Mongolian passport holders do not need to extend the validity of their existing foreign passports. From 3 January Mongolian Consulates and Embassies in other countries are introducing the new biometric e-passports.

According to the Inner Mongolia department of land and resources, the reserve was found in Shuangjianzi Mountain in Inner Mongolia, south of the Greater Hinggan Mountains.

The reserve contains more than 110 million tonnes of silver ore. More may be found at greater depth or nearby, according to the department.

The silver reserves of Australia, Chile, China, Peru and Poland account for more than 80 percent of the world total.

Silver is widely used in industries such as aerospace, new energy vehicles and solar cells.

With thousands of families burning coal to survive in arctic temperatures, Mongolia is now home to the most poisonous air on the planet.

For Baasanjargal Batbaatar, a single mother of four, coal brings the only warmth they can afford. But it's coming at a price.

"The first time I almost lost my daughter was last winter. I went to the next room to feed my son and when I returned, she was suffocating. Her eyes rolled back. The diagnosis: asthma," Batbaatar said.

The hazardous haze is mainly caused by household stoves making Mongolia's air pollution up to 80 times the World Health Organization's safe limit.

Children and newborns are worst hit.

"A recent study indicated that during the winter of 2014-2015, there was a five-fold increase in the rate of still-births, with a near perfect correlation to air pollution," said Alex Heikens, resident representative of UNICEF in Mongolia.

Mongolian Copper Corporation (MCC)had bought the 49 per cent shares owned by Russian Federation and now the Government is buying it from the MCC. An amount of USD400,272 million paid by MCC to Russian Federation will be transferred to MCC in a way of recoupment. It means, for example, the payment will be reimbursed with loans provided to the Trade and Development Bank of Mongolia by Mongolian Development Bank and MongolBank, as well as with concession agreement in Selenge province.

Erdenet Mining Corporation will be fully owned by Mongolian Government.

Steve has 40 years of Caterpillar and Caterpillar Dealer management experience in 10 countries and 15 years of competency in organizational and general management. Steve worked for PT Trakindo Utama LLC in Indonesia as a General Manager and has extensive experience in providing advisory services, working for the SME Advisory Services division of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He has broad expertise in business systems and processes, and a very strong background in the mining industry, including mining equipment rentals, aftermarket support, and finance. Steve holds an MBA from the Scottish Business School of the University of Edinburgh and a BA in economics from the University of Keele in England.

Following his appointment, Mr. Potter said, “It is a great honor for me to be appointed as the Chairman of AmCham Mongolia. I would like to say thank you to the outgoing chairman, whose efforts, consistency, and conscientious approach have significantly helped to take AmCham Mongolia to ever higher levels of recognition as the country’s premier business organization. As the new chairman, I will strive to continue to enhance this reputation via a clear and forward looking strategy that will bring concrete and positive changes to the business environment and for our members.”

Outgoing Chairman of the AmCham Mongolia Board of Directors Jay Liotta commented, “Steve brings wealth of experience, business professionalism, and broad knowledge of the country’s minerals sector and business environment. He’s a long-time and successful leader in business and promoting investment with Mongolia. I am confident that AmCham’s members and the organization will benefit tremendously under his leadership.”

To reduce its dependence on commodities such as coal and copper, Mongolia has ambitions to become an air freight hub for northern Asia and wants to develop tourism.

But the new airport is unlikely to open this year as originally scheduled, Roads and Transportation Minister Jadamba Bat-Erdene said, as Mongolia negotiates a management contract with Japanese investors.

“The airport was expected to be operational this year, but plans are for it to be operational within the next year, due to management issues,” he said on the ministry’s official website.

“It is planned to set up a joint management team headed by Japan,” he said in the statement, without elaborating.

The new airport is intended to replace the Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan) International Airport, and take the name of the country’s 13th-century ruler, regarded as a national symbol.

Mongolia will be able to receive 3 million passengers a year by 2024 at the new airport, about 50 km (31 miles) from Ulaanbaatar, the capital. Its predecessor, a one-way runway built near a mountain range, is prone to disruptions and flight cancellations.

Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. and Chiyoda are leading construction, with Samsung C&T acting as a subcontractor.

The Chinese Export-Import Bank is providing $140 million to finance a 32.2-km (20-mile) road to the airport. Now under construction, the road is set to be completed by October.

The International Monetary Fund encouraged Mongolia to diversify away from mining as part of a $5.5-billion bailout agreed last year to stabilize its crisis-hit economy.

Coal was the biggest driver of growth in 2017, but exports were hit by transport bottlenecks at the border with China, Mongolia’s biggest customer.

Although the airport could generate non-mining growth, its success could depend on Mongolia allowing more airlines into the market and ending favorable treatment for the state carrier, analysts have said.

Reporting by Terrence Edwards; Editing by David Stanway and Clarence Fernandez

In October, Yokozuna Grand Champion Harumafuji hit and injured a fellow Mongolian wrestler, Takanoiwa, during a night out drinking. Harumafuji retired from sumo the following month.

The board of directors of the association last week unanimously decided to recommend that Takanoiwa's stablemaster, Takanohana, be removed from his post as a director of the association.

The board cited Takanohana's repeated failure to cooperate with its internal investigation, despite reporting the assault to police.

An extraordinary meeting of the association's key decision-making body on Thursday unanimously agreed to remove Takanohana as director and demote him.

The chair of the council, former senior vice education minister Yasuko Ikenobo, told reporters that Takanohana had failed to report on the assault to the association and refused to cooperate with its internal investigation.

She said Takanohana's actions are unacceptable as a director of a public-interest corporation and that he neglected his duties.

It was the first time that a director of the association has been removed.

Ikenobo said Takanohana reportedly expressed his acceptance of the dismissal.

The 33-year-old from Mongolia had admitted hitting a junior wrestler over the head with a karaoke machine remote control during a night out in Tottori in October.

He has already apologised and stepped down over the incident.

The case rocked the world of sumo, a hugely popular ceremonial sport.

The assault on fellow Mongolian Takanoiwa happened while they were out drinking with other wrestlers in a bar in the western city.

The grand champion is reported to have been angered that his countryman was checking his phone while being given advice, seeing it as showing a lack of respect.

The latter was admitted to hospital with concussion and a fractured skull.

Two others involved in the incident have faced disciplinary action, and Takanoiwa's stablemaster - as coaches are known - is expected to be demoted for allegedly delaying reporting the incident.

Harumafuji started his career in Japan at the age of 16 and was promoted to grand champion or yokozuna - sumo's highest rank - in 2012.

He released a statement in late December, Reuters reports, saying his life "is now set to be sharply different from what I thought it would be".

"I have a feeling of chagrin, to be honest. But the responsibility is all mine."

Sumo has been hit by a string of scandals in recent years.

Last year, a wrestler and his coach had to pay nearly $300,000 to a fellow fighter they allegedly abused so badly he lost sight in one eye, according to reports.

Several wrestlers have also been implicated in match fixing scandals and links between sumo and the mafia-like yakuza crime syndicates.

Another Mongolian grand champion retired from the sport in 2010 after reports of his involvement in a drunken brawl.

In 2007 a sumo stablemaster received six years in prison after a novice was beaten to death by older wrestlers.