Mongolia
LONG READ: The plight of Mongolia’s young herders
A mix of modernisation and holding on to the old ways causes many dilemmas such as a shortage of female partners for marriage on the steppes—while the girls head for the city to get educated and do not return, the boys stay behind to herd.
bneGREEN: China’s promise of no overseas coal financing could free up $130bn for green investment
China’s promise to abandon financing coal projects overseas could affect a total of 44 coal plants across Asia and Africa with a combined 42,220 MW of capacity.
Hazara Mongols fearing extinction in Afghanistan dream of return to ancient homeland
Repressed ethnic minority dread renewed persecution under second Taliban regime. Academics in Mongolia wonder if legends about “how we will go and bring our people back” could come true.
EV market may create copper deficit
Auto fleets' shift to electric vehicles in a global drive to cut carbon emissions will involve a drawdown on copper that could transform markets, and spur additional supply.
The crushing weight of China’s debt burden on Eurasia
Emerging European economies were already facing heavy debt burdens before the pandemic. Now it’s worse. Several countries in Eurasia and Emerging Europe are struggling to pay off huge loans they took from China.
Only tough options for Afghans looking to escape north or west
The UNHCR has estimated half a million could attempt to flee Taliban rule by year-end, but Central Asia, Iran and Turkey will prove far from welcoming.
Zasag Chandmani mining dispute is a litmus test for Mongolia
The younger half-brother of Britain's prime minister, Maximilian Johnson, has run into trouble in Mongolia. He works for a Hong Kong-based fund GRF2 that invested $19mn in a mine, but the owner has run off with the money.
Mismanagement to blame for $1.4bn cost blowout at Gobi Desert copper mine expansion consultants say
Rio Tinto, which blamed ground and geotechnical conditions at Oyu Tolgoi, now has more explaining to do to the Mongolian government.
