Ratings of the MPP has been falling among its members, not to mention the general public, however, its leader U.Khurelsukh receives much support after surviving parliamentary attempt to sack him earlier this month. PM U.Khurelsukh has promised to clean up the party as well as the Mongolian government. On the other hand, the ratings of Speaker M.Enkhbold has have plummeted drastically since the MPP took power and he now leads the nomination of the country’s 10 worst lawmakers

Minister of Justice Ts.Nyamdorj was named as second in both best and worst lawmakers’ lists. Populist lawmaker and former singer S.Javkhlan was named as third in the best lists. MP D.Oyunkhorol was named as third in the worst list.

Aimed at implementing the revised Law on Public Service, the Cabinet approved the regulations on additional payment to state administrative and service servants; additional for doctoral degree and professor titles; skill-based additional pay to service servants; additional for service servants for rural mission; and additional of employment conditions for health sector’s workers.

Additional pay of 5 percent will be issued to those who have worked in public service for 6-10 years, 10 percent -- 11-15 years, 15 percent --16-20 years, 20 percent --21-25 years, and 25 percent -- for over 26 years.

Moreover, additional pay will be also given to those who worked overtime at the request of employer or during public holidays and weekends.

The regulation on issuing additional pay based on the period of serving in public service will come into effect from January 1, 2020. Other regulations will be effective from January 1, 2019.

While expressing the Government’s interest to commission the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport in July, 2019 on the occasion of the National Naadam Festival, PM U.Khurelsukh claimed that the Government will render support on fulfilling works for which the Government of Mongolia is responsible at high level of quality, resolving necessary investment promptly and establishing concession agreements within schedule.

“In any business participant parties working under joint management should follow win-win approach. Our government has already introduced its decision to operate the new airport under 51:49 management agreement. Therefore, I assign the two parties to establish the agreement within January, 2019, showing mutual trust to each other, “ PM U.Khurelsukh added.

Furthermore, Minister of Finance Ch.Khurelbaatar informed that the funding to be financed from state budget will be allocated without any in 2019 as it has been fully reflected in the Law on 2019 State Budget.

According to the agreement, total sum of the construction works is JPY 49.5 billion and additional works cost JPY 5.9 billion. The contractor undertook duty to hand over a total of 32 works including 23 buildings and 9 facilities and equipment and approval works by the state commission is running at 98.9 percent.

Construction of the highway to the airport is running with 86 percent performance and it is expected to be completed in April, 2019.

When the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport puts into operation, in July 2019 according to the talks held by Prime Ministers of Mongolia and Japan, Mongolia will have world-standard international airport, covering 54.000 square meter of area and having capacity to receive 3 million passengers a year as well as connected with Ulaanbaatar city with 6-lane highway.

The team is consisted of 11 specialists from supreme courts and law enforcement agencies of France, Italy, Russia, Germany, Georgia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Ukraine in addition to specialists from the OECD.

At the first stage of the evaluation, the Independent Authority Against Corruption submitted general report of Mongolia prepared within the questions sent by OECD. While getting familiarized with the situation on the spot, the specialists are having meetings with officials and representatives from public and private companies and civil society organizations, collecting additional information. The evaluation report will be discussed during the plenary meeting of the network to be held in Paris in March 2019.

They are popular in Mongolia, as elsewhere, because hybrid engines are efficient and fuel costs low. The cars themselves are also cheap: according to the ub Post, a local newspaper, you can pick up a used Prius for as little as $2,000. That is partly because most Mongolian ones are second-hand imports from Japan, where passenger vehicles more than three years old must undergo expensive safety tests. Rather than shell out for those, many Japanese drivers buy a new car. (That is the point of the tests, some say: to boost domestic carmakers.) In 2017 Japan exported 30,000 hybrid vehicles to Mongolia.

In addition, the government has exempted hybrids from various taxes, in an attempt to clear the air in Ulaanbaatar. The city is one of the most polluted in the world in winter because of the widespread use of coal for heating and power generation. Hybrid vehicles enter the country duty-free and, unlike most cars, are exempt from an air-pollution tax.

But the clincher is the Prius’s reliability. Ulaanbaatar may be the chilliest capital in the world. On a winter morning drivers must sometimes start their cars in temperatures below -30°C. Cars that run on petrol and diesel tend to sputter and die at such temperatures. The Prius can use its battery to power its electrical engine until the car warms up enough for the petrol engine to run smoothly—saving many a Mongolian from freezing frustration.

Opening the symposium, President Battulga Khaltmaa addressed, “I have been committed towards the regulation of coordination among government agencies designated to ensure national security and met the authorities of these agencies three times in person to give instructions. We are seeing definite results after the designated agencies worked on an integrated plan for joint implementation. This symposium is one of the actions set out in the integrated plan.”

As reports indicate, 40-45 people lose their lives every day in average and 15,000-17,000 people annually die due to road, occupational and other accidents, alcohol and chemical poisoning, suicide, homicide, violence, diseases, and other external causes. This estimation is close to the number of civil war casualties in Syria in the first ten months of 2018. “Our living environment has grown similar to that of a war,” distressed the President.

He added, “This regrettable state is directly linked to the Government’s failure to fulfill its duty to provide a healthy and safe living environment for its citizens. Therefore, I hope that you will have a weighty discussion on how to reduce the number of such untimely deaths, come up with tangible solutions and implement them effectively. There should be no wealth valuable than a Mongolian in this country. I am instructing you to organize such a symposium every year from now on. When you meet again next year, the above-mentioned distressing numbers should be reduced. I expect only good results from you.”

As reports indicate, 40-45 people lose their lives due to accidents every day

According to a spokesperson of the Policy Authority, human fatality rates grew notably in the last three years. Crime-related deaths are mostly caused by unemployment, high stress, substance abuse, direct and indirect influences of digital environment. The police suggested that focusing on alcoholism reduction, safespace for children against domestic abuse and traffic safety is crucial for reducing fatality rates.

Welcoming the public’s initiative to make their voices heard, the UN in Mongolia expressed concern over the high levels of air pollution in Ulaanbaatar and other cities, which put lives at risk and particularly impact children, pregnant women, elderly and people with pre-existing health conditions.

“Mongolia is among a growing number of countries facing this challenge. There are no quick fixes. It will take sustained, longterm public and private sector investments to resolve the causes of air pollution, as well as mitigate its impact on public health. This includes addressing the sources of air pollution and reducing emissions by providing amongst other things greater options for citizens to adopt clean energy, better insulation in homes (including gers) and reducing coal-based power. It also includes reducing exposure by improving indoor air quality, improving air monitoring, providing real-time advice on when to avoid being outside and - when absolutely necessary - to go out in well-fitted, filtering face masks,” wrote the UN.

The UN also expressed support to the Mongolian Government and society with technical advice on reducing exposure, strengthening health services, promoting energy efficiency and clean heating, as well as long term plans for renewable energy.

“While the UN is a source of policy and methodology guidance, action and financing need to be driven by domestic partners, including the government. The business community, civil society and the public at large all have a role to play, in ensuring that the right to a healthy and safe environment for every Mongolian is safeguarded. The fight against air pollution is one of our highest priorities in Mongolia. The UN stands ready to work with all parties-from the government, to business and citizens - on developing further solutions together towards clean, safe air for all,” addressed UN in Mongolia.

According to the Paris-based body, coal consumption will rise by an average of 0.2% a year from 5,355 million tonnes of coal equivalent (Mtce) in 2017 to 5,418 Mtce in 2023. This is because falling demand in western Europe and North America is likely to be offset by increased demand in a host of Asian countries, including China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, the report reads.

“Despite significant media attention being given to divestments and moves away from coal, market trends are proving resistant to change,” states the report.

In a growing number of countries, the agency says, the elimination of coal-fired generation is a key climate policy goal. In others, coal remains the preferred source of electricity and is seen as abundant and affordable.

While coal remains the second-largest global source of primary energy, behind oil, the EIA says cheap, cleaner-burning natural gas and renewable energy sources continue to eat into coal's share of the global energy mix.

By 2023, it expects coal to provide 25% of the world's energy, down from 27% currently.

Miners, however, should brace for another period of slow growth as current high prices for coal are not leading to investments in new mines. The IEA attributes that to local opposition and policies aimed at combating climate change creating uncertainty about future demand.

"Banks, insurance companies, hedge funds, utilities and other operators in advanced economies are exiting the coal business," the agency says. "In many parts of the world, growing opposition to coal projects has provided strong disincentives for investors."

The IEA's forecast comes days after nearly 200 countries agreed to rules for implementing a landmark climate deal aimed at curbing emissions from fossil fuels.