on Tuesday, the company said it would permanently cease production of the device and urged owners to turn it off.
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WHO: Sugary drink tax reduces obesity, diabetes www3.nhk.or.jp

A World Health Organization report says taxing sugary drinks can help to reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes.
 
The report released on Tuesday was compiled by a WHO group that studies policies to prevent non-communicable diseases.
 
The study says the consumption of sugary drinks and other similar products is a major factor behind the rise in the number of people suffering from obesity and diabetes. The WHO says about 500 million people aged 18 or older are obese and over 400 million have diabetes.
 
It says an increase of at least 20 percent in the retail price of such products can encourage people to significantly reduce their consumption.
 
The report says a tax would have the greatest positive effect on the health of young people and those on low incomes.
 
It adds that a tax on sugary drinks can reduce people's suffering, save lives and cut healthcare costs.
 
Mexico has already introduced a tax on non-alcoholic beverages with added sugar. Britain, the Philippines and South Africa are considering taxes on sugary drinks.
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Saudi Arabia to slash capital spending by 71% www.rt.com

With the largest budget shortfall among the world’s 20 biggest economies, Saudi Arabia is planning more austerity measures this year. The kingdom will scrap projects worth more than $20 billion as it comes to terms with cheaper oil.
 
According to the Saudi government’s bond prospectus obtained by Bloomberg, capital expenditure is expected to fall to $20.6 billion (75.8 billion riyals) this year compared with $70.2 billion (263.7 billion riyals) in 2015. Two years ago, the country’s capital spending was $98.6 billion (370 billion riyals).
 
“I would’ve liked to have seen more cuts to current spending rather than focusing almost entirely on capital expenditure,” said Khatija Haque, head of Middle East and North Africa research at Emirates NBD. She added “in the short-term, the impact will be slower growth” as government spending and investment is reduced.
 
Saudi officials have suspended bonuses and reduced allowances for government employees, and a 20 percent cut to ministers’ salaries. As a result of the cuts spending will decline to $155 billion (581.2 billion riyals) from $190 billion (714.4 billion riyals).
 
The kingdom’s growth will likely slow to 0.6 percent this year from 3.4 percent in 2015, according to HSBC Holdings.
 
In the summer, Riyadh unveiled a plan for the post-oil era in a move to reshape the kingdom’s economy. As part of the initiative, the country plans to triple non-oil revenue and cut public sector wages and subsidies by 2020.
 
Under the new program, Riyadh intends to boost non-oil revenues to $141 billion (530 billion riyals) within four years, from current $43.5 billion (163.5 billion riyals).
 
The crude price fall has had a significant impact on the kingdom’s economy as oil sales account for almost 90 percent of the country’s earnings. Saudi Arabia is suffering a record budget deficit which is estimated at $87 billion this year. According to government projections, it will decline to 13.5 percent of GDP this year from 15 percent in 2015.
 
This week Saudi officials are meeting with investors on the country’s first international bond issue aimed at strengthening the strained finances. The offering is expected to exceed $10 billion.
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Italy withdraws Rome 2024 Olympic Games bid www.bbc.com

Italy's Olympic Committee has officially withdrawn its bid to stage the 2024 Games in Rome after the city council voted to oppose the candidacy.
Rome's Mayor Virginia Raggi from the populist Five Star party had said the city had to prioritise matters such as rubbish collection and corruption.
It means only Paris, Los Angeles and Budapest are left in the running after Boston and Hamburg also abandoned bids.
The International Olympic Committee is due to make a decision next September.
Committee chief Giovanni Malago said the decision meant Italy had been "made to look like fools" and would miss out on investment.

However, the Five Star party had repeatedly said it opposed bidding for the Games before winning control of Rome in June.
The Italian government had supported the bid and the broader Rome municipality, which includes many other small town councils, had indicated it would support the bid to overcome Five Star's opposition.
But Mr Malago said he would not go ahead without the main city council's backing.
Rome also applied to host the 2020 Olympics but pulled out of that race in 2012 because then prime minister Mario Monti feared Italy could not afford it.

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Global energy gathering "very positive" for oil price stability: Venezuelan official www.xinhuanet.com

CARACAS, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's Minister of Communication and Information Ernesto Villegas on Monday described a global gathering of oil producing countries as "very positive" towards stabilizing volatile crude prices.
 
Following the opening day of the 23rd World Energy Congress this Sunday in Istanbul, Turkey, Villegas told state-run VTV "it has been a very positive working day," which should lead to "fair, realistic and stable prices."
 
Venezuela's heavily oil-dependent economy has been teetering since the price of crude nosedived in 2014, falling from more than 100 U.S. dollars a barrel to around 20 U.S. dollars.
 
In a phone-in interview from Turkey, Villegas said members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other energy producers were expected to reach an agreement to steady prices by the end of the congress this Thursday.
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as other leaders from both OPEC and non-OPEC countries, concurred "on the need to stabilize the market," said Villegas.
 
Putin's "decisive" remarks on the matter "indicate the international markets are going to see (crude demand) a greater price and stability, but above all a greater price. That is very important for all our countries," said Villegas.
 
In a speech to the congress, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called for the creation of "new mechanisms" to shore up prices, and proposed a 10-year plan to expand and stabilize the world oil market.
 
"The oil prices we have had are the lowest in 40 years," said Maduro, adding they were "unsustainable."
 
At the same time, Venezuela would also work to diversify its energy sources, said Maduro.
 
"We must guarantee new sources of financing and access to new technologies to create energy via the sun, wind, water and nuclear energy ... for peaceful purposes," said Maduro.
 
OPEC nations agreed at a gathering Sept. 28 in Algeria to set an output ceiling of 32.5 million barrels per day for 2017, slightly less than the current 33.24 million barrels.
 
Venezuela hopes the agreement is ratified at OPEC's upcoming meeting in Vienna, Austria on Nov. 30, where the group will decide on the output quotas for each member nation.
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Mongolia & China launching feasibility study of Mazaalai (Gobi Bear) conservation project www.en.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ A protocol has been signed on feasibility study for the Project on Conservation of Endangered Mazaalai Species of Mongolia. A proposal on implementation of such a project was forwarded by the government of Mongolia to the Chinese side.
 
Nine specialists from China conducted a research on ways of improving the living environment for Mazaalai between September 28 and October 10 at the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area. The research will help set the starting point for the feasibility study. The project will greatly contribute to saving the species of Gobi Bear, which has a population of only 28, said the Vice Minister of Environment and Tourism Ts.Batbayar.
 
The Mazaalai was inscribed in the List of Endangered Species in 2010. Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, Mr Yang Qingdong said: "Mazaalai is a precious treasure of Mongolia. Therefore, it is crucial to save these animals. However, the works face serious problems regarding the natural habitat of the species. The Embassy will put all efforts in realizing this project".
 
Director of the Environmental and Natural Resource Management Department of the Ministry D.Davaasamba and the Secretary of Trade and Economic Affairs of the Chinese Embassy Liu Jiefen signed the protocol.
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Japan's overbuilt solar market waiting for new dawn www.asia.nikkei.com

TOKYO -- A government-policy-driven solar power investment boom in Japan has given way to a bust, tipping panel shipments into decline for the first time in eight years, with no sign of a turnaround.
 
A feed-in tariff -- in essence, a guaranteed purchase price for output -- for solar power has been cut each year since it was introduced in fiscal 2012 as an incentive for renewable energy investment. It worked too well, fostering an oversupply of generating capacity. Now, panel makers are at a loss for ways to revive demand.
 
Kandenko, a provider of electrical work, says it has received many inquiries since August from parties interested in selling out of solar projects not yet under construction. The company has announced plans to turn this into a new business targeting large-scale planned installations together with Mitsubishi Research Institute. Banks and builders have taken notice.
 
Some 80% of Japan's "megasolar" projects, so called because their scale is measured in megawatts, do not produce a single watt of power (1 megawatt equals 1,000kW). Poor planning is to blame for many of these failed starts. Kandenko and Mitsubishi Research Institute have developed a system for projecting solar farm earnings, which the partners believe will help them spot potential winners to buy.
 
Second-hand solar
 
Solar power provider West Holdings recently auctioned off a partially complete 500kW installation for 178 million yen ($1.72 million) -- more than the estimated 150 million yen cost of constructing a new one of that size. Located in Hiroshima Prefecture, this solar farm is scheduled to begin operation in November.
 
"We thought the bidding would last a week, but it was a done deal after a single day," a manager overseeing the auction said.
 
That old can fetch a premium over new in solar farms attests to a distorted market. When Japan introduced feed-in tariffs in July 2012, enthusiasm over renewable energy was running high following the previous year's Fukushima nuclear disaster. Domestic solar panel shipments, which had been struggling to break even 2,000 megawatts a year, took off on the incentive and kept climbing until fiscal 2014.
 
But the bubble did not last long. Japan's electric grid, designed to handle predictable, steady-going power sources like coal or nuclear plants, could not handle the rapid increase in solar power feeding into the system. The big regional utilities began putting power purchasing contracts on hold.
 
Meanwhile, the government revised the solar tariff downward each year. This fiscal year, output from solar installations of 10kW or more fetches 24 yen per kilowatt-hour -- 40% less than in fiscal 2012.
 
Faced with a less-inviting market, newcomers have rapidly dwindled. Panel shipments dropped 23% on the year in fiscal 2015, to the equivalent of 7,140 megawatts. This marked the first decline since fiscal 2007. The drop continued in the April-June quarter of fiscal 2016, quickening to 26% year on year.
 
Solar farms built in the boom years enjoy higher locked-in prices per kilowatt-hour.
 
"Rather than build new at 20-something yen, we are hunting for the many existing projects with outstanding contracts at the 30- and 40-yen levels," says an executive at a major power provider.
 
Green acres
 
Efforts are being made to stir up fresh demand. In a field in the northern city of Osaki, inland from some of the coastal areas hit hardest by the March 2011 tsunami, an experiment is underway to test whether a solar farm can double as a real farm.
 
Concrete panels and steel pipe stand in place of actual solar panels in a corner of a 4-hectare farm. A lush carpet of grass is growing under this setup.
 
"We're studying how well crops can grow in shady conditions," explained Keji Yasuoka, president of the Japanese unit of Spain-based renewable energy group X-Elio.
 
The company is looking to place solar installations -- measuring in the tens of megawatts -- on working farms in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. "The advantage of using farmland is that it doesn't entail landscaping costs," Yasuoka said.
 
Lowering start-up investment offers a way to keep the momentum for solar projects going despite the lower feed-in tariff. With many prime locations already taken by projects stuck on the drawing board, some players are looking beyond farms to more unusual sites. Kyocera and others are working on floating solar farms on a dam reservoir in Chiba Prefecture, outside of Tokyo. The cooling effect of the water helps maintain the panels' conversion efficiency.
 
Many expect another double-digit decline in panel shipments this fiscal year. The secretary-general of the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association, Masaaki Kameda, understands the severity of the downturn and said the group favors a shakeout of plans not in operation with little commercial viability.
 
Meanwhile, Japan is seeing an increase in new construction in wind power, and long-idle nuclear reactors are coming back onstream. But the country cannot achieve the government's goal of increasing the share of electricity generated from renewable sources without continuing to expand solar capacity. For solar, it may be darkest before dawn.
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