Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged Mongolia’s parliamentary candidates and political parties to strengthen transparency and independence of the newsroom from the boardroom; protect journalists and sources against judicial, physical and online harassment; scale-up public media resources and strengthen guarantees of independence; establish an independent process against disinformation; and to make media literacy an integral part of the education system.

“When journalists don’t have to risk compromising their sources or fear retributive lawsuits and when editorial departments have the ability to publish stories independent of political or commercial pressure, the media will be able to more easily bring corruption cases to the attention of the public, therefore triggering a strong dissuasive effect,” said Cédric Alviani, RSF East Asia bureau head.

Although Mongolia globally respects the principles of liberty and media pluralism, its regulation still lacks basic legal protections for confidential sources and current defamation laws lead to journalistic self-censorship or harsh fines.

Mongolia ranked 73rd out of 180 in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index.

On June 2, the day when election campaign period officially starts, the GEC is issuing candidate cards to the confirmed candidates, including 485 candidates from 13 political parties and 4 coalitions, and 121 independent candidates.

The confirmed 485 candidates running from political parties and coalitions are as follows:

76 candidates are from Mongolian People’s Party

76 candidates - Democratic Party

15 - Mongolian Green Party

74 - Our Coalition /Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party, Civil Will, Green Party, Mongolian Traditionally United Party/

72- NEW Party, Republican Party, True and Right Party, Mongolian National Democratic Party’s “NEW COALITION (SHINE)”

53 - Right Person Electorate Coalition /National Labor Party, Mongolian Social Democratic Party, Justice Party/

13 - Freedom for People Party

7 - Development Program Party

1 - United Patriots Party

34 – ‘Sahigtun! Constitution 19’ coalition /Mongolian Conservative Party, Mongolia for People’s Party/

1 - Love the People Party

3 - World Mongols Party

30 - Demos Party

24 - People’s Majority Governance Party

1 - The Great Unity Party

4 - Ger District Development Party

1 - Mongolian Capitalist Party

Out of all candidates, 455 or 75.08 percent are male and 151 or 24.92 percent are female.

As of previous parliamentary election held in 2016, a total of 498 people ran, and 14 percent or 69 were independent candidates, and 26 percent or 129 were women.

The Toronto-based company now has three producing mines, including Kumtor the Kyrgyz Republic and Mount Milligan in British Columbia, Canada.

“Commercial production at Öksüt marks a major milestone for the company. Öksüt was delivered on time and under budget,” chief executive Scott Perry said in a media statement.

The Turkish mine, located in the country’s south central Kayseri province, was planned as a conventional truck and shovel open pit heap leach operation, with a stacking rate of 11,000 tonnes per day.

The initial eight-year mine life was expected to process approximately 1.2 million contained ounces of gold from two open pits, the Keltepe pit and the smaller Güneytepe pit.

Attractive portfolio
Centerra, which acquired the asset in 2013, rejected in April an offer by Premier Gold (TSX: PG to acquire a 50% interest in a joint project with Greenstone Gold Mines.

The partnership is developing the Hardrock gold asset in Ontario, Canada. The project is touted as one of the most significant large-scale, near permitted, mine development opportunities in North America.

Company-wide gold production in the first quarter rose to 190,474 ounces from 183,563 ounces in the same period a year ago, Centerra said in its last earnings report.

That included 152,307 ounces at Kumtor, 33,681 ounces at Mount Milligan and 4,486 at Öksüt during the start-up phase.

Copper production at Mount Milligan during the first quarter was 20.1 million pounds.

“Looking back years later, the two defining historic events of 2020 would be the coronavirus pandemic, and the other would be [China’s] digital currency,” a senior researcher with Peking University's Digital Finance Research Centre, Xu Yuan, told earlier the South China Morning Post.

While launching studies on its own digital unit as far back as 2014, Beijing has cracked down on the use of all cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin. Cryptocurrency trading has been halted on some 100 exchanges in the country since 2017, in compliance with regulation on fraud and money laundering. “They see an opportunity of being a global leader here,” Andrew Polk, co-founder and head of economic research at Trivium China (a Beijing-based consultant) was cited by Bloomberg as having said.

Experts say China’s plans have triggered concerns about a new threat to US financial dominance. According to Aditi Kumar and Eric Rosenbach of the Harvard Kennedy School, the digital version of the Chinese renminbi could eventually allow Iran and other countries to more easily evade US sanctions or move money without it being spotted by Washington. They explained in an article for Foreign Affairs that one day it might be possible to transfer the digital currency across borders without going through dollar-based international payment systems.

Former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has argued that the threat to the dollar’s status as the world’s preferred currency is “not a serious concern.” He claimed that even if a digital yuan proves to be highly mobile around the world, the US dollar is widely trusted, and oil and other key commodities are still priced in it.

However, according to the CEO of Sino Global Capital Matthew Graham, digital yuan could encourage other countries and people overseas to get on board with China’s technology and currency.

The digital yuan will be linked to the holder's smartphone number, with transactions taking place through an app. Users will be able to transfer money between accounts by tapping phones, much like having physical cash change hands. The currency will be legal tender, so it could be exchanged without needing a bank as an intermediary.

The world’s second-largest miner destroyed two ancient caves last week in Juukan Gorge, about 1,075 km (667 miles) north of Perth. The rock shelters contained artifacts considered evidence of habitation dating back thousands of years.

Among them, there was 4,000-year-old plaited human hair with genetic links to the present day traditional owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) peoples, ABC News reported.

“They were not only extremely important sites for Aboriginal communities, but also they were extremely important sites for archaeological understanding of the distant past in Australia,” Peter Stone, the UNESCO chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace at Newcastle University in the UK told the news outlet.

Rio was granted approval for work at the Brockman 4 iron ore project in 2013. Subsequent archaeological excavation revealed ancient artifacts at the site, including grinding stones and a bone sharpened into a tool.

Reviewing Juukan Gorge area plans
“We are sorry for the distress we have caused,” Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive, Chris Salisbury, said in a statement on Sunday.

“Our relationship with the PKKP matters a lot to Rio Tinto, having worked together for many years,” Salibury said.

“We will continue to work with the PKKP to learn from what has taken place and strengthen our partnership. As a matter of urgency, we are reviewing the plans of all other sites in the Juukan Gorge area.”

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the country’s first leader to apologize to generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcefully taken from their parents by white Australians last century, said Rio Tinto’s “corporate arrogance had robbed all Australians.”

“Juukan Gorge’s shelters [are] nine-times older than Stonehenge, 23-times older than the Colosseum and 75-times older than Machu Picchu,” he posted on his official Twitter account.

The state government hopes to pass its new Aboriginal cultural heritage bill this year, although the coronavirus pandemic has delayed the consultation process.

Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post says that the property is valued at between HK$3.1 billion and HK$5 billion (US$645 million), citing a tender document. Valuers also told the outlet that souring relations between the US and China, as well as the economic situation, may lower the price for the lot.

"Mainland Chinese used to be the buyers of luxury properties. Will they buy property from the US government now? That is a question in many people's mind," said Charles Chan Chiu-kwok, managing director of Savills Valuation and Professional Services Limited.

The US government has owned the land for 72 years after buying it for an unknown price. Back then, in 1948, Hong Kong was still a British colony.

A State Department representative told media that the sale was part of its global reinvestment program, that includes property reviews. The funds from the real estate deal can be reinvested in other areas.

"As part of that program, the State Department has decided to sell the Shouson Hill property, and at the same time, invest in enhancing other US government-owned assets in Hong Kong, including the US Consulate General's office building," a spokesman for the US consulate in Hong Kong said.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced that he wants to strip the Asian financial center of its trade and travel perks over Beijing's new security law. Hong Kong is already bracing for different scenarios as a result of the move, but Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po says it will have little impact as its services sector dominates the local economy.

- A 10-percent extra pay is added to an usual pay of teachers and teaching assistants who work with children with disabilities at ordinary kindergartens and general education schools.

- MNT 1.5 of subsidies to cover debt and loan payments of “Erkhem Chanar” prosthetic manufacturer will be put in the state budget of 2021 with an aim to ensure smooth operation of the factory. With an annual capacity to make 1.500 artificial body parts and 120,000 assistance canes and other items, the factory also has a rehabilitation center that provides 18 people with jobs, 25 of them are people with disabilities. The government considered the financial assistance is necessary for the factory, providing that its operation halts, at least half of people in need of prosthetic devices would suffer from it.

- The Central Military Hospital under the Ministry of Defense is running a deficit of more than MNT 1.2 billion due to complete suspension in its operation caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the government authorized the Minister of Finance to reimburse the hospital for the deficit from the government’s contingency fund.

- The government decided to provide humanitarian assistance worth USD 1 million to the United States of America to help the country cope with COVID-19 pandemic and the money for the assistance will be allocated from the government's contingency fund. Mongolia also has pledged to give meat aid worth USD 1 million to Russia and donation of 30,000 sheep to China.

- At his meeting with representatives of ‘Dreamers’ association of young entrepreneurs, owners of startup companies and founders of tech-based companies last week, Prime Minister of Mongolia U.Khurelsukh last week pledged to give support for startup companies who are using technological advances and innovation in their operations. In this regard, Minister of Foreign Affairs D.Tsogtbaatar introduced a draft project on assigning tasks related to information technology and innovation to employees of Mongolia’s diplomatic missions in some countries at the cabinet meeting, which backed it.

The European Union Ambassador to Mongolia, Mr Traian Hristea said: “The Mongolian people can count on the EU’s full support. Today’s assistance package demonstrates the EU’s commitment to Mongolian citizens: budget support in the employment sector is an important stimulus to react to the economic and social impact of COVID-19. Citizens have also demanded a more efficient and transparent public finance policy: this is vital for public trust in the government effectively spending taxpayers’ money.”

Today, May 29, the Ambassador to the European Union to Mongolia, Mr Traian Hristea and the Minister of Finance Mr Khurelbaatar signed the Financing Agreement for the EU Budget Support programme of 50.8 million euros (155.7 billion Tugriks). This programme is planning an upfront disbursement of 16 million euros (49.06 billion Tugriks) to support the efforts of the Government of Mongolia in fighting the social and economic consequences of COVID-19.

The programme will support the Government of Mongolia to implement reforms, notably its Employment Policy and its Public Finance Management (PFM) sectors, including tax reforms. It will help to improve skills for employability, to promote decent work and formal employment, to mobilise domestic resources, to increase spending effectiveness and to strengthen state and non-state actors’ ability to oversee PFM.

The disbursements will happen through fixed and variable tranches complemented with dedicated technical assistance. Over the next 4 years, the EU will disburse a grant of 43.0 million euros. As part of this programme, the EU is partnering with the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization to deliver a 7.4 million euro technical assistance project. It will focus on transparency and oversight of the budget as well as employment creation in the non-mining sectors for youth and for persons with disabilities.

It is the first-ever EU Budget Support programme in Mongolia. The Action is a Sector Reform Budget Support on Employment of EUR 50.8 million over four years. It builds upon the achievements of past and ongoing EU projects in the two sectors of the 2014-2020 Multi-annual Indicative Programme (MIP), namely strengthening governance of revenues and improving employment opportunities.

The European Union will work closely with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection to monitor closely the progress on the reform implementations. (EU)