In Mongolia, the mining sector makes up 24 percent of the country's GDP, 69 percent of the industrial sector, 77 percent of foreign direct investment and 93 percent of exports. According to last year, total revenue of the state budget was MNT 13,362.3 billion, of which 29.6 percent or MNT 4,114.4 billion was generated by the mining sector alone, reported the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry.

Before the pandemic, Mongolia used to export over 30 million tons of coal annually, but last year it exported 16,138 thousand tons. Despite the decline in the volume of mineral exports, the income from export in 2021 was equal to those of previous years as a result of high commodity prices in the world market and response to the pandemic. For instance, the country exported 36,265 thousand tons of coal and earned USD 2,803 million in 2018, exported 36,604 thousand tons of coal and earned USD 3,079 million in 2019, 28,677 thousand tons and earned USD 2,127 million in 2020, as well as exported 16,138 thousand tons of coal and earned USD 2,779 million in 2021.

In 2021, the price for copper concentrate rose. In 2017, it exported 1,447 thousand tons of copper concentrate and ore and earned USD 1,613 million from it, while last year the country sold 1,283 thousand tons and earned USD 2,900 million.

Eighty-five percent of coal exports go through Gashuunsukhait and Shiveekhuren border crossings, 54 percent of copper concentrate exports -- through Gashuunsukhait and 46 percent -- through Zamyn-Uud border crossing.

Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Economic Development B.Javkhlan held a meeting with Deputy Chairman of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission Ning Jizhe on February 7.

Organized in the framework of the Mongolian Prime Minister’s visit, the meeting was also attended by Ambassador of Mongolia to China T.Badral, Governor of the Capital City and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar D.Sumiyabazar, and Governor of the Bank of Mongolia B.Lkhagvasuren.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on opportunities to jointly implement large-scale infrastructure projects in the framework of the ‘New Revival Policy’ of the Government of Mongolia, such as the construction of a highway and a two-way railroad en route Altanbulag - Zamiin-Uud, and the construction of railroads at Gashuunsukhait - Gantsmod and Shiveekhuren - Sekhee border checkpoints. They also held an extended discussion on certain projects that are of priority for the side of Mongolia, which include increasing the transport of coal being exported through Gashuunsukhait border checkpoint, introducing a large-capacity transportation method as a part of the efforts to decentralize Ulaanbaatar city and reduce traffic congestion, and constructing a highway around Ulaanbaatar city.

Deputy Chairman of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission Ning Jizhe noted that the projects align with the works to be carried out for the Mongolia-Russia-China Economic Corridor program as well as the Mongolia-China cooperation framework for the mineral, energy, and infrastructure sector and the Belt and Road Initiative, and expressed willingness to support the projects by studying opportunities to jointly implement them.

The two sides agreed to organize a meeting between the corresponding organizations in order to ensure preparatory works and make progress on the projects.

The Ministry of Health reported today, February 8 that 1,100 СOVID-19 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. In detail, 679 cases were reported in Ulaanbaatar city, with 421 cases in 21 aimags.

Currently, 5,306 people are receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19 whilst 23,235 people with mild symptoms of COVID-19 are being isolated at home. Of the total patients currently undergoing treatment at hospitals, there are 523 patients in critical, and 65 in very critical conditions. In addition, four COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, raising the country’s death toll to 2,059.

As of today, the coverage of 1st dose has reached 69.8 percent (2,269,936), 2nd dose – 66.7 percent (2,170,893) and 3rd dose or a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccines – 31.0 percent (1,009,379) of the total population. In addition, 84,092 people (2.6 percent) have received 4th vaccine dose.

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – The Alaska National Guard participated in the second iteration of the Airmen-to-Airmen Talks program with the Mongolian Air Force to plan for future training and subject matter expert exchanges.

Hosted by the U.S. Pacific Air Force, the A2AT program develops interoperability, fosters military-to-military relations, and improves bilateral cooperation. The United States and partner nation air forces conduct these engagements to plan for collaborative activities and discuss common goals.

The program is tied to the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, which has paired Alaska and Mongolia as partners since 2003. The National Guard participates with other militaries to support defense security goals via the SPP.

“[A2AT] gives each of our different components the opportunity to learn best practices from each other,” said Chief Master Sgt. Mike Keegan, chief enlisted manager for the 176th Civil Engineer Squadron and participant in the latest engagement in November. “For Alaska Guardsmen, it’s an opportunity to participate in missions outside of their country, outside of their state, that ties directly into their [career] skills training.”

Keegan said the Alaska Guard worked alongside with the Mongolian Air Force on engineering and logistics skills. The Mongolian Air Force is relatively new and uses the partnership to improve efficiency.

Alaska and Mongolia first participated in A2AT in Hawaii in March 2019.

For the 2021 A2AT, U.S. and Mongolian military members participated in five working group topics: exercises and engagements, logistics, professionalization and education, medical, and high-level visit.

Keegan, part of the logistics group, said members discussed best practices, subject matter expert exchanges, airfield operations, security forces and search and rescue. The Mongolian Air Force is particularly interested in rescue capabilities and looks to the Alaska Air National Guard’s search and rescue assets for guidance.

The Alaska Guard and Mongolian Air Force agreed to conduct subject matter expert exchanges and official visits in Alaska and Mongolia.

“Our mission there throughout the Airmen-to-Airmen Talks was to work and develop together,” said Keegan. “We’re not giving them their objectives; we’re there to offer assistance and help train them.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed visited the Mongolia Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020.

Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed got acquainted with Mongolian exhibits, particularly, he was very interested in the work ‘One Day in the World’ by artists N.Sergelen, S.Ganzam, Sh.Sainzul and N.Khosbayar, and a 495-page ‘Danjuur Sutra’ written in Mongolian script in the 18th century.

Last October, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, also visited the Mongolia pavilion.

The expo will be open until the end of March, and as of today, more than 150,000 visitors have visited the Mongolia pavilion.

Following Zijin Mining Group’s recent announcement of a $380-million investment to build a lithium carbonate plant in Argentina and ​​of upcoming investments in gold and copper projects, over the weekend Chinese president Xi Jinping said his country and the South American nation are deepening their financial ties.

In detail, official communiqués from both countries report on a meeting between Xi and President Alberto Fernández in Beijing in which the former agreed to provide Argentina with more than $23.7 billion in financing, of which $14 billion were already approved for infrastructure projects and the rest will be decided for the Belt and Road initiative.

Xi also told Fernández that both countries should implement existing hydropower and railway projects and deepen cooperation in trade, industry, infrastructure, nuclear energy, investment and anti-epidemic efforts.

The idea of promoting green and sustainable development projects, as well as in initiatives related to the digital economy, was also mentioned in the agreement signed between Beijing and Buenos Aires.

Argentina sits within South America’s so-called “lithium triangle” along with Chile and Bolivia. It is the world’s fourth-largest producer of the battery metal and the ninth-largest producer of silver. It also hosts uranium reserves estimated at 30,000 tonnes of proven resources.

With files from Bloomberg News.

Russia and China have agreed to expand the number of regions that are licensed to supply grain to China, Russia’s veterinary and phytosanitary surveillance department, Rosselkhoznadzor, said in a statement on Friday.

“On February 4, as part of the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China and the negotiations between the head of state and Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, bilateral agreements were adopted that expand the list and volume of grain supplied from Russia to China,” Rosselkhoznadzor said in its report.

Changes were made to a number of prior agreements, expanding both the list of regions that are allowed to trade, and the selection of products. Now all Russian regions are allowed to supply wheat, barley and alfalfa to China, while the authorities are also exploring the possibility of supplying peas.

“The changes cancel the regionalization of shipments of wheat and barley from Russia to China. Now these grain crops can be imported to China from all over the Russian Federation,” the report says.

Previously, the list of suppliers included only seven Russian regions – Altai and Krasnoyarsk Territories, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Amur, and Kurgan Regions. The list did not include the country’s leading grain-producing regions.

Many of the world's biggest companies are failing to meet their own targets on tackling climate change, according to a study of 25 corporations.

They also routinely exaggerate or misreport their progress, the New Climate Institute report says.

Google, Amazon, Ikea, Apple and Nestle are among those failing to change quickly enough, the study alleges.

Corporations are under pressure to cut their environmental impact as more consumers want green products.

Some of the companies told BBC News they disagreed with some of the methods used in the report and said they were committed to taking action to curb climate change.

The firms analysed account for 5% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, the report says - which means although they have a huge carbon footprint, they have enormous potential to lead in the effort to limit climate change.

"The rapid acceleration of corporate climate pledges, combined with the fragmentation of approaches, means that it is more difficult than ever to distinguish between real climate leadership and unsubstantiated," the study says.

Study author Thomas Day told BBC News his team originally wanted to discover good practices in the corporate world, but they were "frankly surprised and disappointed at the overall integrity of the companies' claims".

Amazon said in its statement: "We set these ambitious targets because we know that climate change is a serious problem, and action is needed now more than ever. As part of our goal to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, Amazon is on a path to powering our operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025."

And Nestle commented: "We welcome scrutiny of our actions and commitments on climate change. However, the New Climate Institute's Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor (CCRM) report lacks understanding of our approach and contains significant inaccuracies."

The Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor was conducted by non-profit organisations New Climate Institute and Carbon Market Watch.

It looked at firms' publicly stated strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in order to reach net zero.

Net zero, a target scientists say the world must reach by 2050 to limit global temperature rises, means not adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Achieving it means reducing emissions as much as possible, as well as balancing out any that remain by removing an equivalent amount.

Companies set their own targets. For example, Google promises to be carbon-free by 2030, while Ikea pledges to be "climate-positive" by 2030.

Emissions are created by anything from transporting goods, to energy used in factories or shops. The carbon footprint of growing crops or cutting down trees also counts.

The study gave each firm an "integrity" rating. It found that some were doing relatively well in reducing emissions but that all corporations could improve. None was given a rating of "high integrity".

It assessed factors like annually disclosing emissions; giving a breakdown of emission sources; and disclosing information in an understandable way.

Just three of the 25 companies are clearly committed to removing 90% of carbon emissions from their production and supply chains, it says. Those are Maersk, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom.

The way that businesses talk about their climate pledges is also a big problem, the study says. There is a large gap between what companies say and the reality, Mr Day says - and consumers are likely to find it difficult to determine the truth.

"Companies' ambitious-sounding headline claims all too often lack real substance," he explains. "Even companies that are doing relatively well exaggerate their actions."

A really simple guide to climate change

Mr Day, whose team spent weeks poring over documents, said the average person trying, for example, to choose a piece of furniture, technology or buy food in the supermarket would struggle to make an informed decision.

He said one of the most controversial areas was what are known as downstream or upstream emissions - ones that are created by activity indirectly linked to a company.

For example, the report says 70% of Apple's climate footprint is created by upstream emissions, including the consumption of electricity by consumers using Apple phones, laptops and other products.

Many companies did not include these emissions in their climate plans.

Ikea told BBC News it welcomed "dialogue and scrutiny" of companies' climate commitments and goals, to ensure that they were "aligned with the science of 1.5°C".

"The new report by New Climate Institute is a constructive addition to this."

And Unilever commented: "While we share different perspectives on some elements of this report, we welcome external analysis of our progress and have begun a productive dialogue with the New Climate Institute to see how we can meaningfully evolve our approach.

Google told BBC News: "We clearly define the scope of our climate commitments and regularly report on our progress in our annual Environmental Report, where our energy and greenhouse gas emissions data is assured by Ernst & Young."

At the time of publication, Apple had not responded to a request for comment.

The Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor will continue to assess companies' pledges, releasing findings annually.

The full list of companies analysed is: Maersk, Apple, Sony, Vodafone, Amazon, Deutsche Telekom, Enel, GlaxoSmithKline, Google, Hitachi, Ikea, Vale, Volkswagen, Walmart, Accenture, BMW Group, Carrefour, CVS Health, Deutsche Post DHL, E.On SE, JBS, Nestle, Novartis, Saint-Gobain, Unilever.

Generating electricity from solar power is cheaper than doing so through coal-fired power plants, a new article published in the journal Energy and Environmental Materials states.

According to Ravi Silva, Director of the Advanced Technology Institute at the University of Surrey and author of the paper, solar energy typically has a cost comparative with or lower than other energy sources, including coal, nuclear and offshore wind, even as far north as Britain. In sunnier countries like Spain, the economic case for solar is even stronger.

To back these assertions, Silva cites data from the International Renewable Energy Agency, which estimates that 61% of coal capacity in the United States costs more to operate than building new renewable energy plants. Retiring these coal plants and replacing them with renewables would save $5.6 billion in costs and 332 million tons of CO2 per year.

IRENA’s figures also show that in India, 70% of coal capacity is more expensive to run than building new renewables while in Germany it is 100%.

The researcher, however, points out that not everything should be replaced by solar, acknowledging that it is important to balance solar energy with other energy sources to ensure consistency of supply to meet demand, both on day-to-day and seasonal levels. He directs people planning future energy supplies to consider wind, nuclear, and storage solutions like pumped hydro, hydrogen and batteries.

“COP26 was big news last year but it’s meaningless unless we maintain momentum and deliver on our carbon reduction targets. Solar is a crucial part of the solution and one which is more cost-effective than people believe,” Silva said. “Retiring all the uneconomic coal plants around the world and replacing them with renewables would save $32 billion and 3 gigatons of CO2 annually, 9% of mankind’s energy-related emissions. Is not this a worthwhile legacy for COP26?”

The Ministry of Health reported today, February 7 that 860 СOVID-19 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. In detail, 584 cases were reported in Ulaanbaatar city, with 276 cases in 21 aimags.

Currently, 5,561 people are receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19 whilst 26,224 people with mild symptoms of COVID-19 are being isolated at home. Of the total patients currently undergoing treatment at hospitals, there are 567 patients in critical, and 70 in very critical conditions. In addition, three COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, raising the country’s death toll to 2,055.

As of today, the coverage of 1st dose has reached 69.8 percent (2,269,843), 2nd dose – 66.7 percent (2,170,723) and 3rd dose or a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccines – 31.0 percent (1,008,116) of the total population. In addition, 82,692 people (2.5 percent) have received 4th vaccine dose.