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

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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.

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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.

The service originates from Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. The airline operates the 737-kilometre sector between Russia and China using its fleet of two ATR 72-500s along with three Fokker 50s. No other airline operates between these two airports.

Hunnu Air is an airline which offers a bespoke domestic network in Mongolia, with its only other non-domestic destination being Erenhot, which is situated in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, where Manzhouli is also located.

While its network is small, it should be noted that Hunnu Air previously operated two A319s between 2012 and 2014, offering flights from the Mongolian capital to destinations including Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong, Shanghai Pudong and Paris CDG, an airport pair 7,022 kilometres in length, a route which sources suggest, involved a technical stop in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

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International photojournalists' expo held in Mongolia www.akipress.com

An exhibition of international photojournalists'photos focusing on today's Mongolia kicked off here on Sunday,Xinhua reports.

The ten-day exhibition is a result of the "Today's Mongolia" program aimed at promoting Mongolia via the works of domestic and foreign photojournalists and enriching foreign press archives with new pictures about modern Mongolia.

A total of 15 domestic and foreign photojournalists, including two photojournalists from China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, presented 50 photos for the program co-organized by Mongolia's national news agency Montsame, the United Association of Mongolian Photographers and the Council on Mongolian National Brands.

During the first edition of annual program, the journalists traveled to several places to explore Mongolia.

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Centerra sells Mongolia business for US$35M www.mining-journal.com

Singapore-based private firm OZD Asia bought all the outstanding shares and debt of Centerra Netherlands, which held the Boroo mine and processing facility and the Gatsuurt project.

Toronto-based Centerra said OZD would retain the $5 million payment received in September and the further $5 million Centerra was due from Steppe Gold regarding the previous sale of the Altan Tsagaan Ovoo project.

"The disposition of the Mongolian business unit is another step forward in enhancing the overall quality of Centerra's portfolio of assets and will allow management to focus on the company's development projects in other jurisdictions, including Canada and Turkey," CEO Scott Perry said.

During the June quarter of 2017, Centerra wrote down the value of its Mongolian assets by $41.3 million and reduced the carrying value of the Mongolian assets to their estimated recoverable value of about $60 million, the company said at the time.

It had a shaky relationship with Mongolian authorities, enduring years of permitting delays and local opposition to the Gatsuurt project, while it battled to keep artisanal miners off its property.
Centerra had been expanding its geographic footprint in recent years to mitigate geopolitical risk, as a years-long dispute with the Kyrgyz Republic to complete a strategic agreement over its Kumtor operations dragged on. A new longstop deadline to end the dispute had been set for November 2.

Meanwhile, the company was dealing with an acute water shortage at its Mount Milligan copper-gold mine, in British Columbia, and had pinned its production growth hopes on the much delayed Öksüt project, in Turkey, where first gold was expected by January 2020.

The C$1.57 billion company's equity closed up 3.65% Friday at $5.39, having lost 42% in value over the past 12 months.

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Renewable energy can bring China, Mongolia closer www.globaltimes.cn

During the fourth Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia last month, Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga pushed plans for a super grid that would enable Northeast Asian countries to share energy.

Battulga proposed a prompt and urgent start to building the Northeast Asian Super Grid project, "which can share the load during peak hours and be a resource-efficient and optimal solution for supplying Northeast Asian countries with energy," according to Mongolia's state-owned news agency Montsame.

The grid, initially proposed by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, would use Mongolia's abundant wind and solar resources to generate electricity that will be delivered to other economies in Northeast Asia via high-voltage direct current transmission lines.

Mongolia has in recent years vigorously promoted the development of wind and solar power, and it has given priority to renewables in its energy development. The country enacted the Renewable Energy Law in 2007, which spells out the rights and obligations of government institutions as to the use of renewable energy, institutes a renewable energy licensing regime, and sets standards for electricity rates, among other steps.

Mongolia's development and use of renewable energy is closely linked to its national energy security, and it is important to the country's sustainable development.

If the Mongolian president's proposal for a super grid becomes reality, it will boost the country's renewable energy development. But transmission facilities are still at the planning stage in Mongolia.

Several factors are affecting the outlook for the project.

First, Mongolia faces a power shortage as the country has yet to achieve self-sufficiency in power supply, especially considering its fast-growing, electricity-intensive mining sector. Mongolia imported about 20 percent of its electricity demand from its neighboring countries in 2017.

Second, aging electrical equipment and large-scale power losses during transmission cast doubt on the concept of exporting Mongolia's power.

Third, there has yet to be a feasibility study of the super grid project that involves related parties. There still needs to be increased political mutual trust among Northeast Asian countries. The problems surrounding the framework for transnational power transmission, as well as laws, rules and technology, must be solved.

Further, Mongolia hasn't established a mechanism that would guarantee renewable energy's role in power generation. Its own use of renewable energy resources is still insufficient, and it relies primarily on coal-fired electricity generation. Renewables only accounted for 4.2 percent of the total electricity generated in Mongolia in 2016, which is not high enough to allow for large-scale power distribution.

Finally, the country lacks the money to fund the long-term development of renewable energy. Its major renewable energy projects generally rely on foreign institutions or banks to offer loans or aid, and the country is also short of relevant technologies and talent.

Particularly noteworthy was the Mongolian president's announcement during the Eastern Economic Forum about a joint project with China for an energy complex and high-voltage transmission line.

A feasibility study for the complex has been finished and construction will start shortly. If all goes as planned, Mongolia will be able to export electricity and there will be closer energy cooperation with China.

China needs to seize the opportunities presented by Mongolia's push for renewable energy resources. As China shares a border with the southern part of Mongolia, which abounds in wind and solar power, China might join Mongolia in joint exploration of renewables, offer loans to Mongolia and consider a concrete cooperation road map, thus playing a part in the creation of the Northeast Asian Super Grid.

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Mongolian president requests visit by Kim Jong Un www.nhk.org.jp

Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga has asked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to visit Mongolia.

North Korea's state-run media reported on Sunday that Battulga made the request in a telegram to Kim. Battulga congratulated Kim on their 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The media quoted Battulga as writing that the previous leaders of the 2 countries built a solid foundation for their diplomatic ties.

The media says he also writes that he believes their relations will further develop in line with their common interests and the peace and stability of the region.

The media says referring to a visit to Mongolia by the late former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, Battulga expressed his hope to receive the current North leader on this occasion.

Arrangements are being made for Kim Jong Un to hold a second round of bilateral summit talks with US President Donald Trump. Kim may also make his first visit to Russia later this year.

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New artificial pitch opens in Mongolia www.news.mn

A new artificial football pitch has been unveiled in Mongolia. So now, national teams no longer need to travel abroad for training. The installation was funded by the FIFA Forward Programme.

For the last few days, among the steppes of Tuv province, a few kilometres away from Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar, a brand new artificial football pitch has been attracting the interest of thousands of local from the the city and surrounding areas.

With hundreds of boys and girls proudly wearing their national shirts and anxious to set foot on the inviting surface, to let off their first shots towards the untouched goalposts, the handover of another FIFA Forward project took place last week.

It was only right that, after the official opening ceremony, the first action to take place would be contested by the best country has to offer, with a range of Mongolian national teams getting the honour of playing the first games.

To fulfill its promise of bringing football to all, FIFA supported the Mongolian Football Federation (MFF), has installed the new artificial pitch in a province that, although close to the capital, is thirsty for sports infrastructure.

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UK will see three years of low growth, says EY Item Club www.bbc.com

The UK can expect low economic growth for the next three years, while a no-deal Brexit could dent growth even further, says a forecasting body.

The EY Item Club predicted GDP growth of 1.3% this year and 1.5% in 2019, down from 1.4% and 1.6% respectively in its previous outlook three months ago.

The forecaster said these figures were based on the assumption that the UK and the EU would agree transition terms.

If this did not happen, conditions could be "significantly weaker".

If the forecaster's prediction turns out to be accurate, 2018 would be the worst year of growth for the UK economy since the financial crisis.

Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club, said: "Heightened uncertainties in the run-up to and the aftermath of the UK's exit could fuel business and consumer caution.

"This is a significant factor leading us to trim our GDP forecasts for 2018 and 2019."

UK economy is 'stuck in a rut'
Brexit will be 'worse for UK than EU'
Earlier this year, the EY Item Club predicted that the UK would see two interest rate rises this year and two more in 2019.

However, following the Bank of England's decision in August to raise rates from 0.5% to 0.75%, the forecaster said it did not now expect another increase until August next year, with two more rate rises likely in 2020.

"The EY Item Club suspects that the Bank of England will want to see sustained evidence that the UK economy is holding up relatively well after Brexit occurs in late March, before hiking interest rates," it added.

EY chief economist Mark Gregory said: "The UK economy is going to experience a period of low economic growth for at least the next three years, and businesses need to recognise this and adjust accordingly.

"They should also consider a sharp downside to the economy in the event of a no-deal Brexit and make preparations for such a scenario."

Mr Gregory said a "prudent approach" would be for firms to test the robustness of their businesses, especially cash flow, against a short period of severe disruption, followed by a downturn for three or four quarters.

"Even if the Brexit process goes smoothly, the cyclical risks to the UK economy mean this would still be a worthwhile exercise. Now is the time to start to think about the future shape of any UK business after 2020," he added.

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Australia’s coal sector hopeful www.mining.com

A new report prepared by Commodity Insights for the Minerals Council of Australia forecasts that the demand for metallurgical coal to 2030 will grow by over 95Mt, from 275Mt in 2017 to 372Mt in 2030; this is a 2.3% growth or around 7.5Mt per annum.

Such a growth would be the equivalent of a large export mine being added to the market every year to 2030, the report states, and it represents approximately 56% of current Australian met coal exports.

The rise would be led by China and India, particularly because of the latter's solid-to-strong economic growth, along with ongoing industrialisation and urbanisation, both of which drive demand for steel. China’s continued solid steel production will also push up the demand for coal, as well as the inability of its domestic production to keep pace with demand, something that will also happen in India.

“Even based on the conservative assumptions used in the Commodity Insights report, this demand growth represents a major opportunity for our world-class coal producers and the Australian economy,” Minerals Council of Australia CEO, Tania Constable, said in a media statement.

The Oceanian country is the world’s fifth largest producer of black coal, sitting behind China, India, the USA and Indonesia. Most of the production from Down Under is exported on the seaborne market, with 147Mt of metallurgical coal sold abroad in 2017. Despite being producers themselves, China and India are Australia’s largest markets for metallurgical coal, accounting for over 50% of volumes and followed by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

According to Commodity Insights, the reasons why the Australian black mineral is sought after are its quality, particularly when extracted from the Queensland’s Bowen Basin; the end-user mine equity; proximity to key Asian markets; and the key off-take market stability.

“The underlying demand stability from the key importers of Australian metallurgical coals (Japan, Korea and Taiwan), driven largely by significant steel production in these regions, provides substantial underlying support for production security. The significance of their dependency on Australian coals is further evidenced by their mine equity participation and/or ownership,” the research document reads.

For Tania Constable, this information should be seen as good news for all Australians who benefit from the royalties and company taxes paid by the country’s met coal producers.

But to be able to really reap the benefits of future developments in the global coal market, Australia has some homework to do. According to the report, the country needs to address issues such as the lengthy and costly approval processes of coal projects and the sheer volume of red and green tape that miners have to deal with. It also needs to add or expand mines and infrastructure – particularly rail – in a timely fashion.

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Foreign Minister D.Tsogtbaatar meets MP, UK Trade Envoy to Mongolia Julian Knight www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia D.Tsogtbaatar is visiting United Kingdom on October 10-12 to participate in the “Illegal Wildlife Trade” international conference organized by the British government. During his visit in the UK, Minister D.Tsogtbaatar met with Mr. Julian Knight MP, the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Mongolia.

At the meeting, both sides have expressed opinions on the current state of trade and economic cooperation and exchanged their ideas on how to further improve bilateral relations of Mongolia-UK on future actions in both international and regional affairs.

Minister D.Tsogtbaatar underlined that Mongolia has intentions to expand and develop friendly ties with the UK in all sectors including trade, economy and investment and he has expressed an interest to retain the current European Union’s Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade arrangement and facilitations for Mongolian exporting products to the UK market after Brexit.

Source: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia

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