Five-time world Para taekwondo champion Bolor-Erdene Ganbat has expressed his disappointment about not being made an "honoured athlete of Mongolia" on national television.

The status is granted to athletes who perform strongly for the country on the international stage but Ganbat has so far been left out.

As well as his five world titles at 61 kilograms, he has won a host of other titles in the sport and competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games where the sport made its debut.

"I won the Para World Championships five times," he told Mongolia station MSports.

"I won the Asian Championship four times.

"I was named the world’s top athlete twice - but I was not awarded the merited athlete of Mongolia.

"In fact, my Para Taekwondo Association sent a request to the top, but I don’t know where the problem is.

"Every athlete spends a lot of sweat and hard work to achieve success.

"I am a little disappointed that I wasn’t awarded even though I have already met the conditions of a meritorious athlete."

Ganbat reached the quarter-finals at Tokyo 2020, where he lost to Antonino Bossolo of Italy.

He again lost in his second repechage contest and missed out on a medal.

Inner Mongolian produced 600 million tonnes of coal in the first half of 2022, rising 21% compared with the preceding year, backed by the joint actions of multiple departments to boost supply, according to Inner Mongolia Daily.

The region has advanced the procedures for coal mining rights, land use, capacity replacement, and environmental impact assessment and speeded up the acceptance of coal mines to ensure safe and stable coal supply.

As of the end of June, the region's daily coal output exceeded 3 million tonnes for nine consecutive months, the local media reported.

In the meantime, Inner Mongolia has also worked to smooth the outward delivery capacity. During the first half, it sold around 590 million tonnes of coal, climbing by about 19%, including 390 million tonnes to users outside the region, which was 24% higher compared with the year-ago level.

In June, Inner Mongolia saw its thermal coal prices pick up slightly but still sit within the rational range, according to data from the price monitoring center of the Inner Mongolia Development and Reform Commission.

During the peak demand month in July and August, Inner Mongolia will continue to accelerate the increase in supply and improve the fulfillment rate of long-term contract supply. Thermal coal prices are expected to fluctuate slightly but still within the reasonable range.

(Writing by Emma Yang Editing by Tammy Yang)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will start his Asia trip that will bring him to Japan, Mongolia and South Korea, his spokesman has said.

The secretary-general will leave for Japan on Thursday. In Japan, he will take part in the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima, which is held on August 6 every year, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

During his stay in Japan, Guterres will meet with several Japanese senior officials, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He will also meet a group of surviving victims of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as the hibakusha, and will participate in a dialogue with young activists who are leading initiatives on nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and other global issues, said Dujarric.

The secretary-general will then go to Mongolia, which has shown a commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament by declaring itself a nuclear-weapons-free zone. Guterres will take part in a tree planting ceremony in the capital city of Ulan Bator to recognize Mongolia’s One Billion Trees initiative, which aims to plant 1 billion trees by 2030 as part of Mongolia’s efforts to reduce the impact of climate change and fight desertification. In addition, he will visit a nomadic family and learn about their way of life, said the spokesman.

Following his visit to Mongolia, the secretary-general will travel to South Korea on August 11. The details of his visit to South Korea are still being worked out, said the spokesman.

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

I have a full trip announcement to share with you. As I mentioned yesterday, the Secretary-General will be heading to Japan on Thursday, leaving here, New York, on Thursday. In Japan, he will take part in the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima, which, as you know, is held on 6 August every year. The ceremony aims to console the souls of those lost to the atomic bombing, as well as to pray for the realization of lasting world peace. The Secretary-General will honour the victims of the bombings, commemorate all victims of the Second World War, and reiterate his call to world leaders to urgently eliminate stockpiles of nuclear weapons. During his visit, he will meet with several Japanese senior officials, including Prime Minister [Fumio] Kishida. He will also meet a group of surviving victims of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as the hibakusha; and he will participate in a dialogue with young activists who are leading initiatives on nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and other global issues.

The Secretary-General will then go to Mongolia, at the invitation of President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa. Mongolia is a country that has also shown a commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament by declaring itself a nuclear-weapon-free zone. During his visit to the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, the Secretary-General will also take part in a tree planting ceremony to recognize Mongolia’s One Billion Trees initiative, which was launched in October and aims to plant, as its name implies, 1 billion trees by 2030, as part of the Mongolia’s efforts to reduce the impact of climate change and fight the increasing desertification which is impacting Mongolia. In addition, he will visit a nomadic family and learn about their way of life. Following his visit to Mongolia, the Secretary-General will travel to the Republic of Korea from 11 to 12 August. The details of his visit to Seoul are still being discussed with the Government.

Airbnb said travel demand remains strong, despite concerns about economic slowdown and rising prices hitting households.

Nearly 104 million nights and experiences were booked on the platform in the April through June period, a record high for the lodging website.

Long-term stays continued to be the fastest growing type of travel, a shift driven by the rise of remote work.

But international and city travel, which had lagged, have also recovered.

The company said it was now in the middle of its strongest peak summer travel season yet, and it assured investors that it was well poised for whatever may hit the economy.

In fact, a slowdown may actually help the company, executives said.

"Airbnb was founded during the recession," chief executive Brian Chesky said in a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's results.

In the event of another slowdown, he said, "we think a lot of people may turn to hosting once again, so this is a big opportunity for us".

Overall, bookings in the April-June period rose 25% from last year to 103.7 million and up 24% from 2019.

Higher prices helped lift the company's revenue, which surged 58% from last year to $2.1bn.

Nearly half of the company's reservations are for a week or longer, the company said.

Travel demand remains strongest in North America, where bookings are up 37% compared to 2019.

Growth in Europe - while travel has recovered from the pandemic - is lagging that recovery, hurt by factors such as the weaker pound.

The company, which announced in May that it was pulling out of China, said demand remained below pre-pandemic levels in the Asia Pacific region, as Covid restrictions keep Chinese tourists at home.

Despite the removal of China listings in July, Airbnb still has more than 6 million active listings on the platform.

Mr Chesky said the company had now achieved "growth and profitability at scale" and said the firm would both continue to invest in the business, and spend $2bn on buying its own shares, which have fallen this year.

Executives said the buyback programme was a sign of their confidence in the company's future.

The company reported a profit of $379m, compared to a loss of $68m last year.

Australia, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of liquified natural gas (LNG), said on Monday it may curb exports to avoid a domestic shortage.

The announcement comes after the nation’s competition watchdog warned of a shortfall and soaring prices next year, and urged the government to make gas that hasn’t been sold under long-term contracts available domestically before it is exported.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said LNG exporters are likely to withdraw more gas from the domestic market than they plan to supply. A shortage equivalent to around 10% of demand is expected, according to Reuters.

Madeleine King, Australia’s Minister for Resources, said she would consult with LNG exporters and the country’s trading partners before making a decision in October.

Australia, along with the US and Qatar, is one of the largest LNG exporters in the world. The main buyers of Australian LNG are China, South Korea, and Japan.

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A global gas supply crunch has worsened in recent months due to international sanctions against major supplier Russia. LNG is widely seen as a replacement for Russian pipeline gas, with buyers in Europe and Asia competing for shipments. This has sent LNG prices up, and spurred Australia's producers to export more than was contracted.

Australia has suffered an energy crisis in recent months due to outages at its coal-fired power plants and a cold snap during the current winter season in the southern hemisphere. The country managed to avoid blackouts in June after the energy market operator capped wholesale electricity prices and temporarily suspended the electricity spot market. Households in the country's most populous state, New South Wales, were urged to save power.

French container carrier CMA CGM has announced that the rail service between China and Mongolia is back active in its Intermodal and Transport Solutions portfolio.

The rail service China - Mongolia was closed due to severe congestion and long delays at the gateway port for the cargo bound to Ulaan Bator in Mongolia, but CMA CGM said it is advised by the rail service operator that "the situation has considerably improved".

Therefore, the Marseille-headquartered company confirmed that it now accepts bookings for the product rail Tianjin (China) > Ulaan Bator (Mongolia).

ABU DHABI, 2nd August, 2022 (WAM) -- Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, has held a meeting with Odonbaatar Shijeekhuu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the UAE, to explore opportunities to strengthen trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, which took place at the Ministry's headquarters in Dubai, Al Marri emphasised the UAE's commitment to solidifying its economic and trade partnership with Mongolia in fields of shared interest to support both countries' developmental agendas as well as their sustainable economic growth.

Bin Touq said, "Mongolia is a promising market with which we aspire to increase trade and investment exchanges, especially in sectors such as tourism, aviation, logistics, agriculture and animal food trade, food security, apart from other strategic areas of shared interest. The partnership further aims to boost private sector cooperation between the two sides by highlighting the available opportunities in our markets, exploring new collaboration mechanisms and facilitating the exchange of expertise."

He also reviewed the UAE's ambitious strategy to attract talent and competencies from all vital sectors, in addition to its advanced infrastructure, attractive business environment, the recently issued flexible legislations, and the incentives offered to companies to encourage FDI in the country's promising market.

The discussions also shed light on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) model pursued by the UAE, through which the country has signed three agreements so far with India, Indonesia, and Israel. Through these agreements, the UAE aims to expand its partnerships to reach strategic global markets, in line with the Principles of the 50 and the UAE Centennial 2071 goals to build a highly competitive national economy based on knowledge and innovation.

The UAE is Mongolia's number one Arab and GCC trade partner as of 2021. The non-oil trade between the two countries witnessed a 119 percent growth in Q1 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. During this period, the UAE's non-oil exports to Mongolia saw an 81 percent growth, led by medical and pharmaceutical industry supplies, construction materials, food materials such as tea and petrol and mineral oil.

WAM/Esraa Ismail/Rola Alghoul

National Statistics Office of Mongolia made following information related to tourists in Mongolia. The largest number of tourists come from our neighboring countries, Russian Federation and People’s Republic of China. According to the statistics of the last 10 years, about 130,000 tourists of China and 80,000 tourists of Russia visited Mongolia every year before pandemic.

Tourists from South Korea, Japan, the United States, Kazakhstan, Germany, France, Australia, and the United Kingdom are next on the list. According to the study of the Bank of Mongolia, tourists who come to Mongolia spend an average of USD 1,463 in 9 days, depending on the country where they come from. 56% of tourists take service from tourist companies, and 44% organize their own trips.

As of the first half of 2022, 73.7 thousand tourists came to Mongolia. This is an increase of 6.4 times from the same period of the previous year and a decrease of 66.1 percent compared to the period before the pandemic.

China's Zhuengadabuqi border port, connecting Mongolia through Bichigt gateway, has resumed operation after it was shut down on September 15, 2021 due to COVID-19 outbursts, according to the Global Times.

The border crossing mainly imports coking coal, crude oil and iron ore, with the intakes of the three goods at 379,700 tonnes, 145,000 tonnes and 1,270 tonnes respectively in 2021, data showed.

Zhuengadabuqi port opened a green passage on July 25, allowing the mobility of cargoes and people, in a bid to accelerate the recovery of port capacity.

(Writing by Emma Yang Editing by Harry Huo)

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