Mongolia added 37 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours after 11,202 tests were conducted nationwide, bringing its caseload to 1,779, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Sunday.

The new cases were locally transmitted or reported in the country's capital Ulan Bator, Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's surveillance department, told a press conference.

Meanwhile, 12 more patients have recovered from the disease, taking the total to 1,333.

The Asian country, with a population of around 3.3 million, has recorded two COVID-19-related deaths so far. Enditem

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Ministers of the new cabinet have been just appointed by taking the oath of office to the parliament, after Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene issued the ordinance on the appointments. The Steering Committee of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party earlier today, January 29, approved the list of nominees for cabinet ministers, who were then presented to the President and the Parliament by the recently appointed Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene.

Eight of the 16 cabinet members namely, S.Amarsaikhan, Ts.Nyamdorj, B.Battsetseg, B.Javkhlan, L.Enkh-Amgalan, S.Enkhbold, N.Urtnasan, and Ch.Nomin have been newly appointed, while the rest who had been ministers of the previous government have been reappointed.

Newly appointed cabinet members:

Deputy Prime Minister – MP S.Amarsaikhan

Head of Cabinet Secretariat – Ts.Nyamdorj

Minister of Environment and Tourism – N.Urtnasan

Minister of Finance – MP B.Javkhlan

Minister of Foreign Affairs – B.Battsetseg

Minister of Culture – Ch.Nomin

Minister of Health – S.Enkhbold

Minister of Education and Science - MP L.Enkh-Amgalan

Reappointed cabinet members:

Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs - MP Kh.Nyambaatar

Minister of Labor and Social Protection - A.Ariunzaya

Minister of Construction and Urban Development - B.Munkhbaatar

Minister of Defense – G.Saikhanbayar

Minister of Road and Transport Development - L.Khaltar

Minister Mining and Heavy Industry - G.Yondon

Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry - Z.Mendsaikhan

Minister of Energy - N.Tavinbekh

In accordance with the amendments to the Constitution of Mongolia, which were adopted on November 14, 2019, Prime Minister appoints ministers of the cabinet. Therefore, no voting has been conducted at the plenary session of the parliament.

It is noteworthy that half of the previous cabinet members have been reappointed and the new cabinet, for the first time has four women ministers, of which 3 have been newly appointed. Moreover, Ts.Nyamdorj, who served as the Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs for many years, has been appointed as the Chief of Cabinet Secretariat.

The appointments were made in light of the professional qualifications of the nominees. The Steering Committee of the Mongolian People’s Party concluded that certain ministers of the previous cabinet had to be reappointed as it had been stated that the new cabinet would continue with the major railroad, mining, and oil refinery projects launched by the previous cabinet of former Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh and that it is important to make balanced appointments rather than appointing only new faces at this critical time when the country is fighting COVID-19 outbreaks and facing economic challenges.

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. As part of the Utility Operations Sub-activity of the Bulk Water Supply Project under the Mongolian Water Compact, operations of Ulaanbaatar Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (USUG) and Ulaanbaatar Housing and Public Utilities Authority (OSNAAUG) was evaluated by the AquaRating. It is an international assessment and benchmarking tool for utility operations developed by the International Water Association (IWA). USUG and OSNAAUG AquaRating Certification Workshop was held virtually on January 26 and 27, 2021, respectfully.

The First Deputy Governor of the Capital city J.Sandagsuren, General Manager of Ulaanbaatar City and Head of the Governor's Office T.Gantumur, Head of USUG Ts.Turkhuu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Mongolia Michael S. Klecheski, MCC Resident Country Director Alex Russin, Deputy Resident Country Director Eric Guetschoff, MCA-Mongolia Deputy Chief Executive Director S. Zorigt, and other officials participated in the event. IWA AquaRating Manager Kizito Masinde, co-author of AquaRating Francisco Cubillo and MCA-Mongolia Water Sector Sustainability Activity Director L.Unurjargal co-facilitated the virtual event and the certification ceremony.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Michael Klecheski said he is delighted to be taking part in this important event and noted that “This performance assessment utilizing the AquaRating system lays a foundation for strengthening the operational and financial sustainability of water utilities”.

“I want to highlight here the $350 million MCC program among all of the other ongoing projects, which will change life in Ulaanbaatar a lot and contribute significantly to social and economic development of the Capital city of Mongolia. An important thing I should mention here is that this is a grant, but not a loan. The second thing is local ownership, which means a MCC provides an opportunity for grant receiving countries to make proposals about what to do with this grant for supporting their economic growth,” the Ambassador said.

“The MCC Compact is, first of all, funding major infrastructure projects, including the construction of new wellfields and two large plants, including Advanced Water Purification Plant and Wastewater Recycling Plant. In addition, the Compact will invest in policy measures to create a financially and environmentally sustainable future for the water sector of Ulaanbaatar. In other words, not just the major infrastructure improvement to the Ulaanbaatar water sector, it will bring good governance and best management practices into Mongolia. Today's event testifies to the fact that all this is happening from the beginning.”

Then, Ambassador Michael Klecheski presented the organization certificate of AquaRating assessment to Head of USUG Ts.Turkhuu.

Mr. Ts.Turkhuu, in his closing remarks, stated that “Over one year time starting from 2019, we worked quite intensively on this AquaRating exercise. And we are glad to receive this certificate today after all. It is essential for us to work according to certain standards. We have a noble responsibility to support the health and hygiene of our citizens by providing water services. Therefore, we will continue to work hard to take the quality and standards of our operations and services to a higher level and to bring them in line with international standards.”

MCA-Mongolia Deputy Chief Executive Director S.Zorigt extended his gratitude to all those who have contributed in this important and time-consuming work in the past two years and underlined that the current assessment rate UGUG has been obtained is quite close to the average rates of similar water utilities from the other countries. He also said that the MCA-Mongolia will continue to work together with USUG and U.S Embassy to Ulaanbaatar to improve the sustainability of the water sector based on this assessment.

Following the certification ceremony, the AquaRating assessment report was presented in detail to USUG management, engineers and technicians.

The AquaRating, a system based on an international standard for the evaluation and improvement of water and sanitation utilities, evaluates and analyzes the water and sanitation services in an integrated way through several assessment elements organized in eight operational areas, identifies areas for further improvement and provide support during the improvement process as briefed by Mr. Kizito Masinde.

As a part of the Utility Operations Sub-activity of the Bulk Water Supply Project under the Mongolian Water Compact, AquaRating performance assessment to operations of USUG and OSNAAUG started in May 2019. An internal audit was conducted in the first quarter of 2020, followed by an external audit from the IWA in the third quarter of 2020. An evaluation report was prepared in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Based on the assessment results, a comprehensive plan for further improvement will be developed and implemented, including a comprehensive partnership between USUG and an experienced water utility from a developed country that operates in similar conditions or deals with similar concerns.

The validity of the certification will last until 2024 and by then another assessment will be done.

Background

Millennium Challenge Account - Mongolia is a state-owned enterprise established by the decision of the Government of Mongolia on October 3, 2018, pursuant to Government Resolution No 297 in accordance with Section 3.2 of the Compact to implement the Program under the 350 million USD Mongolia Water Compact signed with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. government foreign aid agency.

Ulaaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ On January 27, Rio Tinto unveiled its new executive team. With this structural change, Energy and Minerals Chief Executive Bold Baatar has become Copper Chief Executive.

Bold joined Rio Tinto in May 2013 as president of Copper International Operations. And he has been the chief executive of Rio Tinto Energy & Minerals (E&M) product group since 2016. Through the development of new products and markets, a responsive market approach and the successful divestment of the company’s coal business, Bold has helped drive the optimization of the company's portfolio with a focus on a low carbon future and in doing so, helped generate significant shareholder value. He has also re-energized the Group’s focus on Africa and driven the development of Rio Tinto Ventures, which focuses on assessing growth opportunities in the minerals and metals of the future.

The new leadership team, effective by 1 March, is:

Jakob Stausholm, Chief Executive

Bold Baatar, Chief Executive Rio Tinto Copper

Alf Barrios, Chief Commercial Officer

Peter Cunningham, Interim Chief Financial Officer

Mark Davies, Group Executive, Safety, Technical and Projects

Sinead Kaufman, Chief Executive Rio Tinto Minerals

Barbara Levi, Chief Legal Officer & External Affairs

James Martin, Chief People Officer (joins 6 April)

Kellie Parker, Chief Executive Australia

Arnaud Soirat, Chief Operating Officer

Peter Toth, Group Executive, Strategy and Development

Simon Trott, Chief Executive Rio Tinto Iron Ore

Ivan Vella, Chief Executive Rio Tinto Aluminium

Rio Tinto will increase its focus on operational excellence and project development, strengthening the company’s ESG credentials, and rebuilding trust, particularly in Australia, under the new organizational structure.

source: Rio Tinto

A new coronavirus vaccine has been shown to be 89.3% effective in large-scale UK trials.

The Novavax jab is the first to show it is effective against the new variant of the virus discovered in the UK, the BBC's medical editor Fergus Walsh said.

The PM welcomed the "good news" and said the UK's medicines regulator would now assess the vaccine.

The UK has secured 60 million doses of the jab, which will be made in Stockton-on-Tees.

The doses are expected to be delivered in the second half of this year, if approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the government said.

The UK has so far approved three coronavirus vaccines for emergency use - one from Oxford University and AstraZeneca, another by Pfizer and BioNTech, and a third from drug firm Moderna.

The Novavax jab was shown to be 89.3% effective at preventing Covid-19 in participants in its Phase 3 clinical trial in the UK, which enrolled more than 15,000 people aged between 18-84, of whom 27% were older than 65, Novavax said.

In the South African part of the trial, where most of the cases were the South African variant of the virus, the vaccine was 60% effective among those without HIV.

Stan Erck, chief executive of Novavax, said the results from the UK trial were "spectacular" and "as good as we could have hoped", while the efficacy in South Africa was "above people's expectations".

He told the BBC the manufacturing plant in Stockton-on-Tees should be up and running by March or April, with the company hoping to get approval for the vaccine from the MHRA around the same time.

He said: "This is positive news and, if approved by the medicines regulator, the Novavax vaccine will be a significant boost to our vaccination programme and another weapon in our arsenal to beat this awful virus.

"I'm proud the UK is at the forefront of another medical breakthrough and I want to thank the brilliant scientists and researchers, as well as the tens of thousands of selfless volunteers who took park in clinical trials."

Prof Paul Heath, chief investigator of the UK Novavax trial, said: "These are enormously exciting findings and show that this is a highly effective and safe Covid-19 vaccine - importantly it also shows that this is a vaccine that is effective against the UK variant that has spread so quickly."

Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said the findings that the vaccine gave high levels of protection in the UK part of the trial were "excellent" but that the lower level of protection seen in South Africa was "a concern".

These extremely encouraging trial results suggest another powerful vaccine against coronavirus could soon be within reach.

It works in a slightly different way to the ones that are already available - but does the same job of teaching the body's immune system to recognise and fight the pandemic virus.

What is more, it appears to be effective against emerging and more infectious variants of coronavirus too - something scientists have feared might not be possible because the vaccines were all designed to match the original virus, not these new, mutated versions.

Even the South Africa variant, which has undergone the most worrisome changes, does not seem to be able to fully escape.

Nadhim Zahawi, the UK government minister responsible for the vaccine rollout, said: "Having taken part in Novavax's vaccine trial myself, I am particularly thrilled to see such positive results.

"I want to thank the thousands of trial volunteers, without whom these results would not have been possible."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the trial results as "fantastic news" and "one more step towards getting Britain vaccinated".

In total, the UK has ordered ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and 40 million of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - both of which are currently being rolled out in the UK.

Another 17 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, which was approved by the MHRA in early January, are expected in the spring.

The aim is to give everyone in the top four priority groups - up to 15 million people - a first dose by mid-February.

Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the Novavax jab can be stored at regular fridge temperature.

More than 7.4 million people in the UK have so far received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest government figures.

Earlier, the prime minister and Public Health England (PHE) defended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, after Germany recommended that it should only be given to people aged under 65.

Dr Mary Ramsay, PHE's head of immunisations, said the jab offers "high levels of protection" against Covid-19, particularly against severe illness.

The UK recorded a further 1,239 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test on Thursday. There have also been another 28,680 new infections.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson estimates about 300,000 Hong Kong citizens will take advantage of a new visa route to leave the former British colony and settle in the U.K., despite nearly three million people being eligible.

The new procedure honors the “profound ties of history and friendship” between the province and Britain, Johnson said in a statement.

The route, which opens on Sunday, was offered after the U.K. said China’s imposition of a National Security Law breached the terms of the joint agreement made between the two nations when Hong Kong was handed over to Beijing’s control in 1997.

Between 123,000 and 153,700 British National (Overseas) status holders and their dependents are expected to use the route to the U.K. in the first year, rising to between 258,000 and 322,400 over five years, according to Home Office estimates.

The visa fee to stay for five years will be 250 pounds ($343) per person alongside an immigration health surcharge of as much as 624 pounds per year.

“We have been clear we won’t look the other way when it comes to Hong Kong,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in an e-mailed statement. “We will live up to our historic responsibility to its people.”

Relations between London and Beijing are at a modern low as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the treatment of Hong Kong protesters and allegations of human rights abuses of Uighur Muslims. China denies any mistreatment.

Mongolian imports fell to an eight-month low in December as the country’s first local transmission of Covid-19 cases in the previous month compelled stricter checks at the Chinese border crossings, largely reducing the number of trucks passing daily. Mongolian imports for the whole of 2020 fell by 30 percent on the previous year.

China’s December coking coal imports fell to the lowest level in 2020 as Australian shipments dropped to zero because of an informal import ban, while Chinese mills ramped up offtake of non-Australian origin coal.

China imported 3.57 million tonnes of coking coal last month, down by 4 percent from 3.72 million tonnes in November but up by 110 percent from December 2019, according to Chinese customs data. The country’s overall 2020 imports fell by 3 percent on the year.

Canada’s Turquoise Hill Resources (TSX, NYSE: TRQ) is seeking an interim order in its arbitration against Rio Tinto (ASX, LON, NYSE: RIO) as some of the top miner’s actions could limit Turquoise Hill’s funding options for the vast Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold-silver mine in Mongolia.

Tensions between Rio Tinto and Turquoise Hill’s management and minority shareholders have grabbed headlines in recent months. The two companies are at odds over roles and obligations in securing the remaining funding for the underground expansion of the mine.

The Vancouver-based miner says Rio is using “certain procedures under contractual arrangements” that could grant it the right to pursue re-profiling negotiations with existing lenders.

Turquoise Hill added that Rio would do so in a manner the company considers will render Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi LLC, the Mongolian state-owned company that owns a third of the mine, unable to execute an offering of bonds in 2021.

If executed, Rio’s tactics would also compel Turquoise Hill to refrain from engaging on funding and other matters with its other stakeholders, including our Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi LLC and the government of Mongolia, it said.

Turquoise Hill, majority owned by Rio Tinto, had expected the underground expansion to cost $5.3 billion when it was approved in 2015. Last year, however, Turquoise Hill flagged stability risks associated with the original project design, adding that amendments to it could increase costs by as much as an additional $1.9 billion.

Turquoise Hill also warned at the time of further delays of up to two and a half years, with first sustainable production from Oyu Tolgoi’s underground expansion expected between May 2022 and June 2023.

Rio Tinto had said in September it planned to raise up to $500 million through additional lending to develop the giant copper mine. The move, Rio said, would reduce the remaining funding requirement of the expansion to up to $1.4 billion.

By reprofiling, the parties sought more time to repay their debt, knowing that the principal of the extended debt, or in some cases even the interest rate on it, are not reduced.

Any remaining funding for the underground mine, Rio vowed, was to be met through a Turquoise Hill equity offering.

Mulling options

Turquoise is simultaneously advancing its evaluation of financing options for Oyu Tolgoi. Such alternatives include additional debt from banks or international financial institutions, an offering of global medium-term notes and a gold streaming transaction, it said.

The company had previously disclosed it was facing a funding shortfall for Oyu’s expansion of up to $4 billion, including balance sheet servicing costs.

Once completed, the underground section of Oyu Tolgoi will lift production from 125,000–150,000 tonnes in 2019 to 560,000 tonnes at peak output, which is now expected by 2025 at the earliest. This would make it the biggest new copper mine to come on stream in several years.

Oyu Tolgoi, located in the South Gobi desert near the border with China, produced 35,203 tonnes of copper and 26,154 ounces of gold in the first three months of this year.

Rio Tinto owns the mine through its majority stake in Turquoise Hill, which has a 66% interest in Oyu Tolgoi. The Mongolian state has the remaining 34% of the operation.

Turquoise Hill’s move comes a day after Rio’s new chief executive, Jakob Stausholm, overhauled the senior leadership team and created two new roles, as he seeks to repair damage to the company’s reputation stemming from last year’s destruction of a 46,000-year-old sacred Aboriginal site in Australia.

It is rare for anti-government demonstrators to see their demands met after a single day of protest. Yet the crowds of Mongolians who braved the biting cold of their capital, Ulaanbaatar, calling for heads to roll because of the mistreatment of a hospital patient got what they wanted—and more. Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, the prime minister, announced the resignation of his entire government.

“The joke all over Ulaanbaatar is that the prime minister’s resignation shocked even the protesters,” says a bigwig of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party (mpp). But far from a joking matter, this episode, along with other recent goings-on, shows that Mongolia is bogged in the same old mire that has held back the country since it threw off Russia’s domination more than three decades ago and took up democracy. Politics has been turbulent, sometimes clownish. Corruption is widespread. And the mining industry, which dominates the economy, is still woefully mismanaged.

Though Mr Khurelsukh ostentatiously portrayed his resignation as a gesture of accountability, many see it as a cynical ploy to polish his image in the run-up to presidential elections scheduled for June. The protest’s immediate cause was a relatively minor matter: the apparent mistreatment of a woman who, after giving birth, was diagnosed with covid-19 and then brusquely transferred to a hospital for infectious diseases. A widely aired video, showing her in a dressing gown and slippers being moved outdoors with her baby in the bitter cold and into an ambulance, sparked the angry demonstrations.

Mr Khurelsukh remains chairman of the mpp and is likely to keep pulling the strings. His replacement as prime minister is a close ally. Observers in Ulanbaatar are comparing the resignation to political manoeuvres in neighbouring Russia and nearby Kazakhstan. They note that Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, once swapped jobs for four years with his prime minister without letting go of the reins. The long-serving ruler of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has retained great influence over his handpicked successor since resigning in 2019.

Mr Khurelsukh is thought to be planning a run for president, and may want to distance himself from unpopular policies that could be a liability in the campaign. The demonstrators complained not only about the treatment of the new mother but also about the mishandling of the pandemic by the government. It has tried to suppress transmission through an economically ruinous lockdown. Unemployment is high and frustration with public-health restrictions is growing.

The incumbent president, Khaltmaagiin Battulga, who first earned fame as a wrestler, may find himself pinned down by a new constitutional amendment that limits presidents to a single six-year term instead of two four-year stints. He has been in office for four years. The courts will have to decide whether he can stand again.

Whoever wins the election will face some familiar problems. Politicians are again bickering over the terms of a deal with Rio Tinto, a mining firm that is the manager of and a big shareholder in the Oyu Tolgoi gold-and-copper mine, Mongolia’s biggest mining project. Successive Mongolian governments have tinkered endlessly with the ownership, taxation and financing of the mine, in which it currently owns a one-third stake, to secure a better deal for the country.

Camped outside parliament as it voted to approve the new prime minister was Sainkhuu Ganbaatar, an mp who ran for president last time around. He is on a hunger strike to press the new government to assert itself against Rio Tinto. He narrowly missed qualifying for the run-off in 2017, with more than 30% of the vote. His message remains the same: corrupt individuals have taken their cut while selling the country short. Other bigwigs have come under fire for owning fancy homes in Hong Kong, London and New York.

The mining controversy and corruption seem certain to dominate the campaign. And disgruntled demonstrators are sure to have plenty to protest against.

Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia confirmed 25 more COVID-19 cases after 15,202 tests had been carried out in the last 24 hours, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Thursday.

The latest cases were locally transmitted or detected in the country's capital Ulan Bator, Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the surveillance department of the NCCD, said at a daily press conference.

Meanwhile, eight more patients have recovered from the disease in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 1,244, Ambaselmaa added.

The Asian country has confirmed 1,692 COVID-19 cases so far, including 1,282 locally transmitted ones.

The country with a population of 3.3 million has so far registered two COVID-19-related deaths. Enditem