"Unfortunately, the death toll has risen to six in Ulan Bator due to allegedly burning processed fuel for domestic use," Mongolia's deputy prime minister Ulziisaikhan Enkhtuvshin said on Tuesday.

"Three laboratories in Ulan Bator have examined samples of the processed fuel to determine causes of the deaths and whether the case was related to the processed fuel," Enkhtuvshin told reporters, adding "they confirmed that the samples meet the qualified standard."

"However, we have sent samples of the processed fuel to three countries, namely China, Russia and South Korea, for further laboratory tests," he said.

Ulan Bator, home to over half of Mongolia's population, suffers from severe air pollution in winter.

On May 15, a government ban on domestic use of low-grade coal in Ulan Bator came into force, with the aim of reducing air pollution. Since then, households in the city have been supplied with processed fuel, instead of raw coal.

According to an official statement, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, who is visiting Mongolia, said that the 1.5 million tonne (MT) Oil Refinery Project with Indian assistance is a shining example of the two country's friendship. "Happy to share that on Mongolian request, India has announced an additional $ 236 million Line of Credit from India to Mongolia beyond the committed $ 1 billion,” he said.

Pradhan is in Mongolia to participate in a ceremony for commissioning the infrastructure facilities constructed to support the proposed oil refinery project . Prime Minister of Mongolia, Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, six Cabinet Ministers and Governor of Dornogovi Province, T Enkhtuvshin also participated in the ceremony.

Pradhan said that the Engineers India Limited, a public sector undertaking of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is providing project management consultancy services for this refinery project. On completion of the project, it will meet about three-fourth of Mongolian requirement of oil, the statement said.

Pradhan, accompanied by an official and business delegation, is on a 3-day visit to Mongolia, as a follow up of the State visit the President of Mongolia to India in September 2019.

Loan of EUR 57 million 985 thousand will be spent to implement a project to supply fire engine and helicopter and to establish air-rescuing unit. The repayment term of the loan is 30 years with annual interest of 0.08 percent.

“Provision of equipment and facilities at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is at 55-60 percent. Approximately 240 vehicles are being used in 67 units nationwide, of which 30 percent is manufactured in Russia and 20 percent is from other European countries. Implementation of this project expected to increase the provision of facilities to 80-90 percent.” said Brigadier General, First Deputy Head of the National Emergency Management Agency G.Ariunbuyan.

The draft agreement will be discussed at the parliamentary standing committees on Economy and Security and foreign policy. Subsequently, it will be finalized during the plenary meeting of this week.

The move means that Friedland’s interest in the company has shrunk to 13.2%, leaving the two Chinese companies as main shareholders.

Zijin, China’s No.1 gold producer and Ivanhoe’s partner in the massive Kamoa-Kakula copper deposit in the DRC, first acquired a stake in the Vancouver-based miner in 2015.

Citic Metal followed suit last year, becoming Ivanhoe’s largest shareholder. Its ownership will fall to 26.4% with today’s transaction.

The combined funds from the two Chinese companies, the Vancouver-based miner said at the time, are enough to allow it finance Kakula and Kipushi mines to commercial production, and significantly advance, or achieve, production at the company’s Platreef project in South Africa.

Friedland, who made his fortune from the Voisey’s Bay nickel project in Canada in the 1990s, has been working on Kamoa-Kakula for ten years.

The mining legend has repeatedly stated that the project, in which Zijin owns a 36.9% direct interest, is set to become the world’s second-largest copper mine.

According to an independent pre-feasibility study (PFS) released in February, the operation is expected to reach peak annual production of more than 700,000 tonnes of copper.

Initial production from the Kakula mine, the first of at least three copper mines planned at Kamoa-Kakula, is scheduled for late 2021.

Reshuffle
Ivanhoe also said on Tuesday that it had appointed Mark Farren as its Kamoa-Kakula Copper joint venture (JV) chief executive. Farren was previously Ivanhoe’s VP of operations.

Zijin’s Yong Chen, in turn, will be assuming the chief operations officer (COO) position.

South African mining veteran Warwick Morley-Jepson has been appointed Ivanhoe’s new COO, taking over the duties formerly held by Farren.

Travelers from China spent more in the emerging markets of the Belt and Road route due to stronger trade and investment ties. Data shows that, in the first half of the year, they spent almost $15 billion in these countries.

Shopping remained a main component of tourist consumption, as Chinese tourists are famous for spending thousands on high-end luxury foreign brands.

China is considered the world’s fastest-growing tourism market and will play a key role in the sector’s development, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. It projects that the number of global travelers will exceed 1.8 billion by 2030.

During the visit, Mr Pradhan will have meetings with the Mongolian Minister for Mining and Heavy Industry to develop a roadmap for commencing the construction of the Refinery.

In light of drastic changes brought by the expansion of the mining sector in Mongolia, FORUM-ASIA together with its Mongolian member Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD), has been looking into mining’s impact on human rights and environment.

From 5 to 10 May 2019, CHRD and FORUM-ASIA conducted a fact-finding mission in the north eastern provinces of Khentii and Dornod. By meeting with local communities, authorities, and mining companies, the fact-finding mission team documented the repercussions of mining operations on the work of HRDs, environment, and livelihood of local communities.

Based on the collected testimonies and in light of Mongolian laws and obligations under international human rights law, the final report provides a set of tailored recommendations to relevant stakeholders including government authorities, private sector, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders

FORUM-ASIA and CHRD will be launching the Fact-Finding Mission Report in Ulaanbaatar on 22 October 2019.

This year the government put a ban on burning coal in the Mongolian capital where the winter temperature falls to as low as -40 Celsius. Ulaanbaatar is one of the most air-polluted cities of the world. Smoke from shantytown districts where over 220,000 families live, is the main culprit of Ulaanbaatar’s air-pollution.

In March, the Mongolian government decided to totally ban the use of raw coal. Household offenders will be fined 300,000 tugriks (USD 113), while large businesses will be fined 3 million tugriks (USD 1,134). In the light of the ban, the government is putting an alternative product on the market made from semi-coke, a by-product of coal. While more expensive, these fuel-efficient briquettes are said to burn twice as long and emit far less fumes.

The four briquette deaths, right at the start of the cold season, will certainly raise questions as to the use of the briquettes.

The search and rescue operation started on 22 September but had to be suspended after four days due to bad weather conditions and heavy snow on the Altia Tavan Bogd; it was resumed on 27 September. The rescue operation was expanded with NEMA officers from the Uvs and Khovd Provinces and mountaineers from Mongolian National Climbing Federation.

According to ‘Altai Tour’ Travel Company, based in Bayan-Ulgii Province, the man began climbing the mountain with five other tourists, 180 km north of Tsengel Soum on 18 September. However, he was travelling alone without a guide or travel agency support. According to one source, the five others failed to find him when they reached the top of the mountain. Subsequently, an employee of the travel company informed NEMA about the missing man at 10.11 pm on 21 September.

The stunning Altai Tavan Bogd National Park follows Mongolia’s western border with China and Russia, and is the greatest attraction in the west of the country. This summer it was climbed by many foreign visitors, including the US president’s son and grandson. The mountain is 185 km from the town of Ulgii, which is the provincial centre.