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Tuesday, August 9, 2016

[PCY raises C$570K; MNT hits another low; special SGK to amend 2016 budget; MGL wins first medal; and NEMA issues flood warnings]

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Tuesday, August 9, 2016

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Jump to: Int'l Market - Local Market - Economy - Politics, Legal - Business - Ulaanbaatar - Diplomacy - ASEM - Health, Education - Culture, Society - Nature, Environment - Sports - Art, Entertainment - Travel

Headlines in Italic are ones modified by Cover Mongolia from original

 

Int'l Market

Prophecy Announces C$570,000 Private Placement

Vancouver, British Columbia, August 8 (FSCwire) - Prophecy Development Corp. ("Prophecy" or the "Company") (TSX:PCY, OTC:PRPCD, Frankfurt:1P2N) announces that it is undertaking a non-brokered private placement (the "Placement") involving the issuance of up to 150,000 units (each a "Unit") at a price of $3.80 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one Common share in the capital of the Company (a "Share") and one half of one Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire an additional Share at a price of $4.40 per Share for a period of five years from the date of issuance. 

Company management and directors will subscribe for $228,000, being the equivalent of 60,000 Units of the Placement.

Link to release

 

Jason Peterson Doubles Eumeralla Stake to 13.55% Following Rights Issue

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Local Market

MSE Trading Report: Top 20 -0.28%, ALL -0.34%, Turnover 15.5 Million

August 8 (MSE) --

Link to report

 

Three MSE Stocks File First Half Financial Reports, 39 in Total

company name

Symbol

Description

Publish date

1

Materialimpex

MIE

2016 year 2 Quarterly reports

2016-08-09

2

Ulsyn ikh delguur

UID

2016 year 2 Quarterly reports

2016-08-08

3

Gan khiits

GHC

2016 year 2 Quarterly reports

2016-08-08

Link to download page

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Economy

Reds are rates that set a new record at the time

BoM MNT Rates: Monday, August 8 Close

8/8

8/5

8/4

8/3

8/2

8/1

7/29

7/28

7/27

7/26

7/25

7/22

7/21

7/20

7/19

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USD

2,122.65

2,111.27

2,098.30

2,090.84

2,087.61

2,074.64

2,073.09

2,068.43

2,061.70

2,053.05

2,049.30

2,048.74

2,043.40

2,037.51

2,032.54

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EUR

2,352.32

2,352.17

2,335.30

2,342.16

2,334.78

2,315.92

2,298.64

2,293.58

2,265.91

2,260.00

2,248.08

2,260.78

2,254.79

2,238.61

2,249.01

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JPY

20.77

20.89

20.66

20.67

20.41

20.24

20.04

19.77

19.51

19.68

19.30

19.32

19.06

19.20

19.19

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GBP

2,770.27

2,771.78

2,788.43

2,781.44

2,758.88

2,748.90

2,732.85

2,729.09

2,702.89

2,685.18

2,691.35

2,701.37

2,709.04

2,665.16

2,684.99

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RUB

32.44

32.00

31.55

31.25

31.21

31.51

30.91

31.38

31.27

31.37

31.64

31.76

32.12

32.13

32.26

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CNY

318.63

317.70

316.05

315.36

314.05

312.68

311.69

310.50

309.06

307.46

306.85

307.09

306.27

304.66

303.45

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KRW

1.91

1.90

1.88

1.87

1.88

1.87

1.85

1.84

1.82

1.81

1.80

1.80

1.80

1.78

1.79

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SGD

1,575.02

1,573.64

1,562.51

1,558.24

1,555.36

1,549.16

1,535.57

1,530.98

1,517.18

1,510.76

1,506.67

1,511.43

1,506.54

1,500.32

1,503.69

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CAD

1,610.63

1,620.56

1,603.22

1,591.87

1,592.20

1,589.58

1,574.52

1,574.15

1,560.95

1,554.05

1,558.40

1,560.53

1,566.06

1,562.03

1,565.06

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AUD

1,614.91

1,615.02

1,593.34

1,586.32

1,575.41

1,574.76

1,556.48

1,557.73

1,539.78

1,543.18

1,533.08

1,531.54

1,530.10

1,525.79

1,527.35

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HKD

273.69

272.24

270.52

269.49

269.02

267.39

267.31

266.68

265.79

264.70

264.22

264.16

263.46

262.72

262.10

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CHF

2,164.86

2,168.96

2,155.31

2,162.19

2,157.85

2,138.80

2,118.42

2,099.50

2,075.40

2,082.83

2,073.56

2,080.36

2,070.31

2,063.72

2,067.27

Bank USD rates at time of sending: Khan (Buy ₮2,122 Sell ₮2,139), TDB (Buy ₮2,122 Sell ₮2,139), Golomt (Buy ₮2,123 Sell ₮2,139), XacBank (Buy ₮2,125 Sell ₮2,140), State Bank (Buy ₮2,124 Sell ₮2,139)

MNT vs USD (blue), CNY (red) in last 1 year:

Link to rates

 

BoM issues 204 billion 1-week bills, total outstanding -12.2% to ₮829.9 billion

August 8 (Bank of Mongolia) BoM issues 1 week bills worth MNT 204 billion at a weighted interest rate of 10.5 percent per annum /For previous auctions click here/

Link to release

 

USD exchange rate skyrockets

August 8 (UB Post) The USD exchange rate, which was 1,965 MNT as of the end of June, reached 2,078 MNT on July 28, and 2,145 MNT on August 8, which has concerned many analysts.

As of August 8, the exchange rate was set at 2,138 MNT against USD at Naiman Sharga currency exchange market. Commercial banks and currency exchange centers in Mongolia sold USD for 2,130 to 2,145 MNT.

Observers of the foreign currency swap held on Saturday said the USD exchange rate rose from 2,119 to 2,129 MNT in six hours. Since the exchange rate first exceeded 2,000 MNT, people have started closely observing the foreign currency market, with a focus on the USD exchange rate. Many have complained that the USD is getting close to the EUR, with the exchange rate rising from hour to hour.

The Mongolian public is used to seeing the exchange rate increase ahead of the new academic year, and following an increase in money supply, but many people believe that the record-high exchange rate was influenced by a speech given by Mongol Bank's President N.Bayartsaikhan about Mongolia's foreign currency reserves.

During a parliamentary session, N.Bayartsaikhan reported, "Mongol Bank's foreign currency reserves equal 1.27 billion USD on paper, but in accordance with an agreement with the People's Bank of China, we made CNY-MNT swap exchanges equaling 1.6 billion USD. If we include this in calculations, this means that Mongolia's foreign currency reserves now equal -429 million USD."

Many have said that as dealers at "black markets" believe that Mongolia doesn't have any foreign currency reserves, they are raising the exchange rate as high as they want.

Even though Mongol Bank reported that it will actively participate in foreign currency swaps in order to ease exchange rate fluctuation resulting from an imbalance between short-term supply and demand, no measures to lower the exchange rate have been put in place yet.

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Politics & Legal

Speaker to announce special parliament session to discuss unfinished bills

August 8 (UB Post) According to rumors at the State Palace, the date of the irregular session of Parliament is expected to be announced by August 20. During the irregular session meetings, lawmakers plan to discuss and approve an amendment to the 2016 state budget, framework for an integrated 2017 budget, a draft of 2018-2019 budget projections, and a draft resolution on adopting groundwork to develop the economy and society of Mongolia in 2017. The draft documents must be developed and submitted to Parliament in the near future.

"Children's money", monthly state welfare of 20,000 MNT given to every Mongolian child until they age of 18, is currently being suspended. Parliamentarians say it will resume distribution after amendments to the 2016 state budget are approved. Lawmakers are facing demands to make certain budget arrangements promptly, as the state budget has encountered a 1.2 trillion MNT deficit in  the first half of 2016.

Link to article

 

Panama Papers Helps Break New Reporting Ground in Mongolia

By Lkhagva Erdene

August 8 (The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) I first heard of ICIJ in 2013 with the "Secrecy for Sale" project. News that the Mongolian deputy speaker, Bayartsogt Sangajav, owned $1 million in a Swiss bank account caused a major debate in Mongolia. Sangajav stepped down as speaker (Mogi: deputy speaker) but remained a member of Parliament. At the time the story broke, I was studying journalism at The University of Hong Kong. Before that I had worked with Sangajav at the Mongolian Ministry of Finance. I found the network and collaboration of journalists working together to reveal corruption both fascinating and effective. I also found it a pity that nobody was contributing from inside Mongolia. In 2014, I met some of the reporters from the "Secrecy for Sale" collaboration in Manila at "Uncovering Asia," the first Asian investigative journalism conference.

Mongolian media tend to shy away from investigative reporting, from the difficult-to-prove stories. The truth stands no chance against voices silenced by owners, advertisers and government. Journalism education is weak. With uncompetitive pay and nobody to cheer you on, it is little wonder not many journalists and newsrooms venture into the area of covering important but often controversial topics.  From day one, MongolTV wanted to change that. The station is run by young people; the old way of media and politicians rubbing shoulders in our country always made us uncomfortable. 

When the first Panama Papers stories came out our newsroom knew there had to be Mongolian politicians and public officials involved given the sheer volume of the leak. We wanted to report and collaborate on this project. I reached out to my network and emailed ICIJ's deputy director, Marina Walker Guevara, directly. The ICIJ team was kind enough to grant us access, walk us through the platforms and open the door to the biggest collaboration in the known history of the profession.

From the leak we learned many politicians and public officials, including a former prime minister of Mongolia, a foreign affairs advisor to the President and the son of the mayor of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital, were linked to offshore companies. Their interests in these assets held outside Mongolia had never been publicly revealed before our stories came out. 

In a country where one-fifth of the population live below the poverty line, and the average household income is about $400 a month, news of these politicians' offshore links prompted major debates in public arenas and in the parliament. Implicated politicians and their party supporters condemned the reports, threatened to take us to court and tried to discredit the editorial team and reporters. We stand by our reports and will continue to do so.

The collaboration allowed us to find paper trails and messages to show the Mongolian public that politicians do use offshore companies and have had interests in assets held outside the country. The Panama Papers have allowed our newsroom to investigate how the system of offshore financial secrecy operates, and help the public have a well-informed debate around this issue. We are excited and proud to be part of this effort. The Mongolian people are eager for public hearings or steps to close the practices of the shadowy offshore industry but the change has yet to come. Until it does, we will be here reporting and telling the stories that matter.

Lkhagva Erdene is the executive producer of news for MongolTV.

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Business

PM meets with agriculture industry representatives

August 8 (UB Post) Prime Minister J.Erdenebat, Head of the Cabinet Secretariat of Mongolia J.Munkhbat, and Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry P.Sergelen received representatives of agricultural sector unions and non-governmental organizations last Thursday to discuss the issues the agriculture sector is facing and to hear their suggestions for solutions.

Noting that agricultural sector unions, NGOs, and producers should cooperate with the state, providing support to the economy, Prime Minister J.Erdenebat said that he has ordered state-run organizations to buy domestically produced goods and not imported items. He also mentioned that it Thursday's meeting was one of a series of meetings with representatives of the agricultural sector that will take place, and that he will hold separate meetings in the future with representatives of sub-sectors of the agricultural industry.

Meat sector issues

The authorities of the Mongolian Meat Federation stated that the government should trust professional operators in the meat industry and allow them to execute state orders concerning their sector. They complained that the government constantly talks about increasing exports in the meat sector, however, productive steps have been poorly carried out. The representatives asked the Cabinet to provide meat export with the same support it provides to the mining sector.

In order to improve meat export, the law on livestock health must be adopted urgently, stressed Vice President of the Meat Federation M.Tumurbaatar. He noted that the livestock meat quality and health security issue was first raised when businesses in the meat sector first began efforts to cooperate with Russia and China on meat export.

Forestry sector issues

Representatives of the forestry sector proposed establishing integrated state policy for the forestry sector. Noting that the since the Forest Authority was dissolved, forestry sector affairs have been affiliated with different state institutions with changes in structure being made under each new Cabinet. They also reminded the government authorities that the nation's forests  are in danger due to irresponsible mining, and asked the state to implement long-term forest management policy and to work closely with professional forestry organizations.

Construction sector issues:

Representatives of the construction material maker's union asked Cabinet to improve the links between the businesses in the sector. Construction material production is one of the three pillars of the construction industry. As a result, the sectors have cooperated consistently in recent years. Producers have made wool insulation material and exported it to Japan. In addition, research is being done on recycling plastic and wood to create new products, the representatives highlighted. Noting that construction material production is centered in Ulaanbaatar, they underlined the significance of opening construction material factories in provinces in order to develop the construction sector in rural areas.

Concluding the meeting, Prime Minister J.Erdenebat thanked the attendees for sharing their views on current issues, and said that he will hold similar meetings no less than two times a year in order to consult with and determine directions for the future development of small and medium-sized enterprises. He also said that the meetings will help develop the action plan of the cabinet.

Stating that the domestic producers should continue developing in the future and export their products overseas, J.Erdenebat asked them to work hard to achieve success and to approach the government for assistance.

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Ulaanbaatar

UB Mayor forms Department for Youth Development

Ulaanbaatar, August 8 (MONTSAME) A revised structure and composition of the UB City Government was adopted last week. The new Mayor S.Batbold noted that his office pursued a principle of increasing the number of jobs and promoting employment in the four  years to come.

The vacancies of Deputy Mayors have been reduced from 6 to 4. They will be mainly in charge of the Reduction of Unemployment and Poverty, Ger-Area Development and Social policy, Infrastructure Development, and of Green Development and Reduction of Air Pollution.

In regard to the fact that young people aged 16-35 make up 34% of the total population of Ulaanbaatar, the Mayor has decided to set up a Department for Development of the Youth. Another new department of the City Government is the Department for Industry and Innovation.

The City Government has set a goal to have at least one person in each household get a job.

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Diplomacy

Mongolia and Russia to boost transport cooperation

Ulaanbaatar, August 8 (MONTSAME) Minister of Road and Transport Development D.Ganbat received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia I.K.Azizov on August 5. The sides exchanged views on the current state and future perspectives of the cooperation between Mongolia and Russia in transport sector.

Transport cooperation plays a key role in the successful development of economic ties, emphasized the Minister. He also stressed the significance of the Program on Creating an Economic Corridor between Mongolia, China and Russia and close cooperation with the neighbor in the north in realizing transit transport measures, for Mongolia is a landlocked country.

He also requested the Russian side to show support for the test transit transport in route of Tianjin-Ulaanbaatar-Ulan-Ude, to be conducted August 13-25.

The Ambassador, in response, highlighted that the proposals, which have been put together by the Minister, are shaping the areas of cooperation in the near future. He promised to convey these requests and cooperation proposals to the Russian Ministry of Transport and the railway authorities.

Link to article

 

Ambassador Ch.Sosormaa touches on issues concerning embassy in Brazil, Rio 2016 and Zika Virus

August 8 (UB Post) Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to Brazil Ch.Sosormaa was interviewed about the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro, as well as her accomplishments as the Ambassador to Brazil.

The Mongolian Embassy first opened in Brazil in 2014 and you were appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to Brazil. You've been in this position for two years now. What have you accomplished during this time?

As it is the first-ever Mongolian Embassy in Brazil, my target was to build a firm foundation for the two countries' cooperation in every field, especially in mining, agriculture, education and sports.

South American countries developed rapidly in the past 20 years. Not only can Mongolia initiate various trade with these countries with economies more focused on mining and agricultural products, but it's also possible to introduce their technology and successful practices.

A Brazilian-Mongolian Chamber of Commerce was established just recently here in Brazil. Next month, the first Mongolian and Brazilian Entrepreneurs' Meeting is going to be held in Mongolia. We're seeking to open opportunities for boosting trade between the two counties and introduce all types of technology to Mongolia.

For instance, Brazilian beef is globally well- known for their taste and quality, and several Mongolian businessmen have expressed their interest in investing in this field. Mongolia's neighboring countries, China and Russia, imports beef, chicken and pork in large quantity from Brazil. Brazil would get closer to its target market and Mongolia's processing of meat and poultry products would improve if a joint meat factory is built in Mongolia. Not to mention, Mongolia will be able to bring and cultivate Brazilian meat industry standards and practices.

Furthermore, businesses are interested in introducing technologies for producing bio-fertilizers, using waste to create cleaner burning biofuels, and producing ethanol from potato peel waste for fuel production.

What was you first impression of Brazil? How has it changed now?

To me, Brazil is like a country with no limits. This country has an incredible amount of natural minerals and inexhaustible resources. The Amazon River is the largest river by discharge of water in the world and the Amazon rainforest produces about 20 percent of all the oxygen in the world. The Amazon is truly a sacred place.

How many sovereign states in South America does your embassy cover? What kind of relations do you wish to form with them? 

As the sole diplomatic mission of Mongolia operating in Brazil, as well as in South America, our operation extends to 12 sovereign states in South America. Some people refer to our office as an embassy of Mongolia in charge of continental affairs in South America.

Mongolian and Brazilian people became able to travel between the two countries without a visa for 90 days last year. We're currently negotiating visa-free entry to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay for Mongolian nationals. We're putting effort in enhancing free travels and tourism opportunities for Mongolian and Brazilian people because the people-to-people relationship of our nations is the reflection of the Mongolian-Brazilian relations.

What kind of cooperation and joint projects does the Mongolian Embassy in Brazil wish to start with the 12 sovereign states in South America?

I realized that there are many things we can learn from the development of South American countries. These countries managed to find solutions for some challenges Mongolia is facing now about 10 years ago. These practices are still new. For example, Chile's overall trade profile has traditionally been dependent on copper exports. Thanks to diversifying their economy, Chile was able to reduce its 80 to 90 percent of export dependency on copper to 50 percent. Twenty years ago, Uruguay used to import energy from Argentina. Basically it was dependent on Argentina. Now, 90 percent of their energy and electricity is renewable energy. The government of Uruguay made this accomplishment by agreeing on a long-term plan that drew cross-party support. They promised foreign investors that it would purchase energy for twenty years and ensure stable operations.

Organizations that execute agricultural research in Uruguay are financed by the state and professional unions and are led by independent executive boards. The nation improves the quality and yield of products through successful research works. Moreover, this attracts more investment for businesses. In other words, developing research organizations through a public-private partnership is a method to consider for better results. Brazil is paying a great deal of attention to the organization of the Summer Olympics.

According to some news, Brazil is facing internal struggles due to economic difficulty. How is the actual situation there?

Everyone is aware that the economy of Brazil has been stagnant for the last two to three years and that their economic growth hit the minus zone. It's most likely connected to the slow global economic growth and price drop of natural resources, particularly the price of iron  ore. Monetary exchange rates fell, giving rise to difficulties in the lives of ordinary people. Even so, the Brazilian people are united together and are working extremely hard to marvelously meet global expectations and fulfill their responsibility as the host of this year's Olympics.

The Olympics opened last Friday. As someone living in Brazil, would you say that Rio de Janeiro was ready for the Olympics?

In May 2016, President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff, who was reelected in 2011, was suspended for allegedly tampering with the financial figures of the government by means of loans. Deputy President Michel Temer became the acting president and announced to put all his effort into recovering the economy. We highly value the fact that the Brazilian government is working so hard to successfully host the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics and spending so much money on it.

What is the advantage of having an embassy in Brazil for Mongolians living there and for Mongolian athletes participating in the Olympic Games?

This year, 43 Mongolian athletes earned quotas to participate in the Olympic Games. This is something to be very proud of. Such an improvement in the skills of our athletes is a clear indication and result of the sports sector, its management and coaches. It's a notable achievement that the Mongolian national team is joining the Olympic Games with a professional service team, which includes their private doctor, masseuse, chef, and research staff.

Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports J.Batsuuri came to Rio de Janeiro and reviewed the training and preparation of Mongolian athletes.

I hope that Mongolian athletes are able to gain international recognition and resound the stadium with the national anthem of Mongolia under the clear sky of Brazil.

Can you tell us about the accommodation, training base, services and equipment supply for Mongolian athletes in Rio de Janeiro?

The embassy begun preparing for the Olympics a year ago. We kept in close contact with associated ministries and agencies, and supported the national team by searching for training bases, intermediating the Mongolian Judo Federation with organizers of international judo competitions, and finding a suitable hotel for athletes to stay at. There's a 12- hour difference between Mongolia and Brazil and the climate and geographical location of Brazil is different from Mongolia's. The environment needs to be good, all equipment need to be provided, and the location needs to be a little isolated so that our athletes can quickly adapt to the new environment and climate. We're very pleased that our athletes are satisfied with the training base.

The staff at the training base complimented the Mongolian national team. When I visited the base, Mongolian and Brazilian athletes were talking about how similar they are.

Brazil could be considered as the epicenter of Zika virus feared by the whole world. What measures are being taken to prevent athletes from getting infected with the virus?

The Brazilian government made an official announcement on July 14 that Zika virus outbreak has been put under control. The embassy is constantly publishing and handing out leaflets with everything to know about Zika virus, including its symptoms, ways to prevent infection and how to treat it if infected, to Mongolians living and temporarily staying in Brazil. This type of information is available at our website and Facebook page.

We recommend everyone here to wear long sleeves and long trousers and use mosquito repellents despite the fact that the number of mosquitos have declined considerably as the cool season approaches. At the moment, we haven't received any report on a Mongolian getting infected by the virus. Still, we can't let our guard down. It's important to stay alert.

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Culture, Society

International Mongolists to gather in Mongolia

August 8 (gogo.mn) The 11th International Congress of Mongolists to be held under the auspices of the Mongolian President on Aug 15-18, 2016 in Ulaanbaatar city. 

Congress will be organized in collaboration with the Mongolian Academy of Science, National Council for Mongolian Studies and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of Mongolia.

The general theme: Mongolian studies and sustainable development. 

In regards, press session is scheduled today at 11AM.

Link to article

 

Father's Day in Mongolia

August 8 (news.mn) Father's Day of Mongolia is celebrated on 8th of August honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds and the influence of fathers in society. The Mongolian Men's Association began the celebration of Father's Day on 8th of August  in 2005.

Mongolia is the 18th country where Father`s Day is celebrated. Many believe that Sonora Dodd, from Washington, initiated celebration of Father's Day for her single father Smart in 1910. Her mother died whilst giving birth to youngest child. After that her father raised all 5 children single handed.

The first such "Father's Day" was held in Spokane in 1910, with a number of towns and cities across America later following suit. While American presidents unofficially supported the day, it was not until 1966 that it was put on the country's official calendar by President Lyndon Johnson. More than 20 countries celebrate Father's Day across the world today.

Link to article

 

"Danshig Naadam – Khuree Tsam" festival completes

Ulaanbaatar, August 8 (MONTSAME) In the margin of Friendly Ulaanbaatar Program, the annual religious festival "Danshig Naadam – Khuree Tsam" took over Khui Doloon Khudag Naadam Complex on the weekend of August 6 and 7. The hosts were the UB City administration and the Center of Mongolian Buddhist Lamaism – Gandantegchinlen Monastery.

On these days, more than 500 monks dedicated chants and blessings to the faithful people and all being of the universe. The festival incorporated ceremonies for exalting the Flag with Soyombo, Mandala, Worship of Ochirvaani, and exalting of the High Saint's replica, as well as the Religious Dance- Tsam, wrestling competition, horse races, knuckle-bone shooting game, competition among monks, cultural performances and an exhibition for tourists.

Some 190 players have taken parts in the knuckle-bone shooting game, divided into 23 teams. A team from Umnugovi (South Gobi) province won the game, followed by the "Baatar Namun" LLC team.

The top wrestlers, race horses and winners of other tournaments were awarded prizes from the UB City Mayor and leaders of Gandantegchinlen Monastery.

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Nature, Environment

NEMA issues flood warnings for August 9-11

August 8 (GoGo Mongolia) Residents and herders are warned on possible floods due to the rain showers on Aug 9th in Western region, Aug 10th in most regions and Aug 11th in Northern region.

In addition, National Emergency Management Agency announced following warnings today due to water level have reached critical level. 

·         Do not drink too much alcahol near water 

·         Do not stay or spend the night near river 

·         Use safe and secure bridges 

·         Do not let children to play nearby river alone

·         Take extra caution near rivers

Link to release

 

Heavy rain caused floods in Ulaangom

August 8 (news.mn) Floods have hit Ulaangom Soum (district) in Uvs Aimag (province), Mongolia after a day of heavy rainfall. Local officials say that 10 gers have been destroyed and 500 households, 15 apartments, 5 offices, 20 service centers and 12 garages have been inundated with flood water. A total of 35 rescuers with equipment from the Uvs division of the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) have been evacuating families from river banks and diverting flood water from apartments. During the summer in rural areas, Mongolian herders often set up camp in river basins and on mountain slopes where there is an increased danger of flash flooding. As Mongolia lacks an early warning system for floods, it is often caught unprepared for sudden flash floods caused by torrential downpours. Floods have claimed 13 lives in Mongolia since the spring, according to a June statement by NEMA.

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3.9M earthquake hits Uvs province

August 8 (news.mn) A shallow magnitude earthquake struck 58 km west of the Naranbulag soum in the western Mongolian province of Uvs on Sunday (7th of August). According to the governor of Naranbulag, there are no reports of significant damage and citizens did not report feeling anything.

In June, a 3.9 magnitude earthquake struck the northwestern Mongolian province of Khovd. The epicenter was in a remote region near Khar-Us Lake in Khovd province. There were also no reports of significant damage.

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Sports

Mogi: the public are claiming Silva won using illegal hand move.

D.Sumiya wins Mongolia's first medal from Rio 2016

August 9 (UB Post) Mongolian judoka D.Sumiya has won Mongolia's first medal from the Rio 2016 Olympics, which is currently taking place in Brazil.

By winning a silver medal in the women's 57 kg division, D.Sumiya has become the first female judoka from Mongolia to win an Olympic medal.

D.Sumiya, who is world number one ranking judoka in her division, lost the final match of the women's 57 kg to Rafaela Silva of Brazil, a gold and silver medalist of the World Championship.

According to the Mongolian government's decree on Olympic medalists, D.Sumiya is to receive 60 million MNT from the government for her silver medal, followed by a three million MNT stipend each month.

Women's 57 kg results

Gold: Rafaela Silva (Brazil)
Silver: Sumiya Dorjsuren (Mongolia)
Bronze: Telma Monteiro (Portugal)
Bronze: Kaori Matsumoto (Japan)

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66kg D.Tumurkhuleg finishes in 7th

Ulaanbaatar, August 8 (MONTSAME) Men's judo finals of 66 kg took place last night, with our D.Tumurkhuleg fighting for a chance to challenge himself for Bronze medal , after losing a bout with his dark horse rival from Italy Fabio Basile. In the bout to Bronze the Canadian judoka Antoine Bouchard beat D.Tumurkhuleg by wazari.

After this, Antoine Bouchard was able to fight for the Bronze, while our D.Tumurkhuleg ranked at 7th place.

In the end of August 7 bouts, Fabio Basile secured the Gold medal, his first in the Olympic Games, followed by An Baul from South Korea (Silver) and three-times Olympic bronze medalist Rishod Sobirov (Bronze) from Uzbekistan and twice Olympic bronze medalist Masashi Ebumina (Bronze) from Japan.

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Mongolian judoka will receive US$75,000 - from Kazakhstan

August 8 (news.mn) The XXXI Summer Olympics started in Rio de Janiero, Brasil on 5th of August. On the first day, international master of sports G.Otgontsetseg won a bronze medal in judo in the women's 48 kg category for Kazakhstan.

According to the Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Sport, the government will award bonuses for Olympic Games prize winners: a three-room apartment and USD 250,000 for gold medal, two-room apartment and USD 150,000 for a silver as well as apartment and USD 75,000 for a bronze.

Female ranking of the judokas in the 48 kg category is led by Mongolian judoka M.Urantsetseg with 3180 points and G.Otgontsetseg who  ranks 9th with 1258 points. According to the rules, the first 22 international ranking judokas are allowed to compete at the Olympics. Due to the strict regulations to have only one judoka per weight category the Mongolian team faced a dilemma - what to do with G.Otgontsetseg? The Mongolian Judo Federation had to accept Kazakhstan proposal to take G.Otgontsetseg as a "legionaire".

Over 100 athletes from Kazakhstan are representing their country at Rio 2016. This is the nation's sixth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics. In the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Kazakhstan ranked 12th with seven gold, one silver, and five bronze medals.

Link to article

Related:

G.Otgontsetseg grabs first medal for KazakhstanMontsame, August 7

 

Three Mongolian judges working for Rio 2016

Ulaanbaatar, August 8 (MONTSAME) Three Mongolian nationals are working as judges at the 31st summer Olympic Games, being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mongolian team is taking an extended part in this Olympics, with 43 athletes, which is 1.5 times larger in number than the previous Olympic team, along with the coaches and press.

The three judges are, M.Bokhbat in judo, Kh.Khas-Erdene in boxing and B.Tomorbaatar in free-style wrestling.

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State Lion R.Purevdagva becomes twice champion of Danshig Naadam

Ulaanbaatar, August 8 (MONTSAME) In the wrestling competition dedicated to the Danshig Naadam religious festival, the newly acclaimed State Lion R.Purevdagva championed, and earned the title of Danshig Champion (Avarga).

The second annual Danshig Naadam – Khuree Tsam festival was organized by the UB City and Gandantegchinlen Monastery. The two-day event hosted a competition of 256 national wrestlers. The competition's runner-up B.Tumendemberel became Danshig Zaan (Elephant).

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Dundee marathon runner preparing for biggest challenge yet

August 8 (The Courier) Dundee marathon runner Louise Johnstone is preparing to put her body through a dramatic eighty degree temperature swing as part of a mental health quest.

Superhuman Louise has already taken part in a number of breath-taking exercise regimes in aid of local mental health charities.

The athlete's most recent effort saw her complete 156 miles in the baking heat of the Saharan desert, raising almost £5,000 for Dundee Association for Mental Health in the process.

Now, Louise will attempt to complete her biggest challenge to date.

The 35-year-old personal trainer is set to push herself to the limit by racing in the Namib Sand Marathon, in Namibia, before six days later running the Genghis Khan Ice Marathon, in Mongolia.

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Travel

ULAANBAATAR PASSPORT: Discover 20 hottest places of the city with 90 days visa

August 8 (gogo.mn) ULAANBAATAR PASSPORT is a pocket size passport helps you to find the best entertainment places including galleries, museums, clubs and lounges of UB city. 

Just like your international passport you will have 15 visas to different places, each offering many deals after you get stamped. The passport is available on sale at MNT 58,900. 

Selling points:

  • Cooperating agencies
  • ICC Tower
  • Online
  • Delivery

Why you need to buy the passport?

  • It remains unique feeling besides offering a good time
  • We will offer you places to spend fun time 
  • You can save your  money 
  • It is the collection of the most interesting places of UB city 
  • Every locations on the passport offer exclusive deals and discount 
  • Ulaanbaatar passport is your guide book
  • Discover new places and friends 

Speciality:

  • Stamp on passports to confirm your visit to the places 
  • It is a new challenge for you to visit all the places on the passport 
  • You will discover awesome places worth visiting  
  • Keep your passport and keep your memories 
  • 90 days visa to experience the best 20 places of UB 

Who should buy the passport?

  • Curious
  • Innovator 
  • Independent 
  • Adventurer

For more information, please click HERE.

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