Four geared up for a Mongolia mission (From Dorset Echo)

Four geared up for a Mongolia mission (From Dorset Echo): "The four men are preparing to drive two Suzuki Altos 10,000 miles all the way to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.

Led by warehouse shift manager Thornycroft, the quartet of 28-year-olds have an epic journey in front of them as they take part in the 2013 Mongol Rally."

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5 Questions With Harris Kupperman, CEO: Mongolia's Next Stock Going Up? - Seeking Alpha

5 Questions With Harris Kupperman, CEO: Mongolia's Next Stock Going Up? - Seeking Alpha: "After the market closed on January 4, 2013, Mongolia Growth Group announced that the company will be up-listing its primary Canada listing from the Canadian National Stock Exchange to the TSX Ventures Exchange (pending final approval).

Mongolia Growth Group's primary business in Mongolia is investing in real estate in Mongolia's capital of Ulaanbaatar. The thesis of the company is that a combination of factors will push the prices of central Ulaanbaatar property up dramatically in the coming 5 to 10 years. The two main points of this thesis are:"

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Mongolia Growth Group Ltd. Announces TSX Venture Exchange Listing Application and Officer Resignation

Mongolia Growth Group Ltd. Announces TSX Venture Exchange Listing Application and Officer Resignation: "Mongolia Growth Group Ltd. is an Alberta, Canada corporation that is primarily engaged in the operation of real estate and financial services businesses in Mongolia. The Corporation's real estate operations are focused on leasable properties in the capital city of Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar. As of December 31, 2012, MGG owned 21 residential units, over 6,100 sq. m of retail space, 5,300 sq. m of office space and the right to redevelop 14,000sq. m of land. The Corporation's financial services operations are conducted through Mandal General Insurance, which is active in both retail and commercial insurance."

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ISN Blog » Why is Russia Favored by Mongolia and North Korea?

ISN Blog » Why is Russia Favored by Mongolia and North Korea?: "Russia is favored by Mongolia and North Korea just as the United States is welcomed by some of its Southeast Asian partners. At the same time, Mongolia and especially North Korea provide opportunities for Russia to raise its stakes in Northeast Asian matters.
Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union and relative inattention by the Kremlin in the 1990s, Ulaanbaatar and Pyongyang never abandoned their attempts to renew ties with Russia. "

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Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar’s Last Green Spaces Up For Grabs Eurasia Review

Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar’s Last Green Spaces Up For Grabs Eurasia Review: "Many Mongolians were surprised when, one day in 2004, a corrugated-steel fence suddenly went up around Ulaanbaatar’s 35-acre Children’s Park. They were horrified six years later when only a tiny four-acre fraction of the park reopened to the public, and plans emerged for the construction of a luxury hotel and other private developments on the rest of the area."

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Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar’s Last Green Spaces Up for Grabs | EurasiaNet.org

Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar’s Last Green Spaces Up for Grabs | EurasiaNet.org: "Many Mongolians were surprised when, one day in 2004, a corrugated-steel fence suddenly went up around Ulaanbaatar’s 35-acre Children’s Park. They were horrified six years later when only a tiny four-acre fraction of the park reopened to the public, and plans emerged for the construction of a luxury hotel and other private developments on the rest of the area.

Ulaanbaatar’s skyline is increasingly cluttered with cranes these days. Runaway economic growth, which stood at 17 percent last year according to the World Bank, has fueled a race to build commercial complexes and housing units. As a result, Mongolia’s capital is losing its green spaces and public recreation facilities, often to illegal land-grabs and murky deals involving elected officials and entrepreneurs, activists contend."

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UN independent expert warns economic growth in Mongolia is not benefiting the poor

UN independent expert warns economic growth in Mongolia is not benefiting the poor: "Ms. Sepúlveda expressed concern about the challenges faced by vulnerable groups affected by poverty and social exclusion in Mongolia, such as women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons, migrants, herders and nomadic communities; ethnic minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people; persons living with HIV/AIDS, and stateless persons.
During her five-day visit, Ms. Sepúlveda met with senior Government officials, donor agencies, international organizations, financial institutions, civil society and communities living in poverty both within the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and surrounding districts, as well as Erden soum in the Tuv province."

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Nomadic hip-hop on show in Mongolian Bling - Australia Network News - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Nomadic hip-hop on show in Mongolian Bling - Australia Network News - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): ""That's there, but there's also this incredible modern, contemporary, urban lifestyle that most of the Mongolians exist in."

The film took five years to make, and delves into the thriving music scene in Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar.

It focuses in particular on three of the local hip hop stars, Gennie, Gee and Quiza.

"When we were doing the film, back in 2010, Gee was a bit more underground," he said.

"Now he's huge, Quiza's huge and Gennie's sort of up and coming, but they're all pretty big stars.

"Record sales aren't huge - Mongolia's a developing country and there's not a huge amount of wealth there - they're all popular and stars, but it's tricky for them to exist on that in terms of making a living as a rap artist or a hip-hop artist.""

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Vegetarians in Mongolia: Putting og in the yurt | The Economist

Vegetarians in Mongolia: Putting og in the yurt | The Economist: "Though Mongolia is predominantly Buddhist, its brand of the creed—like Tibet’s—does not proscribe meat. The country’s population of about 3m is outnumbered by livestock by roughly 12 to one. Nomadic herding has long been at the core of Mongolia’s culture and economy, with meat and dairy products the mainstay of the national diet. Most of the vegetables consumed in Mongolia are imported from China.

In restaurants a request for meatless fare still generally causes quizzical bemusement. But not at Loving Hut, a worldwide vegan chain with several outlets in Ulaanbaatar. The patrons are mostly local, young and English-speaking, though not all are vegetarians.

The nascent trend for eschewing meat is part of Mongolia’s broader shift towards a more urbanised, international society. Last month the UB Post, a Mongolian newspaper, estimated there were 2,500 vegans in the country. Vegetarians may number above 30,000, according to other reports."

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Headline Story | equities.com

Headline Story | equities.com: "Ulaanbaatar, MONGOLIA, Nov 26, 2012 (Filing Services Canada via COMTEX) -- Mongolia Growth Group Ltd. (YAK - CNSX) ("MGG" or "The Company") announces that it will be attending, presenting and meeting with investors at the LD Micro Conference in Los Angeles, California on December 5th and 6th 2012. If you wish to attend, please contact 408-457-1042 or send an e-mail to Chris@ldmicro.com.
For more information, please visit http://www.ldmicro.com
Chairman and CEO Harris Kupperman will be attending.
For further information please email Genevieve Walkden - Gwalkden@Mongoliagrowthgroup.com
Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement
Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain forward-looking information "

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Sundayobserver.lk: News | 48th SEACEN Governors confab held in Mongolia

Sundayobserver.lk: News | 48th SEACEN Governors confab held in Mongolia: "The 48th Conference of the Governors' of the South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN), High Level Seminar and 32nd Meeting of the SEACEN Board of Governors were held recently in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The principal objective of this seminar was to provide a forum for exchanging views and sharing experiences among the SEACEN countries about the Regional and International Financial Issues, Financial Contagion and Volatility Capital Flow, Regional and Global Liquidity Arrangement: Responses to External Shocks and Rethink the New Financial Architecture. The keynote speaker at the Conference was H.E.N. Altankhuyag, Prime Minister of Mongolia."

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Local painter takes art expedition to Mongolia - Times-Standard Online

Local painter takes art expedition to Mongolia - Times-Standard Online: "Local painter Susan Fox recently returned from her seventh trip to Mongolia. As she has done on her previous trips, she traveled the countryside to observe and photograph wildlife, landscapes, nomadic herders and their animals.
Fox kept a journal that she filled with sketches of a variety of subjects, and she also had the opportunity to paint on location for two afternoons in Hustai National Park, one of three places in Mongolia where takhi/Przewalski's horse have been reintroduced.
What made her most recent trip different from those in the past is that she not only got to meet and visit the studios of some of Mongolia's most prominent artists, she was also a featured artist at an event held Sept. 22 at ArtiCour Gallery in Ulaanbaatar, the capitol of Mongolia."

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BIFF doco reveals Mongolia's hip-hop underground | Bendigo Advertiser

BIFF doco reveals Mongolia's hip-hop underground | Bendigo Advertiser: "It's hard to imagine the land of Genghis Khan as a hip-hop mecca.

But that's exactly what tour guide turned filmmaker Benj Binks discovered while working in the region.

“I guess I rocked up expecting herders and nomads and this ancient lifestyle, but stumbled into Ulaanbaatar, which is modern ... I heard the hip-hop and thought it was cool,” says the 33-year-old Victorian.

Friends back home couldn't believe there was an underground hip-hop scene in the Mongolian capital, so after completing a filmmaking course, Binks decided it would make a great subject for a documentary.

“For some reason I thought going back to Mongolia and shooting a documentary in winter, in a foreign language, would be easy,” he laughs."

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Mongolia: Filling energy deficit | Ubpost News

Mongolia: Filling energy deficit | Ubpost News: "Plans for a large power plant near Ulaanbaatar underline how Mongolia’s surging growth in resource revenues can be used to meet looming energy shortfalls in urban areas. However, more innovative sources are needed to supply power to the rural expanses of the country’s steppes.
In September, a group of foreign energy firms revealed plans to invest $1.3bn in a power plant near the capital. France-based GDF Suez, South Korea-based Posco Energy, Japan-based Sojitz and local firm Newcom developed the deal with the government under a 25-year power purchase agreement.
The facility, which is expected to be complete by 2016, will become the country’s fifth thermal power plant (TPP) and supply roughly half of Ulaanbaatar’s energy needs.
The coal-fired, combined heat and power plant will have an electricity capacity of 415 MW and a steam output for heating of 587 MW. The plant will have three circulating fluidised bed boilers that use efficient pollutant control measures. Construction is expected to begin in 2013, according to Sojitz officials."

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Carr aids Aussie in trouble Tasmania News - The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania

Carr aids Aussie in trouble Tasmania News - The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania: "FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr says he has raised the case of a Tasmanian lawyer prevented from leaving Mongolia with his counterpart in that country.

Sarah Armstrong, from the West Coast town of Rosebery and now based in Hong Kong, was stopped at Ulaanbaatar airport in mid-October because authorities wanted to question her over corruption allegations. The 32-year-old is a lawyer for Rio Tinto mining subsidiary SouthGobi Resources."

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Mongolian detention 'taking its toll' on Australian - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Mongolian detention 'taking its toll' on Australian - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "An Australian lawyer being held in Mongolia over corruption allegations is still no closer to knowing when she will be able to return home.

It has been a month since 32-year-old Sarah Armstrong was detained in the capital Ulaanbaatar.

She is being prevented from leaving Mongolia while authorities investigate allegations of corruption against her employer, SouthGobi Resources, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto.

She is being protected by two guards at all times and the Australian consulate has her passport for safe-keeping.

Ms Armstrong's friend Luke Dean recently visited her.

"She's holding up well. Sarah's an incredibly strong woman, but it's certainly starting to take a toll," he said.

I hope this case our can be resolved very soon and she'll be able to travel out of Mongolia.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr
"It's been nearly 30 days now and we don't seem to be any closer to knowing if and when she's coming home.

"So, it's obviously starting to get to her.""

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Mongolia: Russians Hang on Through Post-Soviet Change | EurasiaNet.org

Mongolia: Russians Hang on Through Post-Soviet Change | EurasiaNet.org: "On a chilly morning recently, workers in Ulaanbaatar dislodged Mongolia’s last statue of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin from the downtown plinth where it had stood since 1954. A small group watched as the city’s new mayor recalled the repression that marked the communists’ years in power and denounced Lenin and his followers as "murderers.”

Among the excited murmurs that followed, a few Russian voices stood out. "Those who try to erase the past will repeat mistakes of the past. Lenin and the statue is a part of Mongolia's history – it should be kept," said Sergei Smolov, a middle-aged history teacher from Ulaanbaatar. "I see this as an anti-Russian gesture, more than an anti-communist one.”"

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The Durango Herald 11/06/2012 | Taking a shot at soccer

The Durango Herald 11/06/2012 | Taking a shot at soccer: "A young man takes a shot inside the Ulaanbaatar University’s gymnasium. Mongolian soccer games usually are played indoors because of the bitter cold climate.

Finding a soccer game to play in Mongolia isn’t easy. After phone calls, aimless Google searches and pleas to my few Mongolian friends, I eventually managed to find a game held Tuesday nights in the Ulaanbaatar University’s gymnasium. As I walked to the first game, I admit to being a little nervous. The butterflies in my stomach reminded me of my brief junior-varsity stint as a Demon at Durango High School.

When I arrived, I spotted a group of middle-aged Mongolian men chain-smoking cigarettes in the parking lot. Fully outfitted in various professional jerseys, these rotund men gesticulated wildly when they saw me walk into the parking lot. Their bellies strained the nylon of the England and Germany soccer jerseys as they eagerly welcomed me to the smoke circle. My anxiety lessened some."

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MONGOLIA Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian Catholics celebrate the inauguration of a sixth parish - Asia News

MONGOLIA Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian Catholics celebrate the inauguration of a sixth parish - Asia News: "Ulaanbaatar (AsiaNews / EDA) - In witness to the continued growth of Catholics in Mongolia, last weekend the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar Msgr. Wenceslao Padilla opened the sixth parish in the country. The event was held on October 28 last and is part of the celebrations planned for the 20 anniversary of the local Church. It is a young, and active Church eager to expand and offer missionary witness, despite difficulties and obstacles, even from government authorities.

In 1992, at the time of the first foreign missionaries (especially Filipino), including the future Bishop Padilla of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, there were no parishes in the nation. And only a few months ago, there were still four, confirming the development path taken by the Mongolian Church."

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Mongolia Growth Group: a Perpetual Call Option [Analysis]

Mongolia Growth Group: a Perpetual Call Option [Analysis]: "Investment Highlights:

An investment in MGG around the current price possesses nearly all the qualities we look for in a great long-term investment.  These include: (1) a low valuation (2) a good, incentivized management team backed by a savvy board, (3) near to medium-term operating momentum and (4) multiple internal and external high-probability catalysts which we expect will drive substantial upside.

Other attractive attributes of MGG include:

A simple business model with an unlevered balance sheet and tangible assets
A strong competitive position in a rapidly appreciating niche market
Improving economics on an attractive and fast growing asset base
A high likelihood of experiencing meaningful improvements in profitability and cash flow
Leverage to strong expected growth in the Mongolian Economy
Relatively low correlation to the general market
Opportunity to deploy capital at high ROIC’s for an extended period of time
MGG owns city-center real estate assets in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (“UB”).  Due to the development of the country’s mining sector and certain capital market related factors, we expect per capita income in the country to substantially increase over the next 5-10 years."

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