Mongolia Web News

By Dan

"There are going to be a lot of challenges, a lot of risks, we will not be able to manage the risks and

seize the opportunities unless we do it in partnership with qualified experts."

Says Layton Croft executive VP for corporate affairs and social responsibility for Oyu Tolgoi (OT) LLC. These were the greeting words at the open information session for the tender bidders for the consultancy for the design of a long-term Cultural Heritage Program.

OT is drawing both local and global attention of experts in many fields. Scholars and businesses are eager to take part in the development and expansion of the mining industry in Mongolia.

Today, February 26, 2010 proposals for two challenging tenders were submitted. The two are the Cultural Heritage Program and the Health Safety and Security Program. More than thirty groups, Mongolian and foreign, from nine countries intended to submit proposals for these tenders. Some of the teams are comprised of well-known and experienced experts, while others are comprised of new groups specifically created for the purpose of submitting proposals.

OT is the largest as-yet undeveloped copper-gold ore mine in the world. It is located near Khanbogd village in South Gobi province of southern Mongolia. Due to its scale and the nature of OT's operations, the project will have a variety of direct and indirect socio-economic and cultural impacts on communities and stakeholders, including both positive and negative impacts.

The design phase OT offers in it's tenders, is a unique opportunity for foreign experts together with Mongolian scholars to join in, and share the wealth the Mongolian land has to offer. The scope of research, analysis, survey, design and planning initiatives is vast.

Base Line

During 2008 OT together with the government of the Umnugovi Aimag (province), assisted by Responsible Mining NGO, conducted a base line study covering Umnogovi Aimag. The study was conducted by consulting over 40 regional and national level stakeholders. In 2009 OT narrowed the geographic scope, to the OT direct impact soum - Khnbogd, and to the indirect impact soums Manalai, Bayan-Ovoo, and Dalanzadgad. A Socio Economic Impact Assessment (SIA) report was published following the survey.

These two reports have become the guidelines for the next five years and the stepping stone for further design projects analyzing risks and planning risk management. A number of ongoing and future design projects have been initiated.

Macro Economics

This year OT is collaboration with the School of Economic Studies at the National University of Mongolia, with technical advice from Rio Tinto Economics Department in London. The team is preparing the "Macro Economic Assessment". This is part of what Rio Tinto names the "Multi Year Community Plan". The "Macro Economic Assessment" will analyze the impact of OT on the economy on the local, regional and national levels. This report will be made public and become an essential tool for economic planning in Mongolia.

Environmental Monitoring

Mining entails complex environmental challenges. The initial work regarding environmental issues will be the "Environmental Information Disclosure". Long term design of monitoring and preventive programs will follow.

Business Development

OT's Procurement and Commercial departments are engaged in long term local business and economic development initiatives.
The aim of these programs is to promote local entrepreneurship, and sustainable economic growth that is not dependent solely on mining companies.

It is a well known problem of mining towns worldwide. When the mining is terminated, the towns that were economically dependent on employment at the mines, begin to deteriorate and eventually collapse economically. In Mongolia it might be called the "curse of Mardai". Mardai in eastern Mongolia was a secret town designed and built entirely for Russian employees at the uranium mine in Mardai. It was one of the most beautiful towns in eastern Asia, complete with theaters, cafes, fashionable shops, large public gardens, a good education system, and an excellent health clinic. All the facilities and services were designed and created for the mining town. When the Soviet Union collapsed and ceased to import uranium from Mardai, the city collapsed within a few months. The remains of the city can be seen today, and still reveal the lost beauty of the town.

Regional Infrastructure

The OT investment agreement states the need for infrastructure planning and management. OT together with government agencies is engaged in long term infrastructure planning development and management on both a national and regional level. The team is focused on urban planning , infrastructure planning, public services, public service delivery issues, and influx management.

Community Health

OT is aiming to design and implement a Community Health, Safety & Security Program in an effort to insure to the greatest extent possible, the health, safety, and security of those affected by the OT operations. Work on this issue will begin within the next few months.

Cultural Heritage

OT project is seeking to understand and preserve the cultural heritage of those in the region. Work on this program will commence in May 2010.

Tender Process

I participated in preparing a proposal along with the TMGL team for the Cultural Heritage Program tender. My overall experience with OT related to this tender was a pleasant one.

OT is aware that there are excellent Mongolian scholars, but also aware that many have little experience in preparing proposals for tenders.

The terms of reference were clear and straightforward. Those with no previous background in proposal writing were given a fair chance. OT in collaboration with Open Society NGO and others, conducted a free of charge and very helpful workshop on how to write proposals.

OT launched an active discussion forum on the Internet, where bidders had the opportunity to ask questions and collaborate with each other. The official question and answer session held at Chinggis Khaan Hotel, was videotaped and available on the web for those who could not participate. (The photos are snapshots from the videotaped Q&A session).

The proposal evaluation committee includes a mixture of several stakeholders, including members from the Umnugovi Aimag. OT published the list of questions the evaluators will have to answer, the proportional weight of each aspect in the proposal, and the evaluation process itself. OT is interested in quality. Therefore the weight of the proposed cost is only twenty percent; forty percent is allotted for quality of proposed method, and forty percent for the quality of the team.

Social Relations Department

Rio Tinto which is the third largest mining company in the world became a strategic partner of Ivanhoe in 2006 after buying 20% of Ivanhoe shares. Rio Tinto has over 150 years of experience in mining, in 30 countries. In recent years Rio Tinto has put a lot of emphasis on social relations and social planning. OT has adopted the high standards of social relations and planning set by Rio Tinto.

Leading the initiative is Mr. Layton Croft, OT's VP for corporate affairs and social responsibility. Layton has many years of experience in Mongolia since becoming a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia several years ago.

Ms. Sugar and Ms. Tserennadmid are senior managers at the OT Social Relations and Sustainable Development (SRCD) department They are managing all the social and cultural impact consultancies. Ms Morgan Keay will assist as a consultant to SRCD. Morgan is the co-founder of the ITGEL foundation committed to protecting Mongolia's cultural and environmental legacy.

Related articles:

Oyu Tolgoi Agreement

Mining Conference

Mongolian Mythology

Gobi Treasure Hunt

Prime Minister S.Batbold has advised Mongolian businesses to keep strict watch over the quality of their products if they wish to compete in the international market. In this context it is interesting to see how China and Japan are tackling their own unique quality crises. In China, officials are hunting for 170 tons of contaminated milk powder that is still on shelves more than a year after the melamine scandal was first exposed. And in Japan, discussions are focused on all that has gone wrong with its automotive industry after Toyota's recent recalls. But a closer look at the two scandals shows how far apart the countries are in their approach to quality—and how much China stands to learn from Japan.

China's quality challenge has at times been compared to Japan's efforts in the 1950s and 1960s to transcend a bad reputation for manufacturing low-quality goods. At that time Japan also suffered tragic industrial disasters, like the mercury poisoning in Minamata that left 1,000 people dead. But Japan's leading companies have since been able to establish strong reputations for quality. Although the automotive recalls currently underway are extensive, design errors and electronic malfunctions are in a different league from China's instances of willful product manipulation, especially when that manipulation has involved artful efforts at circumventing third-party controls.

In China, operators display an incredible willingness to place public safety at risk in exchange for only the smallest gains in profit. The dairy industry's 2008 scandal is instructive. The trouble started when dairy farmers began adulterating milk with water, prompting dairy companies to test protein levels. Milk suppliers next discovered they could trick laboratory equipment into believing protein concentrations were higher by adding a toxic, chemical compound —melamine. Over time, more of the chemical was added, along with more water, and no one knows how little real milk was in the final product by the time the scandal broke. We only know the end result: six babies died, 300,000 were sickened and over 50,000 were hospitalized, causing untold grief to Chinese families.

The melamine scandal is by far the most disturbing of all the quality crises China has faced in recent years. It was not just the amount of suffering endured, but the fact that the contamination was an open secret shared by possibly hundreds of individuals at dozens of companies. While some people involved in the 2008 scandal might have been able to claim that they did not know melamine could do so much harm, those caught using melamine more recently cannot possibly plead ignorance.

Making matters worse has been the government's wrongheaded response. Beijing reacted to this year's melamine scandal with a heavy-handed cover-up. Chinese journalists have been warned not to report details surrounding milk cases. Parents of children sickened by melamine-tainted products who have attempted to organize themselves to protest or seek compensation risk being sent to jail for "social disruption".

China's State-directed legal system has failed to provide justice to victims. The government meted out severe punishment to only a small number of perpetrators engaged in the distribution and production of poisoned milk—two were executed—and a far greater number were let off the hook. China's response to past scandals has been to protect industry with a government shield, so no one should be surprised when fraud recurs in such an environment.

The melamine case illustrates the dangers of Chinese manufacturers' pathological focus on short-term profitability. Accidents can happen in almost any production process, but melamine did not coincidentally make its way into milk. China's obsession with thrift is a virtue often carried to a fault. Police have noted that the current melamine scandal was made possible by the many tons of melamine that remained from the 2008 scandal. Some distributors chose to repackage the tainted powder and put it on store shelves. They could not stand the thought of throwing away so much milk powder, even if it was dangerously contaminated, and even if it meant running the risk of being punished for it.

Japan's reputation for high quality in recent decades owes much to W. Edwards Deming, the father of "total quality management". Were he around today, Deming would remind us that negative reinforcement mechanisms are no way to improve quality standards. Quality must be seen as something positive; it must be seen as something that drives long-term growth. It must be a goal shared by all stakeholders. As it stands today, a small number of unscrupulous actors in China threaten to ruin the export opportunity for many.

When he arrived in Japan in the 1950s, one of Deming's goals was to drive fear out of manufacturing processes. Workers ought to have an open line of communication with management. There must be an opportunity to report incidences and concerns from the factory floor. Partly thanks to the work of Deming, Japan is today an economy that places a high value on the pursuit of quality for its own sake, and that vision has helped Japan to become an innovator in a wide variety of manufacturing sectors.

In China, workers are too afraid to report even the most obvious production errors or the most egregious cases of unethical misconduct. In many factories, line operators are reluctant to report anything at all. Managers ignore issues that might cause embarrassment. Everyone involved is making a risk calculation, determining that staying silent reduces the likelihood of trouble, at least in the short run. Where workers ought to speak up, the inclination is to look the other way instead.

One of China's problems is that efforts to improve quality are focused on the finished product only. Every time a scandal erupts, the answer has been to test more of the finished product. This after-the-fact approach is no match for an emphasis on continual, systemic improvement. As Deming suggested, "We should work on our process, not the outcome of our processes."
China should not take Japan's recent stumble as an opportunity to gloat. Japan's quality problems are unfortunate, but they are an aberration not representative of the manufacturing industry there. Now more than ever, China should be looking to its easterly neighbor as an example of how its own economy can adopt a philosophy of quality and product development that is the envy of the world.

Source: The Wall Street Journal Asia
Highlighted in BCM Newswire Article 105

These days Ulaanbaatar is looking decidedly prosperous. Traffic jams snarl up the streets, a new Louis Vuitton store is reportedly outselling the branch in Lyons, new bars and restaurants are popping up, and prices are rising. And there are a lot more foreigners than there used to be. The rising optimism is centered on Mongolia’s largely untapped mineral wealth. Everyone has known that Mongolia was, literally, sitting on gold – the reserves proven, the locations known – but exploiting it is a major political issue.

Everyone wants in on the action. The Mongolian Government has said it is open for business and the customers are starting to flock. But Mongolia is not a highly controlled one-party state like China, or a country producing crony capitalism and oligarchs, like Russia. Mongolia is a multi-party democracy with vibrant and sometimes hectic elections. There is a free and highly vocal press and a citizenry keen to see some rewards from their mineral wealth.
Hence the buzz phrase everyone is talking about, on TV, in the newspapers, on the shelves of the bookshops: “resource curse”. This refers to the paradoxical situation of the world’s resource-rich countries being among the poorest.

In the past the Government held back from opening the floodgates. The perception of giving the wealth away had led to demonstrations, sometimes violent. Still, the process has started – Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines and the Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto are licensed to start work in the massive Oyu Tolgoi field of copper and gold.

Limited liability companies have been formed, with the Government holding a 34% interest. But worries persist. Is the Government experienced enough to maintain a close watch on these new entities?

But Mongolia is not China. Bad practices will be made public and demonstrations will occur. Foreign miners entering Mongolia know that workplace safety is a major concern and both the Government and the press are watching – public opinion is a factor in Mongolia. And to help ease concerns the Government is encouraging local mining companies to modernize and compete.

Several deals were put on hold recently over concerns about corruption. The foreign miners are bringing a lot of money into what is still generally a poor country, so it is interesting to note that the Government has not simply grabbed the cash, but is remaining cautious. Similarly with the environment – new laws require that mining companies put in place reclamation projects at the end of the extraction process.

There will be more licensing and more miners entering Mongolia. To help avoid the resource curse, NGOs and pressure groups are being formed to lobby for the wealth to be spent on social infrastructure – electricity, water and schools. But others worry and see elite groups of local politicians and foreign businessmen forming cartels.

There will, inevitably, be a learning curve but that with a free press, politicians who can be elected or deselected and a vibrant public debate, Mongolia could just become one country to escape the curse.

Article Source

The source of information was obtained from EthicalCorp.com and was included in the news highlights of BCM Newswire issue 105.  BCM Newswire is sent once a week and highlights leading articles relating to business, investments, & mines in Mongolia.  BCM Newswire is sent to members of Business Council of Mongolia (BCM) and is made available to public after a month at bcmongolia.org.

Answering questions at a media conference, Minister for Minerals and Energy D.Zorigt said what Prime Minister S.Batbold has suggested about the Tavan Tolgoi deposit basically means that the State will keep 100 percent of the license without selling any share of this, and foreign companies will make contracts with Erdenes MGL to mine coal.

This way of working with private companies will be new in Mongolia, but is followed elsewhere in the world. He clarified that the Government's ownership will cover the area for which the license is held by Erdenes MGL, and exclude the few licenses already issued to companies such as Energy Resource.

Asked if companies would be willing to operate mines without owning them, Mr. Zorigt said once the terms were finalized, he was "sure there will be companies ready to accept them". He clarified the Government would not be "renting out" the deposit, but would ask "companies to operate under a contract to mine coal, on payment of fees". The details are being worked out and the changed situation may lead to "either an increase or a decrease" in the present number of 11 companies or consortiums who have expressed interest in Tavan Tolgoi.

"There may be one or several operators," Mr. Zorigt said, adding that anyone "holding operation rights and making large investments" would prefer to have control over the management and over the mining and selling of the coal. The Government will accept this, but "we will of course monitor and oversee the work".

Article Source

The source of information was obtained from Mongolian language newspapers news.mn and was included in the news highlights of BCM Newswire issue 105.  BCM Newswire is sent once a week and highlights leading articles relating to business, investments, & mines in Mongolia.  BCM Newswire is sent to members of Business Council of Mongolia (BCM) and is made available to public after a month at bcmongolia.org.

At 23, Matt Davis moved to a remote Mongolian town to teach English. What he found when he arrived was a town-and a country-undergoing wholesale change from a traditional, countryside existence to a more urban, modern identity. Natural disasters killed millions of animals and forced herders into cities. The Internet arrived. And Mongolians balanced their nomadic roots, their communist past, and their democratic, free-market future. When Things Get Dark documents these changes through the Mongolians Matt meets, but also focuses on the author's downward spiral into alcohol abuse and violence-a scenario he saw played out by many of the Mongolian men around him. Matt's struggles culminate in a drunken fight with three men that forces him to a hospital to have his kidneys X-rayed. He hits bottom in that cold hospital room, his body naked and shivering, a bloodied Mongolian man staring at him from an open door, the irrational thought in his head that maybe he is going to die there. Matt's personal story is balanced with insightful descriptions of customs and landscape and interlaced with essays on Mongolian history and culture that make for a fascinating glimpse of a still mysterious place and people.

Recently, the Rezidor announced the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.The hotel is to be located only 200m from the Square and overlooks the 100 year old Choijin Lama Temple. Radisson looks to join Shangri La and Hilton Hotels in Mongolia. Too bad Paris Hilton does not come along with the Hotel.

So, what do you think? More big name hotels = good thing for Mongolians and local Mongolian economy?

Here is the press release from Rezidor Hotel Group:

Rezidor announces the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia

Group now present in more than 60 countries

The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide,
announces a new hotel in a new country: The Radisson Blu Hotel, Ulaanbaatar with
175 guest rooms is scheduled to open in Q1 2011. "We are delighted to enter
Mongolia which is a fascinating destination and the 61st country where Rezidor
is present", comments Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. "Our co-operation
will strengthen the business of both our companies, and bring a new clientele to
Mongolia", adds Jan Wigsten of "Nomadic Journeys", owner of the hotel.

The Radisson Blu hotel, already under construction, is located in the heart of
Mongolia's capital city Ulaanbaatar, 200 meters from Sukhbaatar Square and Peace
Avenue. Adjacent to the building (the rooms look down on it) is the 100-year old
Choijin Lama Temple which features the 18th-century gold-covered statue of
Buddha Shayaryamuni; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Opera House; and the
Museum of Natural History. Besides 175 rooms, the hotel will feature 3
restaurants (including a Paulaner micro brewery), a wellness centre and 1,500
square meters of conference and meeting space.

Mongolia is known as the home of Genghis Khan and its beautiful, undulating
steppe grasslands which extend into China and Russia. Virtually unknown to the
outside world prior to the 1990s, the country is emerging as a travel
destination. Considered remote and exotic with a rich history, Mongolia has a
unique combination of attractions for visitors - annual tourist arrivals have
been growing at a compound annual rate of 15%. Corporate travel also offers
considerable opportunities as Mongolia's economy will experience impressive
growth. With its extensive mineral deposits it is a key exporter of commodities
helping fuel the rapid economic advancement of neighbouring China. The country
has made a successful transformation from a state-controlled to market-driven
economy.

For further information please contact
Christiane Reiter, Director Corporate Communication
+32 2 702 9331,christiane.reiter@rezidor.com<mailto:christiane.reiter@rezidor.com>

Renu Snehi, Director Corporate Communication
+32 2 702 9241,renu.snehi@rezidor.com<mailto:renu.snehi@rezidor.com>

About The Rezidor Hotel Group

The Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the fastest growing hotel companies in the
world. The group features a portfolio of more than 380 hotels in operation and
under development with 81,700 rooms in almost 60 countries.

Rezidor operates the brandsRadisson Blu Hotels & Resorts, Regent Hotels &
Resorts, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites in Europe, Middle East and Africa,
along with the goldpoints plusSM loyalty programme for frequent hotel guests.
Under a worldwide licence agreement with the iconic Italian fashion house
Missoni, Rezidor also operates and develops the new lifestyle brand Hotel
Missoni.

In November 2006, Rezidor was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Carlson
Companies is the main shareholder.

The Corporate Office of the Rezidor Hotel Group is based in Brussels, Belgium.

Prime Minister S. Batbold has made it clear that he would prefer the Tavan Tolgoi deposit to remain under 100% state ownership, and not be developed as a joint venture like Oyu Tolgoi.

The working group set up by Parliament to prepare the general guidelines for using the mine told him at a meeting earlier in the week that there were two options: foreign investors could be taken as partners with the State owning 51 percent, or the State will keep 100 percent ownership and give the selected investor(s) coal extracting rights under an agreement. He said he had advised the group to work on the second option.

Soil removal work must start this summer if the Parliament directive to begin export from Tavan Tolgoi by 2012 is to be followed. Mr. Batbold has instructed the working group to ready its recommendations before Parliament begins its Spring session. The Government will finish negotiations with investors during the session. The tender will be floated in the summer.
The Minister for Nature, Environment and Tourism told him the group is ready to present the plans for infrastructure, railway and water reserves. The project proposes to establish a power station with an initial capacity of 100 mw, to be gradually raised to 600 mw. The Ministry for Road, Transportation, Construction and City Development is working on choosing between the two possible railway routes: Tavantolgoi-Zuunbayan-Sainshand and Tavantolgoi-Oyutolgoi-Gashuunsukhait. The closest water source is Balgas Ulaan Lake, 65 km from the mine, but the water there can supply only about half the mine’s needs. Other sources will have to be identified.

Minister of Minerals and Energy D. Zorigt said a fresh round of talks with 11 international companies and consortiums will be held this month.  Norwest Corporation, a Canadian consultancy, is working as technical advisor, while JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank have been working as financial advisors. Individual consultants of the World Bank will also offer their services. The preliminary payment demanded will be no less than USD250 million.

Article Source

The source of information was obtained from Mongolian language newspapers Ardiin Erkh and Zuunii Medee and was included in English language in the news highlights of BCM Newswire issue 104.  BCM Newswire is sent once a week and highlights leading articles relating to business, investments, & mines in Mongolia.  BCM Newswire is sent to members of Business Council of Mongolia (BCM) and is made available to public after a month at bcmongolia.org.

25 January 2010 – Mongolia is currently threatened by a “Dzud”, which is a multiple natural disaster consisting of a summer drought producing small stockpiling of fodder, followed by very heavy winter snow and lower than normal temperatures.

Heavy and continuous snowfall and blizzards have resulted in a sharp fall in daily temperatures - dropping to below -40°Celsius in 19 out of a total of 21 ‘aimags’ (provinces) in Mongolia.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the extreme cold and heavy snow have already caused the death of more than one million livestock, worsening food security and predicted subsequently to result in a deepening of poverty and increased internal rural-urban migration for many families.  According to the World Bank, livestock herding today, accounts for around 35% of employment in Mongolia.

In addition to a concern for the situation of isolated herding families, the agencies making up the United Nations Team are assessing the situation of the poor, particularly those living in the 94 soums (villages) considered to be most affected and inaccessible. “The poor did not have the resources to stockpile food or fuel for heating and the supplies in the now inaccessible village as a whole are stretched”, said Rana Flowers, the Resident Coordinator a.i. in Mongolia. “The UN agencies have mobilized to assess the situation and coordinate our efforts to reach the most affected populations.  In addition to the impact this is having on livelihoods now and into the future, we are worried about the immediate plight of the isolated population. Among health concerns are pregnant women cut off from facilities and trained care (three women have reportedly already died in childbirth); increases in ARI and pneumonia in the light of the H1N1 in the country among children and pregnant women; and malnutrition levels with lowering levels of access to food and nutrition in affected areas”, she added.

In addition, children who have been ordered to remain in dormitories due to the danger they would face trying to travel to their families in such conditions, are living with limited and extremely poor heat and limited food supplies in many schools. There are approximately 22,200 children in 265 dormitories in need of assistance.

In the last dzud of 2001, not considered to be as severe as the current 2010 experience, an increase in malnutrition and acute infections of children and pregnant mothers were documented. The plight of populations in the post-dzud period which lasts from late February to early spring is also a period of concern with food supplies having been exhausted and the animal supply severely depleted, and the risk of disease heightened. The trauma of losing livelihoods results in families and children at high risk of developing extreme fatigue and psychological stress.

The Government has appealed to the donor community for food, flour, rice, medicines and equipment, candles, heating supplies, warm clothing, as well as for funding to buy and deliver fodder for livestock. The United Nations in Mongolia was formally requested to coordinate all donor contributions.
The United Nations agencies and specialized agencies actively contributing to the relief efforts in Mongolia include FAO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO and UN-HABITAT.

*********************
For more information please contact:
Rana Flowers, Resident Coordinator a.i and UNICEF Representative, phone: +976 11 326221
Wiwat Rojanapithayakorn, WHO Representative, phone:  +976 11 327870
Argentina Matavel, UNFPA Representative, phone: +976 11 323665
Shoko Noda, UNDP Resident Representative, phone: +976 11 327585
N. Oyundelger, FAO Assistant Representative, phone: +976 11 352512

This Saturday, 30 January at 5.00 PM there will be a splendid performance of "Tosca" the wonderfull opera by Giacomo Puccini which had it first premiers this month a 109 years ago, on 14 January 1900.

The State Academic Theatre has a many years of practice with Tosca and assembled a great cast of opera singers for this performance. Tickets are available at the the box office of the State Academic Theatre for Opera and Ballet (the pink Roman style building) at Sukhbaatar Square.

Telephone: 70110389, 11 320268, 96683639. Website of the theatre: www.opera-ballet.mn

Summary
In February 1798 French troops had occupied Rome and other parts of the Papal States and proclaimed a new Roman Republic. The opera's Cesare Angelotti (based on the historic Liborio Angelucci[4]) was one of the republican leaders and consul of Rome. The Pope had to flee to Tuscany: Ferdinando IV of Bourbon, King of Naples, tried to rescue him but was himself defeated. In January 1799 the Parthenopean Republic or Neapolitan Republic was proclaimed. In April 1799, while Napoleon was in Egypt, an Austrian-Russian army under General Suvorov crossed into northern Italy and defeated the French. In June Cardinal Ruffo occupied Naples in the name of King Ferdinand, and in September the Bourbon troops entered Rome. The reactionary party was inspired by Maria Carolina of Austria, the wife of Ferdinando IV and sister of Marie Antoinette. After the death of Pope Pius VI in August 1799 she assumed the regency and started a "cleansing" action against republicans, liberals or simply people who had compromised themselves under French rule. There were thousands of victims, including many artists, scientists and intellectuals.

The following spring, Napoleon crossed the Alps with an army and met the Austrians (commanded by general Mélas) at Marengo. The Austrians outnumbered the enemy and, after fierce fighting, took control of the locality in the morning of 14 June 1800. The battle seemed over when Marshal Desaix, at the cost of his life, managed to reverse the situation. By evening the victory had been won by the French army.

1. S. Purevsuren, Senior biologist, Snow Leopard Conservation Fund Mongolia will give a talk entitled: The snow leopard research conservation center talk will be about Tserendeleg snow leopard research conservation center located in the Mongolian south Gobi. It is the first ever long term study of snow leopards, which consists of an international team of scientists and students, aiming to improve their conservation. They used many research methods such as sign survey, remote cameras, satellite-GPS collars to identify the home ranges etc. In addition, you will hear about their snow leopard enterprise program and so on.

2. Batmunkh Davaasuren from NUM, will give a talk entitled: The status of the Pallas's fish eagle in Mongolia The Pallas's fish eagle is distributed throughout central and southern Asia. This species is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN. The survey objectives were to determine the distribution and status of PFEs in Mongolia, identify the threats to the Mongolian population, assess local recognition of the species and describe preferred habitat in Mongolia. This study has shown many results such as observation of PFEs in 9 out of 13 historic sites visited, a preference for freshwater sites with good fish stocks etc. In addition, they identified many threats to this species.

on *Thursday, February 4, 2010.* at 6:30 pm

Biobeers is held on the first Thursday of every month at Sweet Cafe (located behind the Information and Technological National Park and next to the Admon Printing Company, west of Internom Bookstore Building). People are requested to arrive after 6pm, in time for the talk to start at 6.30.

Biobeers is a monthly gathering of government and NGO staff, biologists, researchers, and other professionals interested in conservation. Each month, Biobeers sponsors a half-hour presentation on a topic relevant to Mongolian conservation, followed by an informal gathering to discuss activities and issues of interest. Biobeers is an opportunity to find out what is happening in the field of conservation in Mongolia, talk informally to other researchers and peers in your field, and share information about issues critical to the environment and people of Mongolia.