The good news is that daily new cases have fallen to their lowest in nearly two years. The Omicron variant – which carries more than 50 genetic mutations and is now causing a fresh wave of infections in parts of the world – ripped through Mongolia in the spring. Cases have now receded.

Today (19 September), Mongolia confirmed 34 new COVID-19 cases. 17 of them were contacts in Ulaanbaatar, and others were recorded in the regions. No imported cases were found.

The death toll from coronavirus in Mongolia remained 2,131.

Cases declined quickly, there were fewer severe cases than in previous waves and hospitals were not overwhelmed.

Mongolia has fully vaccinating over 90 percent of adults. Some 80 percent have received the first dose. So restrictions have been lifted, and much of life and business has returned to normalcy.

Urguu Maternity Hospital opened a molecular laboratory on 19 September 2022 with support of the project on ‘Safeguarding maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and rights during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia’, funded by the Government of Luxembourg and executed by UNFPA.

During the opening of the laboratory, UNFPA Mongolia Head of Office Dr. Khalid Sharifi said, “Promoting access to quality maternal health and ending preventable maternal and newborn mortality are at the very core of UNFPA’s Global Mandate and Country Programme in Mongolia. The COVID-19 global pandemic has posed new challenges to maternal health, including the need for rapid diagnosis and management of infection, which continues to deteriorate the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. This laboratory is not just for COVID-19. It will advance the capacity to identify a number of infections that affect sexual and reproductive health leading to adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.”

The laboratory consists of 22 types of equipment, furniture, and consumables worth approximately 350 million MNT. The laboratory equipment was supplied by LifeTronik LLC and enables molecular biology diagnostics, which has many health service applications, including early detection and prevention of STIs and cervical cancer.

Under the project on “Safeguarding maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and rights during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia” two more molecular diagnostic laboratories will be established at maternity hospitals in Ulaanbaatar, which deliver services to more than 30,000 women a year.

Globally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual and reproductive health has been widely documented due to disruptions in supply chain management of contraceptives and delays in quality specialist care and diagnostics and early detection of maternal complications. Therefore, setting up advanced molecular biology diagnostics will improve the quality of diagnostic and treatment services to ensure safe pregnancy and delivery.

With the partnership of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, UNFPA supports the Ministry of Health’s efforts to end preventable maternal deaths and end the unmet need for family planning in Mongolia.

UNFPA in Mongolia

UNFPA Mongolia began supporting the Government of Mongolia in the late 1970s providing equipment and training to the Central Statistics Office to undertake the Population and Housing Census of 1979 – and again in 1989. Support for maternal and child health began in the early 1990s and included training for medical personnel and the provision of modern contraceptives.

The first comprehensive Country Programme between the Government of Mongolia and UNFPA officially started in 1992 and focused on the delivery of family planning services and information, and the promotion of population data usage to support the government’s development policies and programmes.

UNFPA’s 6th Country Programme in Mongolia was launched in 2017 with focus on youth participation, realizing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of youth, and addressing gender-based violence. The current Country Programme is supporting Mongolia to achieve the SDGs and is closely aligned and implemented with other UN agencies under the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2017-2022.

Source: UNFPA Mongolia

Korea Republic finished on nine points to take top spot with Mongolia edging Malaysia to second place on goal difference, with the East Asian side now having to wait to know whether they will advance as one of the best five runners-up to the Final.

Korea Republic 6-2 Malaysia

Korea Republic, who defeated group hosts Mongolia 7-0 on Friday following their opening 6-0 triumph against Sri Lanka, found their breakthrough in the 34th minute.

The East Asians capitalised on a poor clearance which resulted in Lee Young-Jun scoring with a volley to give Korea Republic a 1-0 lead going into the break.

Korea Republic maintained their dominance in the second half and increased their tally in the 50th minute after Bae Jun-Ho evaded his marker at the edge of the area before curling his shot past Malaysia keeper Syahmi Haikal.

Malaysia reduced the deficit in the 55th minute through Adam Farhan after the defender did well to dribble past Bae Seo-Joon at the edge of the area before slotting home from close range.

A lapse in concentration saw Korea Republic restore their two-goal advantage two minutes later after an unmarked Lee Seung-Won thumped the ball into the back of the net from the top of the box.

Despite playing with 10 men after Muhammad Shamsul’s sending off in the 67th minute, Malaysia scored their second a minute later with Aliff Izwan muscling his way into the box before firing a low drive through the legs of keeper Kim Joon-Hong.

Korea Republic, however, turned on the power with Lee Young-Jun scoring in the 75th and 82nd minutes to complete his hat-trick, before Lee Seung-Won scored their sixth from the penalty spot in the 89th minute.

There was more woe for Malaysia as they were reduced to nine men following Muhammad Farhan’s red card in the third minute of added time as Korea Republic sealed an empathic victory to book their place in the Finals.

Mongolia 6-0 Sri Lanka

Mongolia secured their first win after scoring six unanswered goals past Sri Lanka.

Temuulen Zayat opened the scoring in the second minute before goals from Buyannemekh Ganbat (42nd minute) and Temuulen Uuganbat in added time made it 3-0.

Mongolia continued to dominate in the second half and widened their advantage in the 60th minute through Sodmunkh Ankhbayar before Sodmunkh Ankhbayar and Gan-Erdene Erdenebat struck in the first and fourth minutes of added time.

The German government has taken temporary control of two subsidiaries of the Russian energy giant Rosneft.

The move by the government puts it in charge of Rosneft's stakes in three refineries in the country.

This includes a key facility in the northeast of the country which supplies around 90% of Berlin's fuel, and in which Rosneft held a majority stake.

Germany's economy ministry said the move was necessary to counteract an impending threat to energy security.

In a similar move in April, Germany took control of subsidiaries of Russian gas giant Gazprom.

On Friday, the German government handed control of the PCK Schwedt refinery in Brandenburg to the national energy regulator, along with stakes in two other refineries in the south of the country.

The economy ministry said the move was necessary because critical service providers and customers were no longer willing to work with Rosneft, putting the continued operation of the refineries under threat.

The Schwedt refinery is Germany's fourth-largest and is the main supplier of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel for Berlin and the surrounding area. Rosneft has a 54% stake in the facility.

The refinery has received all its crude from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline since it was built in the 1960s. Parts of western Poland are also supplied by Schwedt.

It's less than a year since Rosneft agreed to buy out Shell's holding in PCK, a move that would have given it more than 90% ownership of the vital Schwedt refinery.

That deal was scuppered by the Ukraine war. Now the German government has control - a symbol of the vast changes imposed on Europe's energy sector by the conflict.

In happier times, the refinery would take in vast quantities of crude brought from central Russia through the Druzbha pipeline, and pump out refined products for Berlin and Brandenburg.

But with Germany having pledged to boycott Russian oil, even though the pipeline itself is not covered by the EU's forthcoming embargo, new sources of supply will have to be found.

With Rosneft in charge that was seen as an impossible task. There were concerns in Berlin that the Russian firm would simply suspend operations at the plant, rather than use non-Russian oil.

That headache has now been removed - although it's not yet clear where alternative supplies will come from.

Rosneft Deutschland, which accounts for about 12% of German oil processing capacity, will fall under the trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency regulator, which said the original owner no longer had authority to issue instructions. The regulator was also handed control of Rosneft subsidiary RN Refining and Marketing.

"With the trusteeship, the threat to the security of energy supply is countered and an essential foundation stone is set for the preservation and future of the Schwedt site," Germany's economy ministry said.

It claimed critical suppliers such as insurance companies, IT providers and banks were no longer willing to work with Rosneft, either with the subsidiaries themselves or through the refineries.

The Federal Network Agency has also taken control of Rosneft Deutschland's shares in the MiRo refinery in Karlsruhe and Bayernoil refinery in Vohburg. Rosneft owns 28% and 24% stakes respectively.

Germany needs to stop Russian oil imports by the end of the year under European sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The ministry said Friday's move included a package to ensure the Schwedt refinery could receive oil from alternative routes.

It is unclear who could step in to replace Rosneft as operator of the refinery. Shell, which owns a 37.5% stake in Schwedt, has wanted to withdraw for some time.

Germany said this week it would step up lending to energy firms at risk of being crushed by soaring gas prices after Russia cut supplies to Europe in retaliation for Western sanctions.

German utility Uniper said on Wednesday that the government might take a controlling stake, saying an earlier state rescue package worth €19bn euros was no longer enough.

The government has also put SEFE, formerly known as Gazprom Germania, under trusteeship after Russian energy giant Gazprom ditched it in April.

Uranium prices have surged to their highest level in a decade, reflecting investors’ optimism in relation to prospects for nuclear fuel demand as the energy crisis keeps raging across Europe, the FT reported this week.

According to nuclear fuel market research and analysis firm UxC, as cited by the media, uranium futures were last traded at these levels 10 years ago, disregarding the sharp spike triggered by the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and subsequent sanctions introduced against Moscow by Western countries in response.

The price of yellowcake, uranium concentrate powder obtained from leach solutions in an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores, grew 7% to more than $50 per pound. Analysts at the Bank of America expect the price to soar to $70 per pound as early as next year.

The surge is attributed to the latest increase in demand for the commodity across Europe, where the energy crisis is deepening, as well as to improving sentiment towards the divisive fuel in other regions, such as Japan, the US state of California, and Germany.

Nickel price hits record high on supply woesREAD MORE: Nickel price hits record high on supply woes

“Germany and California have been two of the most negative jurisdictions in the world on nuclear, and both of them are coming around. I would say hell would freeze over before that would happen,” said Per Jander, director of nuclear and renewables at WMC Energy, a commodity merchant, as quoted by the FT. “It will have an immediate impact on the market.”

According to analysts, the market still remains vulnerable to a potential reduction in uranium supplies from sanctions-hit Russia. Although the nation accounts for only 5% of the world’s uranium production, it is responsible for more than two-fifths of active worldwide enrichment capacity, according to Berenberg data.

“The removal of Russia from the global nuclear fuel chain has the potential to be a source of disruption and price volatility,” Berenberg analysts said in a report seen by the media.

Ambassador of Mongolia in India, D.Ganbold met with Indian State Minister for Tourism and Culture V Srinivas Goud on Thursday to discuss the setting up of a Mongolian Buddhist monastery and stupa at Buddhavanam near Nagarjunasagar.

H.E. Mr. D.Ganbold requested to allocate land at Buddhavanam for the construction of a Mongolian Buddhist Monastery and Stupa.

During his visit to Buddhavanam along with a few other officials on Wednesday, D.Ganbold said that he believe that there should be some Mongolian presence at the spiritual site, either in the form of educational institutions or a stupa.

Buddhavanam, a Buddhist heritage theme park spread across 274 acres in Nagarjunasagar and developed by the Telangana government spending `100 crore, is the largest Buddhist tourism centre in Asia.

The EBRD organized a financial package of USD25 million to XacBank, the country’s most active creditor of green economy projects.

The package consists of an EBRD loan of up to USD 18.75 million and concessional financing of up to USD 6.25 million provided by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It will help support domestic individuals and businesses willing to invest in climate mitigation and adaptation technologies and services. Beneficiaries can identify climate-friendly technologies with the help of the Green Technology Selector and dedicated technical support is available through a consultancy team funded by the GCF and Japan.

This is the latest project in Mongolia under the Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) programme. XacBank, the sustainability-award-winning financial institution and the first financial institution to join GEFF in Mongolia, will benefit from the EBRD’s experience in energy and resource efficiency and climate resilience financing.

Source: EBRD in Mongolia

Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia S.Amarsaikhan met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia Penny Wong and exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Emphasizing the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and Australia which is being marked these days, Deputy Prime Minister S.Amarsaikhan expressed satisfaction with the successful development of friendly relations between the two countries in many areas, including education, mining, agriculture, and energy. He also stressed the Government of Mongolia’s commitment to promoting cooperation between the parties on a wider scale on a mutually beneficial basis and bringing bilateral relations to a new level within the framework of the ‘New Revival Policy’.

For her part, Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed gratitude for the working visit of the Deputy Prime Minister on the days of the historic anniversary and the latter's commitment to the development of bilateral relations. She also noted that the Oyu Tolgoi project, implemented by the Rio Tinto company with the Government of Mongolia, is of great importance for expanding trade, economic, and investment cooperation between the two countries.