Mongolia Brief June 6, 2014 Part II

Advisor to Speaker meets S.Koreans

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) A chief advisor to the Speaker of parliament S.Lambaa Wednesday received Dr Shinki An, a director of Medical Mission Center in Yonsei University Health System, and Paul Choi, a director-general of the “Yonsei Friendship” hospital.

The sides discussed issues which have been concurred between Mongolia and the Republic of Korea during the official visit of Mongolia’s Speaker to South Korea, and matters on expanding the Ulaanbaatar-based “Yonsei Friendship” hospital and National University Medical Sciences of Mongolia (NUMSM).

In accordance with proposals put earlier by the Speaker, Dr Shinki An expressed a willingness to introduce standards of South Korean health system in Mongolia, to improve professional skills of our doctors by making the National University Medical Sciences a training base, to conduct diagnosis- and treatment-based researches.

Thanking Dr Shinki An, Mr Lambaa said the Speaker hag given some directions to the city’s authorities regarding these matters. As a board member of the NUMSM, Mr Lambaa proposed cooperation and added he had sent to the UB Mayor relevant documents for the cooperation.

Present at the meeting was N.Sumberzul, first deputy rector of the NUMSM.   

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Bill on pledge of movable and non-material properties to be submitted

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) At its irregular meeting on Wednesday, the cabinet decided to submit to parliament a draft law on pledge of movable and non-material properties.

The cabinet considers that creating a legal environment for putting movable and non-material properties into the economic circulation by pledging them can accelerate the national economic growth and augment investment and credit financing.

By the draft law, all kinds of stocks, shares, designs of products, trademark, all kinds of creative works of sciences, arts and other movable properties can be items to pledge.

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Cabinet meeting in brief

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) The cabinet meeting on Wednesday backed in principle a bill on “glass” account which has been initiated by the President and decided to convey some proposals to the draft initiator.

- The cabinet authorized the Trade and Development Bank of Mongolia (TDBM) to issue the "letter on rendering support" in order to help the commercial bank issue bonds at the international market, deciding that the government will not bear a responsibility for the guarantee.

- The cabinet also backed the President's draft decree on giving directions to the government about increasing Mongolia’s participation in peacekeeping operations and rendering assistance to peacekeepers and their families. A relevant response will be given to the Presidential Office soon.

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"Singapore-2" project is to run

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) The Government is to run a “Singapore-2” project to support its policy on strengthening program of quality guarantee system, evaluation and accreditation of vocational training organizations within two years.

With a financial cover of the Ministry of Labor and the Singaporean “Temasek” foundation, the project is to be co-implemented together with the Singapore Polytechnic, related document was inked by the government and by the Polytechnic on Monday.

This is second phase of “Singapore-1” project which was successfully ran by the government, “Temasek” foundation and the Polytechnic in vocational training sector in 2010-2012.

As expected, the program will involve 100 teachers from 50 selected vocational training organizations in Mongolia, the best 30 will earn a right to give training to 300 teachers.

In frames of the project, related handbooks, guidance and regulations will be published as well. 

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Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi to export 11 million ton coal this year

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) The coal sales of Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi (ETT) reached nearly one million ton this May, say its authorities.

In the first five months of this year, ETT state-owned company sold more than two million ton of coal to China. At the Chinese port, a price of coal from the East Tsankhi section has been USD 57 per ton, while a price of coal from West Tsankhi has been lower, some USD 34-37 per ton during that time. According to the contract with Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (CHALCO), the coal prices will not see changes until this July.

ETT has planned to export 11 million ton of coal this year. In February of 2014, ETT bought the road, linking Tavan Tolgoi to Gashuun Sukhait border port, at the construction cost of USD 90 million from Energy Resources, thus saving transport expenses. When Energy Resources used to own this road, ETT had to pay road use fee of USD 3.8-4.8.

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Businesswoman receives Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship Award

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) A president of the “Bishrelt” group Ms B.Undarmaa has received the Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship award.

The "Women in Business Awards 2014" ceremony has taken place within the EBRD Annual Meeting held in Warsaw, Poland. Organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the 23rd annual meeting has brought together Finance Ministers and leading delegates of banking and financial fields from 70 countries.

During the meeting, Ms Undarmaa took the floor to highlight the efforts and skills of Mongolian women, which is an expression of the country’s development and progress.

The awards for outstanding achievement in the financial sector and in the in industry have gone to Ms Makhkamova from Tajikistan and to Morocco.

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Stock exchange news for June 5

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) At the Stock Exchange trades held Thursday, a total of 14 thousand and 931 shares of 36 JSCs were traded costing MNT 18 million 944 thousand and 066.00.

The number of 16 shares increased, 11 shares--decreased, and nine shares remained. The total market capitalization was set at MNT one trillion 585 billion 374 million 632 thousand and 183. The Index of Top-20 JSCs was 15,570.61, increasing by MNT 125.74 against the previous day.

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Here comes "Transparent Procurement" event

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) Promoting the Government policies on procurements, a day event named "Transparent Procurement" is to take place on the Chinggis square June 7.

To be organized by the Government Procurement Authority and Municipal Procurement Agency, the event will aim at informing the public on procurement actions held with the budget capital of 2013-2014, and promoting government procurement policies and achievements of specialized agencies.

Visitors will also get informed about investments in the capital city and provinces, relevant trainings and electronic tender processes. Officers of the taxation authority and the Fair competition and customer protection authority will give consultations to visitors.

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Mongolia is 89th in Social Progress Index 2014

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) At the recently published "2014 Social Index" by the nonprofit Social Progress Imperative, Mongolia has ranked 89th among 132 countries.

Of issues covered by the Basic Human Needs Dimension, Mongolia does best in areas including Nutrition and Basic Medical Care and has the greatest opportunity to improve human well being by focusing more on Water and Sanitation.

Of issues covered by the Foundations of Well being Dimension, Mongolia excels at providing building blocks for people's lives such as Access to Basic Knowledge but would benefit from greater investment in Ecosystem Sustainability.

However, of issues covered by the Opportunity Dimension, Mongolia outperforms in providing opportunities for people to improve their position in society and scores highly in Personal Rights yet falls short in Access to Advanced Education.

Mongolia received Social Progress Index point of 58.97 (89th), Basic Human Needs - 53.67 (102nd) Foundations of Well being - 63.67 (85th) and Opportunity - 59.56 (42nd) thus coming to the 89th in overall.

The top three countries are New Zealand , Switzerland and Iceland with closely grouped scores of 88.24, 88.19, and 88.07, respectively. These countries, relatively small in terms of populations, score strongly across all dimensions, though there are important variations in their areas of relative strength.

The 2014 Social Progress Index reveals striking differences across countries in their social performance, highlights the very different strengths and weaknesses of individual countries, and provides concrete guidance for national policy agendas.

The Index is the sum of three dimensions--Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Well being, and Opportunity. Each dimension is made up of four equally weighted individual components scored on an objective scale from 0–100. This scale is determined by identifying the best and worst global performance on each indicator by any country in the last 10 years, and using these to set the maximum (100) and minimum (0) bounds. Thus Social Progress Index scores are realistic benchmarks rather than abstract measures. The scaling allows us to track absolute, not just relative, country performance.

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Asia-Pacific regional seminar on disaster risk held

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) Within the 10th anniversary of foundation of the emergency service, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) ran the Asia-Pacific regional seminar themed “Introducing space technology and geological information system for reducing disaster risk actions” June 3-4 at its headquarters.

Co-organized by the NEMA and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the seminar was attended by delegates from the UNESCAP member states; officials of the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (Sentinel Asia), the UNDP, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the RIMES.

The participants exchanged their experiences in minimizing disasters' risks in Asia-Pacific. 

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Dog fair to be organized

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) The "Dog Expo-2014" will take place on June 7-8 in the "Misheel Expo" center.

The very first fair of dogs in Mongolia will be co-organized by the Mongolian Association of Dog Studies and the “Misheel” Group. The event will gather all from dog breeding center, veterinary centers and shops of dog accessories and foods.

The action is needed by many because a number of dog breeders has been increasing here.

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"Combo Nuvo" jazz visits State Military Song and Dance Ensemble

Ulaanbaatar, June 5 (MONTSAME) A "Combo Nuvo", a group from Jazz faculty of the New-York University /NYU/, led by a director of Jazz Studies Mr Dave Schroeder, visited the State Military Song and Dance Ensemble Wednesday.

A chief of the Ensemble Colonel Ch.Gansukh met with a head of “Steppe Jazz” non-government organization N.Ganbat and the group leader Schroeder to exchange views on the ways of connecting jazz artists of Mongolia and the USA, training our jazz players in the New-York University, exchanging experiences and performing joint concerts.

Jazz of the Ensemble and the group gave performances after the latter presented over ten music notes of world famous jazz compositions to the Ensemble.

The jazz group is to perform "Jazz and Morin Khuur" concert together with the State Morin Khuur Ensemble this June 5.

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Spanish Investors interested in non-mining sectors

June 5 (Mongolian Economy) On June 4th and 5th, fourteen companies from Spain came to Mongolia to operate, while more Spanish companies are currently coming to conduct further business as opportunities flourish in non-mining sectors. The Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), Mongolia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI), and the Spanish Embassy to Beijing – which covers Mongolia as well – worked together to organize an event with Spanish and Mongolian representatives at the Multilateral Partnership Meeting. 

Officials from both nations discussed the current economic situation of Mongolia and the investment environment to pursue ideas on how they can collaborate with each other. The Spanish companies focus on non-mining sectors. They are interested in working with Mongolia in sectors such as green development, green technology, energy infrastructure, water recycling, and light. 

According to Javkhlanbaatar S., the director of the Invest Mongolia Agency, there are huge opportunities available to both countries in terms of investment. The new Investment Law that was recently passed holds many benefits with cooperation. During the last two months, the agency has participated in multiple Investment Summits on a weekly basis discussing the current state of each of the economic sectors. There is a huge interest from the Spanish side in agriculture and green economy. 

During the first quarter of the year, Mongolia received a total investment of USD 623 million. Representatives hope to achieve USD 300 million from foreign direct investment and USD 330 million from package investment. Although these numbers are estimates, the package investment numbers are higher because it is a better indicator of the financial situation in Mongolia. Javkhlanbaatar S. said that 80 companies registered since January 2014 at the Invest Mongolia Agency, showing promising growth.

However, investors are worried about the sustainability of the Investment Law in the long-term. According to Demberel I., the advantage of the new law is that it complies and matches with the international standard. On the flipside, the Investment Law is too general compared to the previous regulation. He also claims that he does not see the law beneficial for small- and medium-sized businesses in terms of attracting investment. 

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Domestic Flights Used to Carry out by Eznis Airways Normalized

June 5 (infomongolia.com) In May 2014, Mongolia's national airline Eznis Airways LLC announced to stop its operation for an uncertain period of time and due to occurred situation, the Ministry of Roads and Transportation in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia (MCAA) urgently took necessary measures to continue flights conducted by Eznis Company.

According to regulations, the local destinations used to conduct by Eznis were shared to Aero Mongolia and Hunnu Airlines and the Aeronautical Information Services Division at MCAA approved the flights effective from June 02 to October 25, 2014.

The new regulation was introduced by the Division Chairman P.Ganbold, who said all domestic flights used to conduct by Eznis Airways LLC will be carried out and normalized by Aero Mongolia and Hunnu Airlines and about 1,800 books ordered to Eznis were also managed.

Moreover, Mongolia’s national flag carrier MIAT announced its possibilities to conduct domestic flights to Khovd and Oyu Tolgoi aerodromes by its Boeing 737 aircraft.

Domestic flights to 12 destinations by Aero Mongolia and Hunnu Airlines from June 02 to October 25, 2014

1. Ulaanbaatar - Bayan-Ulgii, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun by Aero Mongolia

2. Ulaanbaatar - Bayankhongor, Tue, Thu, Sat by Hunnu Airlines

3. Ulaanbaatar - Govi-Altai, Tue, Thu, Sat by Hunnu Airlines

4. Ulaanbaatar - Dornod, Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat by Hunnu Airlines

5. Ulaanbaatar - Zavkhan (Donoi), Mon, Fri by Aero Mongolia and Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun by Hunnu Airlines

6. Ulaanbaatar - Khovd, Tue, Thu, Sat by Aero Mongolia and Mon, Wed, Fri by Hunnu Airlines

7. Ulaanbaatar - Khuvsgul, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun by Aero Mongolia and Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun by Hunnu Airlines

8. Ulaanbaatar - Umnugovi, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun by Aero Mongolia and Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun by Hunnu Airlines

9. Ulaanbaatar - Uvs, Tue, Thu, Sat by Aero Mongolia and Mon, Wed, Fri by Hunnu Airlines

10. Ulaanbaatar - Oyu Tolgoi, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun by Aero Mongolia

11. Ulaanbaatar - Tavan Tolgoi, Tue, Thu, Sat by Aero Mongolia

12. Ulaanbaatar - Ovoot, Mon, Fri by Aero Mongolia

Also, Hunnu Airlines opened Ulaanbaatar - Uvs - Ulaanbaatar flight three times a day, and Aero Mongolia Ulaanbaatar - Bayan-Ulgii - Ulaanbaatar two times a day and Ulaanbaatar - Oyu Tolgoi - Ulaanbaatar flight three times a day.

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“Mongol Tuurgatan - 2050” Football Contest Finishes

June 5 (infomongolia.com) Upon the initiation of the President of Mongolia, the "2050" NGO has successfully organized the "Mongol Tuurgatan 2050" (Mongolians 2050) international football contest among junior players in Ulaanbaatar at the Secondary School No.24 football yard on June 02-03, 2014.

At this football contest, young players from Inner Mongolia, Buryatia, Kalmykia, Tuva (Tyva) and Mongolia have competed, where footballers from Mongol-2 team won the first place.

In the Bronze medal contest, Buryat and Kalmyk teams have challenged and after the second time, the team of Kalmyk children won by 3:1 and the Gold medal game was held between Mongol-1 and Mongol-2 teams.

The match of Mongol-1 vs. Mongol-2 was concluded with even score of 1:1 and following the penalty shoot-out, the Mongol-2 scored more goals (4:3) grabbing the “Golden Falcon” trophy.

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Bread prices jump up 50 to 100 MNT

June 5 (UB Post) The price of bread has increased by 50 to 100 MNT. Supermarkets and shop assistants say that prices are increasing with bread distributors, but bread prices are varied at different supermarkets and grocery stores.

Misheel bread went from 1,100 MNT to 1,200 MNT. Talkh Chikher officials said, “The cost of flour has increased, that’s why we raised the price of bread. All bread prices at our company were increased by 50 to 100 MNT last week, except Atar bread.”

Atar-Urguu also raised its bread pricest by 100 MNT, except for their Atar bread.

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Air polluters face consequences for violations

June 5 (UB Post) The National Committee for Reducing Air Pollution has been implementing policies to reduce air pollution. The committee is focusing on the implementation of the Law on Air Pollution and is delivering information, advice and warnings about air pollution and its dangers to individuals, organizations, and businesses.

According to Dr. Delgerzul Lodoisamba, a local air pollution expert, a 2009 survey noted serious concerns about air pollution levels. Pollution is associated with heart disease, and exposure to sulfur dioxide increases the risk of developing lung cancer. Common components of air pollution are known as particulate matter (PM), which is often made up of black carbon, sulfur, and silicon.

PM can be divided into two types. PM less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5) is known as “fine” particles. Particles larger than 2.5 micrometers, but less than 10 micrometers, are known as “coarse” particles (PM10). To give this real-life context, PM smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter are less than one-hundredth of the width of a human hair. The size of air pollution particles is directly linked to their potential for causing serious health problems. PM 2.5 particles pose a more significant danger to human health as they are able to travel deep into the lungs, and further into the bloodstream, thereby evading the body’s natural defenses.

As the main ingredient in coal, black carbon is a major contributor to PM 2.5. Black carbon is associated with a range of cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, including asthma, heart attacks, strokes and a range of cancers. Individuals, organizations, and businesses who are named as sources of air pollution will now be held responsible for providing residents with a safer environment with fewer health risks.

According to articles 9.1.1 and 26.1 of the Law on Air Pollution, and articles 5.2 and 10.9.8 of the Law on State Monitoring and Examination, some efficient projects are being carried out, including delivering notices, demands, advice and information to 2,000 sources of air pollution in order to enforce the laws and regulations on air pollution.

Organizations and entities using stoves that do not meet air quality safety standards will be fined. The committee stated that it is going to implement many levels of work to intensify the monitoring of air polluting entities. Those who fail to meet air pollution safety standards will be charged with fines equivalent to nine times the minimum wage, as stated in the Law on State Monitoring and Examination and the Law on Air Pollution. The fine must be paid, or operations will be terminated until the violation is fixed.

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President rejects proposal for Sh.Tuvdendorj as Agriculture Minister

June 5 (UB Post) President Ts.Elbegdorj delivered a response to an official document from N.Altankhuyag regarding the appointment of Member of Parliament Sh.Tuvdendorj to the position of Industry and Agriculture Minister and a member of the Government of Mongolia. In his official response the President expressed his position, clearly stating, “I have been presented with a letter of compromise on appointing Member of Parliament Sh.Tuvdendorj to the position of Industry and Agriculture Minister and a member of the Government of Mongolia.

“We should start the work of defining the rights, responsibility and monitoring structure between legislative and executive powers from that appointment. Thus, a Member of Parliament should not be promoted as a minister. A Member of Parliament should not simultaneously hold two posts, a Member of Parliament and a Member of the Cabinet.

“Therefore, I, President of Mongolia, reject the Prime Minister’s proposal to promote a Member of Parliament to a Member of the Cabinet. Please, reassess the appointment proposal considering the above mentioned necessities, lessons and opportunities that the State of Mongolia faces.”

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Foreign Minister of the UAE visits Mongolia

June 5 (UB Post) Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan conducted a two-day official visit to Mongolia on June 3 and 4, upon the invitation of Foreign Affairs Minister of Mongolia L.Bold.

According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Sheikh called on the President and Prime Minister of Mongolia and held bilateral talks with his Mongolian counterparts. During the meetings the sides discussed bilateral and economic relations between Mongolia and the UAE.

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FM L.Bold conducts a working visit to Denmark

June 5 (UB Post) Foreign Affairs Minister of Mongolia L.Bold paid an official visit to Denmark on May 27 and 28, and called on H.M. Queen of Denmark Margrethe II and Parliament Speaker Mogens Lykketoft.

At their meeting the sides agreed on implementing activities for furthering cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries.

H.M. Queen of Denmark Margrethe II emphasized that the visit of President Ts.Elbegdorj to Denmark in 2013 was a historical visit for bringing bilateral relations to a new level. Last year marked the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and during the anniversary Lykketoft paid an official visit to Mongolia.

The expansion of bilateral economic collaboration and the attraction of Danish investment to new economic fields in Mongolia was the main topic of the official negotiations between Minister L.Bold, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Martin Lidegaard, and Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation Mogens Jensen.

Minister L.Bold gave a briefing for Danish business people on the investment environment of Mongolia. Attendees shared views on possibilities for cooperation in the areas of food production, recycling and in introducing Danish green technologies.

Minister L.Bold had a meeting with members of the Danish-Mongolian Friendship Association, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year. The association was briefed on programs and projects carried out in Mongolia, reported the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Mongolia.

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Director of National University found guilty of embezzling 347 million MNT from students

June 5 (UB Post) The Agency for Fair Competition and Consumer Rights (AFCCR) reported that it has sent a demand for compensation to the director of the National University of Mongolia (NUM) A.Galtbayar, who was found guilty of unfairly charged a total of 347 million MNT from students who changed their majors.

The AFCCR received a complaint about A.Galtbayar in November 2013, who was subsequently found guilty for illegally charging 236 million MNT from 166 students, through his order issued on September 27, while additional 75 students also paid 111 million MNT to him for changing majors.

A.Galtbayar plead not quilt and appealed against the demand but the court denied the appeal.

The AFCCR has therefore sent a request to Minister of Education and Science L.Gantumur to impose legal penalties to A.Galtbayar for repeated financially fraud.

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Deadline for vehicle tax payment extended

June 5 (UB Post) All drivers currently using roads in Ulaanbaatar are obligated to pay a newly set road usage fee, air pollution fee and an annual vehicle and self-driven automobile tax before May 31 of every year.

This year, 96.2 percent of all 350,000 registered vehicles owners in Ulaanbaatar paid the fees and taxes before the deadline and a total of 13 billion MNT was collected as of May 31, reported Chief of Auto Division at Ulaanbaatar City Department of Taxation S.Tserenjamts.

S.Tserenjamts added, “Around 40 to 50 percent of all fees and tax was transacted to the state tax account last week alone. We failed to collect all the fees and taxes which was planned to total 13.5 billion MNT, due to false information spread through media. Drivers heard that the collection process was extended until June 24 and missed the deadline which prevented collection of the remaining 500 million MNT.”

The second stage of the fee and tax collection started on Sunday where traffic police officers check drivers taking part in the city traffic whether they have paid their fees and taxes. The collection will end June 10. If they haven’t, the police will fine them and demand payment immediately.

Drivers can check their status about the payment at www.smartcar.mn and those who haven’t paid their taxes after the warning will be restricted from driving.

Drivers are paying annual road usage fee of 20,000 MNT starting from this year. This fee and the auto tax will be collected in the Ulaanbaatar Auto Budget for road construction, repair and expansion projects, according to S.Tserenjamts.

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Meeting destinations for residents and ambulances to be set in ger areas

June 5 (UB Post) Chiefs of Ger Area Working Divisions of the Office of the Ulaanbaatar City Governor have recently met Director of the Ulaanbaatar City Emergency Medical Center 103 Ts.Purevdash to discuss issues about establishing meeting destinations in ger area streets in order to make it simple for both residents and ambulances to meet up and head to hospitals without delays.

Ambulance doctors of 103 Center usually find it problematic to find homes of patients due to disorganized address systems and streets in ger area which consumes valuable time for patients.

The officials have therefore decided to jointly carry out a study on households living in difficult to reach streets and locations to provide suitable meeting destinations.

Ger area residents will also be able to attend basic medical treatment trainings which are aimed at reducing health issues in remote khoroos in ger area.

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Naadam Festival Organizing Commission holds first meeting

June 5 (UB Post) The Organizing Commission for Naadam Festival and nine sub-commissions held a meeting earlier this week to start preparations for the national holiday which is only a month away from now.

The commissions have one united working group, which consists of 177 officials, and they assigned 285 works for the preparations.

The budget for the festival is planned to be the same amount as last year’s and it will be finalized on Saturday’s government meeting, reported E.Gankhuu, Chief of the Finance and State Budget Division of the Office of Ulaanbaatar City Governor.

Head of the Information Technology, Post and Telecommunications Authority Ts.Jadambaa introduced a GPS device which is able to live broadcast of horseracing of Naadam Festival through smart phones and internet.

The commission officials have decided to visit the Central Stadium and Khui Doloon Khudag, where horseracing takes place, on June 6 before announcing Naadam Festival budget and detailed plans, according to Deputy Minister D.Terbishdagva.

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Children’s books with inappropriate content and phrases seized from market

June 5 (UB Post) The Agency for Fair Competition and Consumer Rights (AFCCR) has recently seized 32 copies of four specific children’s books from market for their inappropriate contents, phrases, as well as pictures.

The public has been much critical about the issue which has drawn a lot of attention in social media lately. Many children’s books are very poorly phrased and laid out which fails to serve its original purpose of extending knowledge as well as improving critical and artistic thinking of children.

The AFCCR evaluated the contents of 253 children’s books in total through the request of the public. The evaluations found that some of them had contents encouraging violence, robbery and even adult contents.

The agency said that although they requested to partner in the inspection with the Ministry of Education and Science but hasn’t received any encouraging replies.

The AFCCR has also submitted a request for the ministry to formulate a specific criteria for children’s book writers.

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Ulaanbaatar to host Asian Youth Wrestling Championship

June 5 (UB Post) The Asian Youth Wrestling Championship will take place at the Buyant-Ukhaa Sports Palace in Ulaanbaatar, from June 5 to 8. The championship will be held in three categories; men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Wrestlers from 14 Asian countries, namely Iran, South Korea, China, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, India and Japan, have arrived in Ulaanbaatar to compete in the Asian Youth Wrestling Championship.

The tournament will kick off with Greco-Roman matches in the 55kg, 60kg, 66kg, 74kg, 84kg and 96kg categories.

The Mongolian men’s and women’s teams competing in the Asian Junior Wrestling Championship have been announced.

The men’s team includes Ts.Mandalsuren, Z.Zanabazar, B.Bat-Erdene, G.Turbold, E.Munkh-Erdene, B.Nyambayar, N.Bilguun and E.Munkhbaatar.

The women’s team consists of L.Battogtokh, G.Otgonjargal, B.Munkhtuya, A.Battsetseg, S.Tserenchimed, B.Nyamgerel, O.Oyungerel and P.Nomin-Erdene. All wrestlers on the teams have won medals from world or Asian youth championships.

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Five medical stations to be established during Ulaanbaatar Marathon

June 5 (UB Post) Ulaanbaatar hosts the International Ulaanbaatar Marathon and “No Car Day” on the first Saturday of June every year. These events aim to develop running sports, promote Ulaanbaatar, and support professional and amateur runners.

This year, the events will be part of the official events for the 375th anniversary of the establishment of Ulaanbaatar. More than 25 thousand foreign and domestic athletes will participate in the marathon.

The Ulaanbaatar Marathon and “No Car Day” will take place on June 7 and no-car zones will be established.

The contest will gather not only Mongolian athletes but also top foreign runners including South Korean Olympic champion Hwang Young-cho, silver medalist of the Asian Games of 2010 Yamamoto Yoshihiro, Japanese runner Ito Koichi, and other athletes.

The Health Department of Ulaanbaatar will establish five medical stations along the route to prepare for all emergencies and to assist participants in need of medical attention.

Each medical point will be equipped with first aid and other medical supplies as well as professional physicians.

The following is the designated locations of all stations.

1. Medical station 1 – in front of Center Point
2. Medical station 2 – next to the State Supreme Court
3. Medical station 3 – east road of Sansar Tunnel
4. Medical station 4 – in front of the Institute of Finance and Economics
5. Medical station 5 – Chinggis Square

In addition, the Health Department of Ulaanbaatar will also provide two ambulance crews.
Health issues commonly arise during a marathon. The most common ailments among include:

-Heat stroke
-Dehydration
-Breathing problems
-Increased blood pressure
-Dizziness
-Muscle sprains and pulls
-Other minor medical problems

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International Festival of Khuumii to take place in Khovd Province

June 5 (UB Post) The third International Festival of Khuumii (throat singing) will take place in Khovd Province from July 20 to 25.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Administration of Khovd Province, and the Mongolian Throat Singing Association are organizing the festival.

The purpose of the festival is to improve the professional skills of throat singers and promote talented throat singers.

The Grand Prix winner of the festival will receive a five million MNT cash prize and the first place winner will receive three million MNT.

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Khurd announces open-air concert

June 5 (UB Post) One of Mongolia’s oldest and most notorious rock bands, Khurd, is preparing to perform its annual summer open-air concert.

The concert will be performed at the Garden of Irish Pub, on June 7. During the concert, t-shirts, accessories and Khurd’s golden record auction will be held. Attendees will have the chance to watch Khurd’s concert for free at the event.

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