The projects were mainly in energy and transportation industries, according to Meng Wei, spokeswoman for the National Development and Reform Commission.

China's fixed-asset investment growth remained basically stable in the first seven months of the year, expanding 5.7 percent year on year thanks to robust high-tech investment, earlier data showed.

Investment in high-tech manufacturing surged 11.1 percent, 5.4 percentage points faster than total investment growth, while investment in high-tech services grew 11.9 percent, 6.2 percentage points faster than the average growth.

Fixed-asset investment includes spending in infrastructure, property, machinery and other physical assets.

Chinese runner Bao Yu seized the victory in two hours, 23 minutes and 20 seconds in men's full marathon, while China's Shi Liying snatched the women's full marathon title in 2:49:33.

In half marathon races, Mongolia's Gansukh Bat-erdene crossed the finishing line first in 1:10:12 in the men's race, while his compatriot Namjilsuren Semjid took the title in 1:23:36 in the women's category.

More than 10,000 runners from China, Mongolia, Japan, Canada, Germany as well as other countries participated in the ever first Baotou International Marathon.

The two-year cooperation allows rescuers of the NEMA to take necessary rapid and effective disaster response measures in the event of a disaster or a major accident at the Oyu Tolgoi mine site. It will also help improve the disaster response capacity of the rescuers of the NEMA in possible mining industrial accidents.

Furthermore, the parties will jointly develop and implement the procedure for professional rescue brigade and rescue team as part of the cooperation.

Oyu Tolgoi miners have consistently supported the personnel of the NEMA. For instance, Oyu Tolgoi’s Underground Rescue Team and Mining Rescue Team of NEMA took part in series of trainings as part of an experience-sharing programme. Furthermore, the personnel of Emergency Response Team (ERT) of Oyu Tolgoi donated a fire truck with installed a fire suppression system to Khanbogd soum’s Fire Unit No. 66.

Moreover, Oyu Tolgoi donated personal protective equipment to volunteer firefighters within the framework of “Let’s save our firefighters”, a wildfire prevention campaign and safety initiative to protect the health and safety of volunteer firefighters.

The findings of this summer’s excavation is considered to possibly be a new discovery for the international archeology scene alongside being a discovery related to nobles of the Mongolian Empire. During the research team’s work on the protection of looted tombs relating to the Mongolian Empire and collecting artifacts that they found in 2018 and 2019 at the site named Khorig in Ulaan-Uul soum of Khuvsgul aimag, they came across a large amount of artifacts that are highly significant in research, which included the aforementioned vases with frozen clotted cream and yellow butter that were even more of a rare case.

Highly significant artifacts relating to the history of the Mongolian Empire such as items made of gold, silver, iron, silk, bones, hide and cork as well as human and livestock bones have also been found. Specifically, gold relics with depictions of a golden sun, silver moon and deity, earrings and a golden accessory of a belt were unveiled with the several hundred artifacts that included various items such as a leather sack filled with trinkets in silk wrappings, a part of a silk deel with a swastika pattern, dragons and other mythical creatures with golden thread, a part of a leather boot, bow and arrowhead, arrowcase, porcelain and clay vases, bone brush and equestrian equipment.

The research team is being led by the Head of the Research Center at the National Museum, Dr. J.Bayarsaikhan and Dr. Julia Clark. These cultural findings are expected to serve as proof of the triumphant history of the Mongolian Empire and have an important role in developing patriotic views and respect for national heritage for the future generations of Mongolia.

However, the regulation was postponed to enter into force as it was not supported by a public polling of two times, involving more than 13 thousand residents of the capital city. As the Ulaanbaatar City Administration declared 2019 as “a year to hear the voice of citizens”, some important policy issues have been discussed with the residents on social platforms.

The proposed regulation was intended to cut the increasing number of traffic offences and reduce traffic jams and prevent road accidents by restricting drivers with unresolved traffic violations or vehicles that do not meet the technical requirements to drive on certain zones. Officials believe that it was the fastest and cheapest solution to solve traffic congestion.

B.Otgonsukh, Head of Traffic and Road projects in Ulaanbaatar city informed that some studies show drivers spend approximately 45 days in a year standing in traffic jams of Ulaanbaatar city. Moreover, the traffic congestion is instigated by drivers searching for parking spots as it is concluded that 25 percent of drivers travel on the road at a speed of 15 km per hour for around 15-20 minutes only in search of parking spots. Therefore, in spite of lack of public support for their plan, the traffic officials of the Ulaanbaatar city are still looking for other appropriate measures to tackle the traffic congestion issue and also working to add parking lots, enhance accessible parking spots and improve road and traffic management and public transportation.

An improvement of public transport service and its efficiency is an essential part of efforts to reduce traffic congestion in a fast-growing city of Ulaanbaatar, it is reported that more than 1200 buses serve for public transport, nonetheless, 80-90 percent of them are about to become outdated by 2020. Considering that, a reform of public transport vehicles will be carried out in stages, according to officials. Also, with a view to vary the range of public transports in Ulaanbaatar, a cable transportation systems or cable car will be introduced and its technical feasibility study is already complete. The cable car will serve in two directions from Zaisan Memorial in the most southern part of the city to the Children’s Palace in the center and from Bayankhoshuu in the northeast area to a micro district No.3 and 4 in the western part of the city center.

The country’s economy expanded 8.6 percent year-onyear in the first quarter of this year, which was the strongest GDP growth rate since the third quarter of 2014 when the figure stood at 9.1 percent.

The World Bank has predicted that Mongolia’s economy would grow by 7.2 percent in 2019 and 6.9 percent in 2020, but the Bank of Mongolia (BoM) predicted GDP growth at 6.9 percent in 2019.

Total equilibrated revenue and grants of the General government budget amounted to MNT 6.0 trillion and total expenditure and net lending amounted to MNT 5.5 trillion, resulting a surplus of MNT 535.3 billion in the equilibrated balance.

Current account deficit reached USD 683.6 million, which was mainly due to USD 898.3 million deficit in services account and USD 754.8 million deficit in primary account.

In addition, CPI rose 4.8 percent from the end of the previous year due to increases in prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages group by 13.9 percent, meat and meat products by 38.7 percent and clothing, cloth and footwear each group by 4.0 percent in July 2019.

The Asian Development Bank predicted inflation at 8.5 percent in 2019. It also assumed growth in domestic demand as a result of increased expenditures and the depreciation of the MNT and fuel prices in the late half of 2018 as main indicators to the inflation rate.

The financial boost to support their training was handed over by Kawauchi Shiro, Japan’s Cultural Envoy to Mongolia, to Mongolia’s Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports, Yo.Baatarbileg, earlier this month.

The minister met the Japanese envoy to express gratitude for the promotion of Mongolian traditional culture and heritage in Japan and the development of baseball and judo in Mongolia as well as humanitarian works. During the meeting, Shiro handed over the grant of 50 million MNT.

This money will support athletes to take part in the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo.

During the visit, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana will hold meetings with U.Khurelsukh, Prime Minister of Mongolia, D.Tosgtbaatar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, N.Tserenbat, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Ts.Davaasuren, Minister of Energy, L.Khaltar, Deputy Minister of Road and Transportation Development, and B.Bayarsaikhan, chairman of the National Development Agency.

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana will give a speech at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Ulaanbaatar Conference as a guest.

D.Bulgamaa from a project “Green Gold-livestock health” of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Mongolia introduced about a nationwide network that conducts monitoring activities on pastureland use and performs an annual study on 1500 points throughout the country. “The study, which released nationwide reports in 2015 and 2018 to put forward to the Government of Mongolia, concluded that 65 percent of total pastureland of Mongolia, mostly in the central region, had hit by some forms of land degradation. However, pasture renovation is possible for 90 percent of those deteriorated grazing land with the help of alleviation of the burden on pastureland by allowing alternative use of grazing land. Also, the number of livestock animals should reconcile with pasture carrying capacity. In order to do this, the animal quality should be improved to encourage sales of the animals”.

The meeting highlighted that it has become important to raise herders’ awareness on this issue and use a mean of economic incentive to increase herders’ willingness. Officials from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry expressed their position that 20 million livestock animals should be put into economic circulation in order to prevent from pasture degradation.

At the meeting, Byron Shelton, Senior Program Director of the Savory Institute and Rolf Pretorius of the Olive Leaf Foundation introduced about the activities of the Savory Institute and outcomes of their study carried out on pasture land in Ider soum of Zavkhan aimag and Ikh Tamir soum of Arkhangai aimag. The Savory Institute is a worldwide nonprofit organization that promotes large-scale restoration of the world's grasslands through holistic management to address the global issues of desertification, climate change, and food and water insecurity.

On the conditions and management of pastureland of Mongolia, Byron Shelton said the pastureland management in Mongolia is what plays an important role, not the number of livestock animals. If it continues that way, overgrazing is quite near and the land would probably face the risk of desertification or even more serious problems. Therefore, herders should use grazing land, considering the grazing readiness and growth period. The participants also exchanged opinions on improving the quality of fine wool sheep breeds “Khangai” and “Orkhon” and their benefits.

The Asian country's GDP totaled 8.6 trillion Mongolian tugriks (3.2 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-June period and the growth was mainly attributed to good performance in the industry, services and mining sectors, which recorded 9.3, 7.4 and 13 percent growth respectively, according to the NSO.

The mineral-rich country's economy expanded 8.6 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, which was the strongest GDP growth rate since the third quarter of 2014 when the figure stood at 9.1 percent.

The World Bank has predicted that Mongolia's economy would grow by 7.2 percent in 2019 and 6.9 percent in 2020.