16.1st of the law on regulations to amend the Constitution of Mongolia reads, “The Speaker of Parliament shall personally carry and introduce the Constitutional amendment to the President within two working days since its approval.”

Accordingly, yesterday the Parliament Speaker G.Zandanshatar introduced the Constitutional amendment. The Speaker said, “I am presenting to You, Head of State of Mongolia, the Constitutional amendment adopted by the Parliament with 100 percent votes of 64 MPs who were present at the plenary meeting dated November 14.”

“28.5 percent of the Constitution or 36 provisions of 19 articles out of its 70 articles have been amended. Within the fundamental principles to ensure balance and control of governance, improve government stability and parliament’s responsibility and strengthen local autonomy, the changes corrected six out of seven amendments made to the Constitution in 2000 and reflected the principle that natural resources shall be under the power of the people and the most of the benefits shall be given to the people,” said the Speaker.

Following the introduction, Speaker G.Zandanshatar requested President Kh.Battulga to endorse the original copy of the amendment made to the Constitution of Mongolia.

The Sustainable Artisanal Mining project is one of the many coherent agricultural, food security, primary education-vocational training, and governance improvement projects that the Government of Switzerland is implementing in Mongolia through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It has been carried out from 2005 to 2019 in four phases, laying the foundation for organizing artisanal and small-scale miners into cooperatives and providing them with guaranteed jobs.

Compared to 2013, the number of artisanal and small-scale miners has doubled this year with around 10,000 miners working in 1181 cooperatives. The average annual income of those miners also grew by 55 percent in 2015 and by 16 percent in 2016, resulting in a drastic decrease in the number of accidents caused by illegal mining. In addition, numerous positive changes have been made. For instance, miners with their own funds rehabilitated a total of 526 ha of land, a 20 fold increase compared to 2013, and mercury free ore concentration technology was introduced in Gobi-Altai, Bayankhongor, Selenge, Tuv, Umnugobi, and other aimags.

“Artisanal and small-scale mining concerns not only the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry, but many social sectors. Thus, every sector has to develop further the good practices introduced into the field. Thanks to the project, mercury-free gold processing technology was introduced, artisanal and small-scale miners were organized into cooperatives, and small-scale rehabilitation has become possible. It also appears that the miners’ competitiveness is increasing as they started investing in other areas while making contributions to the local development and economy,” said project coordinator N.Erdenesaikhan.

Governor of Bayankhongor aimag G.Bayanjargal stressed the necessity of paying considerable attention to developing artisanal mining properly and that land issues should come first of all.

Head of the Shijir cooperative of Selenge aimag D.Tuya said, “Our cooperative has 15 members. Our transition to a cooperative with the purpose of ensuring occupational safety and improving our livelihoods is giving its benefits. In 2014, we conducted both technical and biological rehabilitation in one ha of land. Besides artisanal mining, we are running Euro fencing production business, diversifying our income source.”

"A 20-member delegation of Mongolia attended the United Nations' International Conference on Population and Development in the Kenyan capital Nairobi last week. One of the representatives has tested positive for cholera," the ministry said in a warning statement, urging citizens not to go to cholera-affected countries.

The person infected with cholera is admitted in a hospital in Kenya, said the ministry.

Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated, according to the World Health Organization.

It takes between 12 hours and 5 days for both children and adults to show symptoms after consuming contaminated food or water.

The major Asian market indexes were mixed in early trading Tuesday after CNBC reported that the mood in Beijing was pessimistic. The news organization, citing an anonymous government source, reported that President Donald Trump's reluctance to roll back tariffs was dampening China's outlook on trade talks.
Japan's Nikkei 225 (N225) declined 0.3%, while South Korea's Kospi Index (KOSPI) fell 0.5%. China's Shanghai Composite (SHCOMP) slumped 0.2%, but recovered those losses and was last trading up 0.4%.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HSI) started in the red, but was last trading up about 1%. Hong Kong stocks have been trying to claw back some losses after last week, when the index recorded its worst stretch since early August amid worsening protests in the city.

"With no significant data releases in Asia today, attention in the region will remain focused on trade concerns and Hong Kong," said Jeffrey Halley, a market analyst with the research firm Oanda, in a note. "Neither is likely to inspire the confidence of market participants."
US stock futures were last trading slightly positive during Asian trading hours after recording small losses earlier.
A breakthrough in the US-China trade deal has remained just out of reach for quite some time. Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have been expected to sign a partial trade deal for about a month, but those negotiations hit another snag last week.
The US government on Monday did extend a temporary general license allowing American companies to sell to Huawei, the embattled Chinese tech company that has become a symbol of tensions between the two countries. It's the third 90-day extension of the license, which is now set to expire in February.

Dorj Odbayar, 52, is accused of sexually harassing a female flight attendant while on a Korean Air flight from Ulaanbaatar bound for Incheon Airport on 31 October. Later, he returned to Mongolia on 14 November after paying KRW 7 million to a South Korean court.

According to the spokesman, the ceremony will be held on November 26, Mongolia’s Independence Day.

"As of now, Mongolia has no military aviation but for helicopters. Now it will have two MiG-29 jets," he said, adding that the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces had already confirmed the date of the official handover ceremony.

The objective of the agreement is to generate economic opportunities for the Ekuanitshit community and to support the development of Rio Tinto’s mine in the Minganie region of Quebec’s North Shore.

Located 43 km northeast of the town of Havre-Saint-Pierre, Rio Tinto’s Lac Tio open-pit mine extracts titanium dioxide from the world’s largest solid ilmenite deposit. The mine has been operating since 1948.

The Lac Tio mine, which employs approximately 250 people on Québec’s North Shore.
Currently the mine employs around 250 people and spent over C$8 million with local suppliers in 2018, making a significant contribution to the North Coast’s economy.

Under the agreement, Rio Tinto will support initiatives in four main areas: education and jobs, economic development, the environment and Innu culture.

“This agreement provides a framework for collaboration and the foundation for a long-term partnership between Rio Tinto and the Ekuanitshit community,” Rio Tinto Fer et Titane managing director Guy GaudreaulIt stated in a media release.

He believes the Uauitshitun partnership will bring “significant benefits for the people of Minganie” and support the future of the Lac Tio mine, which plays an important role in the region’s economy.

“We are committed to working together to pursue our development in a responsible and sustainable manner,” GaudreaulIt added.

Rio Tinto and the Ekuanitshit community have been engaged in a formal process of reconciliation and dialogue for nearly 10 years. The Uauitshitun partnership was first discussed and approved by the Council of the Innu of Ekuanitshit before being presented to an assembly of community members, where it was adopted by consensus.

“The signing of the Uauitshitun agreement is a historic moment for the Ekuanitshit community. This agreement is based on the principles of mutual support and respect, while being resolutely forward-looking. In partnership with Rio Tinto, we will leverage our businesses and our skills to ensure the prosperity of our community and future generations,” said Jean-Charles Piétacho, Chief of the Council of the Innu of Ekuanitshit.

New Delhi is seeking to reduce the upfront payments of around ten percent of the estimated value of blocks that have been awarded, said Vinod Kumar Tiwari, additional secretary at India's Ministry of Coal.“We are thinking of lowering that,” Tiwari said, without specifying by how much.

According to another coal ministry official, a final roadmap will only be ready after a meeting of top government officials.

The coal ministry said last month that the government is considering making investing in coal more attractive to bidders by carving out bigger blocks.

“The big mining companies might not be interested as you don't have much flexibility selling this coal outside India,” said an unnamed executive at a large Indian miner.

“It will all depend on the tenders. If they make it too rigid and too tight, without giving any margins, then foreign parties won't come,” he explained.

In August, the government allowed 100 percent foreign investment in coal mining and contract manufacturing.

In Mongolia, matters related to trade are regulated by over 100 articles of 57 laws, with foreign trade managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and domestic trade managed by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry.

Head of the Policy and Planning Department of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry M.Enkh-Amar said, “The trade sector is the main way to support business and industry. However, the appropriate legal environment is yet to be developed in our country. The Ministry is currently developing a bill that will regulate foreign and domestic trade under a comprehensive system, creating a legal framework that includes all stakeholders, and working on having the bill approved by the current Government and Parliament.”

Mongolia is able to conduct foreign trade and services with the 164 member countries of the World Trade Organization. With the Free Trade Agreement established with Japan in 2016, works are being done on lowering the customs duties for about 9,000 types of products step-by-step, gradually reaching zero. Furthermore, in the framework of the Generalized Scheme of Preferences programme of the European Union, about 7,000 types of products can be entered the market free of customs duties.