Mongolian court has sentenced N.Tuvshinbayar, a two-time Olympic medalist for 16 years in prison for murder of his best friend. N.Tuvshinbayar, 37, was charged for a drunken assault which caused a death of fellow wrestler in April, 2021.

The prosecutors submitted the case on 1 December, 2021 to the Khan-Uul District Court charging N.Tuvshinbayar with a criminal code which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in jail. However, the victim E.Enkhbat, a fellow judoka and a best friend of Tuvshinbayar, died on 24 December, 2021 after retuning home from South Korea. Therefore, N.Tuvshinbayar re-charged for murder which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

E.Enkhbat was hospitalised unconsciousness at the intensive care unit of the National Centre for Treatment and Research on 2 April after the assault that appears to have caused serious brain damage. Shortly after that, the victim flew to South Korea for brain surgery.

Enkhbat’s career medals include a silver in the men’s under-100kg category at the International Judo Federation (IJF) Grand Slam in Baku in Azerbaijan in 2013 and a gold in the same category at the IJF World Cup in Jeju, South Korea in 2012.

After winning the Olympic gold medal at Beijing 2008, N.Tuvshinbayar competed in the same under-100kg category at London 2012, claiming a silver medal on this occasion. He was elected unopposed as President of the MNOC, which this year is celebrating its 65th anniversary, which occurred August last year. After the incident, N.Tuvshinbayar was removed from a position of the position.

A total of 10 electric double-deckers with 70 passenger seats began running at a main road connecting east and west of Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.

To ease the traffic congestions and reduce the air pollutions, Ulaanbaatar municipal government is determined to introduce more electric vehicles on its roads.

According to the government’s plan, the city imported 10 units electric double-deckers and 36 units school buses from China. In addition, it will build four recharging stations and 15 sets recharging facilities. Another 40 buses will be added next year as part of the effort to improve the buses providing public transport service in the capital city.

Currently, Ulaanbaatar boasts over 900 units city buses. According to local bus operators, almost half of the city’s bus fleet is going to be replaced soon.

Mongolian baritone E.Amartuvshin, is getting ready for a new ‘Rigoletto’. He returned to La Scala in the title role less than two years after his debut there in “Aida” in October 2020. Bringing the role of the cursed court jester to La Scala is a personal milestone for Mr. E.Amartuvshin, 36. It is also a signature role, but never an easy one, especially at an opera house as prestigious as La Scala.

“I’ve sung the role of Rigoletto about 60 times, but this time at La Scala is a little bit intimidating and exciting,” E.Amartuvshin said in a phone interview from Milan last month, the day before rehearsals began.

After this “Rigoletto,” which runs from June 20 to July 11, E.Amartuvshin will sing in no fewer than five other Verdi operas in the coming months: “Nabucco” and “Aida,” in Verona this summer, followed this fall by “La Forza del Destino” in Parma, “Il Trovatore” in Florence and “La Traviata” in Vienna. He will repeat “La Traviata” for his Metropolitan Opera debut in January. It is the kind of schedule befitting in-demand opera singers who book engagements months or years in advance.

He began singing opera professionally after graduation — including “Prince Igor” and “Rigoletto” in Mongolia. He was a winner in the Operalia competition in 2012 and won the audience award at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2015.

The US will no longer require air travellers to have proof of a negative Covid-19 test before entering the country from abroad.

Officials said they were dropping the requirement due to the "tremendous progress" the country had made in the fight against the virus.

The travel industry has been pushing for an end to the policy, which they say has deterred bookings, as families fear getting stranded abroad.

The change comes into effect on Sunday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will re-evaluate the policy in 90 days. The administration said it would "not hesitate to act" to reinstate the rule should new variants make officials believe it is necessary.

"We are able to take this step because of the tremendous progress we've made in our fight against the virus: We have made lifesaving vaccines and treatments widely available and these tools are working to prevent serious illness and death, and are effective against the prevalent variants circulating in the US and around the world," a senior official told reporters.

The US introduced rules requiring air travellers to test negative within three days of their flight - or provide proof of recent recovery from the virus - in January 2021.

US President Joe Biden tightened the policy to within one day of flying in December, as the Omicron variant pushed virus cases higher. The testing measure did not apply to land crossings.

Most non-US citizens must still be vaccinated to travel to the country.

The number of Covid cases in the US has dropped sharply since January, though the figures had started to rise again in recent weeks before plateauing. Deaths remain much lower than during the height of the pandemic because of the impact of the vaccination programme.

The travel sector, which has seen demand surge as concerns about the pandemic wane, has said the US has lagged behind other countries in re-evaluating testing policies.

The UK removed all Covid-19 test requirements for travel in March, as did Canada. Italy ended its testing requirements this month.

On Friday, Canada also said it would pause random Covid testing at airports for the rest of June in order to reduce wait times for travellers.

US Travel Association president Roger Dow said the change in policy would "accelerate the recovery of the US travel industry", while the International Air Transport Association said it was "great news" the "ineffective" measure was being dropped.

Airline Virgin Atlantic also welcomed the move, saying it would "boost consumer confidence even further and support the rebound in transatlantic travel this summer".

The US has been slowly easing Covid national restrictions. Last November, it lifted restrictions on travellers from more than 30 countries, including the UK, after a more than 18-month ban.

In April, the US dropped its requirement that passengers wear masks on planes after a court voided the CDC's mandate.

According to research by the US Travel Association, eliminating the test requirement is likely to bring an additional 5.4 million visitors to the US this year, boosting travel spending by 12%,

"Today marks another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States," Mr Dow said.

The sixth edition of the international motorsports festival kicked off here on Saturday after being halted by the COVID-19 pandemic for two years.

More than 1,000 motorcyclists from all 21 provinces of Mongolia and several other countries such as Russia and Japan are participating in the festival.

The annual moto sports festival entitled "Steppe wind' is being co-organized by the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator's tourism department and "Mongolian choppers brotherhood" non-governmental organization under the motto "Healthy People - Alcohol-Free Mongolia".

Within the framework of the festival, numerous activities are expected to be held, such as a parade of motorcycles, a concert of famous Mongolian rock bands, a DJ show and a rare and antique motorcycle exhibition.

In a unique gesture, four Holy Relics of Lord Buddha are being taken to Mongolia for an exposition as part of Mongolian Buddha Purnima celebrations on June 14.

A 25-member delegation, led by Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, will accompany the relics on their journey, starting Monday.

The relics will be displayed at Batsagaan Temple, within the premises of Gandan Monastery, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited in 2015.

The four relics come from among 22 Buddha relics, currently housed at the National Museum in Delhi, and known as the ‘Kapilvastu Relics’ since they are from a site in Bihar believed to be the ancient city of Kapilvastu. They were discovered in 1898.

During the 11-day visit, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said, the relics will be accorded the status of a State Guest in Mongolia and will be taken in the same climate-controlled case as it has been kept presently at the National Museum.

The Indian Air Force has made available a special airplane — C-17 GlobeMaster — to carry the holy relics, which will be received in Mongolia by the country’s Culture Minister, the adviser to the country’s President, and a group of monks. The Buddha Relics available in Mongolia would also be displayed along with the relics from India, it was informed.

The last time these relics were taken out of the country was in 2012, when their exposition was held in Sri Lanka. In 2015, the Holy Relics were placed under ‘AA’ category of antiquities and art treasures that should not be ordinarily taken out of the country for exhibition, considering their delicate nature.

Reddy said New Delhi made an exception and permitted the exposition of Holy Relics in Mongolia on request of Ulaanbaatar.

Calling it a milestone in India-Mongolia relations, Rijiju said this will further boost cultural and spiritual relations between the countries.

The relics were discovered from Piprahwa, in UP’s Siddharthnagar district, believed to be a part of the ancient city of Kapilavastu. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had conducted excavations at Piprahwa between 1971 and 1977, wherein they discovered two inscribed steatite stone caskets containing 12 sacred relics from the bigger casket and 10 sacred relics from the smaller casket. The inscription on the lid of the casket refers to the relics of the Buddha and the Shakya clan. These are believed to be the sacred relics of the Buddha and are now on long-term loan from ASI to the National Museum, New Delhi.

In October last year, during the inauguration of the international airport at Kushinagar (the final resting place of the Buddha), sacred relics from Sri Lanka were also part of the delegation that had landed at Kushinagar on the inaugural flight from Colombo. Exposition of Buddha’s relics in each other’s countries is an important component of Buddhist ties.

The Kapilvastu relics have been taken out of India only six times in the past. Rijiju said Mongolia and India look upon each other as spiritual and cultural neighbours and “Mongolia can also be said to be our ‘Third Neighbour’, even though we don’t enjoy any common physical boundaries”.

Minister of Mining and Heavy Industry G.Yondon received authorities of the Russian ‘Azot’ company, a supplier of nitrogen fertilizers.

At the outset of the meeting, the delegates thanked the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry of Mongolia for taking immediate action when the ban was imposed on exporters by the decision of the Russian Government in 2021.

As a result, in the first half of this year, a supply of the main raw materials for the production of explosive substances to Mongolia has remained stable without disruption.

SBU Azot is one of the largest producers of nitrogen fertilizers in Russia. The Company’s plants manufacture nitrogen products for industrial and agricultural clients, and petrochemicals. The Company is a key player on the domestic nitrogen market and sells its products in over 40 countries worldwide. In addition, the company is the largest supplier of more than 80 percent of Mongolia's nitrogen fertilizer consumption for the mining and agricultural sectors.

During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on stabilizing the import of raw materials for the production of explosives in the mining sector in the second half of this year, taking into account changes in prices on the world market, strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation and supplying new products to customers.

Mongolia will hold an international motorsports festival entitled the “Steppe wind” on 11 June .

The annual festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The competition is expected to take place under the motto “Healthy People – Alcohol-Free Mongolia”.

The festival is of great importance for the development of special interest tourism, promoting Mongolia internationally and attracting more tourists.

Hundreds of motorcyclists from all 21 provinces of Mongolia and other countries including Russia, India and Japan are expected to participate in the festival.

LONDON/SYDNEY, June 8 (Reuters) - A top official at the giant Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mining project in Mongolia has called for greater transparency and more power to the local management, as global miner Rio Tinto (RIO.AX), (RIO.L) looks to buy out the troubled project.

Mongolia owns 34% of Oyu Tolgoi, one of the world's largest-known copper and gold deposits in the Gobi desert, and Rio controls the rest through its 51% stake in Toronto-listed Turquoise Hill Resources (TRQ.TO).

Rio Tinto and the Mongolian government in January reached an agreement to end a long-running dispute over a $6.75-billion expansion of the mine which is behind schedule and has run $1.4 billion over budget. Rio waived $2.4 billion in debt that the government owed to it.

Soon after, Rio proposed to buy out the remaining Turquoise Hill stake for about $2.7 billion, paving the way to direct ownership of Oyu Tolgoi.

"As a shareholder of Oyu Tolgoi, we are asking Rio Tinto that this project be transparent and have a proper management structure and without that it doesn't matter who owns the shares," said Tserenbat Namsrai, chief executive of Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi LLC, the Mongolian state-owned firm.

"If Rio succeeds in its bid to buy Turquoise Hill it is good for us because the decision making will be shortened, this is the good side (of the deal)."

Speaking to Reuters in an interview, Nagi Otgonshar, Mongolia's vice minister at the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry said they were observing and internally evaluating the outcome of Rio's buyout offer.

"At the end of the day, we ask Rio Tinto to be transparent ... previously not enough information has been shared with the government of Mongolia," Otgonshar said.

"This is a heavily scrutinized project by the public and being able to share that information with the people of Mongolia is crucial," he added.

"We think copper is the future and we would like to be one of the top players to attract more investors and OT paves the road for further investments," he said.

Namsrai said discussions were now underway to bring forward the production date from the current target of mid-2023.

"With the write-off of the $2.4 billion loan the shareholding issue has been resolved and now we are discussing how to improve the Oyu Tolgoi management to shorten the period of sustainable production date," Namsrai said.

To ensure Mongolia makes a profit out of it, more power needs to be handed to the Oyu Tolgoi management team, Namsrai said, without elaborating on how the government would ensure that.

Namsrai said COVID restrictions in Mongolia, the recent lockdowns in China, logistical issues and changes to domestic labour laws meant they could go over budget again.

"The announced budget increase is ...probably likely to go over, although it is difficult to say by how much," Namsrai said.

Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Bernadette Baum

WARSAW, 8 June 2022 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office (CiO) and Poland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau, concluded his visit to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

In Kazakhstan, Rau met President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Chairmen of the two chambers of parliament, Maulen Ashimbayev and Yerlan Koshanov, and the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Akan Rakhmetullin. Minister Zbigniew Rau also talked with Human Rights Commissioner Elvira Azimova and civil society representatives.

During the talks, Minister Rau reaffirmed the OSCE’s support for the ongoing reforms in Kazakhstan, including the constitutional referendum that took place on 5 June. The head of the Polish MFA emphasized that the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan is engaged in supporting further reforms of the police and the judiciary, local governments, and strengthening the institution of the Human Rights Commissioner.

“The reform programme by the president of Kazakhstan includes at all its stages crucial improvements related to human rights, civil liberties and institutional responsibilities, in line with OSCE commitments,” said Minister Rau. He added that a concrete example of these are amendments to the constitution put forward for a nationwide referendum held last Sunday. Moreover, the head of the Polish MFA discussed the dynamic security situation in Central Asia.

In Uzbekistan, Minister Rau talked with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Norov, the Chairwoman of the Senate, Tanzila Narbayeva and the First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Parliament Akmal Saidov.

The chief of Polish diplomacy emphasized the positive contribution of the OSCE to efforts related to the implementation of President Mirziyoyev’s reform agenda in Uzbekistan. He also presented ideas on how to strengthen the involvement in the region. He encouraged the consolidation of dialogue between government and civil society and the further promotion of human rights.

“Uzbekistan's ties with the OSCE have a long tradition. The OSCE highly values Uzbekistan as an active member of the Organization since 1992. On the 30th anniversary of the accession of Central Asian countries to the OSCE, I would like to confirm the OSCE’s continued support for Uzbekistan and declare my readiness to further strengthen this co-operation and consolidate partner relations,” emphasized Minister Rau. He also thanked his interlocutors for their promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan, building trust and good neighborly relations in the region, as well as solidarity with the most vulnerable. Support to the civilian population is one of the priorities of the Polish OSCE Chairmanship.

During his visit to Mongolia, the OSCE CiO met with Mongolia’s President Uchnaagijn Chürelsüch and Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh.

Poland’s chief diplomat emphasized that the OSCE recognizes Mongolia’s political and constitutional reform processes, which include substantial achievements in the areas of human rights, civil liberties, as well, as institutional responsibilities in line with the OSCE commitments. He encouraged the country to enhance co-operation with the Organization and to benefit from its potential of supporting the government in implementing further reforms.

While congratulating Mongolia on the tenth anniversary of its participation in the OSCE, Minister Rau noted that the current turbulence undermining the region’s stability makes it even more important for all participating States of the Organization to act together for the sake of peace and security.