1 ZANDANSHATAR GOMBOJAV APPOINTED AS PRIME MINISTER OF MONGOLIA WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/06/13      2 WHAT MONGOLIA’S NEW PRIME MINISTER MEANS FOR ITS DEMOCRACY WWW.TIME.COM PUBLISHED:2025/06/13      3 ULAANBAATAR DIALOGUE SHOWS MONGOLIA’S FOREIGN POLICY CONTINUITY AMID POLITICAL UNREST WWW.THEDIPLOMAT.COM PUBLISHED:2025/06/13      4 THE UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF) IN MONGOLIA, THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR SUPPORTING THE BILLION TREES MOVEMENT, AND CREDITECH STM NBFI LLC HAVE JOINTLY LAUNCHED THE “ONE CHILD – ONE TREE” INITIATIVE WWW.BILLIONTREE.MN PUBLISHED:2025/06/13      5 NEW MONGOLIAN PM TAKES OFFICE AFTER CORRUPTION PROTESTS WWW.AFP.MN PUBLISHED:2025/06/13      6 GOLD, MINED BY ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINERS OF MONGOLIA TO BE SUPPLIED TO INTERNATIONAL JEWELRY COMPANIES WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/06/13      7 AUSTRIA PUBLISHES SYNTHESIZED TEXTS OF TAX TREATIES WITH ICELAND, KAZAKHSTAN AND MONGOLIA AS IMPACTED BY BEPS MLI WWW.ORBITAX.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/06/13      8 THE UNITED STATES AND MONGOLIA OPEN THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN ULAANBAATAR WWW.MN.USEMBASSY.GOV  PUBLISHED:2025/06/12      9 MONGOLIA'S 'DRAGON PRINCE' DINOSAUR WAS FORERUNNER OF T. REX WWW.REUTERS.COM PUBLISHED:2025/06/12      10 MONGOLIA’S PIVOT TO CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS: STRATEGIC REALIGNMENTS AND REGIONAL IMPLICATIONS WWW.CACIANALYST.ORG  PUBLISHED:2025/06/12      БӨӨРӨЛЖҮҮТИЙН ЦАХИЛГААН СТАНЦЫН II БЛОКИЙГ 12 ДУГААР САРД АШИГЛАЛТАД ОРУУЛНА WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/15     ОРОН СУУЦНЫ ҮНЭ 14.3 ХУВИАР ӨСЖЭЭ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/15     МОНГОЛ УЛСЫН 34 ДЭХ ЕРӨНХИЙ САЙДААР Г.ЗАНДАНШАТАРЫГ ТОМИЛЛОО WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/13     SXCOAL: МОНГОЛЫН НҮҮРСНИЙ ЭКСПОРТ ЗАХ ЗЭЭЛИЙН ХҮНДРЭЛИЙН СҮҮДЭРТ ХУМИГДАЖ БАЙНА WWW.ITOIM.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/13     МОНГОЛ БАНК: ТЭТГЭВРИЙН ЗЭЭЛД ТАВИХ ӨР ОРЛОГЫН ХАРЬЦААГ 50:50 БОЛГОЛОО WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/13     МОНГОЛ ДАХЬ НҮБ-ЫН ХҮҮХДИЙН САН, ТЭРБУМ МОД ҮНДЭСНИЙ ХӨДӨЛГӨӨНИЙГ ДЭМЖИХ САН, КРЕДИТЕХ СТМ ББСБ ХХК “ХҮҮХЭД БҮРД – НЭГ МОД” САНААЧИЛГЫГ ХАМТРАН ХЭРЭГЖҮҮЛНЭ WWW.BILLIONTREE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/13     ЕРӨНХИЙЛӨГЧИЙН ТАМГЫН ГАЗРЫН ДАРГААР А.ҮЙЛСТӨГӨЛДӨР АЖИЛЛАНА WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/13     34 ДЭХ ЕРӨНХИЙ САЙД Г.ЗАНДАНШАТАР ХЭРХЭН АЖИЛЛАНА ГЭЖ АМЛАВ? WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/13     “АНГЛИ ХЭЛНИЙ МЭРГЭШЛИЙН ТӨВ”-ИЙГ МУИС-Д НЭЭЛЭЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/13     Г.ЗАНДАНШАТАР БАЯЛГИЙН САНГИЙН БОДЛОГЫГ ҮРГЭЛЖЛҮҮЛНЭ ГЭЖ АМЛАЛАА WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/12    

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MBCC “Doing Business with Mongolia seminar and Christmas Receptiom” Dec 10. 2024 London UK MBCCI London UK Goodman LLC

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Foreign Minister visiting Russia www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia N.Enkhtaivan is paying an official visit to the Russian Federation between September 20 and 22. The Mongolian delegation led by Minister Enkhtaivan arrived at the Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow on September 20.
During his first foreign trip since being appointed, the Foreign Minister is to hold talks with his Russian counterpart on a wide range of issues concerning bilateral relations and cooperation, and meet with officials from the Russian legislative body, government ministries and Eurasian Economic Commission.
Mongolian and Russian Foreign Ministers, N.Enkhtaivan and Sergey Lavrov, will also exchange a letter of ratification of the Treaty on Friendly Relations and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Mongolia and the Russian Federation, signed in 2019.
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Airbus unveils concepts for hydrogen-powered plane www.reuters.com

PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus has unveiled three visual concepts for “zero emission” airplanes to be powered by hydrogen.
It is the planemaker’s latest effort to draw public attention to its “zero-emission” ambitions as European governments push for cleaner technology in their post-COVID recovery plans.
Airbus AIR.PA has set itself a deadline of 2035 to put a carbon-free commercial aircraft into service, a target engine makers like Safran SAF.PA have described as ambitious.
The “ZEROe” initiative includes concepts for two conventional-looking aircraft: a turbofan jet engine able to carry 120-200 people over 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) and a turboprop able to carry up to 100 people for 1,000 nm.
Unlike normal planes, the engines would be adapted to burn liquid hydrogen stored in the rear fuselage.
A third proposal incorporates a revolutionary “blended wing body” design similar to one presented in February.
At the same time, Airbus is working on a demonstrator, with initial results expected in 2021.
“The demonstrator will allow us to assess what the most promising architecture is,” Airbus Chief Technology Officer Grazia Vittadini said in an interview.
“We see it as applicable to all Airbus products eventually.”
To meet its 2035 goal, Airbus would need to select technologies by 2025, she said. Other industry executives said such a clean break in propulsion could take until 2040.
Challenges include finding ways to safely store volatile liquid hydrogen during flight at very cold temperatures.
Airbus dismissed concerns that hydrogen would be unsafe and has called for massive investment in new energy infrastructure.
While hydrogen has been discussed since the 1970s, it remains too expensive for widespread use. Proponents say infrastructure investment and rising demand will lower the cost.
Most hydrogen used today is extracted from natural gas, which creates carbon emissions.
However, Airbus said the hydrogen used for aviation would be produced from renewable energy and extracted from water with electrolysis. That’s a carbon-free process if powered by renewable electricity, but it is currently more expensive.
Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Sam Holmes
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Fitch Assigns Mongolia's Proposed USD Bond a 'B' Rating www.fitchratings.com

Fitch Ratings - Hong Kong - 21 Sep 2020: Fitch Ratings has assigned Mongolia's (B/Stable) proposed US dollar bonds a 'B' rating.
Proceeds from the proposed bonds will be used to refinance bonds maturing in 2021 and 2022 through a cash tender offer.
KEY RATING DRIVERS
The rating is in line with Mongolia's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of 'B' with a Stable Outlook.
Fitch affirmed Mongolia's Long-Term Foreign- and Local-Currency IDRs on 28 May 2020.
RATING SENSITIVITIES
The rating on the proposed bond is sensitive to any changes in Mongolia's Long-Term Foreign-Currency IDR.
The following were the rating sensitivities for the sovereign rating published in the rating action commentary in May 2020.
Factors that could, individually or collectively, lead to positive rating action/upgrade:
- The accumulation of larger foreign-currency reserve buffers and the implementation of a debt-management strategy that lowers refinancing risks and maintains external debt sustainability.
- A reduction of fiscal deficits that puts gross general government debt (GGGD)/GDP back on a downward trajectory after the increase in 2020 related to the coronavirus shock.
- A resumption of stronger economic growth and export trends without the emergence of imbalances, and the maintenance of a favourable business environment conducive to robust FDI inflows.
Factors that could, individually or collectively, lead to negative rating action/downgrade:
- Evidence of heightened external financing stress, for example if official multilateral and/or bilateral inflows are not forthcoming or in the event of a marked decline in foreign reserves.
- Failure to reduce the budget deficit and stabilise the GGGD/GDP ratio after the increase in 2020 related to the coronavirus shock.
- Political instability sufficient to significantly disrupt strategic mining projects or FDI inflows.
BEST/WORST CASE RATING SCENARIO
International scale credit ratings of Sovereigns, Public Finance and Infrastructure issuers have a best-case rating upgrade scenario (defined as the 99th percentile of rating transitions, measured in a positive direction) of three notches over a three-year rating horizon; and a worst-case rating downgrade scenario (defined as the 99th percentile of rating transitions, measured in a negative direction) of three notches over three years. The complete span of best- and worst-case scenario credit ratings for all rating categories ranges from 'AAA' to 'D'. Best- and worst-case scenario credit ratings are based on historical performance. For more information about the methodology used to determine sector-specific best- and worst-case scenario credit ratings, visit [https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/10111579].
DATE OF RELEVANT COMMITTEE
27 May 2020
REFERENCES FOR SUBSTANTIALLY MATERIAL SOURCE CITED AS KEY DRIVER OF RATING
The principal sources of information used in the analysis are described in the Applicable Criteria.
ESG CONSIDERATIONS
The ESG profile is in line with that of Mongolia.
For more information on our ESG Relevance Scores, visit www.fitchratings.com/esg.
 
 
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Aspire Mining Well Positioned to Tap Commercial Potential from Trilateral Corridor through Mongolia www.kalkinemedia.com

Australian-listed Junior resource company, Aspire Mining Limited (ASX: AKM) by virtue of its robust project portfolio in mineral-rich Mongolia appears to be at a vantage point. Mongolia, a landlocked country sharing its borders with China and Russia, is celebrated for its abundant coal reserves. At the same time, it also hosts other minerals such as copper, gold, iron ore, lead, and molybdenum.
In a significant strategic development, Mongolia in 2014 signed several tripartite infrastructure agreements with Russia and China, encapsulating the upliftment of its rail infrastructure and upgrading border crossing. The three countries signed a further memorandum in mid-2015 for building a trilateral Economic Corridor through Mongolia.
Mongolia’s proximity to China, which is the largest coal importer, and the country’s extensive resource base has poised Mongolian economy for substantial growth in the coming years. It particularly favours Aspire Mining’s Ovoot Coking Coal Project (OCCP) to leverage off the budding opportunities in the metallurgical coal market.
With this backdrop, let us explore the economic significance of trilateral Economic Corridor and how Aspire Mining’s project pipeline and strategic endeavours are garnered towards harnessing the lucrative opportunities.
Commercial Relevance of Trilateral Economic Corridor
In addition to the Memorandum compiling a guideline for building a trilateral Economic Corridor through Mongolia, the Governments of Russia, China, and Mongolia also signed framework agreements. The agreements cover the facilitation of international trade along the Economic Corridors. They also encapsulate cooperation for ports of entry between the three countries.
The Trilateral Economic Corridor is expected to expand the levels of Mongolian commerce with China and Russia. Furthermore, it would also boost land-based trade between Central Asia and Europe, supplementing Mongolia the opportunity to expand its trade partners.
Significantly, world-renowned China’s New Silk Road along with Russian rail planning and Mongolian Rail Policy is integrated with the Economic Corridor.
Mongolian economy is anticipated to benefit significantly from the new rail infrastructure, which would open the nation’s access to global export markets. It would not only unlock its natural resources but would also accelerate the development of other industries such as agriculture, raw materials, manufacturing, tourism, etc.
Ovoot Project Advancing Well
Aligning with the infrastructure-oriented direction of the Economic Corridor, Ovoot Early Development Plan (OEDP) consists of the Special Purpose road development plan. The 560-kilometre special road is garnered towards trucking washed coking coal up to 4 million tonnes per annum. It would also divert truck traffic from an existing sealed road, aiding the local communities to use the road conveniently without the traffic hassles.
Khuvsgul airmag Government studied Mogoin Gol (Ovoot) to Erdenet road alignment during March 2020 Quarter and had incorporated it in airmag’s 2030 Road Development Plan.
Off late, Aspire Mining was committed to the evaluation of a phased development plan scenario. It was aimed towards the reduction of upfront capital costs and logistics chain risks for getting into commercial production at the earliest opportunity once access to the OCCP is granted.
Meanwhile, Aspire Mining continues to productively engage local communities and Tsetserleg soum Government, where the project is located eyeing to gain the necessary approvals to advance the OEDP Definitive Feasibility Study.
Strategic Focus of Nuurstei Coking Coal Project
Aspire Mining holds 90% interests in the Nuurstei Coking Coal Project located in Northern Mongolia, approximately 160 km east of the Ovoot project. The project is stationed around 10 km from Khuvsgul provincial capital of Moron, which via the sealed road has been connected to the nearest rail head at Erdenet.
Aspire Mining is currently evaluating the project as a near-term mine development, oriented towards producing a washed hard coking.
Significantly, the Company holds mining licence covering the Nuurstei resource area, where the previous drilling identified modest JORC Coal Resources of 4.7 Mt of indicated and 8.1 Mt of inferred.
Aspire Mining’s project pipeline including Ovoot and Nuurstei Coking coal project, having access to sealed road holds a significant infrastructural advantage. Alongside, Northern Railways LLC held 80% by Aspire Mining is focussed towards Erdenet to Ovoot Railway Project. While the Company is engaged in uplifting the transportation facilities around its project, Trilateral Economic Corridor would further streamline the conveyance of the project’s coal resource in the global market.
Notably, as on 21 September 2020, AKM stock closed the day’s trade flat at $0.079. The stock has generated a price return of 27.42% in the past six months.
[All currency is in AUD unless stated otherwise]
 
 
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Europe is ‘far behind’ the rest of the world on 5G deployment, top industry players warn www.rt.com

A group of over 50 of the largest European tech and industrial firms have criticized EU members for lagging behind other countries in the rollout of 5G networks, calling for urgent measures before it is too late to close the gap.
The latest analysis by the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), released on Friday, shows that the 27-nation bloc’s progress on the development of the next-generation networks is too slow, compared to other parts of the world, especially South Korea, Switzerland and China.
“Concern is growing that Europe is far behind other world regions, in spite of being home to two globally leading mobile infrastructure companies,” the report read.
The ERT outlined setbacks in both commercialization and infrastructure deployment. According to its data, more than half of the EU member states have not yet launched 5G commercial services, while the EU countries as a whole have fewer than ten 5G base stations per million citizens. The report added there were “equally poor” rates of upgrading 4G infrastructure to 5G.
To put this in perspective, South Korea had around 1,500 5G towers per million last year. China previously announced plans to install an additional 600,000 5G base stations by the end of the year.
“It is not too late to close the gap with the United States, South Korea and China,” the group of business leaders noted. However, Brussels needs to act fast, they added.
The group's statement on the poor state of Europe’s 5G sector came the same day the European Commission met to discuss how to boost the rollout of the super-fast networks. The officials had to admit that the 5G development is not going as planned, and the deployment is being delayed due to coronavirus lockdowns.
“We must therefore work together towards fast network rollout without any further delays,” said Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age.
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Capitalism isn't working anymore. Here's how the pandemic could change it forever www.cnn.com

New York (CNN Business)Capitalism is in crisis. The pandemic could change it forever, in favor of workers and those in greatest need.
Covid has put a magnifying glass over the many inequalities of the US economy and society. Millions of Americans are still out of work. Women and minority workers have been hit particularly hard. Many people can't afford child care or the technology their children need for distance learning at school.
The playing field wasn't level before, and the virus has shone a new light on the shortcomings of today's economic and social systems, said Paul Collier, economics and public policy professor at Oxford. The World Economic Forum has already called for a "great reset" of capitalism.
It's emblematic of today's capitalist society that groups of people get left behind, and it's the job of policy makers to try to fix that.
This isn't the first time capitalism is in crisis. In the 1950s — America's so-called golden age — there were concerns about automation eliminating jobs and people falling through the cracks of the government's safety net (sound familiar?). And in 2008, corporate greed came under the microscope following the financial crisis.
In modern history, only the Great Depression was more economically devastating than Covid-19. The aftermath of the Great Depression — relief, recovery, and most of all, reform — may once again be necessary to create a better economy for the future, said Larry Glickman, professor of American studies at Cornell.
It will be hard to sweep all of America's economic issues under the rug again when the pandemic is over.
"We are pregnant with change," said MIT economics professor Daron Acemoglu.
Here are three ways the pandemic might change capitalism forever:
A new social safety net
The pandemic exposed the cracks in America's social safety net. Enter the welfare state 2.0, which could be more attuned to workers' needs, experts said.
"We're in a moment where the pendulum is [swinging] towards a more favorable view of what government can do," Glickman said.
Better-designed unemployment benefits, programs to help people back into the workforce and more affordable housing could help ease the burden of this crisis for the weakest members of the economy.
Millions have lost their jobs in the pandemic, but regular unemployment benefits are often not enough to make ends meet, while rents eat up a large chunk of incomes across the country. As the pandemic drags on, hunger is an increasing problem, too.
On top of that, workers in mostly lower-paid jobs have found themselves at risk for contracting the virus at their workplace, including casinos, meat processing plants and shipping warehouses.
Paying to replace these workers' wages won't come cheap, and will likely mean that taxes will have to rise while still staying low enough not to stifle business, economists agree. It's a tightrope.
Globalization and automation challenge the manufacturing sector
Globalization goes hand in hand with capitalism. It has changed the way money and people move around the world.
A big challenge for policy makers is to deal with how that has affected workers.
In today's capitalism, money is, for the most part, considered more important than workers: If moving jobs elsewhere, or using robots saves dollars, it's done.
For workers on the wrong side of these trends, things haven't improved, and this has exacerbated inequality, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said earlier this year. The pandemic has provided a real-life example that robots don't get sick, but human workers do.
Welfare isn't only about benefits. It also extends to education and health care. In a world where machines increasingly take over people's jobs, educating the next generation so their skills match what's needed is important.
More debt than ever before
Capitalism isn't only about how a country treats its people and workers, it's also about how it treats its money.
Covid has brought on government spending like never before and deficits are burgeoning around the world. The Congressional Budget Office predicts the US federal budget deficit will be $3.3 trillion at the end of the year — more than triple of what it was in 2019.
Debt might be one of the most prominent characteristics of today's capitalism, said Christine Desan, professor of law at Harvard.
In the post-pandemic world, policy makers will either have to accept living with enormous debt burdens or address a complete overall of the system in place.
 
 
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Mongolian Sustainable Cashmere Platform to be launched on November 20 www.montsame.mn

The Mongolian Sustainable Cashmere Platform, established early in 2020 at UNDP Mongolia, is aimed at facilitating several key activities with close collaboration of core stakeholders including:
To build consensus on the definition of Sustainable Cashmere;
Sustainable recovery of the cashmere sector after Covid-19 applying a Systems thinking approach;
Building a strong community of dedicated and committed stakeholders, nationally and globally.
The Steering Committee of the Mongolian Sustainable Cashmere Platform met and agreed today, September 18, on the date of the Plenary Meeting as 20 November 2020. The Plenary Meeting is a consensus building multi-stakeholder forum with the aim to kick start and accelerate collective action in the Mongolian cashmere sector to make it sustainable and competitive.
Elaine Conkievich, UNDP Resident Representative delivered the opening remark highlighting the importance of sustainability for Mongolia’s cashmere sector stating “Cashmere is essential for the livelihoods of herders and for Mongolia’s economy as well as an important aspect of Mongolia’s nomadic tradition and culture. The establishment of this Platform therefore we believe is an essential factor in making cashmere sustainable for the benefit of the Mongolian people and Mongolia’s future.”
As transparency and traceability in supply chains improve, global buyers are demanding demonstration of sustainability in all forms including environmental, social and economic. Therefore, among expected outcomes of the first Plenary Meeting on 20 November will be the consensus on Sustainable Cashmere definition, consensus on shared vision and signing Letter of Intent by stakeholders on collective action.
MSCP is enabling diverse stakeholders – including herders, traders, international buyers, government and civil society to discuss key issues surrounding sustainable cashmere supply chain in a systemic way.
Background
Desertification and land degradation threaten 77 percent of Mongolia’s land, largely caused by overgrazing by livestock. Rising temperatures make matters worse, with a 2°C increase over the past 70 years. Quota restrictions limited herd growth until they were lifted in 1990, when the goat population soared from 5.1 million to today’s 27 million. They are looked after by 233 thousand nomadic herder households or, some 25% of the country's population.
UNDP helps developing economies around the world accelerate their progress on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. A key part of this is supporting the systemic transformation of agricultural commodity sectors, which are an essential economic driver for the country. UNDP is working with governments to transform this, supporting smallholder farmers within commodity supply chains in a systemic fashion, changing the dynamic by bringing stakeholders to work together to create meaningful change.
About UNDP
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.
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Mongolian businessman nominated CEO of Rio Tinto Group www.news.mn

The Rio Tinto Group is hunting for a new leader to restore relations with the communities where it mines after Jean-Sebastien Jacques was forced out over the destruction of ancient heritage sites of national importance.
Rio announced on Friday that Jacques and two other senior executives will leave after investors and local Mongolian groups demanded stronger action and accountability over the explosions that tore through the 46,000-year-old landmarks in May. The company had previously planned to only levy financial penalties on the executives but that proved insufficient at a time when investors and activists are wielding increasing clout.
Mongolian businessman B.Bold is seen as one of the leading internal candidates for the top job. The Mongolian is a former investment banker, having worked for JPMorgan Chase & Co. before joining Rio in 2016. He runs the company’s energy and minerals business and also overseas its deal making Ventures Unit. Mr B.Bold is viewed as a strategic thinker whose responsibilities include mapping out which commodities will be crucial to the company’s future

 
 
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WeChat: Judge blocks US attempts to ban downloads of Chinese app www.bbc.com

A judge has blocked a US government attempt to ban the Chinese messaging and payments app, WeChat.
US Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler said the ban raised serious questions related to the constitution's first amendment, guaranteeing free speech.
The Department of Commerce had announced a bar on WeChat appearing in US app stores from Sunday, effectively shutting it down.
The Trump administration has alleged it threatens national security.
It says the app could pass user data to the Chinese government.
Both WeChat and China have strongly denied the claim. Tencent, the conglomerate that owns WeChat, had previously described the US ban as "unfortunate".
The ruling comes just after TikTok, which was also named in the Department of Commerce order, reached a deal with US firms Oracle and Walmart to hopefully allow them to keep operating.
What happened in court?
The case came to court after a group of US WeChat users challenged President Donald Trump's executive order that sought to shut WeChat down in the country.
The US Justice Department argued that blocking the executive order would "frustrate and displace the president's determination of how best to address threats to national security".
However Judge Beeler, sitting in San Francisco, noted that "while the general evidence about the threat to national security related to China (regarding technology and mobile technology) is considerable, the specific evidence about WeChat is modest".
Why does the US want the apps banned?
In a statement, the US Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the decision to block the app was taken "to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data".
The department said WeChat collected "vast swathes of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories".
Friday's statement from the commerce department said the governing Chinese Communist Party "has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the US".
Tencent, which owns WeChat, has said that messages on its app are private.
More than just an app
WeChat is used by nearly 20 million people in the US - and pretty much exclusively by the Chinese and South East Asian diaspora.
It is hard to describe how important it is in people's lives. It is not just an app, for many people WeChat IS their mobile phone. It is like Amazon, Facebook, WhatsApp, Tinder and much more, rolled into one.
One Malaysian expat told me she would "cry" if the app was blocked. She told me her family had spent time showing her elderly mother how to use WeChat - and worried she would be unable to communicate with her if the ban came into force.
Interestingly though, we have not heard much from WeChat's owners - Tencent. Why? Well, Tencent is one of the biggest games companies in the world - and has a huge market in America. If President Trump were to go further and target that section of the business it would really sting.
What is WeChat?
WeChat was set up in 2011. It is a multi-purpose app allowing users to send messages, make mobile payments and use local services. It has been described as an "app for everything" in China and has more than one billion monthly users.
Like all Chinese social media platforms, WeChat must censor content the government deems illegal. In March, a report said WeChat was censoring key words about the coronavirus outbreak from as early as 1 January.
But WeChat insists encryption means others cannot "snoop" on your messages, and that content such as text, audio and images are not stored on its servers - and are deleted once all intended recipients have read them.
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World's top companies urge action on nature loss ahead of U.N. talks www.reuters.com

LONDON (Reuters) - Some of the world’s biggest companies on Monday backed growing calls for governments to do more to reverse the accelerating destruction of the natural world and support broader efforts to fight climate change.
More than 560 companies with combined revenues of $4 trillion including Walmart WMT.N, Citigroup C.N and Microsoft MSFT.O signed up to a statement calling for action over the next decade.
The call comes as the United Nations prepares to host a biodiversity summit later this month, aiming to build momentum towards forging a new global pact to ward off threats to nature exemplified by recent fires in the Amazon and California.
While many of the companies said they were already taking steps to make their operations greener, governments needed to provide the policies that would allow them to do more.
“Healthy societies, resilient economies and thriving businesses rely on nature. Governments must adopt policies now to reverse nature loss in this decade,” the companies said in a statement.
"Together let's protect, restore and sustainably use our natural resources," they added. Others to sign included IKEA [IKEA.UL], Unilever ULVR.L and AXA AXAF.PA.
Business for Nature, the coalition which organised the statement, said it was the first time so many companies had issued a joint call emphasising the crucial role healthy ecosystems play in human well-being.
“Many businesses are making commitments and taking action. But for us all to live well within the planet’s finite limits, we need to scale and speed up efforts now, not tomorrow,” said Eva Zabey, executive director, Business for Nature.
Last year the IPBES international panel of scientists said a million species were at risk of extinction.
About two-thirds of the world’s animals - mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles - have vanished over the last 50 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Reporting by Simon Jessop; Editing by David Holmes
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