On the second day of the ‘Food supply and security – Crop farming’ forum, meetings of vegetable and fruit/berry farmers took place.

Minister of Food Agriculture and Light Industry Z.Mendsaikhan stressed that special emphasis is being placed on providing support and long-term investments in the sector as it takes fruits and berries at least 3 years to bear fruit and that the business requires many years of effort and investment and research-based technologies. “The government implemented the Seabuckthorn national program in 2010-2016, providing support in growing seedlings, conducting research, processing the fruits and berries, and boosting export in addition to making efforts to increase seabuckthorn berry production and giving 2.5 million seedlings to farmers on soft loans,” said the Minister, adding that further efforts will be made to promote export.

Vegetable farmers and crop storage facility operators also convened for a meeting on the same day, at which the Agriculture Minister gave information on the current state of the country’s potato and vegetable farming industry and government’s measures and other speakers gave speeches on global food supply, traceability system, and other topics.

There were 338 businesses and 2,511 self-employed people in the country’s fruit and berry farming industry as of 2021, the year when the total area of fruit and berry production reached 6,686 hectares and a record 3,760 tons of fruits and berries were harvested, which indicate a 4.4-fold increase in the production area and a 9.8-fold growth in harvest volume compared to 2009. However, the country could meet only about 2 percent of the domestic demand with such an amount and continues to import 20-24 thousand tons of fruits every year.

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry plans to increase the total area of fruit and berry production by 13.5 thousand hectares to 20 thousand hectares, plant 24 million fruit and berry trees, create agro-forestry businesses in rural areas and the capital city.

Even though the country is growing seabuckthorn and blackcurrant seedlings locally, 95 percent of seedlings of other fruits and berries including apples, plums, and cherries that can be grown in Mongolia are imported.

‘Uvs Chatsargana’, seabuckthorn berries from Uvs aimag, has been registered in the EU as the first Protected Geographical Indication from Mongolia in 2022, which enables to increase export of the berries.

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Greco-Roman wrestling team departed for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Saturday morning.

Iran, headed by Mohammad Bana, has sent 10 wrestlers to the competition.

55kg: Ali Nourbakhsh

60kg: Mehdi Mohsennejhad

63kg: Iman Mohammadi

67kg: Shahin Bodaghi

72kg: Mohammad Reza Mokhtari

77kg: Aref Habibollahi

82kg: Rasoul Garmsiri

87kg: Nasser Alizadeh

97kg: Mehdi Bali

130kg: Amir Ghasemi Monjazi

The 2022 Asian Wrestling Championships will be the 35th edition of Asian Wrestling Championships of combined events, and will take place on April 19 to 24 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

April 16 (Xinhua) -- The regional final of the 15th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for secondary school students in Mongolia was held here Saturday.

This year's competition was organized with the theme "Fly High with Chinese."

During the final round of the competition, a total of 15 finalists from schools across the country showcased their skills of Chinese language and culture through speeches, quiz and cultural performances.

Enkhee Narangerel, a 10th-grade pupil from a secondary school of the northern Mongolian province of Darkhan-Uul, won the contest.

Wind turbines in the U.S. produced more electricity than coal or nuclear plants on March 29 for the first time on record, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Thursday. That made wind the second-biggest source of electricity that day, behind only natural gas and narrowly ahead of nuclear.

Wind farm capacity has increased rapidly in the U.S. over the past 15 years and is widely seen as an important weapon in the push to decarbonize the power grid and the fight against climate change.

However, due to the natural variation in wind speeds leading to different amounts of power generation, the EIA doesn’t expect wind to surpass coal or nuclear for an entire month in 2022 or 2023.

The EIA data go back to 2018 and don’t include Alaska or Hawaii.

(By Josh Saul)

The US has linked North Korea-backed hackers to a massive cryptocurrency heist worth $615m (£469m) from players of the popular online game Axie Infinity last month.

Players can earn crypto through game play or trading their avatars.

The hack is likely one of the biggest ever to hit the crypto world.

US officials say they linked the breach to a group called "Lazarus", believed to be controlled by North Korea's primary intelligence bureau.

"Through our investigations we were able to confirm Lazarus Group and APT38, cyber actors associated with [North Korea], are responsible for the theft," the FBI said in a statement on Thursday.

Lazarus Group gained notoriety in 2014 after they were accused of hacking into Sony Pictures and publicly leaking confidential data.

The group demanded that Sony withdraw its then-upcoming film The Interview, a satirical comedy staring Seth Rogen and James Franco, about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

A United Nations panel that monitors sanctions on North Korea has accused Pyongyang of using stolen funds to support its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes as a way to avoid international sanctions.

"The United States is aware that the DPRK has increasingly relied on illicit activities - including cybercrime - to generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs as it tries to evade robust US and UN sanctions," Reuters quoted a Treasury Department spokesperson as saying.

A 2020 US military report says North Korea's hacking programme dates back to at least the mid-1990s and has grown to a 6,000-strong cyber warfare unit, known as Bureau 121, which operates from several countries including Belarus, China, India, Malaysia and Russia.

Blockchain analysis company Chainalysis said North Korean hackers stole almost $400m (£291m) worth of digital assets in at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms in 2021- one of most successful years on record for cyber-criminals in the closed-off east Asian state.

On April 14, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia B.Battsetseg received Deputy National Security Adviser of the Republic of India Mr. Vikram Misri.

The Minister noted that the strategic partnership between Mongolia and India is developing rapidly, noting that security and defense cooperation between the two countries is becoming an important part of bilateral relations. They also discussed the possibility of diversifying food imports and supplying rice and sugar from India to prevent the global economic crisis and food shortages following the pandemic.

For his part, Mr. Vikram Misri said that the two countries will further strengthen the Mongolia-India Strategic Partnership, deepen political and security cooperation, and actively cooperate in promoting trade and supplying food, medicine, and pharmaceuticals to the Mongolian market.

The sides also reaffirmed their commitment to work closely to ensure the timely and successful completion of the Oil Refinery Project, a symbol of Mongolia-India cooperation.

The Mongolia-UK business forum took place on April 13. Co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the British Embassy in Mongolia, and the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the forum was attended by Trade Envoy of the UK Prime Minister, MP Daniel Kawczynski and Ambassador Philip Malone. Discussions were held on trades between the two countries with representatives of the two sides’ business owners.

British MP Daniel Kawczynski gave opening remarks at the event. Highlighting that the Government of the United Kingdom is paying a significant amount of attention to making investments in Mongolia, and actively carrying out works, he announced that loans amounting to USD 3 billion are planned to be issued on soft terms for UK companies that are looking to invest in Mongolia.

Furthermore, the MP informed about plans to visit Mongolia with investors and business representatives by the end of this year, noting that there are more opportunities to cooperate in sectors including renewable energy, agriculture, and education. The UK-side representatives also expressed their interest in the sectors of bank and financing as well as energy.

The UK Government plans to issue loans amounting to USD 3 billion on soft terms for British companies looking to invest in Mongolia.

During the business forum, Chief Representative for Turkey, Eastern Europe and Central Asia at UK Export Finance (UKEF) Ozgur Kutay introduced the export credit agency, while MNCCI Officer R. Ariuntungalag made a presentation on the Developing Countries Trading Scheme which allows lower tariffs for 70 qualifying countries exporting to the country. A presentation on the current state of Mongolia’s trade and economy was also done by Director-General of Foreign Trade and Economic Development Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs G. Ulziisaikhan.

MNCCI President O. Amartuvshin said, “Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1963, relations have been developed in politics, trade, economy, culture, education, and the humanitarian sector. It is highly necessary for both sides to put in efforts to increase trade turnover, reduce trade deficit, and strengthen investment ties.”

Currently, Mongolia’s main exports to the UK are cashmere, cashmere products, and gold, with the two countries’ businesses and organizations cooperating in the sectors of mining, education, bank and financing, and the stock market. In 2021, while Mongolia has exported animal husbandry products amounting to USD 10 million to the UK, goods and products such as drugs and medicine, medical equipment, and railway parts amounting to USD 40 million were imported from the country. Companies with UK investment currently run operations in the following sectors:

• 36 percent in retail trade and catering,

• 15.5 percent in geology, exploration, and extraction,

• 9 percent in bank and financing,

• 28.5 percent in other sectors.

Yessssir! He's back! And sniper Steve Sir is ready to once again terrorize opponents from deep while on a brand new mission to power fan favorite Mongolia into a 3x3 powerhouse.

The Canadian 3x3 legend - who might be the greatest shooter in history and jointly holds the shootout contest record - will be player-coach for everyone's favorite underdog Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour this year.

Sir will also be a coach and director of player development for Mongolia's national teams, including the men's and women's teams who hope to make a serious tilt at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2022. His return on the court might come as a surprise to those who watched his emotional sendoff at last year's Montreal Masters but Sir insists he had never left the building officially.

"Covid had affected sport in Canada so much that we were barely able to train and it got to the point last year where I felt like my time in 3x3 was coming to an end," he said. "I was like 'how can I keep playing because the talent level keeps growing'."

But his starring role for Canada at the inaugural FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup 2021 answered any lingering doubt.

"I still felt good," Sir said. "I still love to play and compete. The big challenge will be to see if I still can and that inspires me to work hard."

After spending time in Ulaanbaatar last October helping out Mongolian 3x3, Sir built a chemistry with players and officials leading to his new gig where he will be based in Mongolia's historical capital for most of the year.

"To do this properly, we talked about the importance of being there," he said. "Relationships with players is important and being invested in their improvement.

"I've had a good relationship with (team delegate) Batt Gotov, who has been tremendous and a key in Mongolia's investment in 3x3 over the years. They are completely all in on 3x3. and the next step is building on that."

What Sir can bring on the court is quite obvious - strong leadership and, of course, laser precision from deep. "Shooting is something they have struggled with in the past," he said. "Being able to shoot the ball consistently from the outside is something I bring but also can help others get better at."

Even though he was a defacto player/coach/team manager at times for Edmonton and Canada, Sir now moves into coaching officially and hopes to take Mongolia to another level.

Mongolia's men team were memorably FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2017 champs on home soil followed by runners-up at in 2018 and 2019, while their women's played in the Tokyo Olympics - the first Mongolian squad to ever represent the country in an Olympic team sport.

"We want to play with toughness and togetherness," Sir said. "With Edmonton, we played fast which was a difficult style to play against. I hope to add that but need to find a style that suits.

"Hopefully we can raise the level of expectation and put pressure on players having to raise their game. It's a tremendous opportunity because they've already put the building blocks in place."

While Sir's priority is to lift Mongolian 3x3 to new heights - while reminding everyone he hasn't lost the shooter's touch - he is also relishing the cultural experience of moving to a country, which has a population of just 3.3 million, far different to his homeland.

"It's very different to being a city slicker in Edmonton," he said. "In Mongolian culture, they don't just let anyone in. The level of sharing and caring is very inspiring.

"It's a very insulating and loyal culture. Being a basketball nomad myself, there was a commonality between groups."

Making the journey even more special, Sir will be joined in Mongolia by his wife and daughters aged 10 and 6.

"I'm excited that my wife and kids will have this life opportunity," he said. "It will be an amazing cultural experience and hopefully I can also positively contribute to Mongolian 3x3."

Mongolia is intensifying its efforts to fully secure domestic demand for basic food products amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Mongolian Food and Agriculture Minister Zagdjav Mendsaikhan said Wednesday.

Over the past two years, unforeseen circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have shown the need for the country to intensify the development of the food and agriculture sectors and increase investment in domestic production, Mendsaikhan said at a national conference "Food Supply and Security-Agriculture" held here.

As part of its post-pandemic New Revival Policy introduced last December, the Mongolian government is taking measures to fully meet the domestic demand for basic food products, such as potatoes, flour and meat, and to become a food exporter, said Mendsaikhan.

For example, the government has decided to provide incentives for growing vegetables and grains, and pay special attention to the construction of warehouses for the harvest, he added.

This year, the landlocked Asian country is expected to fully secure its domestic demand for potatoes, grains and wheat, he said.

In March, the Mongolian government decided to issue a soft loan worth 400 billion Mongolian Tugriks (around 132 million U.S. dollars) for the development of the agricultural sector.