The Mongolian Independent Authority against Corruption charged M.Sonompil in October, 2017 in connection with the government tender and financing of the ‘Amgalan’ Thermal Plant.

M.Sonompil worked as Energy Minister between 2012 and 2016.

Around 50 researchers from the four countries have registered to take part in the conference, at which interesting presentations showing the contributions of leading specialist from the four countries to the field of Asian geological studies.

Heading the teams from the four countries will be: Honoured Geologist of the Russian Federation Oleg Vladimirovich Petrov who is Director General of the A.P. Karpinsky Russian Geological Research Institute, LI Tingdong, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, M.Tnaliev of the Committee of Geology and Subsoil Use, Ministry of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan, and Paul Hong of the Geological Research Centre, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources.

A delegation from Tashkent have been in Mongolia in order to study the quality of the local meat, learn about nomadic cattle breeding and farming and visit several meat processing plants. The delegates noted that since these plants have introduced Halal meat slaughtering standards, it creates all the necessary conditions to export meat to Uzbekistan. Deputy Minister Saule, the most senior member of the delegation, noted that Mongolia has a breadth of opportunity to cooperate with Uzbekistan in many sectors.

The two sides agreed to implement joint projects and programmes further on expanding cooperation into animal husbandry and the veterinary sphere, to share practices as well as to augment trade of animal-related raw materials and products.

The Heron-1 well in the Tamsag Basin was an appraisal of the T19-46 oil field and was being drilled with the DQE International 40105 rig.

The well was targeting a prospect with a 25m barrel mean prospective recoverable resource and would be drilled total depth of 3,050 metres.

It was expected to take up to 40 days to complete.

Upon completion of drilling operations, the rig will move about five kilomtres to the Gazelle-1 location.

Mobilisation of the Ccmpany's second contracted rig to the Red Deer-1 location was ongoing with a targeted spud date before the end of July.

Black lung disease is an epidemic killing thousands of coal miners. In mines across the Appalachian states, miners were exposed to toxic mine dust that would later lead to the debilitating respiratory illness, also known as progressive massive fibrosis.

A group of coal miners met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, to try to have restored a higher excise tax on coal companies to fund medical care.

The excise tax originated in 1977 with the Black Lung Revenue Act. The tax is the main source of revenue for the Black Lung Program and Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (BLDTF), which pay benefits to disabled miners and their survivors and dependents.

The coal industry has lobbied to have the tax reduced, while the BLDTF is at risk of insolvency.

Some of the miners rode by bus for ten hours to speak with McConnell, but the Republican leader only saw them for two minutes, and while he did tell them their medical benefits are safe, he did not comment on the excise tax and left without answering questions or providing details, Reuters reported.

“[The] focus is on placating politically connected, wealthy coal industry executives, not helping miners, their families, or the communities left out to dry,” a Sierra Club representative said in an email to MINING.com.

Last year, a joint National Public Radio (NPR) and PBS Frontline investigation found that regulators knew about black lung disease, which plagued coal miners for generations, and could have stopped it.

FHF is owned by the nationals of Mongolia and FHF Corporation will be a professional, independent, 100 percent state-owned company in charge of investing in, raising and maintaining the real value of the fund's assets within the scope of the authority granted without ownership rights of the assets.

The main sources of the FHF's financing include 65 percent of the royalty payments and the dividends to the state owned shares of legal entities with state ownership participation or state owned enterprises which possess mining licenses for mineral deposits.

Currently, the fund totals MNT 213 billion.

The Cabinet issued a permit of basic infrastructure construction of railroad to ‘Tavan Tolgoi Railway’ Company. Moreover, corresponding ministers and heads of agencies were assigned to give 66 percent of shares of ‘Tavan Tolgoi Railway’ LLC to 'Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi' JSC and 34 percent to ‘Mongolian Railways’ state-owned shareholding company.

Basic infrastructure construction of the railroad has been run at 51.8 percent while excavation work at 86.6 percent and works for building bridge and tunnels at 52 percent or USD 276.3 million was spent on the railway project in 2013-2015. Total cost for the railroad is USD 807 million. Therefore, to raise remaining USD 531.4 million, a joint working team of ‘Mongolian Railway’ state-owned shareholding company and 'Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi' JSC was set up.

Furthermore, Governor of Umnugobi aimag N.Naranbaatar was obliged to promptly give permits of constructional works of power transmission line, signal, railway stations, and junctions.

At the end of his report, Minister B.Enkh-Amgalan stressed that construction work of railroad in route Tavantolgoi-Zuunbayan has been running normally. Eight companies are working as assistant contractors. Moreover, military units no. 77 and 81 are working to this constructional work.

The meeting is involving over 60 delegates comprising representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia, Governor’s Office of Khentii aimag, and China, South Korea, Japan, and Germany, as well as specialists of the ADB project 'Man of the millennium - The Great Chinggis Khaan'.

The participants are discussing coordination of the local cooperation and project proposals from LCC members.

Fortunately, Mongolian private enterprises are now shouldering the burden also and helping with housing projects. The Mongolian mining and investment company ‘Khanan Shishged’ LLC has started a project entitled ‘House of Ten Thousand’. The projects was initiated by S.Munkhbat, director of ‘Khanan Shishged’ LLC in 2015. The project aims to provide housing to 1740 families in the Songinokhairkhan, Khan-Uul and Chingeltei Districts of Ulaanbaatar.

‘Khanan Shishged’ was founded in 2006.