In 2012 Government of Mongolia released Chinngis Bond, raising USD 1.5 billion. Out of the USD 1.5 billion loan remaining balance of the USD 127 million and its interest of USD 2 million were repaid today.

At the event of transferring the debt repayment, Minister of Finance Ch.Khurelbaatar said "Mongolia will repay debt amounted to MNT 3.5 trillion in 2018. Today, the debt of Chinggis Bond was completely repaid." The Minister also noted that the Ministry of Finance opened a notebook, writing a list of debts on it to remember every single day that Mongolia has debts to repay. He then handed over the notebook to the Prime Minister. 
E.Altanzul

The National Road Transport Center concluded agreements established with coal transportation entities and over 4700 trucks of about 60 entities that met requirements of national laws and regulations started coal transport in this direction. As of January 4, 120 coal trucks carrying 7800 tons of coal passed Ganshuunsukhait checkpoint and no jam has been created, informed officials.

The NRTC is collaborating with related organizations to run coal transportation normally preventing from cause of jam. In specific, the Center delivered their request to the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry to have information on volume of coal to be exported in 2018. Coordinating volume of coal to export with transportation plan is considered to create possibility to prevent from any jam and queue in coal transport, said the officials.

B.Batchimeg

Mongolian passport holders do not need to extend the validity of their existing foreign passports. From 3 January Mongolian Consulates and Embassies in other countries are introducing the new biometric e-passports.

According to the Inner Mongolia department of land and resources, the reserve was found in Shuangjianzi Mountain in Inner Mongolia, south of the Greater Hinggan Mountains.

The reserve contains more than 110 million tonnes of silver ore. More may be found at greater depth or nearby, according to the department.

The silver reserves of Australia, Chile, China, Peru and Poland account for more than 80 percent of the world total.

Silver is widely used in industries such as aerospace, new energy vehicles and solar cells.

With thousands of families burning coal to survive in arctic temperatures, Mongolia is now home to the most poisonous air on the planet.

For Baasanjargal Batbaatar, a single mother of four, coal brings the only warmth they can afford. But it's coming at a price.

"The first time I almost lost my daughter was last winter. I went to the next room to feed my son and when I returned, she was suffocating. Her eyes rolled back. The diagnosis: asthma," Batbaatar said.

The hazardous haze is mainly caused by household stoves making Mongolia's air pollution up to 80 times the World Health Organization's safe limit.

Children and newborns are worst hit.

"A recent study indicated that during the winter of 2014-2015, there was a five-fold increase in the rate of still-births, with a near perfect correlation to air pollution," said Alex Heikens, resident representative of UNICEF in Mongolia.

Mongolian Copper Corporation (MCC)had bought the 49 per cent shares owned by Russian Federation and now the Government is buying it from the MCC. An amount of USD400,272 million paid by MCC to Russian Federation will be transferred to MCC in a way of recoupment. It means, for example, the payment will be reimbursed with loans provided to the Trade and Development Bank of Mongolia by Mongolian Development Bank and MongolBank, as well as with concession agreement in Selenge province.

Erdenet Mining Corporation will be fully owned by Mongolian Government.

Steve has 40 years of Caterpillar and Caterpillar Dealer management experience in 10 countries and 15 years of competency in organizational and general management. Steve worked for PT Trakindo Utama LLC in Indonesia as a General Manager and has extensive experience in providing advisory services, working for the SME Advisory Services division of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He has broad expertise in business systems and processes, and a very strong background in the mining industry, including mining equipment rentals, aftermarket support, and finance. Steve holds an MBA from the Scottish Business School of the University of Edinburgh and a BA in economics from the University of Keele in England.

Following his appointment, Mr. Potter said, “It is a great honor for me to be appointed as the Chairman of AmCham Mongolia. I would like to say thank you to the outgoing chairman, whose efforts, consistency, and conscientious approach have significantly helped to take AmCham Mongolia to ever higher levels of recognition as the country’s premier business organization. As the new chairman, I will strive to continue to enhance this reputation via a clear and forward looking strategy that will bring concrete and positive changes to the business environment and for our members.”

Outgoing Chairman of the AmCham Mongolia Board of Directors Jay Liotta commented, “Steve brings wealth of experience, business professionalism, and broad knowledge of the country’s minerals sector and business environment. He’s a long-time and successful leader in business and promoting investment with Mongolia. I am confident that AmCham’s members and the organization will benefit tremendously under his leadership.”

To reduce its dependence on commodities such as coal and copper, Mongolia has ambitions to become an air freight hub for northern Asia and wants to develop tourism.

But the new airport is unlikely to open this year as originally scheduled, Roads and Transportation Minister Jadamba Bat-Erdene said, as Mongolia negotiates a management contract with Japanese investors.

“The airport was expected to be operational this year, but plans are for it to be operational within the next year, due to management issues,” he said on the ministry’s official website.

“It is planned to set up a joint management team headed by Japan,” he said in the statement, without elaborating.

The new airport is intended to replace the Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan) International Airport, and take the name of the country’s 13th-century ruler, regarded as a national symbol.

Mongolia will be able to receive 3 million passengers a year by 2024 at the new airport, about 50 km (31 miles) from Ulaanbaatar, the capital. Its predecessor, a one-way runway built near a mountain range, is prone to disruptions and flight cancellations.

Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. and Chiyoda are leading construction, with Samsung C&T acting as a subcontractor.

The Chinese Export-Import Bank is providing $140 million to finance a 32.2-km (20-mile) road to the airport. Now under construction, the road is set to be completed by October.

The International Monetary Fund encouraged Mongolia to diversify away from mining as part of a $5.5-billion bailout agreed last year to stabilize its crisis-hit economy.

Coal was the biggest driver of growth in 2017, but exports were hit by transport bottlenecks at the border with China, Mongolia’s biggest customer.

Although the airport could generate non-mining growth, its success could depend on Mongolia allowing more airlines into the market and ending favorable treatment for the state carrier, analysts have said.

Reporting by Terrence Edwards; Editing by David Stanway and Clarence Fernandez