In a letter to employees, chief executive Sundar Pichai said the tech giant was taking a "hard line" on inappropriate conduct.

The letter was in response to a New York Times report that Android creator Andy Rubin received a $90m exit package despite facing misconduct allegations.

A spokesman for Mr Rubin denied the allegations, the newspaper said.

Sam Singer said Mr Rubin decided to leave Google in 2014 to launch a venture capital firm and technology incubator called Playground.

He was given what the paper described as a "hero's farewell" when he departed.

Mr Pichai's letter said the New York Times story was "difficult to read" and that Google was "dead serious" about providing a "safe and inclusive workplace".

"We want to assure you that we review every single complaint about sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct, we investigate and we take action," he continued.

None of the employees dismissed in the past two years had received an exit package, Mr Pichai added.

According to the New York Times report, two unnamed Google executives said then-chief executive Larry Page asked Mr Rubin to resign after the company confirmed a complaint by a female employee about a sexual encounter in a hotel room in 2013.

A Google investigation found the woman's complaint to be credible, the paper reported, but the company has not confirmed this.

Mr Rubin has said he did not engage in misconduct and left Google of his own accord.

The claims will add to the growing chorus denouncing sexist culture in male-dominated Silicon Valley.

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies in San Francisco, tweeted: "In a normal world this would mean Rubin is done, but tech has not just been forgiving, some tech sees little wrong with this.

"I'd like to think Google will clean up its act if anything to avoid having a retention problem with their female employees."

Shares in Alphabet, which owns Google, fell more than 3% in New York after it reported revenues of $33.7bn (£26.3bn) for the three months to September - slightly less than analysts had expected.

However, net profit soared $2.5bn to $9.2bn - far higher than expected.

In recent years, Halloween has been widely celebrated in Mongolia, particularly in general education schools, partly due to the influence of English language learning.

Mongolian parents have been complaining about the celebration, saying it was a Western tradition and contradicts with Mongolia's culture, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports.

Halloween is a celebration observed in many countries on Oct. 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day, dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs and all the faithful departed.

Several major projects in Mongolia are being implemented with Chinese soft loans and non-refundable assistance, and they are of great importance to Mongolians, especially residents of the capital Ulan Bator, Badyelkhan told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Bilateral cooperation in the construction and infrastructure sector has been expanded in recent years, Badyelkhan said.

"Projects to renovate Ulan Bator's shantytowns or ger districts and build a waste water processing plant in the city are the most important ones among the China-funded others. These projects are essential to improving Ulan Bator's environment and living conditions of the Mongolian people," Badyelkhan said.

The Mongolian capital is one of the cities in the world which has been affected by "urban ills" such as pollution, overpopulation and traffic congestion due to migration from the countryside to the cities.

Noting that air pollution is the most pressing issue in Ulan Bator where over 800,000 residents, half of the city's population, live in the ger districts, with no running water and central heating or sewerage system, Badyelkhan said two projects to renovate the ger districts with non-refundable aid from the Chinese government are being implemented.

In addition, the Mongolian government is implementing a project with non-refundable aid from the Chinese government to connect about 20,000-30,000 households in 100 locations of Ulan Bator's ger districts to engineering lines by 2020, the minister said.

A waste water processing plant will be built in Ulan Bator with soft loans from the Chinese government, said Badyelkhan.

The minister said the plant will have the capacity to purify 250,000 cubic meters of waste water a day.

"The existing waste water processing plant in Ulan Bator does not have a system of processing silt and waste silt. Heavy metals are dried up outside causing air pollution," he said, stressing that the new project is expected to be completed in 2020 and will help improve the city's environment.

In 2019, Mongolia and China will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Badyelkhan said he hoped that the two countries will accelerate joint projects and strengthen ties and cooperation in all sectors on the occasion of this anniversary.

According to the first nine months of 2018, gross production of industrial sector reached MNT 11.2 trillion, with an increase of MNT1.7 billion (18.8 percent) as compared with the same period of the previous year.

The production of mining and extractive industries reached MNT8.1 trillion, with an increase of MNT1.2 trillion (16.9 percent), which was mainly influenced by the increase of extractions of coal (46.5 percent) and metal ores (3.9 percent). Extractive industry makes up 72.1 percent in the gross production of industrial sector.

Major commodities of mining and extractive industries include 33.5 million tons of coal, 979.4 thousand tons of copper concentrate, 14.5 tons of gold, 4.0 thousand tons of molybdenum concentrate, 2.5 million tons of iron ore concentrate, 57.1 thousand tons of spar concentrate, 62.6 thousand tons of zinc concentrate, 5.0 million barrels of oil and 10.5 thousand tons of copper cathode.

As of first nine months, the total foreign trade turnover reached USD9.633,8 million, with an increase of 24.9 percent as compared with the same period of previous year. The volume of export reached USD5.282,8 million, showing an increase of 15.3 percent against previous year. Exports of mining products including iron ore, brown coal, copper concentrate, zinc concentrate, spar and crude oil make up 84.6 percent of total export.

99.2 percent of the total exported copper concentrate, 99.1 percent of coal and 58.6 percent of spar and all exported crude oil, iron ore and zinc concentrate went to China. A 41.2 percent of spar was exported to Russia. Unprocessed or semi-processed gold was wholly exported the Great Britain.

The volume of imports also increased by 39 percent, reaching USD4.351,0 million, as compared with the same period of previous year. The import of minerals reached USD976.0 million, in which the imports of oil products make up 83.5 percent. As of first nine months, Mongolia imported 1.184,9 thousand tons of oil products worth USD814.7 million.

In 2018, it is planned to extract 8.1 million barrel or 1.1 million tons of oil, accumulating MNT223.4 billion to the state budget. As of October 19, it has extracted 5.12 million barrel or 694 thousand tons of oil, which means 63.19 percent fulfillment of the plan. Moreover, 4.8. million barrel or 655 thousand tons of crude oil were exported. As of October 1, the oil export brought MNT176.46 billion to the state budget.

Standing Committee disapproves proposal to cut Local Development Fund budget 
At the Parliament’s plenary session, the Chairman of the Democratic Party and MP Erdene Sodnomzundui presented the suggestions of DP’s Caucus in the Parliament. Mr. Erdene addressed, “The 2019 Budget bills are being discussed when the economic situation, outlook of foreign markets and the monetary policy objectives remain unpleasant for Mongolia’s economic growth. The proposed 2019 budget bill raised budget revenue by 33 percent and expenditure by 20 percent, of which current expenditure raised by 10 percent and investment costs were increased dramatically by 66.7 percent. Budget has to be accessible to the public. I demand and plead for the Parliament members to ratify a bill that will set the right foundation and mistake-free budget for the future.”

Key changes of the second discussion:

Allocation to the Minister of Finance on financing and utilization of foreign loans cut by MNT 122 billion;

Financing for measures on air and environment pollutions cut by MNT 80 billion;

Financing for Education Loan Fund cut by MNT 42 billion;

Allocation for the general expenses of buildings, facilities, maintenance and equipment of General Customs Administration cut by MNT 12 billion;

Financing for mortgage loan program cut by MNT 15 billion, to MNT 100 billion.

License grants-10

License transfer -9

License collateralization -1

Retraction of license areas-6

Expired licenses-55

Minerals import totalled USD 976 million, which is 32.9 percent or USD 238.4 million higher than the same period of last year. Oil products formed 83.5 percent of minerals import, rising USD 224.8 million yoy. The ministry plans to collect MNT 223.4 billion by producing a total of 8.1 million barrels (1.1 million tons) of oil this year. As of October 19, the plan is 63.19 percent complete as oil production stood at 5.12 million barrels (694,000 tons). Furthermore, 4.83 million barrels of oil have been exported with a completion rate of 59.57 percent, forming MNT 176.46 billion to the State Budget. As of October 16, the nationwide fuel reserves could cover 33-days of average national consumption.

“Thus, the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia will join our partnership with China. That means significant investments from the Saudi side.”

The RCIF was established in June 2012 by China’s state-owned China Investment Corporation (CIS) and RDIF, headed by Dmitriev to focus on projects that foster bilateral economic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. Both participants raised a combined $2 billion in equal shares.

The fund reportedly invests at least 70 percent of its capital in Russia and member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and up to 30 percent - in China.

Moscow is also interested in Saudi projects. Russian Railways would like to participate in building railroads in Saudi Arabia, according to Dmitriev, who is on the company's board of directors.

“We think Russian Railways is one of the world’s best builders of railroads,” he said. “For instance, the company is going to become the key partner in rail projects in India.”

Moreover, the RCIF is interested in taking part in the privatization of the kingdom’s assets of agricultural infrastructure, Dmitriev said.

“Agricultural sector and, certainly, technologies, such as artificial intelligence, genetics, robotic automation and many other industries, in which Russia took leading position… We think that infrastructure, agriculture and technologies are the sectors where we can do much in cooperation with Saudi Arabia,” the official added.

The estimated $15 billion cost would be spread among the four firms, according to the news agency’s information. Rosneft, Exxon, SODECO and ONGC Videsh are all partners in the Sakhalin-1 LNG project. The new plant was intended to be built by Rosneft and Exxon, but the project was later joined by Indian and Japanese firms.

Sakhalin-1 is led by Exxon with a 30 percent stake. Another 30 percent belongs to SODECO, while Rosneft and ONGC Videsh own 20 percent each. LNG is not a subject of the anti-Russian sanctions, but Russian companies are facing problems with getting loans abroad.

Russia has an ambitious plan doubling its global LNG market share to 20 percent in the next decade. The country has two other LNG plants – Novatek's Yamal LNG and Gazprom's Sakhalin-2.

On Tuesday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced Saudi Arabia is ready to invest $5 billion in the Arctic LNG 2 project. Novatek is planning to sell up to 40 percent of the project to foreign partners.

In December, Russia opened the Yamal LNG project. Costing $27 billion, the plant will have three production lines and a total capacity of 16.5 million tons of LNG per year. Almost 96 percent of the Yamal LNG plant’s production has already been contracted.