The incident occurred at the Zaisan outlet in Ulaanbaatar last week due to its contaminated water supply, the city's Metropolitan Professional Inspection Agency said, adding that 247 people had reported symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting.

The Zaisan restaurant has already been shut for checks, an official at the agency told Reuters on Tuesday.

"We will carry out inspections for the other KFC branches from Feb. 18-21 and suspend their operations when we do the inspections," the official added. The regulator had previously said it had suspended all the local KFC outlets.

KFC, which is part of Yum Brands Inc, has at least 11 restaurants in the country, according to its website.

Ganbat Danzanbaatar, general manager of KFC Mongolia, said apart from the Zaisan outlet, all KFC restaurants were open.

KFC opened its first restaurant in Mongolia in 2013 and all its restaurants are in the capital. They are operated by its franchise partner, Mongolian conglomerate Tavan Bogd Group.

"We deeply regret the negative impact that many people have suffered, especially to our guests of the Zaisan restaurant, and we are working to support our team members and customers during this difficult time," a KFC Global spokeswoman told Reuters.

"KFC Mongolia is cooperating fully with the government's investigation and recommendations around addressing the source of the incident. This includes a thorough investigation of all KFC Mongolia restaurants, and specifically into determining the exact cause of the reported incident," she said in an email.

Tavan Bogd apologized in a separate statement, saying the incident had happened due to weak internal quality checks and that daily standards and rules were poorly implemented.

Recently, MIAT has acquired two Boeing 737 Max aircraft from the global leasing company Avolon. The first of the planes arrived on 21 January, 2019.

May provides a much-needed global perspective on Mongol rule, and its impact on Islam itself: Mongol converts represented a staggering increase in the number of Muslims in the world at the time, and their conquest only fueled the spread of the religion. Three further Islamic empires, meanwhile, would rise from the Mongol’s eventual disintegration.

But unlike the Ottoman, Fatimid and Seljuk empires, the Mongols were not majority Muslim; indeed, one of the great strengths of the four great “Khanates” was the tolerance of religious freedom they extended to their subjects.

The greatest Khan, Temujin, was crowned Genghis Khan, Ruler of the Universe, in 1206. In his late thirties, he was a brilliant warrior and commanded a vast army famed and feared for its superb horsemanship and remarkable archery. Cunning and opportunistic, he allegedly proclaimed: “I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.”

When he died in 1227, Genghis Khan ruled an empire the size of a continent, from China to Europe. History shows that it is easier to build an empire than preserve it, and the fate of his successors proved even the Mongol Khans were no exception.

The Mongols left virtually no written record of their empire, but their legacy lasts to this day. During their rule, they not only facilitated trade, offering merchants protection, status, and tax-exemption, but actively encouraged the use of the East-West trade routes later known as the fabled Silk Road, linking China, India, Europe and the Middle East.

In addition to the events in Darkhan-Uul and Orkhon aimags, the embassy officials will meet with the authorities of Selenge aimag and farmers of British cattle breeds. Team of the Zoological Society of London implementing the ‘Restricting illegal trade of plants and wildlife project’ jointly with the General Customs Administration of Mongolia will hold a meeting.

“We are delighted to conclude the 55th anniversary celebration in the local area. Through the events, we will be able to introduce British technologies to the mining sector of Mongolia and provide detailed information on opportunities to study in the UK, global leader in education sector. Moreover, I am hopeful that the train decorated with flags of the countries as a symbol of bilateral friendly relations will represent the developing innovative relations with Mongolia,” noted Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UK to Mongolia Mr. Phillip Malone.

Since 2017, the district has started implementing a project on early detection of tuberculosis (TB) in collaboration with KNTA. Therefore, the sides exchanged views on progress and outcomes of the project, encountering issues and its solutions.

In the frameworks of the project, 116 out of total 15.548 people, who were involved in TB prevention and early detection, were diagnosed with TB and received physician supervision. This year, they plan to involve 8000 citizens in check-up for early detection of TB.

Lkhagvajav Baatarjav, President of the MNCCI, addressed, “Business representatives held long discussions with the Ministry of Finance on the package bills. We believe that these laws are well-prepared for setting the foundation of a good tax system.”

Minister of Finance Khurelbaatar Chimed highlighted that the key changes in the package bills are the extension of the tax payment period from two months to 24 months, instant repayment of overpaid taxes, the improved authority of tax officials, prevention of investigation on no-risk taxpayers, annulment of the prescription period on tax evasions, and improved accountability of tax authorities.

“Within the frames of the bill, the Government will hold policy to support fair and responsible taxpayers and cut the costs of deductibles. We will take firm actions against tax evasions, avoidance, and unfair taxpayers, collecting full taxes in accordance with the law,” noted Mr. Khurelbaatar. The bill sets a fixed tax rate of 10 percent and entities with an annual income of MNT 50 million or lower will pay 1 percent tax and are required to submit a single financial report throughout the year. While the entities with an annual income of MNT 3 billion or lower are required to submit half-annual reports, the high-income firms are required to submit quarterly reports.

Key changes in the Corporate Income Tax include a reduction of 20 percent tax on the outbound transfer of income to 15 percent, 20 percent deductibles on dividends to foreigners to 5 percent, and 10 percent tax on bank-based financial sourcing to 5 percent.

"Natural disasters pose a common challenge to many countries in the world. People must be made aware of what natural disasters they are likely to face in their own communities," Batmunkh Uuganbayar, deputy head of NEMA, told a press conference, adding that the training aims to improve public awareness on disaster preparedness and response.

The scenario of training will be a strong earthquake hitting the capital city, Uuganbayar said, noting that all residents and organizations of Ulan Bator must attend the training.

During the training, the Mongolian capital will close its roads off to all vehicles, he said.

The training includes emergency evacuation drills, workshops on how to protect oneself and one's family and how to send accurate information to the public during a natural disaster.

Authorities from the Metropolitan Professional Inspection Agency said the local license holder of the KFC franchise, Tavan Bogd, was responsible for the 247 cases of diarrhea, vomiting and fever reported this month. Officials said they found serious violations in health standards and a failure in internal hygiene controls. Lab tests detected bacteria in the drinking water and E. coli in soda.

Yum! Brands Inc., which oversees the franchise, said KFC Mongolia is cooperating with the government’s investigation.

“There is nothing more important to KFC than the health and safety of our customers,” the company said in an emailed statement. “We deeply regret the negative impact that many people have suffered.”

Tavan Bogd, which also holds rights to Yum’s Pizza Hut chain of restaurants in Mongolia, did not immediately respond for a comment.

Tavan Bogd Group launched its first KFC location in 2013, under its subsidiary Tavan Bogd Foods, and has since expanded to more than 10 locations in the capital city.

— With assistance by Daniela Wei

The Iranian National Commission for UNESCO in a press release suggested that China and Mongolia may possibly join Noruz that is inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, Mehr reported on Monday.

Noruz, which usually falls on March 21st every year, marks the beginning of spring across a vast geographical area encircling Iran. It was registered as a deep-rooted tradition being practiced in Iran, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Iraq.

Tehran’s Milad Tower is to host an international ceremony in honor of Noruz on February 28, the report said.

Noruz was ratified during the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The feast was initially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, as a common tradition for Iran, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. However, the five other countries put in requests officially to be added to the list during a meeting held in Tehran in January 2014.

According to the UNESCO, Noruz promotes the values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families, as well as reconciliation and neighborliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and various communities.

Traditions that are practiced in Noruz vary from place to place, ranging from leaping over fires and streams in Iran to tightrope walking, lighting candles at house doors, traditional games such as horse racing or the traditional wrestling practiced in Kyrgyzstan.

The USD 500 million bond was successfully traded in the global market on October 16, 2018. As the bond had no government guarantee, it set a model interest rate for other creditors in Mongolia.

An offer of USD 4.1 billion--8 times more than the amount they put forward, was first received by the DBM. Analysts speculate that the high demand was due to the measures that were taken by the Government of Mongolia and the DBM in enhancing the relationship with foreign investors. Thus, despite the instability in the global market, he oversubscription allowed for a final pricing of 75 basis points inside the initial guidance. The 5-year notes carry a coupon of 7.25 percent, proving that the ideal environment for both the government and privately owned companies has been created, restoring investors’ trust.