In a FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers Group C game, the Bank of Guam men’s national basketball team fell to Mongolia 74-63 on Thursday night at the University of Guam Calvo Field House in Mangilao.

“I want to say congratulations to my players. They gave everything inside, followed our plan, and I think we deserved to win,” Mongolia head coach Vasileios Fragkias said.

Earlier in the tournament, Guam defeated Mongolia by 11 points - on Mongolia’s home court. But in the latest matchup, Mongolia showcased aspects of its game that had been previously absent or dormant.

For the first two quarters and most of the third, Mongolia pushed the tempo, dominated defensively, drained shots and built a 21-point lead. The team burned through Guam’s defense, creating opportunities from beyond the arc and in the paint. In the first three quarters, Mongolia’s speed effectively neutralized Guam’s Jonathan Galloway, limiting his usual defensive dominance and shot-altering capabilities.

“I feel like Mongolia came out a lot more aggressive than they ever have in the past two games,” Team Guam’s Joe Blas Jr. said. “They played a lot faster, and I’d say they shot the ball a whole lot better than they've shown in the past. I don’t think we were ready for that right away.”

But later in the third quarter and into the final frame, Team Guam’s resilience sparked a comeback. Previously uncontested rebounds were secured, and Mongolian shooters faced tighter defense. With 13 of Earnest Ross Jr.’s 18 points coming in the second half, Guam’s offensive catalyst shifted the momentum. But as hard as Guam played, Mongolia matched the intensity.

Team Guam head coach EJ Calvo praised his team for “fighting back in a game that could have slipped away and getting to the point where we were still alive.”

Calvo said Guam’s first-half performance “wasn’t us.”

“I think our players were a little shocked by their speed. The tempo was very fast, and they really spread us out,” Calvo said. “When they penetrated the paint, we weren’t rotating fast enough, and we were giving up layups. That didn’t sit well with me or anyone on the team.”

Throughout the 40-minute contest, Mongolia’s Dulguun Gankhuyag frustrated Guam’s big men, Galloway and Tai Wesley. On inbounds plays and in the paint, the large-framed Gankhuyag used a hands-on, physical defensive style that elicited vocal protests from Galloway and Wesley, who pleaded for fouls - calls that rarely came. Gankhuyag finished with one personal foul, nine points and four rebounds.

“He’s a bulldozer,” said Mongolia’s Margad Erdenetsetseg, who had a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds.

Midway through the second half, after a battle for possession, Wesley tangled with a Mongolian player and took the worst of the exchange. In disbelief that the referees allowed such physical play, Wesley held up his pinky finger, which appeared misaligned, possibly broken or dislocated. Despite the injury, he finished with eight points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks.

“We knew Mongolia was going to be a tough team. Every time we’ve played them, especially on their home court, it’s been a battle,” Calvo said. “We knew they were playing for survival in this qualification, and we were, too. We got a pretty good game from them tonight.”

As Guam inched closer to reclaiming the lead, Mongolia’s Enkhbayasgalan Amarbayasgalan was called for a flagrant foul - Mongolia’s first of the game - sending Galloway to the free-throw line for two shots. Both missed. Though the attempts wouldn’t have given Guam the lead, they factored into the Group C standings and the team’s chances of advancing. Galloway, one of Guam's leaders, finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Galloway wasn’t alone in missing free throws. The team shot 64.7% from the line, going 11-for-17. In the game’s final seconds, Wesley also missed a crucial free throw.

With Japan and China - Group C’s top two teams - already advancing to the FIBA Asia Cup Saudi Arabia 2025 tournament, the third-place team will move to the next qualification round.

Guam and Mongolia, both 1-4, have identical records and split their two meetings with identical 11-point margins. Statistically, they are in a deadlock, meaning their final games will determine their fate.

On Sunday, at 5 p.m., at UOG, Guam will take on China, which crushed Guam by 48 points in their first matchup. Also on Sunday, Mongolia will face Japan, which previously defeated Mongolia by 18 points.

After Guam’s and Mongolia’s final games, their futures will be decided. If Guam wins and Mongolia loses, Guam advances. If Mongolia wins and Guam loses, Mongolia moves on. If both win or both lose, statistical tiebreakers will determine which team advances and which sees its Asia Cup journey end.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen between them and Japan,” Blas said. “However that plays out, it’s out of our control.

“I want to approach the game the same way - come out, play hard and just try to win,” Blas said of Guam’s upcoming game against China.

The FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-2025 cycle tournament for the world's top female chess players is taking place in Monaco on February 18-28, 2025.

International Master (IM) Munguntuul Batkhuyag is competing in the tournament alongside Grandmaster (GM) of China Tan Zhongyi, GMs of Russia Alexandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno, GMs of India Humpy Koneru and Harika Dronavalli, IM of Kazakhstan Bibisara Assaubayeva, GM of Switzerland Alexandra Kosteniuk, IM of Spain Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, and GM of Germany Elisabeth Paehtz.

Honored Athlete of Mongolia Munguntuul won her first match playing as White against former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. In her second game, she played as Black against Tan Zhongyi, the highest-rated player among the ten participants, and secured a draw. With 1.5 points, she now leads the tournament.

Having started strong, Munguntuul will play as White against Grand Master Humpy Koneru on February 20, 2025.

Minister of Mongolia, Chief of the Cabinet Secretariat of Mongolia Uchral Nyam-Osor presented the decisions made at the cabinet session on February 19, 2025, stating that as of today, 36 procedures have been canceled which were passed by seven ministries.

Chief of the Cabinet Secretariat of Mongolia Uchral Nyam-Osor noted, "In connection with the adoption of the Law on Permits, cancelation for procedures that are above and beyond laws is underway. At today’s Cabinet meeting, a 2006 procedure governing the environmental sector was revoked by a Cabinet resolution. We have also formally instructed the remaining ministries and government administrative bodies to abolish any procedures that exceed the scope of the law. Yesterday, the Permits Council convened and decided to appoint professional experts and establish a working group to oversee the activities of authorized bodies that are not implementing the law.

We further revoked a provision referred to as a ‘certificate’ that effectively acted as a procedure. In addition, we have eliminated fees charged to citizens for this certificate, thereby creating conditions for more streamlined and efficient operations."

Agreement has been reached to start construction of a railway to fill the gap between the Mongolian and Chinese railheads at the Gashuun Sukhait border crossing.

The dual-gauge connection would extend both the existing 1 520 mm gauge Mongolian heavy haul line from the Tavan Tolgoi coal deposits and the 1 435 mm gauge Chinese line which ends at the inland port at the border.

The agreement to start work after 17 years of discussions was announced by the Mongolian government on February 14 after Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene visited the city of Harbin.

Construction is expected to start in April and for completion by 2028.

Mongolia's insurance regulator, the Financial Regulatory Commission (FRC) has appointed Mr T Jambaajamts as chairman. He takes over from outgoing chairman Mr D Bayarsaikhan.

Mr Jambaajamts has reaffirmed his commitment to building on the reforms and innovations crucial to the ongoing stability and growth of the financial sector. He will work closely with the newly appointed commissioners and FRC team to fulfil the directives set forth by parliament to further advance the financial sector’s development.

During its regular session on February 19, 2025, the Cabinet of Mongolia decided to rename the state-owned enterprise “Mongolrostsvetmet” as “Erdenes Critical Minerals,” and approved its revised procedure as an annex.

To secure the financial resources required for the exploration, development, mining, and processing of critical minerals, and in connection with the newly approved procedure, relevant officials were instructed to set the organizational structure and maximum staffing limits for the state-owned enterprise “Erdenes Critical Minerals,” and to provide its leadership and organizational management.

Under the 2024–2028 Action Program of the Government of Mongolia, 14 “mega projects” will be implemented within four main policy areas. The Action Program also states that “Projects to develop plants for processing rare earth elements will be supported at the policy level.” Taking into account the infrastructure, experience, human resource capacity, and potential of the state-owned enterprise “Mongolrostsvetmet,” the Government decided to rename it to “Erdenes Critical Minerals,” expand its operational focus, and revise its procedure so that it assumes responsibility for the research, exploration, extraction, and utilization of rare earth elements.

With the recent amendments to the enterprise’s procedure to ensure implementation of the Law on Sovereign Wealth Fund, “Erdenes Mongol” LLC will oversee the group’s activities through a unified strategic plan, management, leadership, and organizational structure. The dividends from the Government’s equity share in these legal entities will be collected and distributed into the Savings Fund in accordance with the Law on Sovereign Wealth Fund. The remaining portion will be utilized to finance projects and programs that support future business development and generate income and value, increasing returns from Mongolia’s mineral resources and ensuring fair and equitable distribution of benefits to citizens.

A temporary vehicle restriction based on license plate numbers will be enforced in Ulaanbaatar from this Saturday, February 22.

D.Badarsan, coordinator of the capital's Road Traffic Congestion Reduction Program, along with relevant officials from the Traffic Police Authority, provided details on the regulation.

A public survey conducted on www.ulaanbaatar.mn and 10 other websites on February 11 showed that 68% of respondents supported the odd-even license plate restriction, while 23% opposed it. Based on these results, authorities decided to implement the measure from February 22 to 27, with restrictions in place from 08:00 to 20:00 daily.

The odd-even restriction will apply to several key intersections, including: Tavan Shar intersection, Chuluun Ovoo Intersection, 32iin Toirog Intersection, MIS Intersection, Dund Gol road, Gandhi Street, E-Mart intersection.

Authorities urge citizens to comply with traffic police instructions and follow regulations during the restriction period which lasts 6 days.

The restriction does not apply to diplomatic vehicles, hospital and emergency services and media organization vehicles

License Plate Schedule

February 22, 24, 26 – Vehicles with odd-numbered license plates can operate.

February 23, 25, 27 – Vehicles with even-numbered license plates can operate.

Officials implemented this restriction to reduce congestion, particularly during the holiday season when traffic is heavy around markets and shopping centers.

French nuclear fuels company Orano is looking to increase output of uranium from new mines in Mongolia and elsewhere to meet rising demand from the nuclear power industry and offset production from its stalled projects in Niger, said CEO Nicolas Maes.

Orano has had problems exporting uranium from its mines in Niger since the country was taken over by a military junta in 2023.

In January, it signed a preliminary agreement with Mongolia to develop a mining project with potential output of 2,600 metric tons a year by 2044.

It is also looking at expanding output in Uzbekistan as well as Canada, its top source of the material, Maes told journalists.

"We have considerably developed this diversification and that makes us much stronger with regard to geopolitical risk," he said.

Reporting by Forrest Crellin. Editing by Jane Merriman