The fire broke out at Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation's Oita Works in western Japan on January 5th. It heavily damaged electrical equipment at the mainstay factory producing steel plates for ships and other uses. The firm says it doesn't know when it can restart production.

Its factories in Chiba and Aichi Prefectures have already increased their production of plates to address the situation. But it has become increasingly difficult to make up for the loss.

Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal has asked 2 other Japanese firms, JFE Steel and Kobe Steel, to produce plates on its behalf.

The firm has not commented on the quantity it has asked others to produce.

Its Oita Works shipped 2.4 million tons of steel plates last year, equivalent to one-fourth of all domestic production.

Based on the WHO studies in 2009, over seven thousand deaths occur annually in Mongolia; 10% of them are associated with air pollution. However, the number of deaths increased to 20% in 2014. Currently the coldest winter in a decade has led to the increase in the burning of cheap fuel in the capital's 'ger district' shanty towns, which has resulted in more intense pollution.

When asked if "the age of Apple is over” by The New York Times, Thiel answered: "Confirm. We know what a smartphone looks like and does. It’s not the fault of Tim Cook, but it’s not an area where there will be any more innovation."

In October, Apple reported its first annual revenue decline in 15 years, as for the first time iPhone sales slumped. In the three months ending September 24, the Cupertino, California company said its revenue dropped about nine percent year on year.

Apple’s annual sales fell to $216 billion in the 2016 fiscal year ending September 30, down from a record $234 billion the year before.

The company’s sales in China, once a catalyst for growth, declined 30 percent year on year as the tech company faces competition from local producers like Xiaomi and Huawei that make more affordable smartphones with a similar set of functions.

Some analysts say the the world may have reached “peak Apple,” as nearly everyone who wants and can afford an iPhone and other products already has one.

The iPhone was first launched in June 2007, transforming the telecoms industry. However, Apple is facing increased competition from smartphones running on Google’s Android, and other gadgets.

Thiel co-founded PayPal in 1999 and became Facebook's first outside investor after acquiring a 10.2 percent stake for $500,000 in 2004.