Inability to tackle air pollution to cause 5,200-14,000 deaths by 2024 www.zgm.mn

Scientists have warned that the inaction to air pollution will result in 5,200-14,000 death. Urged by the foreboding statement, the President of Mongolia Battulga Khaltmaa sent an official letter to the General Prosecutor’s Office to demand accountability from the authorities behind the potential misuse of air pollution reduction budget last week.

Facebook plans to integrate Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. What that means for users www.cnn.com

New York (CNN Business)Facebook plans to integrate its messaging platforms, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, according to a report from the New York Times.

The three services would remain separate apps, but their infrastructure behind the scenes would be the same.
Even with minimal changes on the surface, the move could have an impact on the billions of people who use the tools. For example, it could allow the company to build a single user profile from its different apps to better target ads.
The apps could also get end-to-end encryption, which shields messages from being read by people outside of the conversation, according to Facebook.
"We're working on making more of our messaging products end-to-end encrypted and considering ways to make it easier to reach friends and family across networks," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. "As you would expect, there is a lot of discussion and debate as we begin the long process of figuring out all the details of how this will work."

Facebook estimates 2.6 billion people total now use Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger each month, according to its most recent earnings report. In addition, more than 2 billion people use at least one of these Facebook-owned apps each day on average.
Debra Aho Williamson, principal analyst at research firm eMarketer, said data would likely be shared between the apps as a result of the move. That could make it easier for Facebook to track users' activities across its family of apps and target ads more effectively.
For users, increased data sharing could also mean that information about their activities on WhatsApp will be associated with what they do on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger, she added.
"If users didn't think Facebook and its messaging apps were all the same company, they will have to confront that reality now," Williamson said. "Knitting the messaging apps together shows that Facebook wants to exert more control over them, and that may lead to more internal executive conflict."

After being acquired by Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram remained relatively independent entities. However, both platforms have become increasingly important to the company as Facebook has struggled with fake news, foreign election meddling and privacy scandals.
WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in 2014, and its CEO and co-founder Jan Koum left the company in May 2018. Koum reportedly decided to resign after disagreeing with Facebook over its approach to personal data and encryption.
In October, Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger left Facebook after reportedly clashing with CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the direction of the photo sharing app. Instagram was acquired by Facebook in 2012.
Jessica Liu, senior analyst at research firm Forrester, believes the user experience would only change slightly.
"I'm sure most users won't notice and won't think twice about it," she said. "As it is, you're already getting Facebook friend suggestions in Instagram and you're already getting kicked from Facebook to the Messenger app if you want to talk 'privately' to another Facebook user."

Why China is under pressure to make a trade deal www.bbc.com

In Washington this week, the US and China are due to hold their highest level talks since the two sides struck a temporary truce to their trade war.

They have until 1 March to come up with some sort of compromise or tariffs will be hiked again, and we march back into a trade fight that affects us all.

China watchers tell me Beijing is under increasing pressure to make a deal.

Here's why:

A slowing economy
The trade war may not have caused China's slowdown, but it is definitely making things worse.

Growth data released last week showed China posted the slowest growth rate since 1990 but that in itself is not as worrying as other data points, including that consumer sentiment and retail sales are flatlining or weakening fast.

Small and medium-sized companies in China are feeling the chill with lower orders and inventories.

Just how much pressure the Communist Party is facing because of a weakening economy was reflected in a rare acknowledgement by President Xi Jinping, whose legitimacy is based in part in keeping China strong.

Losing its factory lustre?
There is also evidence to show that foreign firms are diversifying their sourcing, production and supply chains away from China, if not pulling out altogether.

This recent survey conducted by QIMA, a leading Asian supply chain auditor, shows that 30% of more than 100 global businesses are diverting their sourcing from China to other countries.

As many as three-quarters of these companies have started sourcing suppliers in new countries.

If this trend continues then jobs in Chinese factories are at risk - a recent report looking at China's economy by JP Morgan points to rising unemployment as a major near-term risks.

Social stability is predicated on China's economic stability, and the Communist Party is well aware that its credibility lies in delivering the Chinese dream to its people.

The Huawei factor
The fate of Huawei also hangs in the balance, both from a business and diplomatic standpoint.

China is big on symbolism and "doesn't believe in coincidences" Einar Tangen, an advisor on economic affairs for the Chinese government, told me on the line from Beijing.

Mr Tangen pointed to the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei founder, which took place on the day President Xi and US President Donald Trump met at the G20 summit and declared the temporary truce between the two sides, setting the 90 day deadline for talks.

What's going on with Huawei?
The Huawei exec trapped in a gilded cage
Another date looms next week, with the latest round of talks taking place on the day the US has to file the extradition treaty for Ms Meng.

"Both of these dates are seen as attempts by the US to use Huawei as leverage in the trade talks," says Mr Tangen.

The US is also reportedly preparing an investigation into Huawei which could see it banned from buying American chips, a move that crippled China's ZTE last year.

"The Chinese see this as the US trying to push China down," he says.

"This is not about right or wrong. They view this in context of the 100 years of humiliation they suffered at the hands of the West and they don't want that repeated."

American firms want a deal
But the US is also under pressure to make a deal.

American firms in China have complained about the impact of Trump's tariffs on their business but want the US to make a good deal.

"This administration has been willing to risk the health of the US economy with tariffs," says Stephen Kho, international trade partner at law firm Akin Gump in Washington DC.

"So now that we've come this far, businesses want to take advantage of this moment and walk away from these talks with something significant. They will want to see China's offer to buy more American goods along with promises of systemic changes."

A solution to the US-China trade war is good for us all.

The longer these two superpowers slap tariffs on each other's goods, the more expensive products will be for us, companies will report lower profits, and global growth will slow.

Both sides are under pressure to make a deal. But this is ultimately, as Mr Kho also points out, "a game of chicken." Whoever blinks first could also be the biggest loser.

Alibaba lashes out at US over ‘unfair’ treatment of Huawei as tech giant faces scrutiny www.rt.com

E-commerce giant Alibaba slammed the US for attempting to curb Huawei’s access to Western markets. A senior official from the company says a political agenda lies behind Washington and its allies’ treatment of the Chinese firm.
“I think what the American government and together with the Five Eyes Alliance – what they’re trying to do with Huawei – is a bit unfair, there’s definitely a political agenda behind it,” Joe Tsai, an executive vice chairman at Alibaba, said at a Reuters event in Hong Kong on Friday.

International tourism hits 1.4 billion forecast 2 years early www.rt.com

A new report from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) showed that 2018 was a very good year for global tourism, with 1.4 billion worldwide traveler arrivals.
The UNWTO didn’t expect that figure until 2020, and it occurred in part due to stronger economic growth, greater visa facilitation, and more affordable air travel.

State Secretary of Foreign Ministry working in Canada www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/ D.Davaasuren, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is working in Canada on January 23-25.

Finance Minister discusses on going projects with Chinese Ambassador www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ On January 23, Minister of Finance Ch.Khurelbaatar held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Mongolia Xing Haiming.

Organic skincare label uses Mongolia’s natural bounty – sheep tail fat, yak milk and berries from the steppes www.scmp.com

Hippophae, or sea buckthorn, has been used for centuries for its reported health benefits. However, there are few places in the world where it can grow.

The small orange berries thrive in sunny areas, but grow best in places that are often too harsh for other plant life. Sea buckhorn thrives on the remote Mongolian steppe which, despite its sub-zero temperatures in winter, experiences an average of 250 sunny days per year.

Khulan Davaadorj, the CEO of Mongolia’s Lhamour organic skincare company, is determined to use her country’s natural abundance to build a sustainable business using these and other ingredients that are less common elsewhere; the company also uses pine tar, yak milk, sheep tail fat and horse oil – products that are sustainable thanks to Mongolia’s climate, bountiful livestock, and long tradition of nomadic herding.

Davaadorj began experimenting with skincare in an effort to treat her own skin, which was suffering in Mongolia’s harsh climate and the damaging pollution that blankets the capital city, Ulan Bator.

After witnessing the transformative effect of natural products, she enrolled in an organic cosmetics programme to learn about using natural ingredients to treat skin issues.

She launched Lhamour in 2014, and her products quickly received the country’s first organic certification and became popular in Mongolia.

In 2015, the Mongolian Chamber of Commerce named Davaadorj entrepreneur of the year, and in 2016, the prime minister named her woman of the year.

Having achieved success domestically, she dreamed of offering her hand-crafted products to the world. However, building an international company in Mongolia is no small task. Because the country is landlocked between Russia and China, products for international markets must be sent by air.

High-value lightweight products such as skincare and cosmetics are therefore more profitable.

In the past year, Khulan Davaadorj has succeeded in making Lhamour an international brand – its products are now available with free delivery in Hong Kong, and are also distributed in Thailand, Taiwan, Australia, and the United States.

Davaadorj is committed to growing her business in an environmentally sustainable way. She says: “[Lhamour] is more about quality than quantity and it is more about sustainability than profit.” The company uses eco-friendly packaging, shipping its products in recycled paper or reusable containers. In its flagship stores, it features “no-waste corners”, where regular customers can refill their tins and bottles.

Five Asian skincare brands promoting clean beauty
Avoiding waste is integral to Mongolian culture. When an animal is killed every part is used. Meat is eaten, hides are tanned to make leather, and wool is made into Mongolian cashmere.

Lhamour is staying true to the roots of the country’s culture, finding new uses for such precious resources.

Those familiar with Mongolia’s exports will recognise that organic skincare is an anomaly. In 2016, more than 88 per cent of the country’s exports were mined natural resources, primarily coal and copper. Because of transport challenges, nearly all of Mongolia’s exports go by train to neighbouring China. This overreliance on a single, highly volatile sector and trading partner opens Mongolia up to high levels of economic instability.

Lhamour’s hydrating facial oil uses a unique blend of plant-derived oils to hydrate and balance the skin and ward off the damaging effects of pollution exposure.
While creating a skincare company may strike some as frivolous work, in making Lhamour products available internationally, Khulan Davaadorj is helping to stabilise her country by diversifying its exports.

In addition to relying too heavily on its mining sector, Mongolia is also at a disadvantage because it exports most of its materials in their raw form rather than refining them or engaging in other processes that add value and create employment.

Lhamour does the opposite – a dedicated team of employees makes and packages all of its products in Mongolia. Davaadorj employs 36 people, nearly all women, and many from disadvantaged backgrounds. Those who were taken on in the company’s early days are still working with her, because, as she says, “they see a purpose in doing something good for the country and other people”.

She hopes that, through international expansion, she will be able to create more jobs in her home country, providing people with sustainable employment.

Davaadorj, who is 31, believes her work can inspire other young entrepreneurs. “We are trying to tackle a universal problem and show people all around the world that even start-ups from developing countries can create impact and lead others by example.”

Innovation funds for SME, start-ups and the creative industry starts www.mongolianbusinessdatabase.com

Mongolia needs to cut number of livestock www.news.mn

According to a government report, it is estimated that almost 80 million livestock roam the Mongolian steppe. They have reduced the variety of vegetation and degraded 70% of the pastoral land. Every year, Mongolia emits 34 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.