"Mongolia's economic outlook remains favorable. The country's economic growth is expected to strengthen to 7.2 percent in 2019," Jean-Pascal N. Nganou, World Bank senior economist for Mongolia, told a press conference here on release of the April 2019 edition of the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Economic Update.

He noted that implementation of large infrastructure projects, stabilization of foreign direct investment flows, and exports growth will be key drivers for the resource-rich country's economic growth this year.

Mongolia's economic growth is projected to soften to 6.9 percent in 2020 and 6.5 percent in 2021 due to some domestic risks, according to the World Bank.

The Asian country's economy is heavily dependent on the mining industry, which contributes to about a quarter of the country's GDP and around 90 percent of its exports.

In this regard, Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang paid a courtesy call on President Battulga today in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

At the beginning of the meeting, Premier Li Keqiang underlined how China has attached great importance to the development of friendly relations with Mongolia and said, “This year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Mongolia and the 25th anniversary of the renewal of the Treaty on Friendly Relations and Cooperation, and it is a new opportunity for us to advance bilateral cooperation.”

For his part, President Battulga said, “My state visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping holds special significance as this year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and China and the 25th anniversary of the renewal of the Treaty on Friendly Relations and Cooperation. I am pleased to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. I express my gratitude towards the warm welcome.”

President Battulga will hold official talks with President Xi Jinping tomorrow.

On 18 April, the Criminal Police Department questioned Justice Minister Ts.Nyamdorj over his statement regarding the much-publicised murder case of the politician S.Zorig, who one of the heroes of Mongolia’s peaceful transition to democracy and a likely future prime-minister. In his statement in March, which shook the nation, the Justice Minister publically apologised on behalf of the Mongolian government that torture had been used to extract a confession. Ts.Nyamdorj said that two officers from the General Intelligence Agency (GIA) were under investigation for having used torture to obtain a confession.

The murder of S.Zorig case was transferred to the Criminal Police Department from Independent Authority of Anti-Corruption due to the lack of human resources on 19 March. The lack of human resources has been cited as a region.

Following an investigation lasting two decades – in which there have been accusations of cover-ups and during which numerous people, including the victim’s wife, have been detained – Ts.Amgalanbaatar and two others were sentenced to 24-25 years in prison for the murder of S.Zorig.

B.Khurts, is a highly controversial figure. For many years he ran the GIA, which has been criticized for not releasing files related to the case. In September he flew to London to attend a conference, but was arrested upon arrival under a European Arrest Warrant and held in Wandsworth Prison. The intelligence chief’s arrest was a low point in UK-Mongolian relations and sparked demonstrations in Ulaanbaatar; London was accursed of ‘luring’ B.Khurts to the UK in order to have him arrested. Previously, B.Khurts had led an operation to ‘return’ Enkhbat Damiran to Mongolia. A covert operation was mounted and E.Damiran was seized in a restaurant in La Havre, and taken to the Mongolian Embassy in Germany where he was drugged and put on a direct flight to Ulaanbaatar. Upon arrival, the dissident was, allegedly, tortured to confess the murder of S.Zorig, but died in custody. After being held in the UK, B.Khurts was extradited to Germany where the ‘abduction’ case was studied, however, in September 2011, prior to a visit to Mongolia by Angela Merkel, he was released.

Khurelsukh made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a comprehensive training on disaster preparedness and response in its capital city Ulan Bator.

"Mongolia is organizing the largest training of its kind in Ulan Bator for the first time in almost 30 years. A disaster is a calamitous event that occurs over a relatively short time and seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses," said Khurelsukh.

Therefore, Mongolia will spend a minimum of 1 percent of its state budget on disaster preparedness every year, he said.

This training aims to improve the preparedness of all public and private entities in Ulan Bator in order to mitigate damages from future disasters and to improve public awareness of disaster preparedness and response, the prime minister said.

Mongolia has seen a significant increase in earthquakes in recent years, according to the country's government press office. The Asian country has experienced around 260,000 earthquakes over the past 10 years, the office said in a statement.

A total of 261 earthquakes were recorded across the country in the first quarter of 2019, which is an increase of 70 from the same period last year.

The three-day training includes emergency evacuation drills, workshops on how to protect oneself and one's family and how to send accurate information to the public during a destructive earthquake, the country's National Emergency Management Agency said.

All residents and organizations of Ulan Bator must participate in the training, said the agency. Enditem

First LADA dealership was opened in the capital of Mongolia – city of Ulaanbaatar. The showroom meets all the standards of the brand both in terms of interior and exterior. Clients’ service is provided under the LADA standards, too. All the staff of the dealership was trained and is highly skilled in terms of sales and maintenance of the LADA cars.

Today LADA is presented in Mongolia with three models, these are the LADA Vesta Cross sedan, the LADA Vesta SW Cross and 3-door version of the LADA 4x4. Later this year LADA in cooperation with «Russo Motors» plans to start sales of the LADA XRAY Cross and a 5-door version of the LADA 4x4, as well as the cars of the LADA Granta and the LADA Largus families.

LADA Export Director Max Missana: «LADA cars were warmly accepted by local buyers thanks to the modern design, high consumers’ properties and competitive price. Today we have ambitious plans for Mongolian market. In case of renewal of the Russian state logistic export support programs, LADA may achieve up to 15% of the market in the mid-term perspective».

The military contingent has showed great success in ‘Dancon’ March which invites foreign troops to participate in the 25-kilometer march. Specifically, Mongolian peacekeepers took the first 40 places of the march that was taken part by more than 300 military officials from over 20 countries.

First sergeant of Military Unit No 013 N.Baasandorj claimed the first place and received an award from the Embassy of Denmark.

More than 10 regions will be freed of their overcapacity tag in 2022, clearing a hurdle for them to resume building coal-fired plants. But many of the nation’s largest power companies are under a state drive to develop more clean energy projects, according to Morningstar Inc., which expects growth in coal-fired capacity to lag other sources.

“The profitability of coal-fired power plants is so low, there’s no incentive for them to build more”
“The profitability of coal-fired power plants is so low, there’s no incentive for them to build more,” said Morningstar analyst Jennifer Song. “China as a whole has set consumption targets for renewable energy sources. We can see those large power groups also have quotas to build more renewable projects.”

Coal mining stocks fell Monday in Shanghai, giving up their gains after the National Energy Administration statement Friday. China Coal Energy Co. slid 3.5 percent, while Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. lost 2.9 percent.

Businesses and governments are tracking China’s efforts to transform its energy mix as its massive scale could shape global trends and spur a faster transition toward renewable energy. In its battle against pollution, China has spent more on renewable energy than any other country and led a campaign to burn gas instead of coal. Yet it’s still pumping money at home and abroad into coal-fired generation, and it’s forecast by the International Energy Agency to continue to consume about half the world’s coal through 2023.

Freed up
Areas freed up for new coal power plant construction include Hebei, Qinghai, Chongqing, Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou and Henan, according to NEA. That doesn’t change Everbright Sun Hung Kai Co.’s forecasts for capacity additions in China, with analyst Tian Miao saying the country has cut investments in coal power for several years now.

Data on Monday showed China’s investment during January-March in thermal power plants, which mostly consist of coal-fired generators, slumped 30 percent from a year earlier. In contrast, spending on hydropower and wind power projects rose 48 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

“Most of the capital expenditure planned by coal-fired power companies will be in renewable energy,” said Song Qiuyi, a Shanghai-based analyst at Capital Securities Corp., adding the latest assessment from NEA won’t change the situation.

"The World Book Day have been widely celebrated across the country in recent years. On this day, our library is organizing many activities in order to encourage people, especially children and youth to read books, raise public awareness of the importance of reading and pay tribute to authors," Dashbalbar Indra, director of central library of the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator, told Xinhua.

"Particularly, we are organizing activities such as antiquarian book fair, new book fair, meeting of authors and readers, and consultation event how to easily revive old books," said Indra.

"More importantly, events such as World Book Day are great opportunities for us to raise public awareness of the importance of reading," Indra added.

Senior officials of Ulan Bator, including mayor of the capital city Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan attended the opening ceremony of activities for the World Book Day at the central library of the city on Tuesday.

"Reading is a great exercise that keeps our mind active and healthy. So, the Ulan Bator municipal government and Mongolian government have been paying special attention to create more reading-friendly environments," Amarsaikhan said.

Some general schools in the country have been striving to create a micro library at every classroom by receiving books from parents and donors.

"Currently, there are more than 50 various types of books at a little library of our classroom," Tungalag Davaajargal, a seventh grader in Ulan Bator said.

"My teacher has always told us that you all have to read every day. Reading books will expand our mind and improve our vocabulary and communications skills," he said.

First celebrated in 1995, World Book Day, also known as International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by the UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

The blast happened in the early hours of the morning at Inner Mongolia Dongxing Chemicals, a company that produces a range of products from sodium hydroxide to PVC, a lightweight plastic.

The accident follows two deadly blasts in eastern Jiangsu province in March that killed 85 people, leading to increased scrutiny on how China monitors its sprawling chemicals industry.

Market regulators said earlier this month they would launch a nationwide inspection into the safety of industrial products like food packaging and hazardous chemicals in an effort to allay public concerns.