Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Two pet cats have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mongolia, the country's National Center for Zoonotic Diseases reported on Tuesday.

The cats may have contracted the virus from their owners, who have tested positive for the virus, the center said, urging the public to protect both themselves and their pets from the virus.

Previously, the country had confirmed that seven beavers of the Beaver Breeding Center at the Environmental Department of the capital Ulan Bator had tested positive for the coronavirus

The Bank of Mongolia organized the first consultation meeting on the draft of the Monetary Policy Guidelines for 2022, focusing on inclusive growth and climate and sustainable financing. Representatives from about 20 organizations, including the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics, Standing Committee on Environment, Food and Agriculture, Cabinet Secretariat Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Ministry of Health, National Development Agency, Financial Regulatory Commission, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Finance Corporation, UNDP, UNICEF, Mongolian Bankers Association and Mongolian Sustainable Finance Association participated in this consultation meeting.

During the meeting held on September 7, the UN Joint Programme ‘Rolling Out an Integrated Approach to SDG Financing in Mongolia’ implemented by UNDP and UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Finance presented the development of the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) and the sustainable financing strategy in Mongolia.

During the meeting, the UN Joint Programme ‘Rolling Out an Integrated Approach to SDG Financing in Mongolia’ implemented by UNDP and UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Finance presented the development of the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) and the sustainable financing strategy in Mongolia.

The development of an INFF is a global recommendation following the Addis Ababa Action Agenda to enable the achievement of SDGs, and over 60 countries globally, including Mongolia, are currently working on its development. The INFF aims to align the financing with the development priorities and increase the financing flows dedicated to sustainable development by leveraging private sector financing.

At the heart of the INFF lies the financing strategy for sustainable development. The current draft of the strategy builds on the ongoing public and private sector reforms as well as the new pilot initiatives that help align financing with the SDGs, including the piloting of the SDG-aligned, results-based, gender-responsive budgeting, SDG bonds, impact investment fund and adoption of Environment, Social and Governance risk management framework across the financial sector.

During the consultation, the Central Bank highlighted the need for the development and implementation of coherent, sustainable financing strategies, economic policies and strategic plans and the cooperation among all stakeholders in tackling the climate and sustainable development challenges. The consultation meeting was a significant initiative by the Central Bank of Mongolia in bringing the voices of various stakeholders in policy making and ensuring closer and aligned cooperation.

The Monetary Policy Guidelines 2022 will be discussed and approved by the Parliament’s autumn session.

Source: UNDP Mongolia

As according to the agreement established between the Government of Mongolia and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on border checkpoints and its regime, a decision has been made concerning the operations at the Mongolia-China border checkpoints for the rest of the year.

In the framework of the decision, operations will be carried out as normally at auto road border checkpoints at Bulgan - Takashiken, Bulgan - Laoemyao, Shiveekhuren - Sekhee, Gashuunsukhait - Gantsmod, Khangi - Mandal, Zamiin-Uud - Ereen, Bichigt - Zuunkhatavch, Bayankhoshuu - Uvdug during holidays on the side of Mongolia (which includes the Day of Proclamation, the Birth Anniversary of Great Chinggis Khaan, and the National Liberation and Independence Day).

ERDENET, ORKHON PROVINCE, MONGOLIA — Erdenebolor Dorjsuren takes a break from repairing bicycle tires and wipes sweat from his brow.

The 46-year-old opened his repair shop a year ago, and demand has kept him busy. About 10 repaired bicycles stand outside the shop, ready for customers to collect.

Cycling has traditionally not been a popular form of transportation in Mongolia. Poor road conditions – particularly wet, slippery and snow-covered roads in winter – can make cycling treacherous. Dedicated bicycle lanes are few and far between, leaving cyclists vulnerable to aggressive drivers. And the lack of secure parking has made bicycle theft a common concern.

Despite these challenges, bicycle ridership has increased dramatically during the pandemic – a trend echoed in many parts of the world. When the Mongolian government suspended public transportation and banned cars, buses and other motor vehicles from the roads during lockdowns, cycling became a convenient way for many Mongolians to shop for groceries and commute to work. The Ministry of Health also encouraged Mongolians to take up cycling as a way to exercise and improve their health.

That’s been good for Erdenebolor. His income has soared since he launched his repair business, and he’s hired three assistants to keep up with demand.

“Soon I am going to hold a workshop on bicycle repair,” he says. “It will be great to train as many people as possible during these tough times and to help them to have jobs and sustain their livelihoods.”

Erdenebolor Dorjsuren fixes tires while customers wait. As cycling has grown in popularity during the pandemic, Erdenebolor’s business has boomed.

The Orkhon Province Department of Physical Culture and Sports doesn’t keep statistics on the number of cyclists in Mongolia. But Munkhchuluun Otgonbold, a police officer and traffic police coordinator at the Orkhon Province Police Department, has noted more people riding bicycles in recent months.

“There was hardly anybody who traveled with a bicycle before,” he says.

Other countries experienced similar surges. From 2019 to 2020, the level of cycling increased an average of 8% in 11 European countries (and 23% on weekends), according to Eco-Counter, a French company that tracks global bicycle use. In the United States, it increased 16% overall, with a 29% jump on weekends. Bicycle sales soared, and hundreds of cities built or expanded bike lanes and paths. Many cities also installed more bike parking or subsidized the cost of bike sharing and repairs.

Mongolia is working on similar reforms. In response to cycling’s increasing popularity, the government plans to build bicycle lanes and secure parking areas across the country, according to Khan-Uul Dorjgotov, a senior urban planning specialist at the Department of Urban Development.

In the capital, Ulaanbaatar, the government plans to build more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) of bicycle lanes in the city center over the next five years, as well as 70 bicycle parking lots outfitted with security cameras. Residents will also be able to register their bicycles with the traffic police.

The Governor’s Administration Office of Orkhon Province installed secure bicycle parking at the request of employees.

Even as those plans are in development, banks, shopping centers, schools and some government agencies have implemented their own initiatives to encourage and support cycling. The Governor’s Administration Office of Orkhon Province, for example, built a bicycle parking area at the request of employees who cycle to work. That, in turn, has encouraged even more employees to take up cycling.

“It is important to provide people with opportunities and conditions to ride bicycles,” says Odgerel Demberelsuren, a specialist in charge of physical training and recreation at the Orkhon Province Department of Physical Culture and Sports.

The department is discussing the possibility of building dedicated bicycle lanes in the province, and Odgerel says she hopes the lanes will be constructed in the next year or two.

That’s welcome news to riders like Batkhuyag Bilegsaikhan, head of the local Association of Cyclists.

“If we have special bicycle lanes,” he says, “everyone will be able to ride bicycles without fear.”

Khorloo Khukhnokhoi is a Global Press Journal reporter based in Mongolia. Born and raised in Uvs province, she was a television journalist prior to joining Global Press Journal.

U.S. Embassy in Mongolia -- The U.S. - through the United States Agency for International Development—announced $3.7 million (10.5 billion MNT) in additional urgent COVID-19 assistance for Mongolia. This assistance will provide life-saving medicine, testing kits, urgent medical equipment and supplies, oxygen therapy, and personal protective equipment (PPE). USAID will also improve hospital incident management, support field hospitals and laboratory sequencing to identify variants, improve mental health and psychosocial support, design educational TV content for pre-primary children, provide psycho-social and psychological support for children and families, and promote messaging on the importance of vaccinations and how to prevent the spread of COVID.

Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory May made the announcement during a ceremony at the Ministry of Health to officially hand over recently arrived vaccines and ventilator test lungs. “The only way we as a global community can stop this disease is for all of us to work together. As Mongolia’s strategic partner and third neighbor, the United States remains committed to help the people of Mongolia overcome this global pandemic,” he said.

This announcement nearly doubles the more than $4 million (11.4 billion MNT) in COVID-19 assistance the U.S. has already provided to Mongolia since the pandemic first broke out. In addition to providing much needed supplies to support Mongolia’s effort, these funds have and continue to support training Mongolian medical staff on the latest techniques to treat critically ill patients and prevent further spread of the disease.

The United States is also the world’s largest donor to the COVAX Facility and The Global Fund, which provide funding to Mongolia in its efforts to defeat COVID-19.

These efforts build on decades of life-saving work and U.S. leadership in tackling global health crises. Over the past 60 years, USAID has saved millions of lives from diseases such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and now COVID-19.

Diseases know no borders. The U.S. is committed to partnering with Mongolia to end the COVID-19 pandemic, mitigate its devastating social and economic impacts, and build back a world that is even better prepared for future outbreaks.

The Ministry of Health reported today, September 15 that 2,737 new cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the past 24 hours. More specifically, 1,645 new cases were detected in the capital city, with 1,092 cases in rural regions.

As of today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mongolia now stands at 263,446. In the past 24 hours 5,680 patients have made recoveries.

Furthermore, 10 new COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, raising the country’s death toll to 993. Currently, 20,867 people are receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19 whilst 44,122 people with mild symptoms of COVID-19 are being isolated at home.

Apple has issued a software patch to block so-called "zero-click" spyware that could infect iPhones and iPads.

Independent researchers identified the flaw, which lets hackers access devices through the iMessage service even if users do not click on a link or file.

The problem affects all of the technology giant's operating systems, the researchers said.

Apple said it issued the security update in response to a "maliciously crafted" PDF file.

University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, which first highlighted the issue, had previously found evidence of zero-click spyware, but "this is the first one where the exploit has been captured so we can find out how it works," said researcher Bill Marczak.

The researchers said that the previously unknown vulnerability affected all major Apple devices, including iPhones, Macs and Apple Watches.

Citizen Lab also said the security issue was exploited to plant spyware on a Saudi activist's iPhone, adding that it had high confidence that the Israeli hacker-for-hire firm, NSO Group, was behind that attack.

In a statement to the Reuters news agency, NSO did not confirm or deny that it was behind the spyware, saying only that it would "continue to provide intelligence and law enforcement agencies around the world with life-saving technologies to fight terror and crime".

Security experts have said that although the discovery is significant, most users of Apple devices should not be overly concerned as such attacks are usually highly targeted.

Apple said in a blog post that it had issued the iOS 14.8 and iPadOS 14.8 software patches after it became aware of a report that the flaw "may have been actively exploited".

The announcement came as the technology giant prepared to unveil new devices at its annual launch event on Tuesday.

The company is expected to reveal new iPhones and updates to its AirPods and Apple Watch.

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Analysis by Joe Tidy, Cyber Reporter

Apple's iMessage is one of the most secure messaging apps in the world but clearly it had a dangerous weakness that a hacking team found and exploited.

The news will embarrass Apple which prides itself on being a secure and safe system.

The revelation is potentially another blow to the reputation of NSO Group which is still reeling from recent accusations of widespread spy hacks on innocent people.

It also highlights once again that no device is fully safe if a determined, well-funded team wants to hack it and is paid enough to do so.

The good advice from all corners is for iOS users to update the security software of their devices as soon as possible to patch up the security hole.

But for the vast majority of users, the risk of being a target of this expensive and highly-skilled hacking, is low.

China continues to lead global growth in the next generation of telecommunications technology with the expansion of the country’s 5G network, according to the Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xiao Yaqing.

“China has built more than one million 5G base stations, which is over 70% of the world market. The number of 5G users has exceeded 400 million, which is the largest user group in the world,” the official said, as quoted by Xinhua news agency.

According to the ministry's forecast, the number of 5G subscribers in the country will exceed 560 million by 2023, or nearly 40% of the total number of mobile users in the country.

Earlier, the ministry also said that China ranks first in the number of patents related to 5G communication technologies.

China's leading mobile operators began providing fifth-generation communication services to their customers in October 2019. Throughout 2020, some 580,000 5G base stations were installed in the country, with the network covering all major cities. Beijing plans to install over 600,000 new stations by the end of the year.

While many countries around the globe are only starting to embrace 5G technology, Chinese tech giant Huawei recently announced plans to roll out its successor 6G network, which it aims to introduce to the market by 2030.

Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has started offering flu vaccinations free of charge for high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and children under the age of 12, the country's health ministry announced on Monday.

The annual 10-day vaccination campaign is part of efforts to prevent respiratory infections, including seasonal flu and COVID-19, the ministry said in a statement.

Mongolia has recently received 360,600 doses of flu vaccine via the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Under normal circumstances, Mongolia, with a population of around 3.4 million, acquires an average of more than 100,000 doses of flu vaccines a year. However, the amount of flu vaccine was doubled this year due to COVID-19, according to the country's foreign ministry.

In the Asian country, the peak flu season runs from December to February.

The national capital Ulan Bator, home to nearly half of the country's child population, suffers serious air pollution in winter.

Children living in a highly polluted district of central Ulan Bator are found to have 40 percent lower lung function than those from rural areas, according to UNICEF.

Children's wards in hospitals in the world's coldest capital city are always over-crowded during winter