The number of people aged 60 and above has grown dramatically over the past decade. According to the Mongolian Census Bureau, the population in this age group increased from 151.2 thousand in 2010 to 170.3 thousand in 2013. In total, the Mongolian population increased by 16.1% over the past decade; the number of people age 60 and above grew by 21.9%.

The Golden Ball award ceremony organised by the Mongolian Football Federation took place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Ulaanbaatar on December 12.

Mongolia plans to construct a new oil refinery with USD 1 billion credit from India’s ‘Export-Import’ Bank. Overall project investment will be USD 1 billion, which splits into USD 0.7 billion for refinery construction and USD 264 million for laying the oil pipeline.

Russian Railways is seeking to attract additional cargo traffic to the Ulaanbaatar Railway, Russian Railways President Oleg Belozerov said at a meeting with D.Ganbat Minister of Roads and Transport Development of Mongolia in Moscow.

Former frontier market darling Mongolia has had a tough time in a world of low commodity prices, with its government struggling to make ends meet, but a spike in global coal prices could see the country stage a comeback.

Mongolia’s giant Oyu Tolgoi mine has resumed its copper concentrate exports to China. The mine had been forced to call a halt because Beijing had demanded an  2% additional fee for all shipments.

Mongolia is to close its embassies in Brazil and Indonesia. The reason is that very few Mongolian citizens live in these countries and a number of consular services can now be done online. In addition, the Mongolian consulates in Osaka, the second largest city in Japan and in the city of Hailar in China’s Inner Mongolia are to close.

Sergei Donskoi, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation is currently visiting Ulaanbaatar in his capacity as co-chair of inter-governmental commission meeting between Mongolia and Russia.

The murder trial of S.Zorig, one of the heroes of Mongolia’s peaceful transition to democracy, began at the 461st detention center on Wednesday (14th of December) at 11.28 a.m. However, the judges have decided to postpone the trial until next week, reportedly at request of the attorneys.

Earlier this month, the Democratic Party of Mongolia held its 6th convention following a 10-year break. At the convention, the party decided to hold an election for its new leader following the new rules – this means all members will be involved.