Russian delegation presents agreement on railway transit transportation www.ubinfo.mn

Agreement between the Governments of Mongolia and Russian Federation on Railway Transit Transportation, which will reduce tariff of mining materials up to 93 percent for 25 years from Mongolia to third countries through the Russian Federation has been prepared, announced A.V. Lushnikov, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation during his meeting with Tsogtgerel Batchuluun, Deputy Minister of Road and Transportation Development of Mongolia.

Rajnath Singh to visit Mongolia to further India’s bilateral ties www.hindustantimes.com

Home minister Rajnath Singh will visit Mongolia soon, with India drawing up a plan to step up bilateral ties across sectors following the visit of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to Ulaanbaatar in the last week of April, officials familiar with the developments said.

KT sells 40% stake in Mongolia Telecom to government www.telecompaper.com

South Korean operator KT has announced that it has sold its entire stake of 40 percent in Mongolia Telecom Company (MTC) to the government of Mongolia, putting the operator back in full state control. No financial details related to the transaction have been disclosed.

More than 90% of air pollution deaths occur in poorer countries www.independent.co.uk

Air pollution is involved in the deaths of around seven million people every year, with the vast majority of fatalities taking place in poorer countries.

The latest figures released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that nine out of 10 people are breathing air containing dangerous levels of pollutants.

These results largely echo those released in another global air pollution report in April, and experts have once again pointed to the particular burden falling on the world’s most vulnerable people.

“Air pollution threatens us all, but the poorest and most marginalised people bear the brunt of the burden,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO.

The new figures come as reports emerge concerning residents of Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, drinking “oxygen cocktails” in an effort to ward off the harmful effects of air pollution.

Ranked by Unicef as the most polluted capital city in the world, Ulaanbaatar is one of the many Asian and African cities highlighted as particularly susceptible to the toxic effects of air pollution by WHO.

According to Dr Maria Neira, who leads public health efforts at WHO, many of the world’s megacities – such as Beijing, Delhi and Jakarta – exceed guideline levels for air quality by more than five times.

However, since 2016 – the year the new figures were calculated for – more than 1000 new cities have been added to WHO’s air pollution database, suggesting more and more countries are taking an active interest in monitoring and controlling pollution levels.

"Oxygen cocktails" in Ulaanbaatar 
To cope with pollution in the Mongolian capital, residents have taken to drinking "lung tea" and "oxygen cocktails"
WHO experts have insisted that these bubble-infused drinks have no medical benefit, but people are desperate and say the government is not doing enough to protect their health
Drink brands with names like “Life is Air” compare their benefits to “walks in lush forests”
Ulaanbaatar was ranked the world’s most polluted capital city in a 2016 report by Unicef
The city’s air pollution problem is exacerbated by its poorer residents’ reliance on high-polluting coal stoves

The database now stands at over 4300 cities, making it the most comprehensive of its kind in the world.

There has also been an increase in air pollution monitoring from low- and middle-income countries in recent years – where the figures suggest more than 90 per cent of air pollution deaths are occurring.

“Political leaders at all levels of government, including city mayors, are now starting to pay attention and take action,” adds Dr Tedros.

“The good news is that we are seeing more and more governments increasing commitments to monitor and reduce air pollution as well as more global action from the health sector and other sectors like transport, housing and energy.”

WHO’s measures of air pollution focus specifically on concentrations of fine particulate matter, which are linked with diseases including stroke, heart disease and lung cancer.

“Imagine those pollutants getting very deep into your lungs and cardiovascular system and causing the terrible figure today, which is 7 million premature deaths every year,” said Dr Neira.

While generally speaking air pollution is not the primary cause of someone’s death, experts agree that it certainly contributes to diseases and shortens lives.

“There is no doubt that air pollution represents today not only the biggest environmental risk to our health, but I would also clearly say this is a major challenge for public health at the moment – probably one of the biggest ones we are contemplating,” said Dr Neira.

Besides so-called ambient or outdoor air pollution, the new figures emphasised the problem of household air pollution from cooking with highly polluting fuels and stoves.

“What is very important with air pollution is that it comes from multiple sources, so it is crucial to know where the air pollution comes from,” said Dr Sophie Gumy, technical officer in WHO’s department of public health, environmental and social determinants of health.

It is estimated that around three billion people still do not have access to cleaner fuels and technologies to use in their homes, resulting in a pollution burden that falls primarily on women and children.

WHO highlighted the need to clean up household air pollution in the developing world, as well as wider efforts to implement cleaner transport and energy systems.

In the UK, the conversation around air pollution has mainly focused on nitrogen dioxide – a toxic gas emitted primarily by diesel vehicles that the government has repeatedly failed to meet legal limits for.

However, the new WHO data reveal the UK is also threatened by particulate matter, with more than half of the country’s towns and cities measured suffering from levels above recommended limits.

In light of recent legal action against the government, environmentalists have taken the new WHO figures as another signal that ministers need to act to tackle pollution.

“These new statistics show a worrying level of this dangerous air pollution across the country. People shouldn’t have to breathe air on a daily basis which the WHO deems unhealthy,” said James Thornton, CEO of environmental lawyers ClientEarth.

“A new Clean Air Act would protect our right to breathe clean air and drive greater ambition to meet safer WHO guideline levels.

“Ministers should commit to this now. Without it, many people across the UK will continue to pay with their health.”

However Professor Anthony Frew, a respiratory medicine specialist at Royal Sussex County Hospital, noted that the UK population is largely spared the worst health effects of air pollution.

At the same time, he noted the developing world is bearing the brunt of air pollution in part due to consumer demand from wealthier nations.

“This report is a timely reminder that we in the West need to remember that we are lucky to live where we do, but our prosperity is built in part on polluting industries elsewhere in the world which impact on ot

Bank of Mongolia makes selling gold items easy www.news.mn

On 13 April, the President of the Bank of Mongolia issued a decree to establish a simplified ‘single window service’ for the purchase of gold items from locals across the provinces. The Bank of Mongolia purchased 2.3 tons of gold from legal entities and individuals in the first quarter of 2018, up 2.1 percent on the same period last year.

Mongolia to construct world standard football field www.news.mn

A new world standard football field worth MNT 800 million will be constructed in the slopes of Bogd Khan Mountain. Located south of Ulaanbaatar, the site is surrounded by beautiful scenery and is practically untouched by the air pollution which plagues the capital during the winter months.

Panasonic hit with $280m corruption fine www.bbc.com

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic has agreed to pay more than $280m (£203m) to resolve charges brought under US anti-corruption law.

Student exchange program to be implemented with Ireland www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Chairman of Lower House of the Irish Parliament Seán Ó Fearghaíl met with the Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports Ts.Tsogzolmaa and exchanged views on bilateral cooperation and discussed on expanding cooperation in education, culture, science and sports sector.

Kim Jong Un agrees to meet Donald Trump at DMZ, source says www.cnn.com

Seoul, South Korea (CNN)South Korean President Moon Jae-in has convinced North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to hold his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, a source tells CNN.

Moon and Kim met at the same location in Panmunjom last Friday, a historically significant event that was televised worldwide and led to an agreement to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and formally end the Korean War.
There is a "strong possibility" the summit will be held at the site, with some events possibly scheduled on the northern side of the military demarcation line separating the two countries, according to an official with deep knowledge of North Korea's thinking on the matter.

The venue makes the most sense logistically for Kim, the source said, because media facilities and equipment are already in place, which could the allow the summit to take place "in late May."
Traveling to the northern side of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) would also provide a historic opportunity for Trump, the source said, adding that Moon may be involved in the summit in some capacity.
A spokesperson for the South Korean president appeared to endorse the venue choice when asked about the proposal, Tuesday.
"(We) think Panmunjom is quite meaningful as a place to erode the divide and establish a new milestone for peace," the spokesperson told reporters. "Wouldn't Panmunjom be the most symbolic place?"

The idea of meeting at the DMZ wasn't a complete surprise to Trump's aides, since the president has been talking about it all weekend and raised it in his Sunday phone call with Moon, a senior US official and a person familiar with the conversations told CNN.
Trump loved the images from the inter-Korean summit and the fact the entire meeting was televised, those sources said.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump said he was enthusiastic about the idea of holding the summit in the DMZ. "There's something I like about it, because you're there, if things work out, there's a great celebration to be had on the site, not in a third party country," he said.
Millions watched Moon's meeting with Kim last Friday, the first meeting between two leaders of North and South Korea in a decade.
Cameras followed the leaders' movements throughout the day, from Moon's departure from Seoul to the moment Kim crossed the demarcation line into the South -- and encouraged Moon to cross to the North.
The US President wants to be involved in similar scenes when he becomes the first sitting US President to meet a North Korean leader, the source said. He's keen to take part in a cross-border handshake, but also wants photos to document the moment if he decides to stand up and walk out of talks, added the source.
The Singapore option
However, concerns remain inside the administration that Trump may be too eager for a deal. Those same skeptics worry holding the meeting at the DMZ will appear conciliatory toward Kim.
As a result, US officials are still arguing for Singapore as a possible location for the talks, telling Trump it presents a more neutral option, the source told CNN.
The wealthy and glamorous city-state sits on the end of the Malay Peninsula and has often been seen as a gateway between Asia and the West.
A close ally to the United States during the Cold War and currently host to a US military presence, Singapore also has a diplomatic relationship with North Korea. It is one of only 47 countries to feature a North Korean embassy.
Additionally, Singapore has previously held other historic events -- in 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with then-Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore, the first and only time the leaders of the two Chinas have met since they split in 1949.
But one senior official conceded the symbolism wouldn't be there, and noted there are still logistical considerations to worry about with Singapore.
Singapore also raises problems for Kim. Similar to his father before him, the North Korean leader is reluctant to travel long distances by plane, partly due to security issues -- a plane is vulnerable to attack -- but also due to practical considerations.
"(Kim's) fleet of aircraft are very old and (we're) just honestly not sure if he can physically get to where he needs to go if its further than a certain number of miles away," Jenna Gibson, director of communications at the Korea Economic Institute, told CNN.
Faced with a similar dilemma, Kim Jong Il, Kim's father and previous ruler of North Korea, opted to travel in a custom built armored train, rather than moving around the world by air.
The wild card choice
Another option previously suggested by both sides was Ulaanbaatar, the sparsely-populated capital of Mongolia to the northwest of North Korea.
It might seem like an unusual choice of location but North Korean experts maintain it makes sense to both sides for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the Mongolian government has diplomatic ties with both Pyongyang and Washington, leaving it as a neutral ground for the two leaders.
Additionally from North Korea's perspective, Ulaanbaatar is much closer to North Korea and Kim could likely travel to the summit in comfort on his father's armored train.
"Mongolia is very eager to host this summit, they have come out and said they will host it ... They want to be the Switzerland of Asia, they want to be seen as a partner that can have good ties with everybody," Gibson said.
But it also is not a perfect choice either, as it would require Trump to travel a lot further than Kim, which may be seen as a concession to North Korea from the outset.
Speaking to CNN, Jean Lee, a North Korea expert at the Wilson Center, said a number of other potential options, such as Beijing, Pynongyang and Washington, were eliminated early on due to their political implications or logistical difficulties.
"Ultimately, they need a country where both leaders have the security they need, to have a country where they can meet in common ground ... it's a small number of countries to be honest" said Lee.

Cabinet submits 2019 General Guidelines and State Budget statement to Parliament www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ At its irregular meeting on April 30, the Cabinet approved to submit draft bill on the 2019 General Guidelines on Social and Economic Development of Mongolia, the 2019 State Budget statement and the 2020-2021 State Budget assumption to the Parliament.