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Armed with explosives, two men are heading to Mongolia's Gobi Desert to find the fabled acid-spitting and lightning-throwing Mongolian death worm.

The worm has never been documented but some Mongolians are convinced it exists. They call it Allghoi Khorkhoi, or "intestine worm" because it resembles a cow's intestine and is about 1.5m long.

The worm apparently jumps out of

Funds raised one quarter at a time in Colorado Springs are helping to protect endangered snow leopards in distant Mongolia.

Under the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation program, which is in its second year, a quarter from each admission— or $2.50 from each family membership — goes to wildlife conservation. Visitors receive a token to vote for their favorite program among

- Mongolian parliament uncorks foreign investment bottleneck
- Copper, gold, coal, uranium seen ripe for development
- Third of population likely to remain in poverty for years
- Govt could use revenue to set up budget stabilisation fund

Russian and Mongolian state-owned firms have formed a joint venture to exploit the Dornod uranium deposit, in a setback for a Canadian mining firm licensed to develop the area.

The move comes after Mongolia's legislature in July passed a Nuclear Energy law that gave the state greater ownership over uranium deposits, especially those deemed strategic.

Deep in the Larch Forests of Northern Mongolia lives a tiny tribe of people known as the Dukha. For more than 3,000 years they have survived as nomads, moving camp 10 times a year across the mountains. Their existence is pinned on one animal: the reindeer. But their unique way of life now hangs in the balance.

Russia and Mongolia agreed on Tuesday to launch a uranium mining venture after settling a $150 million debt that will allow the Soviet-era allies to proceed with other projects in infrastructure and farming.

State-owned firms from both countries formed a joint venture to develop the Dornod uranium field in Mongolia's northeast.

The Russian-Mongolian joint venture comes during a