{mosimage}While Mongolia and other Asian countries have begun work on building a new Silk Road to allow road and rail traffic to reach from Asia to Europe, other former Soviet states have only begun infrastructure projects to make the project a reality.

{mosimage}The U.S. Congress has authorized the allotment of 50,000 immigrant visas in the DV-2007 category during Fiscal Year 2007 (which runs from October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007). From those 259 have been allocated to Mongolian citizens.

The Mongolian-owned Ulan-Batorskaya Railway (UBZHD) has received a $7 million credit to purchase new locomotives from Gazprombank.  BZHD railroad runs through Mongolia to bring cargo to Russia and China. The owners of the railroad are the Russian Roszheldor company and the transportation ministry of Mongolia.

{mosimage}Two major political parties, the Democratic Party and the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP), agreed in principal last week, to run next year’s parliamentary election in a proportional representation system.

{mosimage}On December 7 and 8, a Mongolian-Russian business forum was hosted in Ulaanbaatar under the theme "Mongolian-Russian economic cooperation and its perspectives".

{mosimage}On Wednesday late evening, the State Great Hural (Parliament) discussed appointments of new government ministers. Most of the candidates were approved by majority of more than 80 percent of vote.

{mosimage}Kyokutenzan, who blazed a trail for Mongolian sumo wrestlers along with the makuuchi division veteran Kyokutenho, and retiree Kyokushuzan, announced his retirement Sunday, saying he has reached the limit of his physical ability.

{mosimage}Yokozuna Asashoryu, who was banned from two bashos returned to Japan on November 30, ending his punishment. He planned to return to Japan on a direct flight from Mongolia, but Mongolian and Japanese media had already purchased the entire business class section which forced the yokozuna to change flights.

{mosimage}HAIR STYLE-2008, was held at the Chinggis Hotel last week. Organized by the Union of Professional Hairdressers and Cosmeticians, and the beauty salon Matrix, it saw the best 12 salons in the country. The show had mostly evening and wedding styles, and geometric shaped haircuts.

{mosimage}On November 27, the new Prime Minister informed representatives of the national investors who own shares in the Energy Resources Company, that the government should take 100 percent control of the Tavan Tolgoi coking coal mine.