While the proportion of Bitcoin transactions dedicated to illegal purchases is declining, about $515 million of the digital coin has already been spent this year on the so-called dark web, according to the firm, which helps companies such as cryptocurrency exchanges investigate and prevent illegal transactions. Dark-net spending in Bitcoin peaked in 2017, at $872 million, and declined last year as the coin’s price took a dramatic dive.

The findings are a reminder of the regulatory risks surrounding the digital tokens, which are beloved by criminals looking to preserve some degree of anonymity. Last month, the Financial Action Task Force -- an inter-governmental organization focused on combating money laundering and terrorist financing -- began mandating strict know-your-customer measures for crypto exchanges and custodians. Also in June, Europol met with companies in the space to trade tips on best practices in detecting crypto-facilitated crime.

Bitcoin Darknet Market Activity
Of all the illegal online marketplaces, Hydra is the largest, according to Chainalysis, which examined transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain to see how much was being spent on these sites. Drugs are the most prominent category of goods sold, but child porn and stolen credit-card information are also in demand, Chainalysis found. Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency accepted on these marketplaces, followed by Monero, Chainalysis said.

While the growth in illicit Bitcoin spending may be alarming, a major caveat is that the proportion of Bitcoin transactions tied to illicit deals is declining. Illegal activity has accounted for less than 1% of all Bitcoin activity so far this year -- down from 7% in 2012, according to Hannah Curtis, senior product manager of data at Chainalysis.

The event marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, as well as China and Mongolia. Highlighting the development of the Belt and Road Initiative and seeking opportunities in Hulunbuir, the exhibition gathered a wide range of featured products from 645 exhibitors from the three countries as well as 25 Belt and Road countries and regions. Exhibitors from Japan and Republic of Korea also attended the event for the first time.

Senior officials including the president of the parliament of the Dornod Province in Mongolia, the labor union chairman of the Republic of Buryatia, deputy director of Inner Mongolia's commercial bureau as well as exhibitor representatives attended the opening ceremony.

The fair has been held for 15 years, with its scale and level rising continuously. It has become a famous brand for the Hailar-Chita-Choibalsan sub-regional economic and trade cooperation, which has effectively promoted the trade and cultural exchanges in the neighboring regions of the three countries, strengthening the construction of the China-Russia-Mongolia cooperation pilot zone and facilitating the region's deep integration into the Belt and Road Initiative development, according to Jiang Hong, Hulunbuir's mayor.

Hulunbeier prioritizes ecological and green development, and is committed to seeking steady high-quality development. The city will expand opening-up, seek cooperation and mutual benefits, and strive to pursue wider cooperation among the three countries, she added.

"The 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, as well as China and Mongolia will be a new historical starting point for future cooperation. With this exhibition as a platform, I hope friends from all walks of life at home and abroad will further share the development opportunities of Hulunbeier by enhancing exchanges and cooperation," Jiang said.

Designed to be an international, professional and market-oriented event, the fair includes a wide range of activities including commodity exhibitions, economic and trade negotiations, project promotion, conference forums and cultural exchanges.

The event provides an international platform for exchanges, trade and economic negotiations for exhibitors from the three neighbouring countries and the Belt and Road region, and facilitate the construction of the China-Russia-Mongolia cooperation pilot zone. Cooperation between Hulunbeier and the neighboring regions of Russia and Mongolia are enhanced, boosting the high-quality development of the regional economy.

Hakuho, who has won a record 42 grand sumo tournaments, hopes to become a stable master and coach younger wrestlers after he retires.

But to do that, he must become a naturalized Japanese citizen. He submitted documents to the Mongolian authorities in April.

On Saturday, after dedicating a ring-entering ceremony at Atsuta Jingu Shrine in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, Hakuho told reporters that the Mongolian authorities had approved his denaturalization.

He said he has cleared the first step but the process has just begun, and that he will make an announcement when he obtains Japanese citizenship.

Former sumo wrestlers who have obtained Japanese citizenship to become stable masters include former Yokozuna grand champion Musashimaru from the United States and former Mongolian sekiwake Kyokutenho.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news

Asian demand for the heating fuel is expected to top out this year, as large consuming countries, including China, turn to cleaner energy such as hydropower, nuclear and renewables, Australia’s Department of Industry said in its Resources and Energy quarterly report.

Australia is the world’s second-biggest exporter of thermal coal, behind Indonesia, shipping out an estimated 209 million tonnes last financial year. Some 39% of its exports go to Japan, and roughly a quarter to China.

“The trend for world imports … is likely to be slightly downwards. Imports from most developed countries are forecast to decline, as governments phase out coal-fired power generation,” the report said.

It also pointed to signs that Japan would pivot away from thermal coal more quickly than expected, after the country shelved two coal-fired power projects in the past six months with a third also likely.

Australia’s exports were forecast to grow slightly in 2020/21, but the report forecast a fall in benchmark Newcastle spot prices from $105 a tonne in 2018 to $83 a tonne this year and $75 in 2020.

At the same time, exports from the world’s second-largest gold producer are set to climb 12% in the 2019/20 financial year from 329 tonnes in the year to end-June, while gold prices are expected to rise.

“Trade and geopolitical risks are likely to support gold prices,” it said. The report expected gold to average $1,440 an ounce in 2021, compared with $1,392 an ounce on Monday.

It forecast gold exports worth A$22.0 billion ($15.40 billion) in 2019/20, ahead of A$21.2 billion of thermal coal exports.

Total resource and energy commodity earnings for 2019/20 were expected to rise by 3.4% to $285 billion, partly due to a prolonged shortage in iron ore exports from Brazil and a weaker Australian dollar.

($1 = 1.4282 Australian dollars)

(By Melanie Burton; Editing by Richard Pullin)

In December, the NPP will begin supplying energy to Pevek, which will allow the phasing out of two onshore power stations.

Chukotka is one of the most isolated regions in Russia, with most of its territory located beyond the Arctic Circle, where poor transport links and permafrost complicate large-scale construction.

The NPP is expected to become one of the key infrastructure elements in the development of Russia’s Northern Sea Route.

‘Akademic Lomonosov’ boasts two KLT-40S reactors, capable of producing up to 70 megawatts of electricity and 50 gigacalories an hour of heat energy. The reactors are a new modification of the KLT-40M units used by the Taymyr-class shallow-draft nuclear-powered icebreakers. A single unit can produce enough energy and heat to meet the demands of a city with a population of 100,000.

The power plant’s operational lifespan is 40 years, which can be extended to 50 years. Following the end of its life cycle, the unit can be taken away for reactor replacement and maintenance, without leaving any hazardous materials behind.

The NPP will become the first of a proposed fleet of floating nuclear power plants that can provide heat and energy to Russia’s remote regions, and assist in natural resource extraction. Russia also plans to lease the plants to other countries, where they will be used for electricity production and water desalination, as the facility could be converted into a desalination plant with production capacity of some 240,000 cubic meters of fresh water per day

As a result, Mongolia’s coal export to China dropped 8.9 percent to 3.68 million tons. Mongolia exported a total of 15 million tons of coal earning USD 1.2 billion in the first five months of 2019, which is only equal to 35 percent of 2019 export target of 42 million tons.

Australia’s coal export also slumped by 5.5 percent to 5.25 million tons, due to the relationship between the two countries. Australian coal exports have faced border crossing bans, after the country refused to use Huawei’s 5G service. Coking coal accounted for 26 percent or 1.38 million tons, which is the poorest performance since February 2019.

In the meantime, the coal export of Russia to China, the world's sixth largest coal producer ranked after China, the United States, India, Australia, and Indonesia, rose 64 percent to 3.93 million tons. 15 percent of it or 596,000 tons were coking coal. Indonesia also saw 46 percent of growth in its export selling 13.2 million tons of coal.

According to the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry (MMHI), the export of Gashuunsukhait port is in the range of previous years and coal export from Shiveekhuren port reached 50 percent of the estimated amount. As a result, Mongolia’s coal export remained 20-30 percent behind plan. In the second quarter of last year, the country lost its opportunity to export two million tons of coal, due to the C lisence at ports between China and Mongolia.

Experts predict China’s demand to stay at last year’s level. The second biggest economy of the world’s coal imports declined in the second half of the last two years, signalling concerns that Mongolia may fall short of its ambitious goal.

The main construction projects, including airline bases, air traffic control tower, highway, intercity railway, high-speed subway line and other supporting facilities, were completed on schedule and passed inspection by the Civil Aviation Administration, the airport said in a news release.

Guo Yanchi, chief engineer in charge of the construction work, said the planning and design for the new airport was guided by its positioning as an international hub airport and the traffic it is expected to handle.

The terminal was designed to shorten the walking distance for passengers and provide as many aprons for aircraft as possible at the same time, Guo said, adding that it is only 600 meters, or less than an 8-minute walk, from the center of the terminal to the farthest boarding gate in each wing.

"It's more efficient for the passengers than any other large airport terminal of the same size in the world," he said. "The airport is also the world's first to be designed with double-deck departure and double-deck arrival platforms."

The airport has also adopted green and energy-saving concepts to incorporate natural light and seamless steel structure in its terminal design, Guo added.

To offer a more refreshing travel experience, five ancient-Chinese-style outdoor courtyards - with the themes "Silk Garden", "Tea Garden", "Porcelain Garden", "Countryside Garden" and "Chinese Garden" - feature at the end of the five departure lounges for use by passengers waiting for their flights, he said.

The airport is now organizing six large-scale simulation exercises for all departments stationed there to test its facilities and equipment. The exercises, running over more than two months, will see over 500 flights and handle 51,000 passengers and 35,000 items of luggage, according to the news release.

"The airport will also have to conduct several more test flights - for example, flying in low-visibility conditions - before being put into operation," Guo said.

The airport, which is planned to open before Sept 30, will act as a second international airport for Beijing to relieve pressure from rising demand for air travel on Beijing's Capital International Airport.

By 2021, the new airport is expected to handle 45 million passengers a year. By 2025, that number is expected to grow to 72 million.