Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates introduce VAT for first time www.bbc.com

Value Added Tax (VAT) has been introduced in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the first time.

The 5% levy is being applied to the majority of goods and services.
Gulf states have long attracted foreign workers with the promise of tax-free living.
But governments want to increase revenue in the face of lower oil prices.
The tax kicked in on 1 January in both countries.
The UAE estimates that in the first year, VAT income will be around 12 billion dirhams (£2.4bn; $3.3bn).
No plans for income tax
Petrol and diesel, food, clothes, utility bills and hotel rooms all now have VAT applied.
But some outgoings have been made exempt from the tax, or given a zero-tax rating, including medical treatment, financial services and public transport.
Organisations such as the International Monetary Fund have long called for Gulf countries to diversify their sources of income away from oil reserves.
In Saudi Arabia more than 90% of budget revenues come from the oil industry while in the UAE it is roughly 80%.
Both countries have already taken steps to boost government coffers.
In Saudi Arabia this included a tax on tobacco and soft drinks as well as a cut in some subsidies offered to locals. In the UAE road tolls have been hiked and a tourism tax introduced.
But there are no plans to introduce income tax, where most residents pay 0% tax on their earnings.
The other members of the Gulf Co-operation Council - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar - have also committed to introduce VAT, though some have delayed plans until at least 2019.

Diplomatic ranks awarded by president www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ President of Mongolia Kh.Battulga has issued decree to award ranks to diplomats who worked for many years with invincible effort and dedication in the international relations sphere of Mongolia. 

SoftBank succeeds in tender offer for Uber shares www.reuters.com

(Reuters) - A consortium led by SoftBank Group Corp will buy a large number of shares of Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] in a deal that values the ride-services firm at $48 billion, Uber said on Thursday, in a victory for new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi.

The price is a roughly 30 percent discount to Uber’s most recent valuation of $68 billion. The deal will trigger a number of changes in the way the board oversees the company, which is dealing with federal criminal probes, a high-stakes lawsuit and an overhaul of its workplace culture.

SoftBank and the rest of the consortium, which includes Dragoneer Investment Group, will own approximately 17.5 percent of Uber, a person familiar with the matter said. That stake includes a share purchase, through a tender offer, from earlier investors and employees at the $48 billion valuation, as well as a $1.25 billion investment of fresh funding at the $68 billion level.

Uber said the deal will close early next year. On Thursday it said that existing investors had agreed to sell enough shares for SoftBank to go through with the transaction.

SoftBank itself will keep a 15 percent stake, while the rest of the consortium will own approximately 3 percent, according to a second person familiar with the matter.

Khosrowshahi, who took the top job in August after Travis Kalanick was forced to step down in June, helped negotiate the deal. Uber is losing more than $1 billion each quarter, and a new cash infusion is critical. The company is also planning an initial public offering in 2019.

Uber will use the investment “to support our technology investments, fuel our growth, and strengthen our corporate governance,” a spokesperson, who declined to be named, said.

When the deal is completed, the company will make governance changes, expanding Uber’s board from 11 to 17 members including four independent directors, limiting some early shareholders’ voting power and cutting the control wielded by Kalanick, who remains on the board and is still one of the largest stakeholders.

‘SMART THING’

“The stockholders did the smart thing. The price is less important than locking in the governance changes and securing the support of the world’s most powerful technology investor,” said Erik Gordon an entrepreneurship expert at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Rajeev Misra, chief executive of SoftBank's Vision Fund, a $98 billion tech investment vehicle, will join the Uber board, The Wall Street Journal reported. (on.wsj.com/2ChJNyS) SoftBank will get two seats on the expanded board, a source told Reuters.

Misra said in a statement that SoftBank has “tremendous confidence in Uber’s leadership and employees.” Uber board members agreed in early November to governance changes to pave the way for the SoftBank deal.

Some initial investors in the consortium, including General Atlantic, dropped out over disagreement about the price offered to shareholders, Reuters previously reported.

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has taken a keen interest in ride-hailing companies around the world, and already has sizeable stakes in China’s Didi, Brazil-based 99, India’s Ola and Singapore Grab, all of which have competed with Uber. Didi last week raised $4 billion, including some investment from SoftBank.

The Uber investment comes after a year of troubles for the company, including a lawsuit by Alphabet Inc’s self-driving car unit Waymo that alleges trade-secrets theft and federal investigations that span possible bribery of foreign officials in Asian countries and the use of software to evade regulators.

Over the past year, a former employee’s charges of endemic sexual harassment led to an internal review, London said it is stripping Uber of its license and Uber revealed it had covered up a major hack.

Venture capital firms Benchmark, which owns 13 percent of Uber, had indicated that it would sell a portion of its shares, SoftBank said last month. Menlo Ventures, another large shareholder, would tender shares, Managing Director Shawn Carolan said at the time. Carolan on Thursday praised the deal without describing Menlo’s participation. Benchmark did not respond to a request for comment.

Japan sumo champion Harumafuji charged with assault www.bbc.com

Former sumo grand champion Harumafuji has been charged with assaulting a junior wrestler in a scandal that has rocked Japan's ceremonial sport.

The 33-year-old wrestler from Mongolia has already apologised and stepped down over the incident.
He is facing a summary indictment, which means he is expected to be fined rather than tried in court.
Japan's sumo world has been hit by scandals involving violence, mafia links and match fixing in recent years.
Harumafuji's assault on fellow Mongolian Takanoiwa happened while they were out drinking with other wrestlers in a bar in the western city of Tottori in October.
The grand champion is reported to have been angered that his countryman was checking his phone while being given advice. The latter was admitted to hospital with concussion and a fractured skull.
Harumafuji admitted punching him hitting him with a karaoke remote control but denied using a beer bottle in the attack.
"I'm truly sorry for hurting Takanoiwa mentally and physically," Harumafuji told police, according to Jiji Press.

UB extends restriction for local migration ban www.news.mn

Ulaanbaatar is one of the top-ten most polluted cities in the world. The scale of the migration is astounding. In the last decade, around 20% of the country’s population of three million has moved to Ulaanbaatar over the last decade, which has doubled the city’s population and further increased pollution. The influx has also brought other problems. There has been an increase in crime, severe gridlock, problems with urban planning, and pressure on the housing, health and social care systems.

Putin says Russia should ditch petrol in favor of natural gas fuel www.rt.com

Russia should follow the lead of Gazprom and have more cars running on natural gas instead of traditional gasoline, according to President Vladimir Putin. It is cheaper and more eco-friendly, he said.

“Gas fuel is, of course, more environmentally friendly. And we have great competitive advantages in this because we have enough of this fuel. More oil and petroleum products can be sold on the foreign market, as it is more profitable than gas sales,” Putin said on Thursday, speaking at a meeting dedicated to the development of Russia's regions.

Noble Group raises stake in Mongolian railways firm in exchange for debt repayment www.businesstimes.com.sg

NOBLE Group has bought an additional 10 per cent stake in Northern Mongolian Railways Limited (NMRL), a subsidiary of Australia-listed Aspire Mining Limited for US$1.4 million.

Foreign exchange reserves reach USD 2.9 billion www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ This year, the Central Bank’s foreign exchange reserves have surged to USD 2.9 billion. The reserves are crucial factor to sustain value of domestic currency and stability of financial and macro economic sector.

December 28, 2017 trading report www.mse.mn

On December 28, 2017, 732,831 shares of 34 firms listed as Tier I, II, and III were traded. 20 companies’ shares increased in price while those of 11 companies decreased and 3 companies unchanged. Mik Holding /MIK +14.96%/ and Khunnu Management /HBZ +14.96%/ were the top performers whereas Juulchin Gobi JSC /JGV/ was the worst performer, decreasing 15.00 percent.

Renewables generated triple the power of coal in 2017, UK figures show www.theguardian.com

British wind farms generated more electricity than coal plants on more than 75% of days this year, an analysis of energy figures has shown.