During the discussion, N.Enkhbold requested Sergey Shoigu to help evacuating Mongolian cadets with their families and other students who study in Russian Federation with a chartered military plane. Minister Shoigu accepted the Mongolian request and has tasked the relevant officials to organise the evacuation of the cadets with their aircraft.

According to sources, Mongolia plans to evacuate over 500 of its students from Russia by air and land in the next weeks. The returnees are expected to be quarantined in the Selenge and Darkhan-Uul provinces, which are close to the Russian border.

At this time of year average daytime temperatures reach 5-10 Celsius in 60 percent of Mongolian agricultural regions. In other regions, average temperatures are 1.5-2.0 Celsius warmer than normal.

According to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry, a total area of 360.0 thousand hectares is to be cultivated by wheat nationally in 2020 – an increase of 20.0 thousand hectares compared to previous year – in order to prevent flour shortage which may result from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, Mongolia harvested a total of 407.6 thousand tonnes of wheat from 339.4 thousand hectares; of this, 247.4 thousand tonnes were sold to flour producers.

In addition, the country of three million plans to cultivate tomatoes on 16.0 thousand hectares, vegetables on 11.6 thousand hectares, oil crops on 45.0 thousand hectares, and fodder crops on 38.2 thousand hectares; 7.3 thousand hectares will be used for growing fruit.

To contact the reporter on this story: Terrence Edwards in Ulaanbaatar at tedwards100@bloomberg.net

In extreme wintry weather, known as "dzud," livestock will starve because they are unable to find nourishing food due to the snow cover.

Animal husbandry is the backbone of the country's national economy. Nearly 40 percent of the nomadic population depend on it for their livelihood.

Thousands of herders lose their animals to dzud almost every year, with more than 1 million animal fatalities back in 2016. Enditem

-Sales and prices of zinc have been decreasing since January. How did it affect the sector?

-In terms of the zinc price, it plunged off earlier this year and decreased by 35.5 percent compared to last year. And we assume that the price is stable now. Even though Chinese companies had returned back to regular operations, product sales and prices maintained the same level due to the COVID-19 outbreak around the world. In addition, Tsairt Mineral exported a total of 26,000 tons of zinc concentrate since January, which fell by 30 percent from a year ago.

-SEC extended the state of emergency for one more month. On this subject, is there any tangible difficulties in Tsairt Mineral’s operation?

-Generally, our company distributes ore from open-pit mining. This year we are planning to construct a side bracing with China subcontractors and work discussion and programs were designated. However, projected works were delayed due to the emergency extension. In line with the situation, ore mining operations have been suspended and disrupted either.

-Due to the COVID-19, the volume of mineral export relatively lower than usual and how it impacts on Mongolia’s mining industry as well as companies that have faced difficulties with saving job positions?

-Well, the direct effect of the pandemic is relatively delicate at this time, however, the situation will be tougher further. The mining industry is the fundamental of Mongolia’s economy and it is not the straightforward sector that shows their effect directly, the surplus is projected in long-term operations. What will happen in the future is still uncertain. Tsairt Mineral’s sales decreased by 30 percent and operations deteriorated by 20 percent during the emergency period. We are also trying to save job positions under the guidance of the GoM.

South Korea warned of a second wave of the new coronavirus as infections rebounded to a one-month high, while new infections accelerated in Germany.

Still, investors seemed determined to stay optimistic and MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS firmed 0.1%.

Japan's Nikkei .N225 added 0.7% and South Korean stocks .KS11 0.3%. E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 ESc1 opened soft but bounced as the morning wore on and was last up 0.3%.

Wall Street had rallied on Friday after the April payrolls report proved dire but not quite as awful as analysts’ worst fears.

“Just getting the worst jobs report in history out, is at the margins helpful for risky assets,” said Alan Ruskin, head of G10 FX at Deutsche Bank.

“Since late March there has been an extraordinary divergence between the real economy and financial risk, with the latter helped by unprecedented policy accommodation,” he added.

“Markets know the real economy data is awful. We are less sure of how long markets aided by policy, can defy the real economy, if the growth improvement is slow.”

The bond market certainly seems to think any recovery will be slow with two-year yields US2YT=RR hitting record lows at 0.105% and Fed fund futures <0#FF:> turning negative for the first time ever.

The rally in prices has come even as the U.S. Treasury plans to borrow trillions of dollars in the next few months to plug a gaping budget deficit.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is due to give a key note speech on Wednesday and analysts suspect he will rule out taking rates negative, at least for now.

The decline in U.S. yields might have been a burden for the dollar but with rates everywhere near or less than zero, major currencies have been stuck in tight ranges.

The dollar was a shade firmer on the yen at 106.94 JPY= on Monday but well within the 105.97 to 109.37 band that has lasted since late March. The euro was a fraction softer at $1.0830 EUR= but above last week's low at $1.0765.

Against a basket of currencies, the dollar was idling at 99.837 =USD, sandwiched between support at 98.769 and resistance around 100.40.

In commodity markets, gold edged up 0.3% to $1,706 an ounce XAU=.

Oil prices opened about 1% lower as a persistent glut weighed on prices and the coronavirus pandemic eroded global oil demand, even as some governments began to ease lockdowns.

Brent crude LCOc1 futures lost 27 cents to $30.70 a barrel, while U.S. crude CLc1 fell 39 cents to $24.35.

Editing by Sam Holmes

Although most miners at this point, including Rio Tinto itself, have implemented protocols to avoid the spread of the disease at their mine sites, in this particular case the measures are of extreme importance given that Diavik is located in one of the most remote corners of the world — about 2100 kilometres from the North Pole in the Barren Lands of the Northwest Territories.

The region occupies an important portion of the country’s northwestern landmass and about 50% of its population is composed of Indigenous peoples who live in remote communities, have limited access to primary health care and rely on aeromedical evacuations for emergency care. However, as of May 10, 2020, the Northwest Territories had only five confirmed cases of covid-19 and none had been registered at Diavik.

Rio Tinto increases precautionary measures to prevent coronavirus outbreak at Canadian diamond mine
Diavik is the mine where the now legendary Foxfire diamond, a 187.6-carat rare stone and the largest uncut, gem-quality diamond ever mined in North America, was unearthed in 2015. (Image from Foxfirediamond.com)
“We are committed to doing everything we can to protect our people and communities, and this testing will add a further layer to the robust precautionary measures we already have in place at Diavik,” the mine’s chief operating officer, Richard Storrie, said in a media statement.

The world’s second-largest mining company is backing its efforts with the guidance of not-for-profit public health experts GuardRX, who have installed an on-site laboratory at Diavik to conduct a testing program for employees and contractors using nasopharyngeal swabs.

All personnel are tested on arrival at Diavik and before leaving to return home.

According to Rio, the program is being executed in collaboration with the Chief Public Health Officer of the Northwest Territories.

Prior to implementing this additional safety measure, the company had already put in place a protocol that included the obligation of completing 14 days of recorded self-monitoring before travelling to the mine, including temperature checks and physical distancing; medical screening before travelling to the mine through a hotline with physician assistants; health screening with temperature checks before boarding flights to the mine; and daily monitoring including temperature testing while at the mine.